CC0 / public domain Wikimedia Conference 2017, Berlin by...
Transcript of CC0 / public domain Wikimedia Conference 2017, Berlin by...
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Introduction to Facilitation
by Asaf Bartov <[email protected]>Wikimedia Conference 2017, Berlin
CC0 / public domain
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Expectations and Hopes
Conversation
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Agenda
Principle: teach some concrete things well rather than cover "everything" briefly
● Group conversations and how they fail● Goals of facilitation● Offline vs. online conversations● Three conversation types in decision-making● Facilitation techniques + practical practice● Lunch!
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Group conversations● "two people, three opinions"● divergent vs. convergent techniques
If only it were this easy...
startArrgh!Frustrating!Annoying!Boring!Make it stop!
ConclusionNext steps
Convergent techniques
Divergence 1
Divergence 2
Divergence 3
Divergence 4
Divergent techniques
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Divergent vs. Convergent Techniques
Divergent● free, open discussion● No-judgment
creative, generative thinking ("brainstorming")
● increasing diversity via deliberate questions
● Ignoring constraints
Convergent● Nutshelling /
summarizing● categorizing and
bucketing● evaluating against
reality, constraints● Judging and prioritizing
alternatives
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Why do conversations fail?
"All human communication fails, except by accident" -- Prof. Osmo A. Wiio [[Wiio's Laws]]
● Humans! *shakes fist*● People want to express themselves;
sometimes feel misunderstood; repeat.● Others want closure; impatience; annoyance● Others confused; lost; distracted● so: expect group conversations to include
frustration, confusion; they are the price.
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Goals of Facilitation
● (Lat. facilis) Help groups achieve their best potential through communication; ease their work
● encourage:○ full participation○ mutual understanding○ inclusive solutions○ shared ownership
● help groups through (inevitable) tension and conflict
● Who is the facilitator working for?
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Offline vs. online conversations
● offline skills largely applicable to online conversations
● main differences: ○ online conversations are mostly non-real time; wiki
conversations, in particular, are not (blessing and curse)
○ Online conversations offer fewer signals to go on -- tone, body language -- facilitation more challenging
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Three communication situations in decision-making
● Type 1: unidirectional; announcements; FYI● Type 2: consultative; initial topic/question;
input given by group for later, separate decision-making by individuals in authority
● Type 3: deliberative/collaborative; group discussion; group decision
● How do these apply to the wiki?● What is the default decision type on-wiki?● Framing makes a difference
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Facilitation Techniques
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Facilitation techniques
● Listening techniques● Participation techniques● Progress techniques● Facilitating with a POV● Lists and categories● Alternatives to open discussion
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Listening techniques
● Paraphrasing and mirroring● Follow-up● Linking and inviting re-statements; naming
individuals● Acknowledging and naming feelings● Legitimizing differences
Remember you are acting on behalf of the entire group.
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Listening Exercise"Should Wikipedia be more like a social network?"
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Participation techniques
● Gathering ideas / perspectives● Balance / Devil's advocate / rebalance● Invitation; make space for quiet ones● Flipcharts as engagers
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Participation Exercise"How should we respond to government
attempts at censorship of content on Wikipedia?"
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Progress techniques
● queueing as engagers○ interrupting the queue
● tracks / demultiplexing● identifying common ground, and diffs● summarizing, refocusing (suggest!)● using the clock● lists, categories -- predefined vs.
Metaphysics
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Progress Exercise"If we had to, what sister projects would you
have WMF close down and why?"or
"What new sister projects should WMF consider, and why?"
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someone's gotta do it...
Facilitating chaos and despair
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Facilitating chaos and despair
● the main goal: help the group develop shared understanding
● use all your listening skills; use participation skills to help the group listen to each other
● renew energy by switching formats; pick a fresh one
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Chaos and despair: Useful formats
● systematically explore individual perspectives, with time discipline and Q&A○ the goal is understanding; not resolving differences;
stop argumentativeness cold.● "If I were you"● "Name a useful question to ask everyone"● Facts vs. Opinions exercise● "If I could remove one constraint" / "change
one thing" ...● ...
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● Acknowledge your hats● State your position briefly● Facilitate for a while● Participate again● make switches obvious and explicit
Facilitating with a point of view
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Alternatives to Open DiscussionN hours of open discussion can be exhausting"Variety is the spice of life" -- William Cowper
Variety => Energy => Engagement => Progress
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● structured go-arounds● Formal [to varying degrees] debates● Fishbowl session● ...
Alternatives to Open Discussion: plenum
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● working groups; rotating groups● individual writing exercises● role-playing● world café (working groups + doodling)● Framing is key:
○ state purpose○ organize participants (wait for noise to end)○ summarize process, roles, rules○ note the time allotted○ debrief at end (reunite as plenum; expose diversity),
asking "what are you noticing?", "Have you heard anything new or surprising?", "what concerns you?"
Alternatives to Open Discussion: groups
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the alternative is hoping sessions are magically effective...
Designing Effective Sessions
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Topics ≠ Process
Remember:
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Effective sessions● get clarity on topics, and on goals (per topic)● imagine desired outcomes (what would achieving
the session goal yield?)● select formats that are a good fit for the group
and the outcomes needed, and plan the session's progress, ○ e.g. 1. brainstorm; 2. prioritization; 3. breakout groups; 4.
debrief and open discussion; 5. decisions and next steps● allocate time (be realistic)● ideally, share this planning work with the group,
in advance, and invite participation.
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There always is one...(only one, if you're lucky...)
Dealing with Difficult Dynamics
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Dealing with difficult dynamics● Do you know that person who...
○ ...repeats his own and others' ideas?○ ...speaks with uncomfortably strong emotion?○ ...or too loudly?○ ...apologizes for everything they say?○ ...nitpicks every analogy?○ ...whispers or passes notes while someone is talking?○ ...disguises disagreement with sugar-coating○ ...raises a pet issue no matter what is being discussed?○ ...is always insufferably smug and self-assured?○ ...
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Dealing with difficult dynamics● Resist dampening of thinking in public
○ "you're repeating yourself"; "you're rambling"; "that's crazy"; "keep it simple!"; "stop wasting time"
● Instead, encourage thinking:○ "take your time"; "that must have felt bad"; "interesting!";
"hold on, I think she's making an important point!", ...● switch format (to more structure; to smaller
audience; to meta-discussion)● Amplify the weak; moderate the strong● If you have the power to exclude, use it
sparingly, only on the basis of clear rules of conduct, and only after at least one clear, explicit warning.
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HighlyRecommended Reading
Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making
by Sam Kaner et al., ISBN 1118404955