5. Well-Structured Workshop Facilitation
Principles
• Get the „whole system in the room“
• Explore the „whole elephant“ before
seeking to fix any part
• Focus on common ground and future
action, not problems and conflicts
• Have people self-manage their own
groups and be responsible for action
6. Well-Structured Workshop Facilitation
• Visualization of the
process gives
orientation.
• People realize what the
whole event is about:
who we are,
what we want and
what we will do
according to our topic:
“Our Community”.
7. Well-Structured Workshop Facilitation
“Our Community”
Working together for a sustainable Future
Day 1
Opening and Welcome
Overview and Procedures
Focus on Past
Focus on Present
Day 2
Focus on Present
Focus on the Future
Discover Common Grounds
Day 3
Confirm Common Grounds
Action Planning
8. Well-Structured Workshop Facilitation
Future Search Dynamics
Contentment room:
acceptance of things the way they
are, making the best of what is
Denial room:
facing unfamiliar experiences,
disturbance of the status quo
Confusion room:
going through emotional heights and
depths by experiencing the world´s
complexity
Renewal room:
looking out for new patterns,
generating desired future scenarios
Metapher by the Swedish social
psychologist Claes Janssen
9. Well-Structured Workshop Facilitation
„Contract“
Staff Participants
• sets time and • provide
tasks information,
insights and
• large-group ideas
dialogue
• manage own
• keep purpose groups
front and center
• take
responsibility
12. Well-Structured Workshop Facilitation
“Our Community”
Working together for a sustainable Future
Day 1
Opening and Welcome
Overview and Procedures
Focus on Past
Focus on Present
Day 2
Focus on Present
Focus on the Future
Discover Common Grounds
Day 3
Confirm Common Grounds
Action Planning
13. Well-Structured Workshop Facilitation
4th principle
Have people self-manage their own
groups and be responsible for
action
• Reduction of hierarchy, passivity,
conflict and dependency on experts
• Self-Management of small groups
• Everybody shares information,
interprets it, and decides on action
steps.
• People do take responsibility for
what they learn and what they do.
• Recommendation: to divide up the
work by finding discussion leader,
recorder, reporter and timekeeper.
14. Well-Structured Workshop Facilitation
Focus on Future
1. Today is 2030:
Note on flip-chart Policies, programs,
structures that exist now
• How do stakeholders interact?
• How do you sustain the progress?
Think back of the year of the Future Search:
• What was the major step you had to take to get moving?
• How did you do it?
2. Desired Future Scenario:
Choose a creative way to present your desired future as if it is
happening right now (drama, story, poem, music, art, TV, etc.)
The scenario should be:
• Feasible: the know-how exists to implement it
• Desirable: society benefits
• Motivating: you are ready, willing, able to make it happen
15. Well-Structured Workshop Facilitation
Discover Action Planning
Common
Ground Turning common ground into policies,
programs, projects and/or next steps
with names and due dates.
Tasks:
• Develop agreement: • Define short-term actions
groups create and post (next three months)
common-ground lists
Fill table:
What? / How will you measure
• Related items are glued
success? / Help needed from: /
together on display boards
Due date:
or 8 blank flip-charts
• Define long-term actions
• the whole group observes (next three years)
and makes suggestions. Fill table: see above
