Guide to inclusive facilitation
Get the most out of practical sessions
The importance of a good facilitator.
To get the best out of any practical sessions you run with your employees (including role-playing activities, workshops, focus groups, training sessions, etc.), it’s important to have a good facilitator.
A brief guide to inclusive facilitation.
To make sure everyone feels able to contribute during any practical sessions, it is important to set ground rules. This ensures that everyone is on the same page about what is expected of them and what is considered appropriate behaviour.
We’ve put together the following slide that we use during all of our practical sessions:
Ground rules
Foster equal participation
It is important to make sure that everyone is able to participate in the session equally. This highlights to participants that you want to hear everyone’s perspective and that no one participant is valued over another.
Respect people's identities and experience
All participants should feel welcome and safe to contribute regardless of their specific characteristic/s. In order to encourage diversity of thought and equal participation, it is essential that everyone feels respected.
Maintain privacy/confidentiality
It is vital to stress to all participants that anything they share within the session should be treated confidentially and that their privacy will be respected. This encourages people to feel comfortable sharing with the rest of the group.
Engage with kindness and respect
All participants should be aware that when they participate, they should do so in a kind and respectful manner to ensure that everyone feels safe and respected during the session.
Do not tolerate bullying, harassment, or discrimination
Participants should be made aware that there will be a zero-tolerance approach to any inappropriate behaviour. Anyone who exhibits any inappropriate behaviour will be asked to leave.
Contribute constructively
All participants should contribute to the session constructively to ensure everyone gets the most out of the session. All contributions should be relevant, appropriately timed and should not undermine any other participants.
If you need top step out for any reason, please do so
Participants should feel safe to leave at any point in the session for whatever reason. They should not feel that they need to announce or explain their departure.
Tips for facilitators
For more ideas
For more ideas on running practical activities, Seeds for Change have put together some guidance including sample activities, how to resolve any potential issues and how to encourage participation. You can find their guidance here: Seeds for Change: Facilitation Tools
