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If you feel inspired to start a conversation, please write to me at manafacilitator@gmail.com. I would be happy to explore with you your need and purpose and share my experiences. 

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What happens when 250 facilitators gather in one space?

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" I have never seen so many extroverts in a single space..." one of the volunteers captured the essence of the 9th IAF India Conference in Pune! I thought I was energetic as a person and as a facilitator, last weekend I was with 250 facilitators who were at a whole new level! Or it is just what happens when facilitators come together :)  IAF - The International Association of Facilitators is a very old institution dedicated to the building process facilitation practice across the world. Their India hub is very active. Though I had been following IAF for a long time, I finally decided to attend this year's annual India Conference. Totally volunteer led, it was a beautiful example of co-creation of an intentional gathering for a community of practitioners  - with clear purpose; an engaging design that spoke to the participants' needs; a steady way of engaging folks right from when they registered; the physical space designed for connection, exchange & learning; and...
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Social Dancing & Facilitation

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As I return from my weekly social dancing classes on Sundays, my mind wonders what this experience is teaching me about facilitation... let's start by unpacking what actually happens in class.  As you enter the class, it is a warm and welcoming feeling - people hug, say hello as if they have known each other a long time... there is usually a five min chit chat time before the class begins!  Our instructor Aamir teaches us a new step set for the dance form we are learning (Waltz or Rock n Roll) in a sequential way. He first demonstrates how the step looks as danced with a partner - when we first see this - we are both "wowed" and "howed"... meaning we can imagine how it will feel when we do this effortlessly and then our enthusiasm is crushed by the thought of the complexity of the step! Aamir then breaks up the full step into parts and teaches the leads and followers the step separately. We are able to slowly get comfortable with how each one of us has to move w...
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A request and resource for clients who engage external facilitators!

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By the time I get calls and requests from organisations to help design or facilitate their conference/ consultation/ stakeholder dialogue/ roundtable, the duration is decided (which may or not be right for the expected outcomes), the venue is decided (which may or may not be supportive of engagement), the initial agenda and participant list (which may or may be aligned with who really needs to be in the room) also possibly drafted. They want me to help them make the gathering engaging and innovative. While this is a great shift in how gatherings are happening - it makes it hard as a lot of HOW questions are already answered before going deeper into the WHY.  In the initial discovery calls I have with clients, I often find that the team members themselves are not aligned about what is the core need, the core purpose, the gathering values and the expected outcomes - it is also often not clear what is expected to happen after the conference. The focus naturally is totally on what can ...
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