Workshop facilitation training session
On the 27th of October, lead academics Robyn and Sonia facilitated a workshop for the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Students, Amina the Research Assistant and the PlaceLab-ers, to learn more about what it takes to successfully facilitate a focus group.
Students playing Volleyball at International Student Week, 2022. Image: RMIT University.
Participants were asked about their facilitation experience and prompted to think about, What they would like to know? What would they be able to do? And What would they do differently? After the workshop.
Workshop Breakdown
- What makes a good facilitator? Good facilitation should be conducted with clear, concise and validating language, time management, respect, and active listening.
- How do you talk about safety? Ask the participant what they would need from this experience to feel safe.
- How do we talk about consent? Beginning the conversation by acknowledging that the participant can withdraw their consent at any time is important. A calming tone can help when running through the consent form and remember to touch back on it throughout the experience.
- How can we ensure the safety of the participants and other facilitators? It is important to ensure that everyone involved feels comfortable at all times. Offer one-on-one conversations or a halt in the workshop if someone appears distressed.
- How do we move participants onto the next topic? By using connecting sentences such as, “now we can think in a similar way about x topic…”, you can keep the thread going and help to ensure the participants donât feel disjointed when changing the subject.
- How do we deal with silences? It is ok to have moments of quiet, but too much can make participants feel as though you do not have control of the situation.
Thank you Robyn and Sonia! This facilitation workshop has been incredibly insightful and we are keen to see these skills in action.