Facilitation Essentials: Building Trust (TRN1-J03)

Facilitation Essentials: Building Trust

Fostering inclusion and trust before, during and after your meetings.

Preparation

• Set clear meeting objectives.
• Use your meeting invitation to set the tone.
• Share steps taken to foster inclusion.
• Share important information ahead of time.
• Consider using pulse surveys to seek views in advance.

Welcoming

• Welcome and acknowledge people as they arrive.
• Ask participants' names and pronouns.
• Check in with participants and attend to their needs.
• Bring confidence and humility: "I don't know but I'll find out" is an acceptable response.
• Be accessible.

Respect

• Start promptly or explain any delays.
• Respect the agenda and ask others to do so.
• Set expectations for participation at the outset. This helps people listen more actively as they are not anticipating or planning how to get their point included.
• Ensure everyone gets a fair chance to speak and be heard.
• Maintain and respect boundaries and, if facilitating for a group, actively demonstrate impartiality.
• Show respect equally to everyone; communicate with kindness.
• Use your active listening skills:
  • Ask "overhead questions" to the group as a whole rather than directed or restricted questions. If a participant speaks quietly, repeat the question so everyone can hear or consider paraphrasing to model the skill.
  • Acknowledge/reference what someone has said when building on their idea. Mention their name and cite their contribution.
• Record ideas; make people's contributions visible.
• Keep the focus in the group.
• Model vulnerability.
• Look for ways to help; offer empathy.
• Encourage laughter.
• End on time.

If you are attending the meeting

• Participate actively. For example: be fully prepared and present; offer good questions

Follow-up

• Follow up on what you agreed to do.