MODERN FACILITATION

No, it's more than that; facilitation tools and games can easily be used by anyone and easily searched and found using Google or AI like Chat GPT. This program is modernising your deeper philosophy, mindset, processes and practices as a facilitator.

More than that. I believe it will fundamentally change how you practice and deliver facilitation services.

The 'toolkit' metaphor is one of the problems with dated facilitation. Toolkits as metaphors suggest there are a range of techniques or tools you use in your facilitation practice. It is these overused tools, some of them dating back decades in their origin, that contribute to the clichéd, repetitive and tired practices that many facilitators continue to use despite the world and people having changed. Thinking you can 'just go to my toolkit' and pull out another dusty, rusty activity is one of the things that's wrong with facilitation today.

These are methods used IN facilitation workshops that have been taught previously by Lynne Cazaly, but this program is much more extensive than these individual methods. This program addresses a fundamental shift needed in facilitation as an entire practice which is more than just a few techniques you might use in a workshop like a template or a visual.

Throughout the program we will use a contrast method to identify which practices are in a dated context and not used anymore or should be phased out, which practices are over-evolving or becoming cliché, and which practices are new/fresh and on the leading edge. We will also explore those practices that are coming up ahead and not in the mainstream yet.

No, not everything about facilitation is out of date. What you've previously learned provides a foundation and understanding of working with groups using processes and understanding human behaviour. What you learn from now on will add to that; your previous knowledge and experience isn't wrong; it's a good time to keep building on it and evolving it.

Many of the methods, tools or techniques you may have learned are likely to have been based on facilitation practices from last century, or have their roots in group, power, community and change theories from the 1950s or earlier. My learning included! The models, theories and techniques I initially learned are based on mid-Century methods. The world has changed since these times, and needs to keep changing. Power structures have shifted -- and need to shift more -- and the widening range of human diversity in groups needs to be considered and better included, not ignored or coerced into a group way of working based on a last century model.

All facilitators likely have hints of modern in their practice and methods. And many have had ideas or hunches that they'd like to do things differently but haven't known how to safely evolve their practice or whether it would even be possible to facilitate in a different way. There can be fears like: what if they do something wrong, off or inappropriate and that impacts the group or the outcomes... or their reputation as a facilitator? For many people, the opportunity to evolve their practice has been restricted to tiny micro changes from small sessions that don't really make a big impact in the grander scheme of their practice or a group's progress. Even if you already do every single thing covered in the course that is new, there are still additional insights, learning, contributions from others and the overall philosophical mindshift that will set you up to continue to evolve your practice more rapidly than you have.

A example of a clichéd tool or practice might help first. A facilitation technique that's frequently used in workshops is the 'car park or parking lot', a place/flip chart or whiteboard where facilitators write the topics or items that can't be dealt with or will be 'parked' to address later, "if there is time". This is a dated and clichéd practice, often used to deflect or delay dealing with a topic. In a more modern situation, the facilitator would respond to the topic in the moment, and/or work with the group over even a few minutes to achieve a resolution so that it doesn't need to be 'parked' or deflected. And further, visualising this topic information only serves to elevate it and make it more important, when the facilitator was likely trying to reduce the topic’s importance or remove the group’s focus, the planned agenda or the process they were in the middle of leading.

We frequently learn facilitation by observing others and so we may have learnt this practice in a formal course or by observing others facilitating in a workshop and believed ‘this is just what you do when you facilitate’. This is just one example of a practice that needs to be replaced with more modern process.

No. And that reveals one of the present day problems with facilitation. Dated practices, practiced by wise practitioners over many years, continue to be included in certifications which instruct the new breed of facilitators to keep using those dated practices. It's a devolving circle that doesn't receive fresh content, insight or modernisation. (A common example is a leader of a facilitation training session saying, 'I'm not good with technology' as they are trying to facilitate a hybrid workshop). If the program or group is trying to position as modern, they will only ever offer micro-shifts, slower than the market is actually evolving. Remember that membership groups and authorities - like any power structured or hierarchical groups - are institutions in themselves, that are promoting their existing ways of thinking and working, because it's served them in the past and they can't afford to make any radical shifts. Their boards, governance structures and leadership are frequently rotating, generally conservative and unable to make the necessary shifts and changes in their organisations despite what is happening in the market... and despite their best individual intentions.

The initial focus is on this November 2025 cohort and their learning, development, coaching and evolution. Based on their needs and my calendar and schedule in 2026, another course may be offered but I can't make that time commitment at this time.

This is the reality of work and collaboration today! While recordings of the sessions will be available and the 2 x 1:1 coaching sessions will be tailored specifically to you, there are other ways to participate and contribute. Prior to and post each of the 3 live online sessions, you'll receive opportunities to share thoughts, ideas, questions, stories, anecdotes and insights so that your contributions are included. For example, this could be via written, audio, video or chat contributions. And as with all of Lynne's programs, she accepts any contribution at any time in any way, throughout, before, during and after the program.

That's a part of learning and development today! Contact Lynne directly at info@lynnecazaly.com and we'll work out the instalments you need to meet the course fee.

Email Lynne Cazaly directly at info@lynnecazaly.com and pose your questions. She’ll respond directly to you and likely add the question to this growing list of FAQs. Thank you to those who have already asked questions and those questions have been added to this FAQ 😁