The first big conference I co facilitated was for 100 or so leaders of my business unit - the eight or nine senior team leaders and all of their direct reports
As with all of these events days were structured from 8am (breakfast) to well into the evening (team or recognition dinners) for three full days
Opening remarks, plenary sessions, small group activities and large group debriefs, senior team panel discussion, even the breaks were built in to provide time for those oh so important sidebar discussions and meetings: Each item in the agenda was scheduled to the minute*: each of us on the team had a role to play in every session: facilitator, table "coach", observer or note taker
Day one, after the CEO's opening remarks and plenary session, we made it to morning break. And as the group made their collective way for coffee and bagels my boss, the head of OD for the company, smiled and said, " right now WE start work"
And that's when I learned that during the live sessions we had the roles I mention above, but that at break, we stepped in to ask and answer questions, listen for the subtexts in discussions, get a read on the room for the way key messaging is landing. And after break, back into role at front of house
I'd never worked harder, or had more fun. But the lesson stuck. Running training you play the roles of a trainer and at break you take the questions of participants, the suggestions of stakeholders and try to get a read on the room to see how the messaging is landing...
*NO agenda survives the CEOs opening remarks
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