Skip to content

Back to overview

Episode 127

August 25, 2021

127: How to set up a successful co-facilitation process with Shoba Chandran

Sign up to download the free 1-page summary.

    Intro

    Co-facilitation feels like a wonderful, secret club.

    Those who’ve experienced successful co-facilitation understand the impact it has on outcomes, as well as the experience of participants and facilitators alike.

    Those who haven’t often look at it as a ‘nice to have’, rather than an essential tool in the facilitator’s toolkit.

    Shoba Chandran, owner and Founder of the Innovation Matrix and vastly-experienced facilitator, is firmly in the first group – and she’s eager to see more co-facilitation.

    It just so happens that I feel the same way, which leads us perfectly to this knowledge-filled episode of workshops work.

    Listen in to explore what it takes to successfully co-facilitate, how to start if you’ve never tried before, and what to strive for and avoid in co-facilitated workshops.

    Find out about

    • Identifying the boundaries, limits, and benefits of co-facilitation
    • Why successful co-facilitation starts from practically the first conversation
    • What the nuances of the co-facilitator dynamic are and how they show up
    • Why personal connection tends to supersede professional competency
    • How to align with your co-facilitator and set yourselves up for success
    • What to consider if co-facilitating with a someone from the client’s organisation

    Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

    Thanks to our sponsor Deckhive. Click here to find out more about the new platform for using card decks in online facilitation. Use the code workshopswork to get the first month for free.

    Questions and Answers

    00:57When did you start calling yourself a facilitator? 03:57How did you facilitate innovation in such a command and control environment as the Ministry of Defence? 06:18How did you spread the facilitation mindset? 07:36And how did you break the command and control mindset – in fact, did you at all? 09:17What were your key learnings from this period? 11:48What does co-facilitation mean to you? 14:35Do you always work with the same co-facilitator? If not, how do you select the ‘right’ person? 16:47What is ‘a good attitude’ in relation to co-facilitation? 20:42What are some of the glitches or roadblocks you encounter when co-designing a workshop? 22:58Do you have a process or a template that you use for co-designing workshops? 25:35Have you ever realised after a ‘norming’ conversation that a co-facilitator isn’t aligned with you? 27:38Does the co-facilitation dynamic develop in the same way a team dynamic develops? 34:15Why do you think so many early-career facilitators resist co-facilitation? 38:03What advice would you give to a new facilitator? 40:42What is your experience with co-facilitation with someone client-side? 42:47What makes a workshop fail? 45:25What are some red flags to look out for from clients who want you to ‘facipulate’? (Facilitate + manipulate!) 47:00Do you have a favourite exercise? 51:16Is there anything else you wanted to discuss today?

    Links

    Innovation Matrix

    The 6 ‘I’s of Innovation

    Collaboration By Design, the book which Shoba helped to co-create with wheretofromhere?

    Connect to Shoba

    LinkedIn