The six axis of facilitation

Agile is used for avoiding delays, they are based on quality, efficiency and misunderstandings.  That's why we see it as an interaction concept.

Six assumption from the thirty

• NOT communication is impossible
• invite people to share his thoughts
• respect people, they speak more and others less
• words spoken are not reliable
• you receive what you have given
• there is no such thing as resistance
• they are not ready yet
• some people will be never ready when you are there
• they don't feel free to say anything
• there is no failure
• any idea is a good idea
• everybody has good intentions
• people feel insecure, not safe
• don't judge easily
• people start to talk, other try to interact. give a team a presentation and give time for clarification

Communication cycle

• 7% verbal
• 70% body language
• 23% voice, tone

Six axis of the facilitations

• structure
• show the structure of the workshop
  
  
• speed
• check what is going? is it one team? everybody is ready?
• change the speed of the meeting
  
  
• interaction
• how I let people to work on the workshop?
• break up to small groups, they feel safer
• what to do with the outcomes of the small groups: merge? priorities the results: more competitive, 
• icebreaker: 10 minutes coffee
  
  
• focus
• shifting gear?
• doing exercises VS working for the results
• sleepy -> brain  is switching off -> energizing activity
  
  
• concerns
• levels of topics: individual, team, group, worldwide
• fist time work together: introductions, ask for individual exercise: what you did in the company, your last weekend. very safe topic
• example: generic questions about the word -> company -> for your team ->  
  
  
• control
• who is taking on the process now. 
• facilitator decision. teams are not so self organizing or not?

Exercise

Create a Workshop Preparation Matrix

• agenda of a workshop + 6 axis
• you indicate how much they need -- => ++
• expect miracles, it is impossible

1. Neutrality, stay neutral
1. how to deal with neutrality and avoid conflict
2. decision making
3. my content is the outcomes
   
   
2. Transparency and role modeling 
1. sharing
   
   
3. Ground rules / collaboration agreement
1. don't interrupt each other, phones etc.
2. anyone to add a new role: dialog
3. flipchart on the wall with the rules
   
   
4. Action planning
1. connect to the future, meaning for the future?
2. who can take the action, when we get the outcome?
3. facilitator take it to discuss with external dependencies

And?

I never heard about this six axis, and sounds pretty cool. Very useful to plan and prepare a new meeting, workshop or even analyze and understand what happened on a meeting.