Not every great facilitator is a learning designer, but many learning designers make exceptional facilitators. Here are just some of the reasons why we think our learning design expertise makes us great facilitators of both meetings and workshops.
We care about outcomes
We clarify the client’s desired outcomes and design the session accordingly, creating each part of the agenda purposefully and intentionally aligned. Getting clear on outcomes means we also can be flexible in the moment, listening to the group’s needs while keeping the overall goals in sight.
We keep participants’ needs at the heart of the process
We get clear on who the participants are so that we can design and facilitate a session that’s relevant and meaningful to them. We learn about participants through conversations with the client, sending pre-session surveys to participants, reading background materials, and more.
We follow a structured design process
We design, develop, facilitate, and follow up to the session using a structured process, making sure we don’t miss needed steps along the way that will ensure a successful experience and outcome for the group.
We plan the group’s experience from beginning to end
We are trained to think about both the big picture and the details: before, during, and after the session. This means we intentionally design not just what will happen in the meeting itself, but every moment leading up to and following the session—the arc of the entire experience.
We design to engage
We know what effective (and fun!) group engagement looks like and we know how to design each experience so that it happens. Beth has even written a book about this topic. 😀
We prioritize accessibility and inclusion
We look at every aspect of the participant experience with a designer’s eye, thinking about not only physical accessibility of the room or space, but broader aspects of accessibility and inclusion that begin long before we gather in the room together. Our main goal is to design and facilitate experiences in which every participant feels like they are welcomed into the space, belong, and show up as their authentic selves.
We evaluate and iterate
We care about whether the session actually worked. We seek participant feedback and we reflect on how we facilitated the session so that we can be even more effective in future sessions.
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If you’re looking for a facilitator who brings both strong design thinking and thoughtful facilitation to your next session, we’d love to talk. Get in touch to explore how we might lead your upcoming meeting, or design and facilitate a custom workshop just for your team.