Strategy-Wide

• Pay attention to individual participant strengths, interests, needs, and thresholds that will optimize their participation throughout the process.
• Work through possible “deal breakers” for various participants in order to maintain group momentum toward goals.
• Find the best balance between the needs, interests, and tolerances of individuals with those of the group as a whole.
• Adjust the design process throughout to incorporate the group’s goals and desired results.
• Watch for the evolving status of relationships between participants throughout the process.
• Create environments that manage/reduce confrontation or other sources of participant discomfort.
• Acknowledge that the group’s needs are primary and manage facilitator’s influence and ego accordingly.
• Create opportunities to adjust the process over time to encourage the transfer of leadership from the facilitator to the group participants.
• Help individual participants “save face” by periodically checking in with them and providing discrete coaching or feedback as appropriate.
• Maintain focus on the needs of various participants and support them throughout the process.