Facilitation: how to, tips and reminder

Opening

This is a useful template for opening an event or workshop

1. I like to start with a greeting to honour the mana whenua (people of the land). e.g. Tena koutou katoa. 
2. Welcome the group, introduce yourself. You may want to add a little about your background, but remember the point of this is to reassure them they are safe in your hands and you're qualified to lead them, not to give a long list of accomplishments or your CV. It may be a brief story that shows you understand their challenges. e.g. Hi, I'm Kit and I'll be your host for today.
3. Offer some kind of gratitude or acknowledgement in advance for paying attention and being respectful. e.g. Thanks for your time and energy
4. The purpose of this workshop is [overall purpose and outcomes]
5. Today we’ll be [overall mission ] by doing [activity] and then [activity] and after lunch, we’ll [activity]. This gives the group the  opportunity to manage their energy and expectations for the duration of the event.
6. You might want to include what kind of things you'll be doing and what is expected of them. Reassuring them hat they will have time for talk and activities. e.g. There will be some teamwork, some individual writing and some group sharing. We’ve got a lot of exciting activities to do today. So when we’re doing individual writing, it’s important you focus on that.
7. By the end of the day, you’ll have [overall outcomes with tools].
8. Explain your role and what they can expect from you. e.g. My role today will be as host and facilitator. I’ll be giving instructions and keeping time. So I’m asking for your permission now to potentially interrupt your conversation or raise my voice in order to keep us on task. Can I get a show of hands that you give me permission?
9. Set the tone. e.g. This is a space for you to feel free to be experimental and creative. There are no stupid questions here, so ask anything!
10. Some facilitators worry that their audience already knows the content they are about to share. A great way around this is to preframe it by saying "I’d like to acknowledge the wisdom in the room. You may already be familiar with [insert topic], but I’d like to suggest the way to make the most out of today is to practice what the Zen Buddhists call beginner’s mind. To taste each morsel as though for the first time. And notice the different textures, flavours and sensations." This way you're giving those who may be familiar with the topic a challenge and opportunity to go deeper, rather than to disengage because they think they know it already.
    
11. Housekeeping. Let them know about toilets, exits and break times
12. Finally engage them in an interactive conversation. This ends the one-way presentation and starts the flow between you. It also helps keep them awake and engaged. e.g. Show of hands, how many of you…? or Turn to the person next to you and tell them....