<aside> 💡 Why this page?

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” -Mark Twain

We use this page to add clarity and specificity to the language we use in our practice. Terms will be added as needed, on a tension basis.

</aside>

Facilitation Glossary

Facilitator: A person who guides and manages group discussions to ensure inclusivity, productivity, and achievement of desired outcomes.

Facilitation:

• The act of enabling collective work through conversations that are inclusive, meaningful, and productive.
• The act of guiding and supporting a group through a collaborative process, such as decision-making, problem-solving, or learning, by creating a conducive environment, structuring the conversation, and ensuring inclusive participation.
• Facilitation templates: Pre-designed structures or frameworks that facilitators can use to guide group conversations and activities towards specific outcomes, such as ideation, prioritization, or action planning.
• Dynamic Facilitation: An organic approach to facilitation that allows participants to explore issues deeply, address concerns, and integrate ideas into a solution that everyone feels good about.
• Augmented Facilitation:
  • The use of AI and other technologies to enhance and support human facilitation, rather than replacing it entirely.
  • The use of AI tools and techniques to support and enhance the process of facilitating group discussions, decision-making, and collective sensemaking.

Psychological Safety: The belief that one can express ideas, concerns, or mistakes without fear of negative consequences, which is crucial for effective facilitation.

Creative Tension: The gap between the current reality and the desired future, which can be harnessed during facilitation to generate innovative ideas and solutions.

Divergent Thinking: The process of generating multiple ideas or solutions to a problem, often encouraged during the early stages of facilitation.

Convergent Thinking: The process of synthesizing and refining ideas to arrive at a single, best solution, typically employed in the later stages of facilitation.

Consensus:

• A state of agreement among all participants in a group, often sought as an outcome of facilitation.
• General agreement among participants in a decision-making process. In the context of AI-enabled facilitation, it is important to treat consensus as an ongoing process rather than a simple output.

Inclusion: Ensuring that all participants have an equal opportunity to contribute and be heard during a facilitated discussion.

Outliers: Ideas or perspectives that deviate significantly from the norm, which can sometimes lead to breakthrough solutions during facilitation.

Intervention: The act of a facilitator stepping in to address a specific issue, challenge, or opportunity during a group discussion.