Whether you’re leading a 60-minute meeting or a multi-day workshop, keeping people engaged and incentivized to contribute often boils down to one fundamental thing: comfort.
Comfort is physical, mental and emotional. It’s applicable to introverts and extroverts. And it’s something that facilitators should prioritize cultivating. Why? Because a group of comfortable humans is more likely to produce / co-create / unlock their best work yet.
Leverage these methods at your next session and see if you observe a difference.
1. Do a warm up
When you’re leading a group of people, kick off with a warm-up exercise that encourages them to be humans first. Yes, this is essentially an icebreaker, but I’ve rebranded it because saying “icebreaker” usually garners a few eye rolls.
Despite the stigma, the essence of the exercise is positive. Participants often need a moment to transition into a session from __________ (another meeting, sending a screaming child to school, cleaning up spilled coffee). This is that moment. And whether or not the group realizes it, starting here kickstarts the team’s interaction and ability to contribute.