Ever been reminded of those venn diagrams from school, you know, a picture of the two circles overlapping.
I’ve often found when bringing together groups of people to achieve a common cause, mismatches in people’s needs, expectations often result in disharmony and an approach that goes off in all directions, instead of heading in the one same direction.
I find bringing a coaching approach into facilitation creates an environment that helps clarify goals [understanding the desired outcome], creates solutions not previously thought [creating awareness and understanding] and one of accountability and self ownership.
But what about these two circles.
Each of us brings with us to a session our own motivations, thoughts and goals based on who we are and what we know. Letting go of those, temporarily, helps create the space in us to understand and to accept others points of view. We may then choose to agree or disagree based on what we think.
But this leads me to think, what makes us hold onto our own views and stops us from listening to or understanding others. Whether we think we are right or wrong, we have it in our power to accept we have one point of view and others have there own. What helps us accept others point of view is that we share something similar. That common ground, the overlap, the reasons we are together in the first place.
Making that clear to us, understanding what the common ground is and why we are there can help us in that process. We are able to accept that other people have different objectives, goals, motives and that these are neither right nor wrong. But there is something common to us all that helps bind us together and move forward together as one.
Facilitation can help find that common ground…