Capture Your Audience: Facilitation that Works!

Capture Your Audience:Capture Your Audience:
Facilitation that Works!Facilitation that Works!
Cindy Currie, Director
STC Region 1
dir1@stc.org
603.488.5027

Philadelphia Metro Chapter Conference
March 11, 2006 2
What captures you?What captures you?
Take a moment to recall your most favorite business
event.
Consider what makes it so memorable.
Write these things down.
Tell them to us when you’re called on.

March 11, 2006 3
What made these events memorable?What made these events memorable?
Was it the:
 Topic?
 Facilitator?
 Audience?
 Circumstances?
 A combination of these things?
 Something else entirely?

March 11, 2006 4
I know it’s a drag, but …I know it’s a drag, but …
 People have very short attention spans!
 Many business events fail (yes, fail!) due to:
 Lack of cohesive design and planning
 Lack of goals and objectives
 Straying off the subject
 Lasting too long
 Some people simply do not want to be there

March 11, 2006 5
So what do you do?So what do you do?
Put some careful thought into the
design and planning of your event.
Have clear and achievable objectives.
Technical ContentTechnical Content ProcessProcess
Create a balanced agenda.
Employ the principles of engagement…

March 11, 2006 6
Principles of engagementPrinciples of engagement
 People perform best when they are in pleasant and
satisfying surroundings. (Environment)
 People learn best by doing. (Participation)
 People must be ready, willing, and able to
receive what you are sending them. (Readiness)
 People assimilate new information more easily when
it builds on knowledge they already have.
(Association)

March 11, 2006 7
Principles of engagement:Principles of engagement:
environmentenvironment
 People perform best when they are in
pleasant and satisfying surroundings.

March 11, 2006 8
participationparticipation
 People learn best by doing.

March 11, 2006 9
readinessreadiness
 People must be ready, willing, and able
to receive what you are sending them.

March 11, 2006 10
associationassociation
 People assimilate new information more
easily when it builds on knowledge they
already have.

March 11, 2006 11
The role of the facilitatorThe role of the facilitator
 Getting agreement on
agenda and processes
 Conducting the meeting or
event
 Guiding discussion
 Staying neutral
 Ensuring that decisions are
made and work is divided
among members
 Keeping the group on task
 Monitoring the “pulse” of the
meeting and keeping energy up
 Ensuring everyone participates and
no one dominates
 Creating a safe and positive
environment
 Intervening when problems
rise
 Creating a comfortable environment

March 11, 2006 12
Introducing …Introducing …
IcebreakersIcebreakers EnergizersEnergizers

March 11, 2006 13
Why use these techniques?Why use these techniques?
 Engage the audience
 Mentally
 Physically
 Provide building blocks for higher learning skills
 Demonstrate and/or illustrate point(s)
 Build teams/relationships
 Overcome fear and ease tension
 Motivate and enliven
 Provide practice and application
 Fun! Fun! Fun!

March 11, 2006 14
Design issuesDesign issues
 Audience—size, prior knowledge (of each
other and/or topic), attitudes
 Objectives—what are your goals?
 Time—per person, time of day, best use
 Location—room set up, ease of movement
 Materials—amount, expense, preparation
 Test and evaluate for appropriateness
 Fun!—but not a waste of time

March 11, 2006 15
IcebreakersIcebreakers
 Short and quick
 Force interaction
 Non-competitive
 Highly creative
 Interesting
 Fun! - but not a waste of time
…… eliminate anxiety and tension …eliminate anxiety and tension …

March 11, 2006 16
Icebreaker ExamplesIcebreaker Examples
To introduce people...
 Provide a beach ball. Participants throw the beach
ball around the room—each person introduces
himself or herself when they catch the ball.
 Create a list of attributes (likes football, has a cat,
drives a sports car, and so on) that apply to the
participants. Pass out the list and have participants
go around the room to find someone who matches
each attribute. The first one to finish the list “wins.”
 Have participants take two items out of pockets or
wallets. Use these items for show-and-tell as each
person introduces himself or herself.

March 11, 2006 17
Icebreaker ExamplesIcebreaker Examples (continued)(continued)
To introduce topics or themes...
 Brainstorm—create mind maps, affinity diagrams
 Create a puzzle, examples: think outside the box,
put yourselves in order without talking, IQ test,
scenario or “what if.”
 Create teams with a task or problem to solve.
 Use activities as advance organizers.

March 11, 2006 18
EnergizersEnergizers
 Short and quick
 Force interaction or not
 Competitive or not
 Highly creative
 Interesting
 Fun!
…… provide a brief mental and physical break …provide a brief mental and physical break …
reinvigorate … continue – refreshed …reinvigorate … continue – refreshed …

March 11, 2006 19
Energizer ExamplesEnergizer Examples
Mental Break
 Puzzle or exercise
 Topic trivia
 Bingo
 Role play
 Flash cards, Pictionary, other frame
games

March 11, 2006 20
Energizer ExamplesEnergizer Examples (continued)(continued)
Mental Break
 Tell A Story – Have participants stand in a circle. The purpose of this
activity is to build a story around the topic with each participant
contributing one sentence that must:
 Make sense and at the same time add some fun to the activity
 Build on to the last sentence
 Be grammatically correct
For example:
#1:     “I was walking to breakfast this morning.”
#2:     “A dog came up to me.”
#3:     “I said good morning to the dog.”
#4:     “The dog asked me what I was going to have for breakfast.”
 The activity continues until all of the participants have contributed or
until the facilitator feels that the group has been energized.

March 11, 2006 21
Physical Break
 Have everyone stand in a circle.
 Instruct participants to act out your instructions when
selected. The person pointed to mimics the assigned
role and the persons on each side take contributing
roles. Make up enough elements for each participant,
for example:
 "Super Model" – Participant could assume a fashion model
pose, and participants on each side could be photographers.
 "Elephant“ – Participant could use his or her arms to
represent a trunk. The two participants alongside form a
circle with their hands and place them on the side of the
participant pointed to serve as "ears" of the elephant.
 Continue until everyone has a turn.

March 11, 2006 22
Stress Relief Instructions:
 Place on firm surface.
 Follow directions in
circle.
 Repeat until stress
is relieved or until
unconscious.
BANGBANG
HEADHEAD
HEREHERE

March 11, 2006 23
AfterwardsAfterwards
Debrief
 Discuss—field questions
 Apply—make sure everyone
understands why they participated
 Evaluate use for future meetings
and programs

March 11, 2006 24
Energizer Case StudyEnergizer Case Study
“We’re having a Leadership Day in three
weeks! It’s going to be a full day of
mostly boring presentations. We need
some energizers. Get some ideas
together and we’ll get back together.”
… Karen’s Boss

March 11, 2006 25
So, now what?So, now what?
1. Gather information/do quick needs assessment.
Wake people up, revitalize,
and refresh
What are the objectives
One mid-morning
One mid-afternoon
Where will the activities fall in
the agenda?
As little as possibleHow much money can I spend?
NoWill we have time to move
people around in groups?
Theater styleWhat is the room setup?
80How many people?
AnswerQuestion

March 11, 2006 26
So, now what?So, now what? (continued)(continued)
• Gather research materials.
• Do research and identify
potential activities.
• Review potential activities with management.
• A picture puzzle
• A set of Legos
• A math quiz
• An after-lunch dance
energizer
• A BINGO game
• An “observation” exercise

March 11, 2006 27
• Change / refine objectives.
• Sort through potential activities and make
a selection.
• Develop sample activities.
BINGO GameBINGO Game 
Math quizMath quiz 

March 11, 2006 28
• Test / pilot the activities.
• Revise activities based on
pilot feedback
• Choose facilitators for activities.

March 11, 2006 29
How it turned out!How it turned out!
 Response from the audience was
positive.
 The long stretches of “presentation”
were broken up with audience
participation.
 Participants reviewed and reinforced the
information.
 It was fun!

March 11, 2006 30
In summary, thenIn summary, then
Energizers and icebreakers…Energizers and icebreakers…
 Introduce and engage participants
 Set the tone for the event
 Vary delivery
 Help participants relate better to speaker
or facilitator and material …
 Reinvigorate participants
 Alleviate tension and frustration
 Divert / refocus attention

March 11, 2006 31
Top tips for choosing techniquesTop tips for choosing techniques
 Quick and simple to use.
 Appropriate for your participants:
 Age
 Gender
 Role or organizational level
 Perceived as relevant by participants.
 Non-threatening to participants.

March 11, 2006 32
Dos and Don’ts for you …Dos and Don’ts for you …
 Do bring your personality with you.
 Don’t be afraid to take some risks.
 Do expect to make some mistakes.
 Don’t be talked out of the fun!
 Do steal other people’s good ideas.

March 11, 2006 33
Cool links and other resourcesCool links and other resources
 www.businessfundamentals.com/IceBreakers.
 The Big Book of Business Games
by John Newstrom & Edward Scannell

March 11, 2006 34
Sample Icebreaker / EnergizerSample Icebreaker / Energizer

Capture Your Audience: Facilitation that Works!

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Capture Your Audience: Facilitation that Works!