I rarely ask for feedback or evaluation specifically about me at the end of a session I have facilitated.
I refer to sessions where the group determines the outcomes and invites me to facilitate the discussion and decision-making processes. These are not training workshops.
I don’t ask for feedback about me because it makes the session about me. The session is because of, about, for, and by the participants. Yes, I am part of the group and play a specific role. However, asking only for an assessment of what I did and how I did it undermines the participants’ ownership of the process. The participants leave thinking and feeling about me and not their work together.
But! How do I learn what worked and didn’t work? How can I improve my skills as a facilitator?
I ask questions such as:
- How was today for you?
- How did the session go for you?
- What was our work together like?
Questions such as these open all parts of the session for feedback and evaluation: the participants, the facilitator, the process, the flow, the methods, the place and space, the refreshments…
Sometimes, I ask these questions as a closing conversation; sometimes, in pairs with an invitation to call out answers; sometimes, in individual worksheets to hand in.
I often use the Rose, Thorn, Bud method.
Rose: What worked well during the session (strengths)?
Thorn: What didn’t work and could be improved (challenges)?
Bud: What are your ideas from the session (possibilities and opportunities)?
Sometimes I use these questions:
Light bulb – my insights … What stimulated your thinking during the session? From facilitators? From participants?
Question Mark – getting more … What more could have been done by all concerned, including you, to make the session a better experience?
Thumbs Up – what changed … What has changed for you because of this session? What will you do differently now?
From any of these questions or ways to ask them, I sense what I did to help or hinder.
After the session, I debrief with the host or client. We can then discuss my approach, style, demeanor, behaviour, skills, competency, design, etc.
How do you acquire feedback about your facilitation skills while helping the group reflect on all parts of the session?