Facilitation Evolution: From Meeting Management to Strategic Team Skill

Growing up I listened to and learned a lot of French from my Québécois family. Sadly, I’m still not fluent despite years of timid practice and study. However, one word that did stick in my stagnant vocabulary is the word for easy — facile. And so it was one of those head-exploding moments when I heard someone on a podcast describe the etymology of facilitation. In French, faciliter means “to render easily.” Never in my mind had I made that connection when I first considered facilitation as a profession, but I’ve come to know the paradox of facilitation as a domain: it’s both easy and complex. That’s what makes it such an interesting and evolutionary space, particularly over this last decade.

I have seen the profession of facilitation quietly, but significantly, rise to prominence in the world of 21st-century work. What once may have been seen as simply managing meetings has blossomed into a strategic skill essential for both effective team management and creative problem-solving. A facilitator, in essence, provides outside guidance for team decision-making. In its evolved state, facilitation fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment among participants, ultimately leading to better (sustainable, prioritized, impactful) outcomes. 

Gone are the days of facilitators merely keeping meetings on track and ensuring everyone gets a chance to speak. While these aspects remain crucial, truly effective facilitation as a practice goes far beyond that. Today, facilitators serve as orchestrators of collaboration, navigating diverse perspectives, managing conflicts, and fostering innovation within teams. It’s not just about leading discussions but also about nurturing an atmosphere of trust, openness, and creativity. And with the added layer of constant technological distractions that affect all workplaces, the “easy” label simply seems preposterous.

One of the key shifts in the evolution of facilitation is its integration into strategic team management. Facilitators are no longer just hired for individual meetings; they are becoming integral members of teams, contributing to strategic planning, decision-making processes, and overall team dynamics. Clients call on facilitators to not only respond to immediate needs but to design an agenda that keeps an eye on participant experience and ensures they are properly motivated to engage. In this way, facilitators serve as value-added catalysts of organizational success. 

Facilitation has also adapted to the changing nature of work itself. With remote and hybrid work becoming increasingly common, facilitators have learned to deftly navigate virtual environments, leveraging evolving technology to bridge geographical gaps and support accessibility. The skills of virtual facilitation, including fostering engagement in online meetings and managing distributed group dynamics, have become essential in today's dispersed work landscape.

So where DOES facilitation connect to its etymology? This is the nut all facilitators try to crack: make it LOOK easy. That is not to be confused with making it easy for the participants by only serving up fun, smiles, and high fives! No! There’s a tension that must be acknowledged and managed. If a participant fails to recognize and prepare for this, the entire process could fall apart. Facilitators aren’t there to make things feel easy, but rather to foster a sense of ease that grows from participant trust. They bring comfort to uncomfortable situations and ensure that the value lies in the collaborative process, not just in the outcomes.

The evolution of facilitation from a basic meeting management tool to a strategic skill in team management reflects the changing dynamics of collaboration, even more in this post-pandemic era. Facilitators can play a pivotal role in driving productivity, fostering innovation, and mapping a path to success for teams and organizations. As we navigate this increasingly interconnected and rapidly-changing world, the importance of facilitation will only continue to grow, shaping the way we work and interact for years to come.