When I started facilitating, dealing with pushback used to really rattle me. I’m particularly talking about pushback that I diagnose (in the moment) as upholding harmful, dominant narratives.
When a participant would start to say something “problematic,” my heart would start racing, my face would turn RED, and then I’d jump into an explanation about what the person was missing as soon as they finished talking so that I could MOVE ON.
I’ve always grappled with the realization that my approach to handling pushback contradicted my original intention of fostering an open and participatory environment. However, my fear of facing an avalanche of combative reactions and potentially causing more harm led me to shut down the conversation entirely.
After several years of practicing facilitation, observing other facilitators, and reading facilitation books (you can download a guide of my favourite ones on my website), I have developed a four-step framework for tackling these “hot moments”.
The framework allows me to:
- Slow down & gain time to respond
- Stay connected to the participant
- Solicit the wisdom of others in the group
- Critically engage with what the participant is saying
- Educate & Speak my truth
I hope that you find this helpful! I’d love to hear from you about what you find helpful (or particularly difficult!) when dealing with “hot moments” in your teaching/ facilitation practice.