ABSTRACT
Those who engage in facilitation soon realize how different each session can be. One day you may encounter a group that is fully engaged, talkative, energetic, and making connections to the material that leave you feeling satisfied with the experience. The next day you can have a group that is closed off, exhibits discomfort or detachment, and questions whether the experience benefits their personal or professional lives. Then there are times with a mix of participant engagement. The reality is you never know what you are walking into and how the material will impact you and the participants. Another reality is the topics enclosed in these case studies and additional resources are known to trigger participants and enact an emotional response. Triggers can lead to participants exhibiting verbal and nonverbal signs of anger, sadness, detachment, agreement, disagreement, excitement, etc. This chapter covers our experiences with facilitation and challenges that may be faced, along with tools, techniques, and approaches to overcome these common challenges. Moreover, there is a list of additional resources to support the development of facilitation skillsets. It is important to note that this chapter is not a complete list of everything a facilitator could experience but a compilation of our own experiences and research.
