Facilitation Workshop: Practical Applications of Facilitation Techniques in Challenging Academic Contexts

Facilitation Workshop:
Practical Applications of Facilitation Techniques in Challenging Academic Contexts

This workshop builds on the techniques detailed in “Building Your Facilitation Technique Toolkit,” which explored facilitation as the act of guiding and managing group conversations in various academic contexts. This session provides time and space for participants to consider various case studies related to challenging facilitation scenarios in a classroom, a committee, and a large faculty meeting. Participants engage in individual reflection and group conversations to weigh pros and cons of various facilitation techniques. Together, they consider ways to limit harm, hold participants accountable for their actions, and promote positive classroom and departmental climates. This session does not contain a CRLT Players performance.

The session is 120 minutes, and only offered in a fully in-person synchronous format. It will be available in November and December 2024.
 

 

In this session, participants will:

  • Consider complex dynamics related to positionality present in academic conversations.
  • Explore context-specific advantages and disadvantages of different facilitation techniques.
  • Reflect on their own orientations toward managing moments of challenge, pushing toward actions that best align with their ethos rather than personal comfort.
What people have said about Facilitation Workshop: Practical Applications of Facilitation Techniques in Challenging Academic Contexts :
The format having a mix of presentation/lecture and small group discussions helped to make knowledge and practice applicable.
Great job with scenario selection. They led to good conversations at my table.
I want to thank you again for the wonderful two sessions on facilitation - just what I had in mind when I asked you, only WAAAAY better than I ever could have imagined. Your partnership in this work means so much to me, and I truly believe that you’ve moved all of us ahead several notches on not just our skill level but also our deeper understanding of how we engage in this work.
The facilitator was very effective in stimulating reflection, drawing out and summarizing the essence of ideas from participants, and giving language and examples of how to navigate challenging conversations. The three scenarios were well selected and representative [of a] variety of different, yet realistic, challenges. Amount of time allocated to the small groups was effective.
[I appreciated] the structure and the effective facilitation (no surprise there lol). I really liked the centering of values and this as a tool for taking action in difficult situations.
It was great for reflecting on the many ways challenging situations can materialize beyond the classroom.
Click here to visit our What the Audience Is Saying page to read more.