I recently had the pleasure to facilitate a one-day board retreat for the LA Audubon Society. Throughout the day, the group made important decisions about its budget, board, fundraising and their long-term vision.

One thing I like to do as a facilitator is a have everyone introduce themselves at the start of the retreat. I usually ask one fun question and for this group, I asked everyone if they could be a bird, what kind they would be. The diversity and beauty of answers was really wonderful (I answered that I would be a pelican for both their grace while flying over the ocean and goofiness when you look at them up close). 

After everyone introduced themselves, it occurred to me that at retreats like this we bring a wide diversity of perspectives, experiences and knowledge into the room, like the many species of birds folks mentioned. While we ranged from hummingbirds to eagles, the common denominator is that we all fly! I told the group that my role as a facilitator was to help ensure we all fly the same direction during this retreat, which is exactly what we wound up doing over the course of the day.

I especially love facilitating groups and am repeatedly told by clients that I’m an excellent facilitator. If your organization needs to gather its leadership to make important decisions, build a stronger team or set long term goals, please contact me to discuss how I might be able to help. For more information about my work in this area, check out my facilitation page. I also welcome you to attend my upcoming Introduction to Facilitation workshop on September 29 if you want to learn how to become a better facilitator yourself.