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When and How to Intervene

Have you been there? Is there a “right” thing to do in these instances, and if so, what is it?

The Facilitator’s Internal Process

Successful facilitators are as aware of what’s going on inside of them as they are of group dynamics. This awareness helps them make decisions about if and when to intervene.

Before we go any further, let me define my terms. The three-stage process I will describe is equally relevant to teaching as it is to facilitating. In this article, I’m focusing on the process of facilitating a group so that it can develop its own solutions. A great facilitator can be considered a “process expert,” while a great teacher is a content expert first.

So, when I speak of facilitation, I am talking about the process of facilitating group dynamics toward some end product. We facilitate when we run a meeting, lead a strategic planning process, or run a brainstorming session. We facilitate when we ask, not when we tell.

From the time a great facilitator steps into the room in which s/he will facilitate, s/he “tunes in” to a three-stage internal cycle. When a facilitator is aware of these steps, s/he can responsibly and aptly fulfill the facilitator role.

Three Stages of Tuned–In Facilitation

Stage One: Practice “CEU,” or Cellular Environmental Awareness
Great facilitators allow themselves to acknowledge all the tangible and intangible aspects of the facilitation environment. How does it “feel?” (Is the room set up in a way that adds or detracts from a feeling of open collaboration? What attempts have been made to “de-institutionalize” a sterile environment?) What hints about their emotional states do the participants give as they walk in? What do you see, hear, and feel throughout the meeting?

The act of facilitation has been described as “following the “chi” (or energy) of the group. A facilitator practicing CEU uses every fiber of his/her body to perceive the group’s shifting dynamics throughout their interaction.

Stage Two: Diagnose
As you notice behavioral shifts, changes in the “feeling” of the meeting, or verbal hints, ask yourself: “What’s going on?” It is this internal, ongoing acknowledgement of dynamics that enables the facilitator to make the right choice: to intervene or not to intervene.

An example: Susan notices that Pat and John, who are sitting next to each other in a meeting, often speak to each other in low tones. Susan asks herself “What’s going on?” Pat and John could be laughing at her or at the meeting itself, they could be processing information to understand better, they could be discussing last night’s episode of “Survivor…”

Susan realizes that Pat and John will play unique roles in the changes under discussion, so when she thinks, “I bet they’re talking about THAT…” she feels she may have gotten it right. The sense (call it a guess) of “I believe THIS is going on…” is all there is to Stage Two.

Stage Three: Intervene

In the example above, Susan will only intervene if she gets the feeling that “Something needs to change.” Ingrid Bens, in Facilitating With Ease! defines intervention as “any action deliberately taken to improve the functioning of the group.” When the facilitator intervenes, s/he holds up a mirror to the participants so that they can see and understand their own process better. Though the decision to intervene is made internally, the intervention is external.

Here are some questions to ask yourself while deciding whether to intervene:

• Could this situation go away on its own?
• Is it necessary to stop the action? Why?
• What impact will intervening have on the flow of the meeting? The environment?
• What will happen if I do nothing?

Here is some helpful language when intervening:

• I’m noticing that…
• Let’s stop for a moment and look at what’s going on.
• It strikes me that…
• I’d like to suggest…

A tuned-in facilitator is a good facilitator. Using a popular metaphor, the role of a facilitator is to orchestrate the process of the group. Without awareness of his or her own internal process, a facilitator is reading from only half the musical score.

Read more articles about Facilitation Skills. Learn about Guila Muir’s Facilitation Skills Workshops.

Guila Muir is the premiere trainer of trainers, facilitators, and presenters on the West Coast of the United States. Since 1994, she has helped thousands of professionals improve their training, facilitation, and presentation skills. Find out how she can help transform you from a boring expert to a great presenter: www.guilamuir.com

© 2007 Guila Muir. All rights reserved.
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