Reflections on Facilitating

I have had two turns at facilitating. The first time I was flying solo and the second time I had a partner. For my first experience I picked a topic that I thought would be a piece of cake for me, Technology. How difficult could it be, after all I know a lot about technology, right? All I would have to do is impart my wisdom and offer guidance; I would be great, right? Wrong!!! I might know about technology, but I don't know how to be an effective facilitator and that became painfully clear to me once I got started.

For the discussion threads I was supposed to read what everyone was posting, not a problem. After reading the posts I was to make comments, give feedback or ask questions. Big Problem!! I was at a loss, I could no longer think. All of my comments seemed uninspired (lame), feedback - it was as though I didn't know what the word meant, and questions -what a joke. This was meant to stimulate the discussion, encourage deeper thoughts on the topic and I failed. I was afraid of hurting feelings or coming across as confrontational so I just went with "Great job" or "I agree". When I did try to ask a question, it didn't invoke deep thought, it didn't do anything. Instead of taking a risk and trusting that my fellow classmates would understand if my questions or comments seemed abrupt or rude, I played it safe. When I received my feedback, there were no surprises (I knew that I had done poorly).

I thought that I would at least wow them with my presentation in Wimba. I spent all week getting the PowerPoint just right. I had some movement with the text, not too much just the right amount. I added links so that I could demonstrate different websites. I thought I had it all, and then.... You know the saying "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry"? I had decided to do a dry run about 1 hour before the class started, which turned out to be the best thing I could have done. I came to the realization that links do not work in Wimba, so I had to come up with Plan B. Luckily I had asked Bonnie to stop in while I was doing my dry run and she explained my options and helped me come up with Plan B. I decided that I would go out to my desktop and work from there. I could still use my PowerPoint, back on track, yea! The first part went okay, I was on topic and then.... I went off topic and tried to demonstrate Second Life. Why? It certainly didn't pertain to the topic. At that time I justified it as being the ultimate in technology. I got carried away and spent way too much time.

Did I learn a lesson from all of this? YES!!!

The lesson I learned was this: just because you know a topic, you have no more of an advantage than someone who doesn't. If they know how to ask questions or give better responses that keep the discussions alive, then they are going to be the better facilitator. A good facilitator can learn any topic while a poor facilitator no matter how well they know the subject area is still a poor facilitator. To be a good facilitator I need to master the art of responding to discussion threads. I need to learn how to ask the stimulating questions that require more thought. I also need to learn how to take negative feedback and turn it into feedback that will enrich the students' learning experience by having them look deeper into the topic. For my presentations, I will keep on topic and encourage students' questions and interaction. I will also keep it a reasonable length of time. My going on and on isn't going to impress anyone or necessarily add to the learning experience.

I mentioned that I had a second experience, this time with a partner. In some ways it was totally different, but in many ways it was the same. How can that be? Well, we split the discussion threads and I let him do the presentation. (I had already done a presentation and was not required to do a second one unless I wanted too).

This time I my only responsibility was monitoring a discussion thread and assisting my partner with his presentation. Here was my chance, a second discussion thread, my chance at redemption. I had the feedback; I knew what I had done wrong. I would be great this time. Right? Wrong!!! My discussion thread didn't take off and I didn't do my job of stimulating the discussion thread. However, my partner did a fantastic job, his discussion thread rocked (I wanted to be a part of his discussion). I knew what I needed to work on, so what went wrong? I tried; I thought I was asking better questions. But all I did was ask questions that weren't clear and quite simply caused more confusion. I feel short again, I failed becaused I didn't ask for help. (By the way, Rafael's presentation was fantastic.)

So what did I learn from this experience? Well I learned that if I work with a partner, we would both monitor all the discussion threads. I could have used his help and I really wanted to join the discussion. Why didn't I just tell my partner that I needed help and wanted to part of his discussion? I don't know why, it just didn't occur to me at the time. I also would like to do a joint project. I know, I know, it was my choice. But by not embracing the experience of having a partner I cheated myself out of a learning experience. There is no one else to blame but myself. What did I learn from this experience? I learned that I have a lot to learn about facilitating and that I have a hard time asking for help.

So what has this self-realization done for me? It has caused me to question whether I will be able to improve my ability to facilitate discussion threads enough to be a good facilitator. No, I am not going to throw in the towel, but I am going to work very hard at improving my facilitation of discussion threads and asking for help. But when all is said and done, I am going to be realistic. If I don't improve by the end of the next two courses, then perhaps I am more suited for designing the courses (or assisting in the design).

Diane