The key move a facilitator can make is to ask the right question.
It’s often the one and only move.
Ideas don’t come from the facilitator. Ideas come from the group being facilitated. Better idea are the result of the facilitator’s ability to ask better questions and synthesize the responses.
The reason why question-asking is so crucial is because the questions are never given to us in the ideal form. “How do we increase revenue?” “How do we make our space better?” These are the types of prompts that management passes down. While questions like these are starting points, they are horrible places to begin a design process. The job of the facilitator is to take the question, and find easier entry points for the team to contribute productively to the conversation.
“How do we increase revenue?”
- Who are our current customers?
- What do they buy most frequently?
- How might we improve retention?
- How might we increase the quality of our products?
- Who might become a customer?
These are all productive entry points for most people in the organization.
“How do we make our space better?”
- What are some examples of spaces that bring you joy?
- Think about your favorite place as a child. What did you like about it?
- What core functions do we use our space for?
While less direct, these questions elicit some important values that will dictate any decisions made about space in the future. And again, everyone can contribute to these conversations.