There is no shortage of great facilitation books to read. But with so many options, choosing the right book can be a challenge.
In this blog post, I give you a rundown of my favorite and best facilitation books, each packed with invaluable insights and practical tips to help you become an exceptional facilitator to help you grow your skills.
1. “Workshop Survival Guide” by Rob Fitzpatrick
If you are just starting your journey into facilitation, "Workshop Survival Guide" by Rob Fitzpatrick is the best facilitation book to start with. This book is concise yet packed with actionable advice, designed to make you comfortable in creating and running workshops from scratch, whether they're 20 minutes or two days long. The book has a focus on learning facilitation, but I found that the concepts can be applied in any situation.
Key insights include:
- Format Switching: Learn how to switch between different formats to keep sessions engaging. For instance, alternating between group discussions and solo tasks can prevent monotony.
- Group Dynamics: Understand the dynamics of different group sizes and how these dynamics influence engagement and participation.
- Optimal Seating Arrangements: Discover the best seating options in a room and tips on where to stand and walk to maximize your engagement with participants.
My favorite lesson:
The audience mirrors your panic. When faced with a difficult situation or problem, it’s always important to stay calm and collected. Otherwise, your emotions as a facilitator quickly jump over to participants, and then the session derails completely.
2. “The Art of Gathering” by Priya Parker
"The Art of Gathering" by Priya Parker was my introduction to the world of facilitation, and it remains a brilliant guide for making gatherings meaningful and transformative. Parker emphasizes the importance of intentionality, suggesting that the purpose of the gathering should take precedence over the format. This means you should first understand why people are coming together before deciding on the specific activities or processes to use.
Key insights include:
- Creating a Temporary Alternative World: Parker highlights the value of creating an environment that temporarily removes participants from their daily routine, offering them a unique and engaging experience.
- Closing Sessions Properly: The end of a session is crucial. Effective closures leave a lasting impression and are often what participants remember the most.
- Active Facilitation: Instead of letting things unfold naturally, Parker highlights the importance of taking an active role as a facilitator.
My favorite lesson:
The line "Who wants to sail on a skipperless ship?". This emphasizes the importance of taking an active role as a facilitator because people generally feel better when someone is guiding the session and providing a sense of direction and security.
3. “The Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making” by Sam Kaner
If you're ready for a deep dive into facilitation, "The Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making" by Sam Kaner is your top choice. This comprehensive book, spanning 432 pages, is filled with frameworks and techniques designed to enhance participatory decision-making within groups. Kaner argues that full participation leads to better outcomes.
Key insights include:
- Creating Mutual Understanding: Use techniques that promote mutual understanding among participants to foster more inclusive solutions.
- The Diamond of Participatory Decision-Making: This model, similar to the design thinking diamond, provides a detailed roadmap for decision-making processes.
- Practical Techniques: Learn techniques such as paraphrasing, intentional silence, and idea-gathering to enhance group participation.
My favorite lesson:
The extensive list of basic facilitation techniques in the book. Kaner does a great job at describing each in detail and providing helpful examples. That made them easy to integrate into my facilitation practice.
4. “Creating Clarity” by Holger Nils Pohl
"Creating Clarity" by Holger Nils Pohl focuses on enhancing communication and understanding through visual tools in facilitation. This book is a treasure trove of visual methods that can transform the way you conduct meetings and workshops. It's not only practical, but also visually stunning, making it a joy to read and refer back to.
Key insights include:
- The Power of Visual Tools: Visual tools create a better shared understanding and make progress more visible. They help participants build mental models and save mental energy.
- The CLARITY Framework: Holger's framework, based on 20 years of experience, is a practical guide for implementing visual thinking in sessions.
- Visual Library: The book includes an extensive library of visual tools and methods, making it a valuable reference for any facilitator.
My favorite takeaway:
The use of transparent sticky notes to create compelling presentations. I didn’t know transparent sticky notes excited, before reading this book. But they are amazing. I’ve used them a handful of times, and they always added a visual and interactive element that captured participants' attention.
5. “Nonviolent Communication” by Marshall Rosenberg
For me, the bible of conflict management is "Nonviolent Communication" by Marshall Rosenberg. This book introduces a method to foster empathy, understanding, and peaceful conflict resolution at work and in everyday life. This book is essential for any facilitator who wants to manage conflicts effectively and create a harmonious group dynamic.
Key insights include:
- Four-Step Process: The book outlines a four-step process of nonviolent communication: Observation, feelings, needs, and requests. This process helps in addressing underlying emotions and needs in any discussion.
- Detailed Case Studies: Packed with case studies and sample conversations, the book makes it easy to understand and apply the principles of nonviolent communication.
- Empathetic Communication: Learn how to foster empathy and understanding, which are crucial for resolving conflicts and enhancing group cohesion.
My favorite insight:
Turning negative requests into positive ones. For example, instead of saying "I want you to stop talking," say "I would like you to take a minute of silence for this exercise." This approach is more positive and less confrontational, leading to better results.
6. “Meetings by Default or by Design” by Eric de Groot
Though not widely known, I like the book "Meetings by Default or by Design" for its unique structure and approach. Each chapter of the book highlights a topic relevant to meetings (e.g. “Opening a meeting”) and then outlines what the common default is, what’s wrong with it, and how it could be done better if it’s done “by design”. A great book to break bad meeting habits and to design meetings for optimal engagement and productivity.
Key insights include:
- Structured Framework: The book is divided into four chapters: Reasons and objectives, production, participants, and content. Each chapter highlights an area relevant to meetings and offers insights on how to approach it by design rather than by default.
- Analyzing Default Behaviors: Understand the drawbacks of default behaviors in meetings and how they can limit engagement and effectiveness.
- Participant Engagement: Learn methods to invite participants who self-select for meetings, boosting engagement and willingness to contribute.
My favorite takeaway:
Inviting people to meet, but giving them a chance to decide if they actually want to participate and can contribute something. This approach of self-selection helps attendees be more engaged and willing to contribute. It creates a more dynamic and invested group, leading to better outcomes.
7. “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie
At last, a book that at face value might not look like a facilitation book. “How to Win Friends and Influence People” was originally published in 1936 and has stood the test of time as one of the most popular books about effective communication and relationship building.
It’s one of my favorites because based on my experience, it’s vital for a facilitator to earn trust, authority, and respect from their participants to do their job well. And this book provides great actionable principles to do exactly that.
- Understanding Motivation: Learn what motivates people to take action and how to leverage this understanding in your facilitation.
- Effective Feedback: Techniques for giving feedback and criticism in a way that fosters cooperation and positivity.
- Building Relationships: Discover ways to appeal to higher motives and build strong relationships with participants.
My favorite takeaway:
The power of using names. In my experience, remembering people's names and actively using them is one of the easiest things to do to create a connection with people that you just met. It’s a small gesture, but with a significant impact on the dynamics of your sessions.
Honorable Mention
There are many other great books out there. And among them are also books with frames and toolboxes that you can use in your sessions. In my opinion, every facilitator should have some of those in his bookshelf because they are a great inspiration to design your sessions.
So here are some that I recommend you to check out:
- Gamestorming by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo
- Liberating Structures by Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless
- Sprint by Jake Knapp
- The Design Thinking Toolbox by Michael Lewrick
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Investing in your facilitation skills can make a world of difference in the outcomes of your sessions, and I highly encourage you to explore these books for deeper insights. Happy reading!
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