I think one of the hardest things to do as a facilitator is master the art of giving instructions. \u00a0Even for facilitators, public speaking can be a stressful experience, and there is nothing worse than trying to give instructions to a group while your knees are shaking and your mouth is dry. \u00a0But for all facilitators, and and especially those of us who work with radically new ways of meeting, this is a whole art in itself. \u00a0Giving instructions poorly leads to confusion and chaos and can quickly erode the trust of a group. \u00a0Being too direct can shut people down and create a sterile meeting. \u00a0The art is finding the space between the two.<\/p>\n
My own practice of giving instructions has been informed by years of standing in front of people. \u00a0From the time I was a young man, I spoke to groups as an activist, an actor, a musician and a teacher. That training, whether in the formal environment of a theatre or workplace or the informal environment of the street has helped me immeasurably to be be clear and present with a group. \u00a0It doesn’t stop my initial nervousness – in fact I have come to deeply trust the feeling I get in my stomach that some call “stage fright.” \u00a0My friend Barbara Bash<\/a> once described it as “my creative energy arising” which is a much truer characterization. \u00a0My job in preparing to work with a group includes fostering this feeling and giving myself enough internal emotional space to hold it and put it to good use. \u00a0When I find myself too emotionally thin to hold the feeling, I notice that I tremble a little and begin experiencing it as fear. \u00a0When I am emotionally resilient, the feeling becomes what athletes call “putting on my game face.” \u00a0I feel ready, excited and focused. \u00a0That state of mind is where I aim to be at the beginning of an event. \u00a0So rule zero for this list is: Be Present.<\/p>\n Having said all that, when I am ready to step into the space I am hosting, I try to follow these rules for giving instructions:<\/p>\n 1. Invite, don’t tell. <\/strong>Try to use language that invites people to participate in an activity. \u00a0I hear many facilitators say things like “what you’ll do first is get into small groups and then you’ll talk about the issue and then you’ll report back. \u00a0It will be great!” \u00a0Instead, frame the instructions as an invitation: “I invite you now to get into small groups and discuss these issues. \u00a0Once you have finished your conversations, choose someone to share your insights back with the full group.” \u00a0 \u00a0 Inviting language is important. \u00a0No one likes to be told what they have to do, and even worse, no one likes to have their emotional experience pre-determined.<\/p>\n 2. Speak the purpose clearly up front. <\/strong>Participants do not like being led by the nose through exercises that have no purpose. \u00a0In your meeting planning, every item on the agenda should have a stated purpose related to the need to meet. \u00a0If it doesn’t, then it becomes a waste of time. \u00a0Use icebreakers and presentations carefully. \u00a0Convene conversations around relevant and important questions. \u00a0And when you introduce exercises be clear about why we are doing them and what bearing it has on the work of the group. \u00a0People are much more comfortable knowing that we are going somewhere, even if they don’t exactly know where.<\/p>\n 3. Describe as little as you have to to get the instructions across. <\/strong>I am guilty of breaking this rule all the time. \u00a0I talk too much and sometimes restate things too many times. \u00a0It comes from a desire to communicate clearly and make sure everyone “gets it.” \u00a0In the past, I’ve had feedback from people that indicated that repetition of instructions is tiresome and can become patronizing (“Yes! \u00a0We get it! \u00a0Let’s get on with it!”). \u00a0So be simple, be clear, use plain language and try to say it well the first time.<\/p>\n 4. Shut up sooner than you think you have to. <\/strong>The art of shutting up is one I have been consciously practicing for many years now. \u00a0When I have given the instructions, my role is to get out of the way, cleanly, clearly and fast. \u00a0It drives me crazy when a facilitator trails off in instructions: “So off you go to your groups, remember to take notes, have a good conversation…don’t forget to listen to each other…uh…take notes, that’s important…” \u00a0All of us who facilitate can find where we do this. \u00a0These days I get done, build my final sentence to a bit of a crescendo and stop. \u00a0Dead. And then I walk away. \u00a0Make the break clear. \u00a0If you do it well, there will be a moment of deep silence and the group will blossom into buzz. \u00a0This goes for ending meetings too. \u00a0Once you have said you final thing, stop talking. \u00a0Don’t try to give any further instructions…no one will hear them anyway. \u00a0If you’ve never seen Harrison Owe<\/a>n or Anne Patillo<\/a> work, you’ve never seen the art of shutting up practiced by true masters.<\/p>\n 5. People are more capable to be in confusion than you think they are. <\/strong>We want to help, and make sure that everyone understands what’s happening before we get to work. \u00a0But clinging to this sentiment can result in \u00a0stringing out instructions endlessly until we are sure everyone can get it. \u00a0What I often do is give the instructions, ask for a show of hands for who is clear (rather than asking for question if people need clarity) and invite those who didn’t raise their hands to take their lead from those who did. \u00a0Fear and confusion can be present in many meetings and this can often come out as a need for clarity in instructions. \u00a0Often this is a canard and the real conversation needs to be about the fear and confusion within the group. \u00a0Let people be a little confused and they will discover that they can get the clarity they need from each other, and they can get to work on the real sources of fear and confusion in the group. \u00a0My improviser friends Viv McWaters <\/a>and Johnnie Moore<\/a> are never afraid to leave people confused, because they know that creative potential lurks there. \u00a0Enough instruction to get to work…that is the goal.<\/p>\n