I believe support from others is vital when it comes to facilitation
This Note by is written by Melanie Gunetilleke, one of our new Project Officers.
We have written before about our use of the Lewis Deep Democracy facilitation method in our work. With the team recently expanding, we took the opportunity to embed this training early on.
You will hear from more of the team about their experience with the training, and what they think it means for their role in future.
Exploring Deep Democracy and facilitation has been quite a ride for me. It started with watching how my colleagues, Cameron and Jack, used these approaches at workshops, meetings and group sessions. Their dedication and communication styles caught my attention and got me thinking, “Hmm, maybe there’s something to this”.
Facilitation isn’t just about leading and holding space for group discussions. It’s also about making sure everyone’s voice is heard. Deep Democracy takes it further by embracing all perspectives, even the ones that might stir up debate. It’s about turning conflicts into chances to understand each other better. In turn, creating healthier and more well-rounded decisions.
As a participant in Deep Democracy, I learned the importance of patience, active listening, and being fully present in the moment. These qualities allowed me to fully engage with others, understand diverse perspectives, and remain open to different viewpoints. This not only enhanced my ability to collaborate effectively at work but also deepened my connections with friends and family.
Once I put my facilitator hat on, I realised that the same principles applied, but with an added layer of complexity. Neutrality is a key factor in facilitation. As humans, we tend to have a view or opinion on nearly everything, there’s no escaping it. I discovered the significance of setting aside personal biases to foster a collective outcome. While this can be difficult, it’s paramount to facilitation and helpful in the long run.
Neutrality is such a big topic in facilitation that it was actually one of the example arguments and debates we had during training. There were arguments for both sides. For example, some said neutrality creates an unsafe environment because conversations might flow in one direction, leaving minorities vulnerable if things take a dark turn. Then there was the argument that it’s impossible to remain neutral when we can’t control micro-expressions or body language, leading to unconscious bias.
Giving it a go
My first experience of delivering a facilitated session was only a couple of weeks ago. Since then I’ve held space three times for the new co-designers of our new small grants fund alongside Sophie. This was a great introduction to facilitation and learning experience, I think I was quite naive going into this and had expectations of how it would go. The reality was far from what I envisioned in my head. Learning to fall into facilitation and adapting what I had learned to best suit my environment was important and will be something I carry forward into new spaces. I am looking forward to using a future Note to reflect on what I have learned.
Every step of this journey has been a chance to learn and grow. I’ve seen how Deep Democracy and facilitation can make a real difference. I’m thankful that I have my team around me. I believe support from others is vital when it comes to facilitation, especially as we envision a future for the borough where everyone’s voice is included.
