Presentation and Facilitation. They’re pretty common terms in our training and development world, so we’re sure you’ve heard them both before too. But have you ever found yourself wondering “what’s the difference?!”
We see where some confusion could creep in.
“If I’m facilitating, aren’t I also presenting?”
“If I am presenting, don’t I need some facilitation skills as well?”
“What’s the difference?!?”
Not to worry! Let us offer a couple of guidelines to help keep them straight and help you know what matters most for each.
Focus on the people in front of you. Remember all the good they bring with them to the table and think about what they want to hear from you. Being people-positive shapes the words you use and the way you present. It allows you to connect with the people in front of you, and think of what they might want to know about the topic at hand, rather than just presenting your topic from your own lens.
When you are the presenter, you are the expert in the room. You need to have passion for whatever the subject matter is. Your level of enthusiasm will directly impact that of your audience! Being content-passionate means you bring knowledge and excitement for your topic, but you also anticipate, recognize, and effectively respond to any counter-arguments.
Being people-positive is just as important for facilitators as it is for presenters. Remember – how you think about the people around you will shape the words you use and the way you use them. When you’re anticipating or managing bad behaviors (distractions, side-bars, late arrivers, discussion dominators, etc.), don’t throw any person under the proverbial bus! Protect each person in the room and correct whatever behaviors need to be corrected. As facilitator, part of your role is to make sure everyone remembers the value of each of the other participants.
When you are the facilitator, it is important for you to know just enough about the topic for you to effectively lead the conversation, while also remaining neutral enough that the participants can follow the facilitated process to produce the stated outcomes. If you have a strong bias about the topic or the outcome, you’ll have a harder time being neutral in the facilitation. Your passion for the topic may be misconstrued as a bias for or against any of the people in the room, which quickly erodes the safety of the collaborative environment. When distractions, dysfunctions, and disagreement reign, successfully collaborating to achieve the desired outcomes is seriously compromised. As facilitator, the safety and success of the collaborative experience should be a higher priority to you than the actual decision or conclusion reached.
Now that you know some differences, could your presentation skills use some polishing? Could you use a few new tools in your facilitation toolbox? Contact us to hear about our upcoming offerings!