‘small-f’ facilitation

Are you a small-f™ facilitator?

Does your job require you to lead meetings for problem-solving, planning, brainstorming, or just getting everyone on the same page? Have you ever found yourself reading the room like a novel, guiding a group toward clarity, or working your magic to help teams collaborate — because real buy-in and alignment matter to you?  Then, you’re a “small-f” facilitator.

Small-f facilitators wield the magic of facilitation to empower teams, spark collaboration, create space for every voice, and turn scattered ideas into shared direction. It’s not their full-time job, but it’s in their DNA.

Small-f facilitators hold titles like Project Manager, Business Analyst, Management Consultant, Lean Practitioner, Agile Scrum Master, Product Manager, HR Professional, Trainer, Stakeholder Engagement Lead, Government Relations Advisor, Service Designer, Change Management Specialist and more.

If your work means bringing people together to solve problems or move ideas forward, you belong here.

small-f versus big-F – what’s the difference?

Big-F facilitators do it full-time as outsiders. Small-f facilitators do it as part of their job.  Often insiders, they use their organizational knowledge to design sessions that fit the context, engage the right voices, and anticipate roadblocks. They know the players, the history, and the realities — and they use that insight to create conversations that stick and solutions that work.

What’s the same?

The skills and techniques. Facilitation is facilitation.

Join us!

We’re building a community to share expertise, hone skills, and create connections. All are welcome; titles optional, facilitation instincts required.

What to expect

We offer 90-minute free online sessions to share and discuss small-f facilitation – the triumphs and the train wrecks.

• Practical tips & Tools:Learn new tools & techniques to improve your facilitation.  Exchange experiences with your peers in breakout discussions.
• Using your Insider Knowledge: How to use your context to enhance, but not direct:  build buy-in, pressure-test outcomes, ask wicked questions, and manage politics.
• Sounding Board: Test your session plan, hear new ideas, and have your questions answered by folks who have been there.

Sessions are currently hosted through the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) and upcoming meet-ups will be listed on the IAF events page.