Facilitative Leadership Challenges:
A recurring challenge facilitative leaders, leaders, consultants, managers, advisors and coaches face today (especially on zoom) is when a group’s energy is flat, people are silent, and the room feels disengaged.
The “wall of silence” or the “group withhold” can quickly become stressful and disheartening for even the most experienced facilitative leader.
Withholding blocks creating trust and a feeling of safety and belonging. It can prevent group members from making real, authentic contributions.
And unfortunately, the pressure to alleviate everyones’ suffering from the painful ‘withhold’ and feeling of flatness means that you get stuck with all the responsibility to change it.
The meaningful collaboration and higher performance that you crave from your meetings or events is possible. You can elevate the cultural norms, and your leadership impact if you have the answer to these dilemmas:
- I feel like we don’t get to the real issues because people are guarded, slow to reveal
- I start to feel like it’s on me to pull people forward to engage, and I start to get a little desperate
- Especially online, when things are silent and flat, I feel discouraged and more uncertain in my facilitation - I become less creative
- I want more from my engagement - and it feels as if safety competes with creativity
What you will learn to facilitate great meetings:
- How to increase engagement by using your own authenticity
- How to move from feeling stuck to feeling flow when the room is flat
- How to use structures that encourage what is real and meaningful to come to the surface
