Exploring the Power of AI and Howspace: A Workshop on Digital Facilitation

In May of this year, I had the privilege to co-host a workshop titled "Digital Facilitation 2.0: Enhancing Collaboration and Decision-Making with AI and Howspace" that took place in Birmingham.

Co-created by Lowene Chan and with remote support from dear colleague Peter Seah, the workshop aimed to shed light on the potential of AI in group facilitation. Hosted in the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) England & Wales yearly conference - Facilitate 2023 - this session highlighted the integration of AI in the Howspace digital platform.

Drawing professionals and facilitators from diverse fields, the workshop was designed to showcase the potential advantages of incorporating AI and technology into the facilitation process.

Pre-workshop activities

One of the key advantages of using a digital collaboration platform like Howspace is that you can start hosting the session weeks before the synchronous event actually happen.

You can do this by publishing videos to introduce yourself as a host and invite participants to start reflecting and sharing about the workshop content.

On-site workshop

Finally, the day arrived when we physically met and host our workshop in The Priory Rooms Meeting & Conference Centre.

It was amazing to see how the IAF conference team and especially Paul Brand were so helpful in converting an exclusively face-to-face event room into a fully functional hybrid meeting in minutes.

Our UK facilitator colleagues have loads of expertise in hybrid settings and yet they decided to host an exclusively face-to-face annual conference, I wonder. Fatigued with working virtually, I guess.

That was, obviously, not our case. Guided by such an intrepid facilitation team, attendees embarked on a journey that introduced them to AI's role in group facilitation, encouraging them to reconsider established boundaries in collaboration and decision-making.

This was the detailed session outline:

I. Introduction and welcome (making sure everyone is on the same page) 5'

II. Check about previous experience with AI in facilitation (large group discussion) 10'

III. Experimental 2x1 session (explain the activity) 5'

a. Onsite with notes on paper (1-2-4-ALL) 20'

1. Reflect for one minute 1'
2. Share your ideas in pairs 5'
3. Share your notes in groups of four 5'
4. Each group verbally shares their notes with the large group and annotates on a flipchart 10'

b. Online participants using Howspace (1-2-4-ALL on Zoom) 20'

1. Reflect for one minute 1'
2. Share your ideas in pairs 5'
3. Type your group notes on Howspace 5'
4. The group reads the notes' summary on Howspace 10'

IV. Debrief and discussion on the use of AI (both groups online and onsite) 10'

V. Conclusion and wrap-up 5'

As the above video may hint, the workshop design incorporated smaller group activities, beginning with a pre-workshop discussion and leading into an experimental session where half the group was facilitated by Lowene in a "paper and pen" room and the other half was using Howspace in a "digital room".

This hands-on participation allowed attendees to witness firsthand the benefits of AI-driven collaboration, recognizing its potential to enhance efficiency and elevate decision-making processes. The interactive interface and integration of AI elements within Howspace left participants intrigued by the potential possibilities.

The question we selected for this workshop was based on the overall conference theme, although I guess most people couldn't even remember what that was.

How can we measure progress promoting cross-cultural understanding and what metrics could be used to assess our success?

Culminating the workshop was a reflective debrief and discussion, where attendees shared their experiences and insights on the role of AI in group facilitation. The conversations delved into the advantages and implications of integrating technology, offering a balanced examination of the pros and cons.

Conclusions

Concluding the "Digital Facilitation 2.0" workshop have the attendees departed with a deeper appreciation for the interplay between AI and group facilitation? I am not sure the results were what we expected. But I am sure the event sparked ongoing conversations and started nurturing a community of facilitators poised to embrace AI and technology's potential to enrich collaborative endeavours in new and unprecedented ways.

Additional Resources

Beyond Virtual Meetings: Digital tools for higher performing teams and organizations: More

About Howspace: Try it here

Further Reading References

"Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness" by Frederic Laloux

This book discusses new ways of organizing and collaborating, touching on aspects of AI and technology's influence on facilitating digital interactions within innovative organizational structures.

"Virtual Teamwork: Mastering the Art and Practice of Online Learning and Corporate Collaboration" by Robert Ubell

While this book primarily focuses on virtual teamwork and online learning, it covers aspects of digital facilitation in virtual settings and how technology, including AI, can enhance collaboration.

"Artificial Intelligence for HR: Use AI to Support and Develop a Successful Workforce" by Ben Eubanks

This book discusses the application of AI in the realm of human resources, including aspects related to the digital facilitation of remote teams and virtual collaboration.

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