Challenging Behaviours in Your Facilitation Flow… and What to Do About Them

Credit to Spencer Beacock for originally developing the material and framing around the characters you might meet as a facilitator :)

Facilitation is a challenging and rewarding role to play. Whether it’s a kick off meeting, a co-design session, or design research workshop, the facilitator is there to provide structure, hold space, and ultimately enable a constructive and focused process.

In any group of people, certain dynamics, power structures and behaviours emerge. As a facilitator, you may encounter behaviours that are mildly disruptive, or at worst, derail the session and negatively affect other group members.

Getting Permission and Setting Yourself Up For Success

Getting off on the right foot can nip some of these issues in the bud before they even begin. As the facilitator, you want to set the ‘rules of engagement’ and establish your role and authority as the process leader at the outset of the session or meeting.

Try this:

• Lay some ‘ground rules’ for the session. (I also like the framing of ‘tips for getting the most out of today’ if the language of ‘rules’ feels too strong.)
• Ground rules often include things like: listen to others, ‘yes and’ rather than ‘no but’. Keep it to 3–5 rules, and frame them positively, e.g. ‘stay present’ rather than ‘no cellphones’.
• Make sure you get explicit group consent for these rules, for example sharing them at the outset and asking ‘can we all agree to these’ — asking for verbal or physical agreement, e.g. saying ‘yes’ or giving a thumbs up.
• You can also try co-creating these ‘ground rules’ together if time allows or if this feels more appropriate for the group you are working with.
• Explicitly outline your role, for example letting the group know that you will be acting as a time keeper, and making sure that everyone has space to participate.
• Getting permission upfront to play the time cop or to manage group dynamics means you won’t surprise anyone later on, and you set a clear expectation of the scope of your role as facilitator.

Challenging Behaviours and Strategies to Try

Despite our best efforts, expectation and ground rule setting, people may still behave in ways that are challenging or undermine the constructiveness of the session.

Here’s a run down of how these behaviours might manifest, and some strategies for what to do about them!

The Know It All

This person may be a subject matter expert, have high seniority, or just have lots of strongly-held opinions. They often dominate the table, contradict other participants, or may challenge the facilitator or even the process itself. They might shoot down ideas that don’t conform to their strong view of the world (whether it’s supported with data/knowledge or not).

Try this:

• Work with them by asking them to use a “lens” that’s different than their typical one for an activity (for example, if they’re an engineer, you might ask them to take a social/emotional view for a short period of time).
• Direct your questions more pointedly to others at the table and explicitly create space for others to participate.

The Slacker

This person might also be known as the Vacationer (in the room because it’s an escape from their day job) or the Hostage (in the room because they were forced to be). In any case, they’re disengaged from process and/or content.

Try this:

• This behaviour may be because of genuine disinterest, in which case you can pull them aside and give them the opportunity to leave or switch tables to another focus area (if possible).
• They may also be shy or anxious about the process or subject matter, in which case you can endeavour to make them more comfortable (e.g. by giving them more silent thinking time; by inviting them to contribute more directly, etc.).
• Consider giving them a job, like scribing, to help them stay engaged and feel like they’re contributing.

The Centre of Attention

This person dominates the table they’re at. They may have a big personality, be in a position of authority, or may even be nervous about the process or content and masking it with attention-grabbing behaviour (the classic class clown!)

Try this:

• The most obvious way of countering this behaviour is by asking them during a break to tone it down!
• Next, you might try directing your prompts to other participants.
• Finally, you might try giving them a job: ask them to be the scribe for an activity to keep them involved while giving others a chance to talk — you’ll likely still hear from them, but they’ll be kept busy by writing!

The Judge

The judge judges — everything, everyone, you, your process, and the ideas it generates. They may be a subject matter expert (similar to the Know It All), or someone who has been burned before by these kinds of processes failing to deliver. However, a judge who has been won over can be a fierce champion and advocate for both process and outcomes.

Try this:

• One way of managing a judge is to ask them to deliberately put on a different thinking hat: they’re usually black hat thinkers, so try asking them to wear the green hat for generative thinking.
• If someone is known to tend to exhibit this mindset, it can be helpful to get them on-side before the session. For example, sit down with them over coffee leading up to a workshop to understand their perspective and concerns. Help them to feel heard.

The Table Talker

This person may have great intentions, be a strong supporter of your process, and may even be your client! Still, these participants disrupt the facilitation flow with cross-talk or table talk.

Try this:

• The easiest way to address this is with a short conversation during the break or, if you’re comfortable doing so, a direct call-out: a quick “hey folks, can we try and have one conversation?” can work wonders.
• Alternatively, you might consider breaking out into smaller groups, so that they can scratch the itch for a more engaged discussion without disrupting the whole table.

Be Gentle with Yourself… and Others

Facilitation is not an easy task. It takes time and practice to develop a confident and authentic facilitation style. Feeling challenged or uncertain in a session can be really difficult.

It’s best to have compassion for yourself and others in these situations. Always assume good intent, and start with more gentle interventions such as talking to the person one on one during a break, or simply directing attention to other participants as needed. You never know what is going on for someone or why they might be acting in certain ways.

Lean on the ground rules and expectations that you set at the beginning of the session. And if worst comes to worst, you can always ask someone who is really disruptive to leave.

Wishing you engaged and constructive participants, smooth and fruitful facilitation, and the will to strategically intervene when you encounter these behaviours!