Moving from training to facilitating was an easy call. However, the path ahead was unknown. Training and facilitation are two different worlds. Think of it this way – training is centred around giving, while facilitation is rooted in extracting.
Below are four learnings from my personal experiences that could help budding facilitators making the move from training.
- Tone:
As a trainer my pitch and tone were subtle and non-distractive. I modulated enough so that it didn’t sound monotonous. As a facilitator I bring in a lot of variations; I modulate my voice more than I would in a classroom training, and at times I also use a progressive tone to keep the energy high. - Hand Movements:
As a trainer, I limited my hand movements by keeping my elbows close to my sides. As a facilitator, I could have as few as 20 or as many as 1,000 participants, so my arms have to be open and I have to use more hand gestures to support my words and keep the participants engaged. - Questioning:
During trainings, I asked more reassuring questions to gauge participants understanding. While facilitating, I ask more probing and leading questions. Asking open ended questions is the key in the facilitation space. - 80:20 Rule:
As a facilitator I only lead conversations and let the 80:20 rule apply where participants talk approximately 80% of the time and I only speak for 20% of the time. Considering my love for talking, this is one of the biggest obstacles I had to overcome during my journey from training to facilitation.
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