Yes, the role of the facilitator comes with some authority and some responsibility. Yet, that doesn’t mean a facilitator has to be authoritarian. There are two thoughts that might help facilitators who are uncomfortable with the authority they are given.
- Your role is to create clarity on next steps. That doesn’t mean that you decide but it’s your job to make sure the circle has a chance to make progress. You are not in charge of making all the proposals but you are in charge that they be made. You can, for example, ask others to make a proposal.
- If there is a proposal on process, ask for consent. If you create an environment where it is safe to object, making a proposal is safe because people can say no and the proposal is not pushed onto the group. In our experience, most groups are very grateful when someone makes a concrete and useful proposal.
For more information, check out our handbook Many Voices One Song section 5.5.3