Hi Facilitators, congrats on being elected in this role! That means the circle has the confidence in you that you’ll guide them through the tactical and governance meetings so they can focus on solving their tensions. It’s both an honor and a great responsibility. And fun too, let’s not forget that 😉
Purpose
The purpose of the Facilitator role is:
That means your job is to uphold the practices in your circle so that they follow the rules of the constitution. Nothing more, nothing less!
Constitution
So what are those rules, exactly? They’re all collected in the constitution. That constitution can be found here 👇 It is not the most exciting reading material on earth, but as Facilitator (and Secretaries too) it’s good to have read it at least once, so you know what it is about and know more or less where to look when you use it as a reference.
There is also a simplified version available:
Holacracy Constitution version 5 (simplified version)Cheat sheet meeting cards
Keep these meeting cards at hand when you are facilitating meetings. There are versions in Dutch and English. They help you structure the meetings and make sure you don’t skip any steps of the process.
Here’s also a step-by-step guide on how to facilitate a tactical meeting.
And upon request, a whole page about
Handling objections in a governance meetingWhere to go with questions?
Slack channel
There’s a dedicated Slack channel for Facilitators where we exchange tips and tricks and information. It’s not super active, but it is a good place to start if you have a question. That way we can learn from each other. The channel is #facilitators2.
The Secretary
The Secretaries (another elected role) have a not-so-secret superpower up their sleeve: interpreting the constitution! If during a meeting there is any unclarity or disagreement about how the rules work and you’re not sure either, just ask the Secretary of the circle for help 😊
The Holacracy Coach
The is the to-go-to role for any Holacracy-related question, also about facilitating. Feel free to shoot us a message! Aside from answering questions, we can also take on a more training- or coaching like role and, for example, join a meeting where we observe so we can give you tips and tricks to level up you Facilitator skills. We can also arrange custom training!
The Holacracy Community
There is a Holacracy Community of Practice. You need an account, but everyone can become a member (it’s free). Great place if you want to ask questions to someone outside the company.
Tell me more!
There’s plenty of material available to learn more about the facilitator role. Below you find a collection of links to reading material. The best way to improve though, is by getting lots of practice and frequently requesting feedback.
The Tactical Meeting Phrase Book
Handy collection of ‘scripts’ to have at hand during tactical meetings for a wide range of very common situations
You ask: “Do you see any reason why this proposal causes harm or moves us backwards?” But what is that harm exactly? This article helps you understand objections
Handling objections in a governance meetingAnd then...what if an objection is valid? You get to the integration phase! That awesome space during a governance meeting where anything can happen, everybody suddenly gets to talk, and ideas flow freely, as long as tensions are still getting solved. Great article on how integrations work.
A better way to facilitate governance meetings
Governance meetings can feel very sluggish and procedural. They don’t have to! This very extensive article (including videos) how to bring a different vibe to a governance meeting.
Mental checklist for tactical meetings
Bring the right mindset to tacticals, so that you, as a Facilitator, don’t end up doing too much or too little. These tips really help you level up your facilitating skills.