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04/30/2021

Clear the Way for Breakthrough Teams

Understanding three critical elements of meeting facilitation

Sir Joshua Reynolds, an 18th century English painter and philosopher, once said, "There's no expedient to which a man will not go to evade the labor of thinking." That's a dim view of the human capacity for analysis and innovation, and it is not at all what I have experienced in facilitating leadership forums. In fact, I've found that when groups engage with each other in the right circumstances, there is every reason to expect some sort of creative breakthrough.

In the right meeting environment, it's as if a "curiosity switch" is turned on in the participants, and ideas and questions begin to flow. Have you ever noticed what happens when a meeting ends with a great speaker? People flock to ask that speaker questions. Perhaps their genie has been let out of the bottle. What is it that turns their curiosity and creative processes on?

In my experience, it comes down to three critical elements of meeting facilitation: security, relevance and two-way communication.

Please select this link to read the complete article from ASAE's Center for Association Leadership.

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