A Deep Dive into Deep Democracy: Developing Facilitation Mastery

Description

Facilitation is harder than it looks. In every moment, we make decisions about how to intervene (or not) based on complex,multi-sensory data. We balance the stated goals of the group with our perceptions of what the group needs, what is holding it back, and what lies beneath the waterline. In addition to managing external data, we attend to our own complex reactions to the group: our judgments, our feelings, and our memories of past situations.

In this intensive, small group experience, participants will develop facilitation self-mastery using Deep Democracy as a guide. Among the topics we will explore are:

• Rank, power, and consent. As facilitators and consultants, we have rank and power, although we don’t often acknowledge it. We will inquire into dynamics of rank and power and question how we can use our power wisely.
• Equanimity and neutrality. Facilitators are often expected to serve as neutral, third parties and to refrain from taking sides. This can be challenging when the group is discussing issues we care about. Some question whether neutrality is even possible given that we have lived experiences that lead us to hold certain values and believe in certain principles. We will explore what helps us stay grounded and stable amidst the intensity of group experience and when it makes sense to clarify our standpoints.
• Resistance. Resistance is a natural phenomenon in groups. While we know this, it’s often hard to manage at the moment, especially when we are feeling resistance as well. We will look at the types of resistance we have when working with groups and the triggers that push us onto the Resistance Line. We will explore how we can manage our resistance while remaining in service to the group.
• Polarities. Newcomers to Deep Democracy often struggle to identify and name polarities. We will refine our polarity spotting skills by looking at polarities in groups and ourselves.
• Case studies. Participants will have the opportunity to work through a case study with the support of a group.

Course length: Six 2-hour sessions

Check the calendar for upcoming public workshops.