Maya Moran

December 2, 2019
Co-Facilitation Experience
HDF 413
My co-facilitation was on the eXposure which is a multicultural organization that dances

and performs. The goals of their program were to create awareness of different backgrounds,

breaking boundaries, togetherness/comfort, and trust. This group also requested to have an

activity that was similar to a privilege walk. Going into this retreat I was both nervous and

excited because I have facilitation experience under my belt but was also doing new activities

that I wasn’t familiar with. We anticipated 35-50 participants and ended up having 44

participants in attendance. As a team, we met about a week before the retreat and an hour before

the retreat to discuss activities, goals of the group, and to go over any questions we might had.

We also decided to keep the entire group together instead of breaking off into groups except for

during one activity where we divided them into teams.

The first activity was a full values smackdown which worked really well because it was a

large group, they were energetic and willing to discuss, and it also worked as an energizer as

well. During this activity, it was apparent to the facilitators that this group was ready to be open

and saw themselves as a family. We then moved onto power shuffle/identity circles where

another facilitator and myself asked the group questions about different social identities and if it

applied to them they would step into the circle and then out. This was a very powerful initiative

to facilitate and witness because of the group’s vulnerability and discussion during the debrief.

They were respectful, open to share, and let each other know that they were a group that will

support and have each other’s backs. The next activity was keypunch and they were split into

two groups and their competitive nature really showed throughout this activity. During the
debrief they discussed that after this activity they learned how competitive they are and how they

need to do a better job with communicating so they can get things done. The closing activity was

a web to end off with the participants shouting people out

One thing that I would change is our pace of identity circles specifically because we

needed more time to allow participants to share. Although we moved on in a fluid manner I wish

there was more time for the group to spend on this activity. However, what I learned from this

retreat is that tone setting during initiatives and communication with other facilitators is

important in order to run a successful facilitating experience. If we hadn’t set the correct tone for

identity circles, the participants might have not taken it seriously and might not have gotten the

same out of it at the end. The lead of this retreat gave each of the facilitators some feedback

about our facilitating and one of her comments to all of us was to not be afraid to bring the group

back when they’re getting overly energetic or talkative. She gave us tips such as clap once if you

can hear me, reminding them that we have limited time and this is their time and to make the

most of it, and to just bring it back by getting their attention.

One thing that I can apply to future programs is keeping track of time and knowing when

to give activates more time or when to cut things short we had to decide during identity circles

when to stop participants for sharing due to the lack of time. It’s also important to know how to

politely move onto the next question and encouraging the group to continue the conversation

after the retreat to keep bonding.

One leadership model that related to this group is the Developmental Model of

Intercultural Sensitivity has six stages which include denial of difference, defense against

difference, minimization of difference, acceptance of difference, adaptation to difference, and

integration of difference (Bennett, 2011). This group seemed to be in the adaptation to difference
stage because they took steps to I understand each other’s differences while also working

together to support one another and use their unique attributes to become one cohesive group.

Their organization is based around multicultural views and during the retreat they were able to

embody what their organization is about.

As a facilitator three strengths that contribute to the way I facilitate are empathy, fairness,

and strategic. I think that empathy is one of the most important strengths that I use when

facilitating because I go into retreats with an open-mind and treat everyone the same. I also use

inclusive language and make sure that I when I say and do things I’m thinking about my

intentions and how they can impact others. Next, is fairness and I try to create a level playing

field for all participants whether they’re strangers or my friend. Lastly, strategic is important

when planning retreats and running them as well. Making sure all facilitators know what they’ll

be facilitating, having all materials, having back-up activities, and planning framing and debriefs

is important for a successful retreat. I like to have a plan and be organized so usually before a

retreat I write down a cheat sheet so I can refer back to it and so I can make sure we’re doing

things on time.

All things considered, I learned a lot throughout this co-facilitation experience through

trying new things, working with different facilitators, and being confident in them. I will utilize

these things that I have learned throughout future retreats as well as leadership roles and position.

Although I have already learned a lot I know that through trial and error and experience I will

grow even more as a facilitator.