How can you make the most of your first year in Team Facilitation?

1 Assess your strengths and gaps

Before you dive into facilitating teams, you need to have a clear understanding of your current skills and abilities, as well as your areas for improvement and development. You can use self-assessment tools, such as the IAF Core Competencies Framework, to identify your strengths and gaps in team facilitation. You can also ask for feedback from your peers, mentors, clients, or supervisors, who can provide you with valuable insights and suggestions. By assessing your strengths and gaps, you can set realistic and specific goals for your learning and growth.

2 Seek out opportunities and challenges

One of the best ways to learn and improve as a team facilitator is to seek out opportunities and challenges that will stretch your comfort zone and test your skills. You can volunteer to facilitate meetings, workshops, or events for different groups, organizations, or causes that you are passionate about. You can also join or create a community of practice, where you can exchange ideas, experiences, and best practices with other facilitators. You can also look for online or offline courses, workshops, or certifications that will help you acquire new knowledge, tools, or techniques. By seeking out opportunities and challenges, you can expand your repertoire and confidence as a team facilitator.

4 Facilitate with flexibility and adaptability

During the team facilitation, you need to facilitate with flexibility and adaptability. You need to be attentive and responsive to the team's dynamics, energy, and feedback. You need to be able to adjust and improvise your facilitation plan, methods, or materials as needed. You need to be able to balance structure and spontaneity, direction and participation, challenge and support, and content and process. You need to be able to deal with ambiguity, uncertainty, and complexity. By facilitating with flexibility and adaptability, you can create a positive and productive team facilitation experience.

5 Reflect and evaluate regularly

After the team facilitation, you need to reflect and evaluate regularly. You need to collect and analyze data and feedback from the team and the stakeholders. You need to assess the outcomes and impacts of the facilitation. You need to identify what worked well and what could be improved in your facilitation. You need to celebrate your successes and learn from your failures. You need to document and share your learnings and insights with others. By reflecting and evaluating regularly, you can enhance your skills and performance as a team facilitator.

6 Seek and apply feedback continuously

Throughout your first year in team facilitation, you need to seek and apply feedback continuously. You need to solicit and welcome feedback from different sources, such as your peers, mentors, clients, or supervisors. You need to listen and appreciate feedback with an open and curious mind. You need to filter and prioritize feedback based on its relevance and usefulness. You need to act and implement feedback in your facilitation practice. You need to monitor and measure the results and impacts of your feedback actions. By seeking and applying feedback continuously, you can accelerate your learning and growth as a team facilitator.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?