FACILITATE — Field Guide to Facilitating With Story

A story can be beautifully constructed and still become a lecture. Facilitating with story requires giving learners room to enter.

Field tool: find the door

Where can learners enter your story? Mark one or more places.

Entry points

BEFORE — anticipate the problem: “What would you expect to happen?”DURING — stop at a decision point: “What would you do here?”AT A CONSEQUENCE — “What do you think led to this?”BEFORE THE CHANGE — “What would have to happen for this person to change?”AFTER — invite interpretation: “What stands out to you?”

Where exactly, in my story?

Field tool: plan the pauses

Pause 1 — after:

Pause 1 — ask:

Pause 1 — why:

Pause 2 — after:

Pause 2 — ask:

Pause 2 — why:

Pause 3 — after:

Pause 3 — ask:

Pause 3 — why:

FACILITATE: field check

Before delivery:

I know where learners can enter.I have planned open questions.I have room for learner interpretation.I know where learner stories may fit.I am prepared to wait through silence.I do not need everyone to state my exact point.

6 still unchecked.

Move to PERFORM