Level Up Your Facilitation Game

We spent four days last week at The Summer Camp Society’s annual retreat. It. Was. Awesome. It was one of the few times I’d gotten to facilitate in person over the past two years. Even though at times I felt a little bit *rusty*, it was mostly like riding a bike. In addition to brushing off my own facilitation skills and working with my pal Jack, I also thoroughly enjoyed learning from and collaborating with our embedded facilitators (Simone Gamble, Chris Rehs-Dupin, Briana Mitchell and Makela Elvy) and their expert facilitation styles. Which got me thinking: How can any camp leader make a few simple changes to up their facilitation game in time for summer camp staff training? Here are five ways to make it happen:

1. COMPOSE A DESIGN DOC FOR EACH SESSION

I didn’t used to rely on these in person as much, but then when everything got moved online, I found I had to lean heavily on my minute-by-minute plans for facilitating. They have now become a must-have for me for in-person facilitation, too. A simple design doc, although somewhat daunting to build at first, provides a foundation for what you are doing. It also is one of the best ways to ensure accurate timing. Now, whether in-person or online, I create a design document for all facilitations and all facilitators. It looks something like this:

I work in Google Docs for this and move around components as we go. I then like to work off of a printed copy. Essentially, having the time, the length of the activity, the point people, directions, supplies and location for each item helps me make sure as a facilitator that I have everything I need–and keeps my plan in one place so I don’t have to reinvent the wheel the next time around.

2. ALMOST NEVER INTERRUPT THE GROUP

We know that there is a certain cadence that “works” when presenting, especially in a staff training format. You might give a mini-lecture on a subject, and then let folks work in small groups. But then something happens– like you forget to let them know there’s a back to the worksheet! Instead of yelling “don’t forget the back!!” or getting everyone’s attention, stopping flow, and making a formal announcement, just float from table to table and quietly say to one person at each table to remember to do the back of the worksheet! This also works well for time reminders (floating around and telling each group 5 minutes remaining), or to get a temperature gauge on how much more time is needed. Overall, this strategy reduces transition times for the participants and also gives them a personal touch as they are communicated with in a 1on1-type manner and also asked for their inputs. It also demonstrates big respect for the group and their process.

3. TAKE QUICK FEEDBACK DURING & AFTER SESSIONS

I learned this technique from one of my professors in my MBA program at the University of Michigan, Dr. Jane Dutton. After each of her management classes, she passes out an index card to every student. She asks them anonymously to write a plus sign (+) on the front of the index card, and write something that went well for them in class that day. She asks them to write a minus sign (-) or a delta (Δ) for change on the back, and write something that isn’t going so well or something they’d like to see change. I like to say you could also write a question mark (?) on the back and contribute something you’re still wondering about/confused about. These quick feedback cards allow you to make agile adjustments to your plan for better learning and connection. This practice also demonstrates to your team that you care about them and their experience, building a foundation of mutual respect between leadership and staff.

4. MECHANIZE THE MATERIALS, INCLUDING CLEANUP (AND WRITE IT INTO YOUR DESIGN DOC)

How are participants going to get those index cards? Will you have a stack on each table from the beginning? Will a few participants jump up to pass out the index cards? Will they have them already in their materials packs at the start of the session? It doesn’t really matter–what really matters is that you make a plan for these types of mechanics. Long lapses in facilitation where materials are distributed or presenters fumble with supplies can rapidly and disastrously destroy participant engagement. 

5. LEARN THE ORID DEBRIEF TECHNIQUE

In a staff training or learning situation, the most important thing about an experience is the processing of that experience. Providing context to what we did and why it matters can take a regular activity from something that was simply fun or interesting to something that is applicable and impactful. The ORID method of debriefing (Objective, Reflective, Interpretive and Decisional) is an extremely helpful tool to assist facilitators in coming up with a sequence of questions that allow participants to really understand their learning. A way to think about the ORID is

• Asking about the “What” like “What just happened?” (Objective)

• Asking about the “What about the what?”, like “How did it feel” (Reflective)

• Figuring out why it mattered (“So what?”), like “What did you learn?” (Interpretive)

• Determining what to do next (Now what?”), like “What are your next steps?” (Decisional)

I like to look at quick-reference ORID sheets when planning a debrief, and then write out my questions in advance. This helps make sure I am hitting on all the takeaways needed from an experience, and also allowing for lots of inputs and processing from the group

Here’s a great ORID Resource to start.

Demonstrating these professional approaches to facilitating during your staff training will not only help your team have better learning and bonding experiences; it will demonstrate to them facilitation tools that they can take and then apply directly to the campers as well.

What types of facilitation techniques do you like to use to take your presentations to the next level?

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Editors Note: Did you know that you can bring Kurtz and her leveled up facilitation to your camp?! Kurtz is booking for virtual staff trainings! If you’re looking for an in-person training, we have awesome other people who can COME TO YOUR CAMP! How awesome?! To discuss pricing and availability, email Allison.

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SARAH KURTZ MCKINNON
CO-FOUNDER, THE SUMMER CAMP SOCIETY
CAMP DIRECTOR AT HEART
KURTZ@THESUMMERCAMPSOCIETY.COM