In the recent Facilitation Workshop, a question came up about how to handle nervousness. “I’m a wreck before the meeting,” she said.
For me it’s planning and preparation. Sounds simple – and certainly common sense – but it’s often the simple common sense stuff that works.
Whenever I have to facilitate a meeting I prepare a “Staff Agenda;” a behind-the-scenes script. Some call it a “facilitation plan” or a “run of show.” I take the published agenda and then add red notes with little plans for how I’m going to handle each agenda item: what slides I’m gonna show, what activities I’m gonna run, what I’m gonna say at every turn. And I note all the set up stuff.
Here’s an example that I spontaneously showed in the recent Facilitation Workshop.
In the case of on-line meetings, I have this on the screen so I’m ready to grab links or copy text for the chat. For in-person meetings, I print this out on paper and have it by my side. I use it to look ahead and be ready for the next thing coming. It’s my instant go-to reference if I get stuck or lost. Just having it helps me not be a wreck.
“Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” This quote by President Dwight D. Eisenhower – my interpretation – is that making a plan is hugely valuable even if you don’t use it. In fact, plans rarely play out as planned. Things change and we have to adapt and ditch the plan – and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have planned. It’s the thinking-things-through ahead that allows us to adapt and be successful in the moment.
