Some thoughts on how to be a successful workshop facilitator

1. Tips for Workshop
Facilitation
Dr. Jennifer Cham
Lead User Experience Architect
EMBL-EBI

2. Who is
Jenny Cham?
Lead User Experience Architect;
founded the UX design
capability at EMBL-EBI (2009)
Plan & deliver “Gamestorming”
style workshops, design
studios, focus groups,
brainstorming & graphic
recording
Coauthor:
Ten Simple Rules for Running
Interactive Workshops. PLoS
Computational Biology, 2014

3. Example layout for a workshop with moderators & team facilitators

4. Facilitation process – a lens on the discussion
Taken from Nick Skinner’s Facilitation Tips Presentation
(Poppyfish People Development)

5. Defining group
facilitation
“Group facilitation is a process in
which a person whose selection is
acceptable to all members of the
group, who is substantively neutral,
and who has no substantive decision-
making authority, diagnoses and
intervenes to help a group improve
how it identifies and solves problems
and makes decisions, to increase the
group’s effectiveness”
Roger Schwarz,
author of ‘The Skilled Facilitator’

6. Effective
facilitators
Give clear instruction of objectives, rules
and materials – what is expected?
Set & keep time boundaries
Check the team understands the brief -
“Is everyone clear about the task?”
Reaffirm what the task is and what is
expected
Ask questions for clarity of outcome.
Promote discussion
Involve everyone

7. Effective
groups
Use specific examples
Agree what important words mean
Share all relevant information
Explain reasoning
Discuss difficult issues
Focus on interests, not positions
Jointly design next steps

8. Facilitators
don’t have all
the answers!
Ricochet to the group
“what do other people think
about that?”
Reflect to an individual
“you asked the question, what
do you think?”
Deflect (with care to help move
the discussion on)
“I think the question you
should be thinking about is…”

9. Facilitators do
have great kit
Decent stationery is essential
Suitable spaces for group
work
Natural light
Healthy snacks
Good logistics support
Use approaches & kit flexibly

10. SOURCES
Ten Simple Rules for Running Interactive
Workshops. PLoS Computational
Biology, 2014
Material adapted from Nick Skinner’s
facilitation tips presentation (Poppyfish
people development)
The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive
Resource for Consultants, Facilitators,
Managers, Trainers and Coaches
By Roger Schwarz
Gamestorming: A Playbook for
Innovators, Rulebreakers, and
Changemakers
By Gray, Brown, Macanufo

11. FURTHER
INFORMATION
UX in science blogs
Jenny Cham’s blog http://jennycham.co.uk/
EBI interfaces blog https://ebiinterfaces.wordpress.com/
UX training module at EBI’s train online
https://www.ebi.ac.uk/training/online/course/user-
experience-design
Sketchnotes on UX & Science
Jenny’s https://www.flickr.com/photos/97823772@N02/
UX in bioinformatics journal papers list
http://www.ebi.ac.uk/about/people/jenny-cham
Slide share talks on UX & science
http://www.slideshare.net/JenniferCham/presentations

12. QUESTIONS?
(Good facilitators always
ask if there are any of
these!)

13. THANKS FOR
LISTENING