Facilitation is an Art

Faris Alami
3 min readSep 5, 2024

Facilitating a discussion — especially an adult learning session — is a work of art.

Despite how many Train the Trainer sessions we have done, and despite how many people we have coached and mentored, advised, and consulted, it still takes practice. Today I’ll share with you some of the “secrets” of the program that participants claim have helped them stay engaged, and what I’ve learned observing some of the best facilitators globally.

With the ability to facilitate and observe — as well as provide feedback — I’ve enjoyed watching people flourish once they understand it.

Facilitation is an art, and we’ve done this in one hundred+ countries, despite being told it’s not gonna work in this country, no one is trained for that. They expect you to lecture rather than facilitate. They expect you to share information.

The feedback we’ve received has always been that our sessions are some of the best trainings and results they have seen as program organizers.

So, what are the secrets?

  1. It’s not about You! The program is about the participants, not about the facilitator or the facilitator’s knowledge or the effort put into it. I’m not saying there are not programs that should be all about you… there are keynote speaking, an address, a lecture, all these things are different methodology…

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Faris Alami

Global Entrepreneurship ecosystem, SME and leadership development in local communities