Neutrality in Facilitation

One of the smartest things you can do as a project manager? Stay neutral. When you're surrounded by experts, it's tempting to: → Pick sides → Offer opinions → Try to sway decisions But that's usually not what the project needs. Here's why staying neutral (and sometimes silent) has become one of my best-used tools: 1) It keeps the focus on the facts When you're not attached to a specific solution, you can drive better outcomes. Allowing the team to focus on the data, risks, and priorities that matter. Being neutral brings clarity to decision-making. 2) You build a safe space for collaboration A neutral PM ensures all voices/opinions are heard. Encouraging open dialogue and avoiding unnecessary conflict. This allows the best ideas to rise to the top. 3) You empower the team to make the call Staying neutral doesn't mean being passive. It means guiding the process. By facilitating the discussion and not dominating it, you help the team reach decisions they can own and execute with confidence. As a PM, your role isn't to be the decision-maker. It's to be the guide to making that decision. When you stay neutral, you're not just managing projects. You're empowering the experts to do their best work. And that's where the real magic happens. 🤙

One of the most important traits as a #facilitator: maintaining NEUTRALITY! - but what, if we can't? It's one of the most common questions I get when it comes to facilitating workshops. Because, yes, if you are a facilitator for hire, coming in as an external, it is easier to maintain #neutrality. But, if you are, as most of my clients, part of the team or company you are about to facilitate a workshop for, you are always wearing at least two heads and are by definition not neutral. Being neutral means keeping your opinions to yourself, not steering a workshop towards a certain solution and being completely open to any ideas or outcomes. Now, when you have skin in the game, when you need to execute what's decided in the workshop, or need to sell the idea internally, you will have the urge to influence the outcome. And truth be told, I don't think we can get rid of this bias completely, yet, it is important to see how we can create an environment where all voices are heard, where everyone feels there is true curiosity towards the outcome and safety to share. In my experience, what helped "internal" facilitators in that dual role was the following: 🎤 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐓: At the start of the workshop be super vocal about the fact that you are wearing two heads today. Explain the role that you have as a facilitator, how you are there to guide rather than tell while being honest that you will of course due to your role also have an opinion and will where appropriate share that. 🎩 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐒: If you have to switch roles within the workshop from being the facilitator to being the expert, it sometimes helps to make that visually recognisable - bring an actual head (or any other accessory that suits you) and put it on if you are switching out of your facilitator role. 🎯 𝐅𝐎𝐂𝐔𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒: It's almost like a mantra you can tell yourself before and during the workshop "I manage the process (HOW), the others are responsible for the content (WHAT)". Especially as experts we tend to fall into problem-solving mode quickly. Be deliberate about the fact that you are in that moment NOT there to fix things - if you designed a good process, you can trust the process. Helpful? Intrigued to hear what you have seen works in this "two head" situation. Any additional tips and tricks? #workshopfacilitation #facilitation #neutrality 📸 from the Female Future Festival Zurich in 2023 from Tetyana Pirker

Institutional neutrality does NOT mean that college personnel are apathetic. It means that college personnel are aware that students (and their families) have different values, and those values are all welcomed into the conversation. In higher education, we are at our very best when we are facilitating dialogue from a neutral position… acting as glue that binds communities of individuals with differing thoughts and opinions, and not overstepping the line between teaching students HOW to think and teaching students WHAT to think. We are at our best when we host civil discourse. We are at our best when we provide space, language, and strategies to help people hold two opposing thoughts in their heads at the same time.

How to Stay Neutral as a Coach As a coach, you have to be careful not to get emotionally attached to your client's story or situation. You have to maintain a distance and a perspective that allows you to see things clearly and objectively. You have to avoid projecting your own biases, assumptions, or experiences onto your client. This is not easy, especially when you are dealing with topics that are controversial, polarizing, or personal. You may feel tempted to agree or disagree with your client, to take sides or to offer advice. But when you do that, you are not coaching. You are not helping your client find their own answers and solutions. You are imposing your own agenda and opinions. The best coaches are neutral. They do not judge, criticize, or praise their client. They do not tell them what to do or what not to do. They simply ask powerful questions, listen deeply, and reflect back on what they hear and see. They help their client explore their own thoughts, feelings, and actions. They help them discover their own insights, options, and outcomes. Neutrality is requires self-awareness, mindfulness, and discipline. It also requires feedback and support from other coaches or mentors who can help you notice when you are losing your neutrality and how to regain it. Neutrality is not indifference or detachment. It is not a lack of empathy or care. It is a way of being present and supportive without being influenced or influencing. It is a way of respecting your client's autonomy and agency. It is a way of empowering your client to find their own truth and happiness. #Coaching #CoachingHacks #CoachInAction

As a facilitator, it’s inevitable—you’ll encounter challenging personalities in your workshops. Whether it’s the dominant talker, the silent observer, or the skeptic, knowing how to manage these dynamics is key to ensuring a productive and inclusive session. Here are a few strategies I use to stay in control and keep the energy positive: ↳𝐒𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Start the session by establishing ground rules, including respect for others’ speaking time, so everyone knows what’s expected of them. ↳𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥, 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐦: Remember, your role is to guide the conversation, not take sides. Keep your tone neutral and calm, even when participants are disruptive. ↳𝐀𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞’𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Sometimes, challenging participants just want to feel heard. Acknowledge their input by writing down their ideas and stick them on a parking lot . It helps to move on and go back to the main topic. ↳𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬: Use activities like "round-robin" discussions, or breaking into smaller groups, to ensure everyone gets a voice and no one person dominates. ↳𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲: When someone’s taking over, gently refocus the conversation by redirecting questions to the group, encouraging others to speak up. Managing difficult personalities takes practice, but staying grounded in your role as facilitator will help maintain the balance and flow of the session. How do you manage difficult dynamics in your workshops? Let me know in the comments! 🔔 Follow me for more facilitation tips 🔄 Reshare if this post resonated with you! #Facilitation #WorkshopTips #Leadership #GroupDynamics #Teamwork