Facilitators are an essential part of a successful Jam.
Over just a few hours you can challenge the status quo, untangle knotty topics, and propel business education conversation into the future.
Engage & Elevate
Push the conversation through follow-up questions and raise pressing questions for debate.
Synthesize
Pull together information coming in during the discussions to keep conversations on track.
Share & Analyze
Reflect after the event to inform post-Jam review and analysis.
The Role of A Facilitator
Facilitators are on-line for dedicated shifts and actively facilitate an assigned discussion forum. They read posts, ask participants follow-up questions, promote fresh content, and are responsible for keeping the discussion going. They are excellent at synthesizing information and looking for trends.
Read
- Each facilitator is assigned to read and monitor a specific forum for entire event
- Facilitators will spend the majority of their time reading discussion threads and posts from their forum assignment
Probe
- Facilitators engage participants with probing questions to ask “who, what, when, where, why, and how” questions
- This encourages more dialogue and generates more thinking around a particular point or question
Designate
- Using the Jam tool, facilitators monitor their discussion forum for promising content to designate as “Emerging”
- As content matures, facilitators can designate it as a “Best” idea
- At the end of each forum assignment, facilitators will take time to add their reflections from that shift in a journal to record the discussions threads, posts and/or ideas that stood out
Reflect
- At the end of each forum assignment, facilitators will take time to add their reflections from that shift in a journal to record the discussions threads, posts and/or ideas that stood out
How much time?
A facilitator will help during three-hour shifts over the course of the Jam. Most facilitators will lead 3 to 4 conversations for a total of about 12 hours of discussion time.
How do I prepare?
There will be an intensive facilitator training session, outlining your responsibilities and what to expect during the Jam.
Do I need to be an expert?
Not necessarily. You do need a good understanding of the topic so you can contribute to the conversation, but you don’t need to have written the book on it, as they say.