What Makes a Great Facilitator: The LIW Way written by Taylor Hawkins, Managing Consultant

Ever sat through a workshop where the facilitator knew their content, had clearly prepared, and ticked all the boxes on their agenda, yet somehow you left feeling underwhelmed? Like something was missing, even though you couldn’t quite put your finger on what? Or perhaps you’ve experienced a session where the facilitator was warm and engaging, but when it ended, you struggled to identify what you’d learnt or how you’d apply it?

At LIW, we see facilitation differently. We believe the best facilitators aren’t the ones who simply deliver well-designed content or create a pleasant atmosphere. They’re the ones who create conditions where participants discover their own wisdom, build their own insights, and leave feeling more capable than when they arrived.

Our team of facilitators works with organisations globally, bringing this philosophy to leaders and teams who are ready for transformation that sticks.

The LIW Facilitator’s Paradox: Plan to Abandon the Plan

The first mark of great facilitation is being incredibly thoughtful in your preparation whilst remaining completely unattached to that preparation. This isn’t about being wishy-washy or unprepared, quite the opposite.

We develop detailed, well-researched plans that consider the best possible outcomes and anticipate potential challenges. We believe in bringing exceptional design together with truly responsive, real-time facilitation. But here’s the thing: it happens more often than any designer would like to admit that your carefully crafted design doesn’t perfectly meet participants where they’re at.

The adjustments required might be incredibly minor: shifting the timing of an activity, reframing a question, changing the energy in the room. Or they might be substantial: completely restructuring an afternoon because the morning conversation revealed something more important to explore.

Our team is dedicated to being actively responsive to participant feedback. This doesn’t mean we adjust our design at every point of resistance. Resistance, challenge, and stretch are essential parts of meaningful programs. If you never get a questioning look from participants, you probably haven’t challenged their thinking at all.

The key is discernment: knowing when resistance signals you need to adjust your approach, and when it signals that you’re doing exactly what needs to be done.

Know Your Content Back to Front, But Don’t Hit People Over the Head with It

We know our research, our frameworks, our concepts back to front, upside down, and sideways. We understand how models were originally intended to be used, how they’re commonly applied now, and how they’re frequently misused. We know ten different ways to explain the same concept, so when one approach doesn’t land, we can seamlessly try another.

But here’s the crucial part: we don’t drown people in research.

It’s not about showing people how much you know; it’s about connecting with them and showing them why something matters. It’s about giving them a felt experience of the value of a framework or approach. If you don’t give someone a felt experience, the likelihood that they remember what you’re saying is incredibly low.

Our deep knowledge is the invisible foundation that allows us to respond confidently to any question, pivot when needed, and help participants see connections they might miss. But it should never be the star of the show.

Measure Success by What Comes Out of Their Mouths, Not Yours

Too many facilitators measure their success by how well they think they “performed” at the front of the room. Whilst confident, clear, robust delivery is non-negotiable, real success is measured in the quality of reflections, questions, and insights that come from participants.

If we can facilitate a room where wisdom is coming from multiple perspectives, and participants can facilitate robust conversations themselves, that's when we know we've succeeded.

Work With People, Not On Them

This distinction is crucial: facilitation is a partnership. We partner with organisations to develop real business results.

For people to engage in real behavioural change, they need to feel ownership. They need to be co-creators of their learning experience, not passive recipients of wisdom.

The moment facilitation becomes something you do to people rather than with them, you’ve lost the essential ingredient for transformation: their active, willing participation.

The Deeper Purpose

Behind these principles lies a fundamental belief about human potential. We believe that people have more wisdom, capability, and insight than they often realise. Our job isn’t to fill empty vessels with knowledge, but to create conditions where that existing wisdom can emerge, connect, and grow.

For our clients, this means participants return to their organisations not just with new knowledge, but with the capability to drive real change. The insights they discover in the room become the catalyst for transformation in their teams, their cultures, and their leadership approaches.

This approach requires confidence, not in our ability to have all the answers, but in our ability to help others discover theirs. It requires creativity to respond to what’s happening in real time. And it requires humility to remember that the best facilitation often feels invisible. Participants leave thinking about what they learnt and discovered, not how brilliant the facilitator was.