We asked Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin “What’s a facilitation lesson you’re still learning?” during a FacilitatingXYZ Live episode (watch the full conversation). In her response, above, she explained the importance of self-differentiation in facilitation (i.e., distinguishing your emotions and reactions from the emotions of your group).
The bullets:
- Differentiate from your participants
- Go up to the “balcony”
- Don’t be super emotionally tied to your participants in facilitation
Check out more of Aparna’s outdoor and environmental diversity, equity, and inclusion facilitation work here!
Full Transcript
Question: “What’s a facilitation lesson you’re still learning?”
ARD: “Mine would be don’t be too emotionally tied to your facilitation.
This idea of self-differentiation: not riding the highs and the lows with your participants.
And being able to, if you lose someone — if they walk out of the room, if they shut down, if they are angry at you, which is going to happen in social justice facilitation… to be able to go up to the balcony and not be super emotionally tied to it.”
