Facilitators with brains in mind, blast open 10 entry points that inspire innovation:
- At meetings - facilitators add zip to roundtables because people speak and feel heard.
- Across professions – facilitators inspire shared language that leaves behind jargon to favor communication.
- In learning circles facilitators draw on multiple literacies to engage voices on the other side and leave no brains behind.
- On projects facilitators expect solutions from multiple intelligences and then give back to their wider community.
- Through diversity facilitators ensure quality access for all by setting high standards and then encouraging alternative approaches.
- For business facilitators open new opportunities for fair practice by guaranteeing ethics for all they engage.
- In conflict facilitators seek kindness and model positive tone to build goodwill among even those who disagree.
- Across genders facilitators call upon, respect, and act on insights equally from both female and male perspectives.
- Within leadership facilitators choose humility and resist arrogance, in return for visible benefits to others they lead and promote.
- In change facilitators act courageously to avoid ruts in order to favor growth and improvement for those they serve.
Imagine miracle results inspired by brain based facilitators who restore broken systems, renew flawed practices, and promote shared visions. Begin to envisioninspired results, and you have already opened a segue into new facilitation possibilities where you work.
To facilitate creativity and inventions is to build brainpowered communities through spreading serotonin that increases hope. It’s opposite is to criticize and critique what others invent and to shut down innovation through spreading cortisol, that keeps alive – the toxic sea of cynicism.
on Sep 30th, 2009 at 3:09 am
Ellen……great list, I think you have covered everything here, the only points I would add are that I feel also …a facilitator needs to have good values and great vision, to see what is possible from the group. If I can use a musical metaphor, the facilitator needs to have the skills of a great jazz musician, in order to create and innovate in real time…..generate some informal improvisation…get some brain jamming from and with the group…and see where it takes you.
on Sep 30th, 2009 at 6:57 am
Wow — what a fine metaphor for the person who draws talents from those around, and sends a clarion call for wider insights until finer genius is tossed into the mix. Makes mt day off to a terrific start!
on Sep 30th, 2009 at 10:09 am
[...] mean to be smart in the 21st Century and how can we promote genuine global intelligence into top facilitators? Honored to join this Innovative line-up of invited bloggers at WBF09: Wall Street Journal Paul [...]
on Sep 30th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Ellen great list.
for a how to with many of these faciliation ideas I strongly recomend my friend Roger Greenaway –
http://reviewing.co.uk/ezine1/art001.htm
he has the best information of faciliation.
on Sep 30th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Thanks for your kind input Mike, facilitating in each of these 10 areas is what we do daily and globally at MITA Brain Center, so we are always glad to check out others’ approaches.
Leaders facilitate in many unique ways – depending on what is their target at the end. Ours is rather unique as we want brain based action plans that bring key improvements that can be measured at the end:-)
You facilitate too – so I have a question about the leadership you bring to this art:
How do you best facilitate others to speak out and feel heard in ways that show you value their unique acumen for your sessions? Your turn!
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