An open discussion is simultaneously the most common type of conversation (we do it all the time) and the most difficult. Without structure and guidance, many groups develop unhealthy conversation patterns. Retrium helps teams have healthy and productive conversations through guided facilitation.
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As an effective facilitator, you have several factors to consider before each meeting. These include:
How can you avoid rabbit holes and focus on desired outcomes and objectives?
What processes need to be in place to help the team communicate?
What exercises and tools can you use to help the team create valuable action-items?
Understanding how to help your team develop a safe space to communicate is an integral part of leading open discussions in any group. As a retrospective facilitator, specifically, you will have to learn how to handle issues that may arise during the discussion.
Read more about skills to overcome common facilitation challenges and learn new engagement techniques in Chapter 3 of The Ultimate Guide To Agile Retrospectives.
Save time setting up retrospective boards and focus on covering conversation topics relevant to the team to develop action-items that teams can actually follow through on.
With Retrium guided facilitation, you can easily choose a template and start developing ideas. Or even choose from a customized template you have saved. Instead of worrying over sticky notes, you can easily work through a system developed to help you gather ideas, find areas of common ground, and focus on conversations on relevant topics to develop quality action-items and positive outcomes.
Encouraging everyone on the team to participate enables whole-team learning. That includes you. You have impediments, too! As a member of the team, you deserve a chance to share them. You also have good ideas that might help the group. If you intentionally hide these ideas, wouldn’t you be doing the team a disservice?
As a facilitator, maintaining a neutral stance is important. Why? There are many reasons why many facilitators should stay neutral. One solution to this dilemma is to help others develop their facilitation skills by encouraging other team members to facilitate. This approach help team members gain a better understanding of the roles of a facilitator, and the value of different communication techniques.
Becoming a great facilitator can take years of practice and training. With the right facilitation tool, you can easily start leading valuable conversations, and new facilitators can easily guide an in-depth conversation while still learning engagement and facilitation techniques.
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