TJ Walker gives facilitators five questions to ask before every session: What are we producing? How do I start participation? Keep responses brief? Handle drift? Move to decision? A 30-second mental reset that shifts you from reactive to prepared.
Ultimize. Here's something you can use before every session you lead, a simple mental reset. Before you begin, ask yourself 5 questions. What are we trying to produce? How will I start participation? How will I keep responses brief? How will I handle drift? How will I move to a decision? That's it. You don't need anything more complicated. I've seen it repeatedly. Facilitators know what to do in theory, but when they walk into a real session, they forget because there's pressure, there's unpredictability, there's noise. So what they need is not more information. They need a reset, something simple they can run through quickly. This is that reset. It brings you back to the fundamentals. Outcome. Participation. Control. Direction. Decision. When you have that in your mind before you start, everything becomes easier. You're not reacting, you're prepared. So here's your takeaway: before every session, take 30 seconds and run through those 5 questions. Because facilitation is not about doing everything perfectly, it's about doing the right things consistently. And this is how you stay consistent.
You're Not Being Judged on Your Work Yet: What New Hires Are Really Evaluated On
