What is Dynamic Facilitation?
Dynamic Facilitation is a natural way of facilitating people to address difficult issues, even those that seem impossible. The dynamic facilitator uses a number of charts to frame the conversation so all comments, even when people are deeply conflicted, are helpful and productive. He or she establishes a zone of thinking and talking known as "choice-creating," where unanimous conclusions emerge via shifts, insights and breakthroughs . Dynamic Facilitation relies on the skills of the facilitator not on rules, guidelines, or agendas so ordinary, untrained people can just speak their minds in addressing these difficult issues. Some results are:
• People reach unanimous conclusions
• They become involved and empowered
• They come together as "We"
• They solve "impossible" issues
• They build a meaningful story that others resonate to
Dynamic Facilitation works best when people care about the issue they are addressing, when they have energy for solving it. Then it's like a crisis situation where people rise to the occasion, pull together and accomplish miracles. "Choice-creating" is like a combination of dialogue and deliberation. It is transformational like dialogue, yet it also yields joint decisions like deliberation.
The DF'er starts by helping people determine an issue they really care about, whether it seems solvable or not. Then he or she helps them say what is on their minds and hearts. She uses four charts for creating lists of: Solutions, Problem-statements, Data, and Concerns. A fifth chart of Choices or Outcomes is added as group conclusions emerge.
Some times the results take the form of new ideas; other times they bring a new sense of what the "real problem" is; or there is a change of heart.
How does it work?
Rather than asking people to limit themselves — to hold back their emotions, to stay on the agenda, to abide by guidelines, or to follow the agenda — the dynamic facilitator frames the conversation so all comments are helpful and productive. He or she establishes a zone of thinking and talking known as "choice-creating," where shifts, insights and breakthroughs are frequent. Dynamic Facilitation works for ordinary people. They don't need to be trained, part of a community of shared values, or to commit to special guidelines of behavior. It's up to the DF'er to help create a zone of choice-creating, where they reach better, unanimous solutions faster.
Dynamic Facilitation works best when people care about the issue they are addressing, when they have energy for solving it. Then it's like a crisis situation where people rise to the occasion, pull together and accomplish miracles. "Choice-creating" is like a combination of dialogue and deliberation. It is transformational like dialogue, yet it also yields joint decisions like deliberation.
The DF'er starts by helping people determine an issue they really care about, whether it seems solvable or not. Then he or she helps them say what is on their minds and hearts. She uses four charts for creating lists of: Solutions, Problem-statements, Data, and Concerns. A fifth chart of Choices or Outcomes is added as group conclusions emerge.
Some times the results take the form of new ideas; other times they bring a new sense of what the "real problem" is; or there is a change of heart.
How is it different?
The best, fastest way for people to solve a tough problem or reach unity is to have a breakthrough. When this happens, the results are exceptional and each person feels involved, knows what to do, and is committed to the group’s result. The process builds individual skills, empowerment, trust, and the spirit of community.
Most meeting facilitation processes eliminate or limit this possibility. Traditional facilitation, for instance, asks people to work only on issues that are possible to solve or that are in their area of responsibility, to mute their passion in favor of rationality, to break big problems into smaller ones, and to proceed step by step down a logical path. It depends on extrinsic factors like goals, objectives, agendas, and guidelines of behavior to preserve order and make progress.
Dynamic Facilitation is more oriented toward intrinsic factors, like how much people care about the issue, or the shift they experience when hearing a new idea. It proceeds dynamically, going with the flow of energy rather than trying to manage it.
DF has unique benefits, like it's ability to deal with off-the-street people, it's way of working with big impossible-seeming issues, it's ability to turn emotional statements into positive attributes, and it's ability to determine unanimous answers quickly ... that open the door to many new realms of possibility. For instance, through the Wisdom Council Process and the Creative Insight Council, it can spark "Wise Democracy."Key is how it reliably evokes the spirit of choice-creating, rather than other forms of talking and thinking, like "dialogue" or "deliberation," "consensus-building," "creative problem-solving," "debate," etc.
Resources on Dynamic Facilitation
• Dynamic Facilitation was developed by consultant Jim Rough in the early 1980’s, while consulting with mill workers in Northern California. Dynamic Facilitation and Associates, offers consulting for organizations and regular seminars in Dynamic Facilitation Skills.
•Dynamic Facilitation: Manual and Reader by Rosa Zubizarreta and Jim Rough is available through the Center for Wise Democracy.
•The Co-Intelligence Institute has a number of articles and comparisons to other methods. (See "Dynamic Facilitation" by Tom Atlee.)