257 - Exploring the Ethical Lines between Facilitation and Consulting with Benjamin Taylor

Dominant, supportive. Immediate value, gradual value. Explicit, implicit. Scarcity, abundance. Consultant, Facilitator.

It might be tempting to view the roles of a consultant, and that of a facilitator, through these opposing dichotomies, but nothing is ever really that black and white. And as Benjamin Taylor and I speak about this week, there’s a great deal to be learnt from the intersection of the two!

This episode takes a look at facilitation through the meta-lens; from afar, we inspect it as a movement and dig up some uncomfortable clichéd truths, and up-close, we unravel the intricacies of manipulation, shallow vs deep facilitation, and the most daring tool of all in our toolkit.

Find out about:

• Where facilitation shows up in consulting and the interplay between the two disciplines
• What Benjamin has learnt from decades spent as a consultant in the public sector
• The distinction between shallow and deep facilitation and why it is critical for an effective outcome
• Why the key to impactful facilitation lies in fostering an environment of connection, collaboration and empowering each participant’s strengths
• Why consultants must resist the urge to prove instant value; instead taking a more measured, facilitative approach to collaboration

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.

Put the episode's best takeaways into practice with Skillding. Visit skillding.com/workshop to begin your journey from learning to doing. Track your progress as you hone your new skills. Start now!

Links:

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

Connect to Benjamin Taylor:

LinkedIn

RedQuadrant

Support the show:

Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.