WORKSHEET
Preparation and Improvisation for a Facilitator
by Jon Jenkins1
with edits from Jan Haverkamp2
I think there are 5 kinds of preparation.
1. Preparing the process
One is preparation of a process that is most likely to achieve the results the client is
asking for. It may be that part of that preparation is thinking of alternatives to the main
process. I actually write a script out for what I will say. This I believe gives me time to
carefully consider the best approach given the limited knowledge I have of the group. It
also tends to align my subconscious with the way I behave in front of the group so that I
am not sending mixed messages (as far as I can).
2. Preparing for the group
The second one is preparation by getting a feel of the group and the social dynamics of
the group. Most often I only get to talk to the person making the assignment. When I can I
like to talk to all of the participants or at least a representative mix of them. If I can't I have
some standard questions about the group that I ask. For the most part I think this is a tacit
to tacit knowledge transfer. It is not so much what is said and done in these encounters
but the unconscious information I pick up.
3. Preparing myself
The third form of preparation is preparing myself for the program. I am not very good at
this but it is critical. In fact it may be more important than the other two. I need to be aware
of my deepest intention toward the client. Do I really want them to succeed? Naturally, the
obvious unreflective answer is yes but I know myself and my capacity for self-deception
enough that I always need to look deeper. Am I "delighted" with the assignment? Again
obviously yes, but I do have that dark side. Am I detached from the outcome of the
workshop? You get the idea.
4. Preparing the space
Several of my colleagues pointed out to the room / facilities and they are right in my
experience. The fourth type of preparation has to do with creating a physical environment
that encourages the process. I also couple this with my personal preparation.
5. Preparing the materials
The last bit of preparation is that of materials and handouts, etc.. The materials we use
are aimed to enabling people to be effective in the program, to be usable after the
program and to function as symbols of the session.
1 Jon C. Jenkins, Imaginal Training, Groningen, The Netherlands ­ http://www.imaginal.nl/; this text was first
published in the GRP-FAC email list on 11 November 2005.
2 Jan Haverkamp, ZHABA facilitators collective, Prague, Czech Republic ­ http://www.zhaba.cz
1 Worksheet Preparation and Improvisation
Improvisation
I am some what sceptical of those people who claim they improvise. At least the one's I've
seen do exactly the same thing in every group, I've seen them work with.
I suppose what some improvisers do upon meeting the group, is to dig into their bag of
great interventions and select one that is most important and they do that one. Depending
on the response of the group and their own personal inclinations they select another
intervention or they may select a type of intervention and invent one based around that
type.
An intensive e-mail discussion and my natural defensiveness has raised the question in
my mind, "Is there a dogma of improvisation?"
I have certainly been in situations where the program had to be redesigned for many
different reasons. I have also been in programs where for whatever reason what I had
scripted pretty much was what happened and sometimes word for word.
The capacity to understand what is happening to the group and to sensitively respond to it
is an important aspect of the facilitation.
As you can see, I am pretty much a write out the whole script ahead of time and use that
as a frame from which to respond to the group as it is when I am facilitating. When all
goes belly up, I really improvise or go to pieces.
The ZHABA facilitators collective has published a range of worksheets that can help you with facilitation. These sheets can be obtained
from the Internet on http://www.zhaba.cz
The ZHABA facilitators collective is a group of NGO facilitators. It helps non-profit organisations to improve their work. More information
on http://www.zhaba.cz
 2005 Stichting ZHABA facilitators collective
(parts of) this worksheet may only be copied or used in other publications after previous written consent of the Stichting
ZHABA facilitators collective.
2 Worksheet Preparation and Improvisation