Facilitator vs. the clock: guess who won?

Time is not usually on a facilitator’s side.

‘I pack too much into a session.’

‘I can’t do it all in the short time we have.’

‘I always run out of time.’

‘People tell me they feel rushed.’

‘There is so much to do and so little time.’

Three out of five respondents to a pre-workshop questionnaire said time was one of the most challenging things about facilitation.

And guess who ran out of time in their workshop?! Yep, I stuffed up. I’d designed a 2-hour workshop. They expected 90 minutes.

I thought I'd nailed it

I’d allowed a generous time for connection and discussion. Pairs, small groups, all working through the content together. I’d made space for their stories, questions and insights.

As I was designing it, I’d felt pretty pleased with myself. A nice, slow build-up to the crux of the content.

And the session unfolded just like that. Slow. Steady. Until 35 minutes before the workshop was due to finish.

……

They were deep in pairs when I clocked my mistake.

My mouth went slightly dry. But my heart didn’t race. I didn’t flush red.

I think I even had a bit of a giggle at my gaff. Oh, the irony.

As they wound up their chat, I asked myself:

What do we need to do to finish well today?

I shaved a few minutes off the next chunk.

They still got to experience the content, just a little faster, drawing it themselves.

What I let go

I had to drop the final exercise, where they would apply what they’d learned.

Instead, I shared it after the session as an optional extension they could do together to keep the learning going. I also offered an online follow-up the week after, in case questions bubbled up.

What I didn’t cut was their time to reflect on what they’d learned and what they might try next.

We went 5 minutes over. I checked first if anyone needed to leave. No one did. Their reflections weren’t rushed.

Invisible edit

I was the only one who knew which ‘darlings’ I’d cut. They didn’t notice because I didn’t tell them. Yes, I stuffed up the timing. But dragging them into commentary on that misstep wouldn’t have helped.

A (fl)awesome reminder

I’ve never made this mistake before, and I’m pretty sure I never will again. It’s a visceral reminder that no matter how experienced you are, mistakes happen.

How we respond to them is a measure of how (fl)awesome we are. Stuff ups like this also help me remember what it’s like for emerging facilitators, or those who facilitate as part of their role. A little more empathy goes a long way.

There’s so much to consider when designing a workshop, it’s easy to lose sight of the simple stuff. Forgetting materials. Mixing up the start time. And planning for the wrong amount of time.

What about you?

What would you have done in this situation?

And if you’re feeling (fl)awesome and up for some mutual learning, have you made the same mistake? I’d love to hear.

Thanks for reading this far.

Stay (fl)awesome!