What’s the number one facilitation tip I give to every facilitator, trainer, and team leader? It’s not about having more tools. It’s about how you use them. Here’s the single most powerful shift you can make with any tool in your facilitation toolkit.
Remind People They Have 100% Choice and Autonomy
I’ve used facilitation tools over the last decade with well over 100,000 people personally, in a room, and my absolute number one favorite facilitator strategy that you can employ regardless of what tool you’re using is this: remind people that they have 100% choice and autonomy in how they respond.
That’s it. It sounds simple, but it changes everything.
How This Works with Conversation Starter Cards and Team Building Activities
So for example, if you toss out the original deck of We! Connect Cards and ask people a question, you can remind them that they have 100% autonomy in what level of depth they choose to answer that question.
If you’re setting out the We! Engage Cards photo side or quote side up and people are walking into a room and you’re inviting them to choose an image that represents a strength they bring to the group, they get to pick.
And when you remind people that they have 100% choice and autonomy, the cool and somewhat ironic part is that they typically end up picking the more challenging, more honest, or more real response.
A Real-World Facilitation Example with 3,000 Executives
I was recently in a room of 3,000 executives from financial institutions across the country. This is a group that’s kind of arms crossed about doing some conversation exercise.
So my way of framing it was just as a reminder. “We’re going to do a science experiment in what happens when we ask questions that we typically don’t. Remember, first of all, this is an experiment, not a life recommendation. So we’re just going to try something, and then after, we’re going to debrief and I’m going to ask you how it went, what happened, etc.”
And then the second reminder: “You have 100% choice and autonomy in how you answer any questions. So if you want to answer everybody’s question with a superficial response and just kind of move on because you haven’t had enough coffee yet, that’s fine. And if you want to share something that’s real, honest, present for you right now, feel free to do that.”
And likewise, if a question brings up something really intense for you, you don’t have to share that. You can pick another response from your lifelong library of experience.
Why Giving Autonomy Shifts the Dynamic
When you give people that autonomy, it totally shifts the dynamic. It gives the power back to the group and invites a much more honest, genuine contribution.
This is a paradox of facilitation: the more freedom you give people, the deeper they tend to go. When people know they can opt out, they lean in. When they feel forced, they shut down. Reminding your group that they have full choice is one of the most powerful things you can do as a facilitator, trainer, or team leader.
Want to try this with your team? Download our free printable cards, book excerpts, and more here.
Put This Tip into Practice
So there’s my number one tip. If you want to make sure that the way you use these tools follows tip-top best practices, carve out 10 to 15 minutes and explore more strategies in this article on How to Be a Great Facilitator.
Want to go deeper? Register your interest for the The Contribution Method, a live experience where facilitators, trainers, and leaders come together to cut their prep in half all while doubling their impact.
