Global Flipchart

By Mara Svenne, IAF Secretary

Arriving in the groan zone

As a new board member in January 2015, and as a first-time visitor to Asia, I nervously navigated myself from the airport in Jakarta, to the hotel where the board members were staying to hold our annual Face-to-Face (F2F) meeting, to be followed throughout the year by monthly virtual meetings.  My nervousness vanished as soon as I met Noel Tan, our then-Vice Chair, who met me at the hotel check-in to welcome me to Asia, and to the team.

I have to confess I was surprised to find, the next day, that we weren’t going to be facilitated by a non-board member (a neutral facilitator).  Of course, we are all capable of facilitating a strategic planning session, but it felt odd to me that we weren’t ‘practicing what we preach’- in that the facilitator should remain neutral as to content of the topic.   Past chairs had tried this, with limited success, and of course the virtual monthly board meetings that occur for the remainder of the year are run as business meetings, so I understood that this was the norm of the group at the time.

I don’t think I remember much of the conversation from that day’s session.  It was probably the jet-lag; but all I remember was that it felt like there were a lot of presentations, and I was feeling a bit of an ‘information-overload’ by the end of that day.

What I really liked about the F2F in Jakarta is how different board members took turns leading the morning check-in, or the afternoon reflection.  I learned several new techniques that week.  However, there were times, where it felt like the desire to get the goals of the session accomplished was competing with our natural desire as facilitators to honour the diversity of perspectives and to trust the group to work through the ‘groan zone.’  

During 2015, the board and IAF as a whole continued on its trajectory of getting stronger, and one manifestation of this was the way Noel Tan as incoming chair chose to prepare for the 2016 F2F meeting.

Practicing what we preach

So, in the fall of 2015, when Noel asked for volunteers to help design the 2016 F2F meeting, I eagerly volunteered.  Martin Farrell, outgoing Regional Director for EMENA generously volunteered his time to facilitate the 2016 session. (By 2016, he would no longer be a member of the board, and he conscientiously held himself to the neutral facilitator role.)  Nick Housego, Regional Director for Oceania, joined our design team.  

In Mexico City, in January 2016, after a very moving ‘looking back’ at the IAF of the past - and ‘where are we today’ and ‘what are building for the future of IAF’, various directors presented on topics in their region or area of responsibility.  So, while the F2F 2016 meeting in Mexico also had a day full of presentations, which may have been a lot to take in for new board members, somehow it felt different.  For one, there was less PowerPoint, and more flipcharts.  The facilitator could act as a time-keeper.  And, the design team, ably augmented by the participation of John Cornwell, Regional Director for Africa, and our new Director for Communications, Wiebke Herding, had a check-in every morning and every evening - to reflect on that day’s session, and plan and adjust the next day’s session accordingly.  To me - that is a true example of facilitative leadership.  

Sharing the toolkits

Each member of the design team brought their own strengths, perspectives and talents.  Noel, as Chair - stayed focused on the outcomes, including the tie-in to his strategic vision.  Martin, as facilitator, ensured the process was carefully thought through, and asked really great questions to get us there.  John was awesome at respecting the feelings of the group, including those not part of the design team; a great empathetic listener who brings a real warmth to our work, even though the Board had to have some tough conversations to get though sticky moments, (to use Martin’s words).  Nick, the clear and strategic thinker, would work to make sure Noel’s objectives were achieved and that we addressed the ‘right things’ for the right reasons.  And Wiebke, new to the board (and also jet-lagged) - brought a spirit of creativity and suggested the method, combining an Open Space technique with an Agile Kanban board - to allow us to come to consensus on over 25 key topics in a day and a half.  Wiebke’s ideas also helped us move past the presentation stage of the meeting, and into more small-group, collaborative discussions.  

I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention Hector Villarreal’s generosity in demonstrating the Lego Serious Play methods, and bringing many boxes of Lego materials, which helped Martin lead us through a workshop to describe the ‘Future of IAF – 2020’.  All Board members, and our new administrative office leads, Jenny and Muji, collaborated to build this future: with IAF as a Beacon for Facilitation Centre of Excellence, reaching out to and welcoming members at conferences, CPF events, and regions and chapters working together to help the world become a better place.

Everyone on the board played their role throughout the week, and also prior to the session  (Tony Nash collected everyone’s thinking about the future of IAF and compiled it in advance of the meeting, for our review and reflection in Mexico City).  Budgets, break-out sessions with Regional Directors, various directors helping to set up and take down the room when we had to change rooms; and keeping track of topics yet to be discussed.  That was the best part of having a group of facilitators to meet with; we all know what is needed, and what is helpful.

Don’t get me wrong.  At the F2F in Mexico City, we also went through our groan zone moments, and our struggles, as any group is likely to do.  However, with a neutral facilitator helping us through it - all of the board members, including Noel, as our Chair - could stay focused on the content, without feeling obliged to ‘push’ for a quicker conclusion.   As facilitators, I think we all learned from this experience; we know what could have been done better, and we can celebrate what went well.   And I know we can take these lessons to improve our experience even more at the next F2F in 2017.   

Facilitative leadership in action

The best part is that we did get it all done, and finished a couple of hours early!  We had a balanced budget, a list of initiatives for 2016, and we all came away, enthusiastically pulling in the same direction on behalf of our members and our association.  I feel like our enthusiasm has continued to keep us on track throughout the year, and I look forward to continuing to work with this awesome group of facilitative leaders, to help us refine and achieve our vision of IAF 2020.

This experience reminded me:

• Of the value of a neutral facilitator
• Of the value of diverse perspectives – even when designing your session(s)
• That you can’t be too detailed in planning and refining your design
• That small group work is more engaging than large group discussion or ‘show and tell’; and will lead to greater group commitment to shared outcomes

Note:  there are 16 IAF Board Members; about a third or more are new to the board at each year’s F2F.