State of Facilitation
2024

Welcome to the second edition of SessionLab’s
State of Facilitation report.
Read on for essential information and expert insights on what is changing in the world of facilitation and workshop design. 

Download the report

Read online

How is facilitation changing?

The path to professional facilitation in 2024 requires becoming literate in the use of digital tools while cultivating the heart of the craft: relationships, trust, and human connection.

How are digital tools and AI impacting how facilitators work inside and outside of a session?
How is facilitation helping companies to navigate the new world of work?

Read on to see what facilitation was like in 2023 and what that can teach us about the promises and challenges of 2024.

2nd edition

975 respondants

93 countries

372 hours filling the survey

In this report

Introduction

Demographics

Who is facilitating and where?​

Education & Experience

What backgrounds do facilitators have?​

Profession & Employment

Who do facilitators work for?​

Facilitation practice

What was it like to facilitate in 2023?​

Challenges

What challenges are facilitators experiencing?​

Frameworks & Tools

What tools do facilitators use?​

Resources

How do facilitators keep learning?

Closing

Next survey

Thank you

Research methods

Introduction

Welcome to the second edition of the State of Facilitation report!

This year’s data is based on the generous contributions of 975 facilitators across the world who took the time to fill out our comprehensive survey. 

Their responses are accompanied by commentary from 12 experts sharing their perspectives. 

In 2023, the State of Facilitation survey has undergone some transformation, as we learnt and integrated feedback from participants and readers.

Here are the main changes we’ve made to the State of Facilitation project in 2023:

Aiming for greater inclusion, we added the option of responding to the survey in Spanish. 7.5% of respondents chose to answer in Spanish.

In your own words. You will find direct, anonymous, quotes from survey respondents in both English and Spanish throughout the text.

We added more checkbox questions and reduced the number of open-ended ones. Possible answers were chosen by aggregating responses from 2023. Anything above 1% made the cut.

New questions were often inspired by readers’ requests. We’ve added questions to explore disabilities, environmental practices related to facilitation and more.

Prefer to download the report?

If you prefer to download the report in PDF format, leave your email here to receive it in your inbox! You’ll also receive SessionLab’s facilitation newsletter and get updates about the next survey too!

Before we jump in, a word of caution:

To collect responses we reached out to our networks, colleagues, business partners, and friends.

We did our best, but inevitably that reach is limited. A majority of responses reached the survey through our own channels, such as SessionLab’s facilitation newsletter. This may help explain certain aspects of the data we’ve collected, for example overrepresentation of European and North American responses.

Help us widen our reach in the next edition by joining in and reaching out to your networks. 

Key TAKEAWAYS

Digitally-assisted facilitation

A growing number of digital tools is transforming facilitation practices (remote and in-person). Digital tools can help design sessions, improve interactivity, and more. It is the era of digitally-assisted facilitation.

The year of AI

We will remember 2023 as the year AI came into our lives and workplaces. Facilitators are turning to AI to speed up, refine and enhance certain aspects of their work. Read on to find out how!

Back in person

We will also remember 2023 as the year in-person workshops and events came back roaring. At the same time, remote and hybrid facilitation are definitely here to stay. How are facilitators distributing their work? More on this below.

Team support

A rising trend is to enlist facilitators to support teams to adapt to fully remote work, hybrid work and/or return to the office. Team building and team support were central topics of facilitation sessions this past year.

Facilitation as craft

The core skills of facilitation are mostly picked up on the job, through learning-by-doing (69.9%) and observing experienced practitioners at work (40.8%).

Relationships rule

Work opportunities are mainly sourced by word-of-mouth (55.9%) and referrals from other facilitators. Numerous findings in the report point to the importance of being active in a community of peers to learn, practice and upskill in facilitation.

Demographics

Who is facilitating and where?

We received responses from 93 Countries. 40.1% of responses came from the European continent and 31.4% came from North America.

We are glad to see facilitation represented all over the globe. At the same time, we must acknowledge a lack of representation of the Global South and, in particular, Asia in this data.

We hypothesize that this is to be attributed in part to the limited reach of our survey. But even with that caveat in mind, data shows that work still needs to be done to build bridges among different facilitation communities and improve diversity and inclusion practices across the industry.

Geographical location

Top 10All countriesRegionsSub-regionsUS by States
% of responses# of responses
United States 22.9% United Kingdom 8.6% Canada 7.6% Germany 6.0% Spain 4.3% Australia 3.7% France 3.3% Italy 2.6% South Africa 2.5% Kenya 2.5% Netherlands 2.4%
United States 211 United Kingdom 79 Canada 70 Germany 55 Spain 40 Australia 34 France 30 Italy 24 South Africa 23 Kenya 23 Netherlands 22
United States 22.9% United Kingdom 8.6% Canada 7.6% Germany 6.0% Spain 4.3% Australia 3.7% France 3.3% Italy 2.6% South Africa 2.5% Kenya 2.5% Netherlands 2.4% Belgium 2.4% Brazil 2.2% India 2.1% New Zealand 1.5% Romania 1.3% Chile 1.3% Argentina 1.2% Switzerland 1.1% Ireland 1.1% Poland 1.0% Denmark 1.0% Mexico 0.9% Uganda 0.8% Colombia 0.8% Singapore 0.7% Nigeria 0.7% Venezuela 0.5% Sweden 0.5% Portugal 0.5% Malaysia 0.5% Kosovo 0.5% Greece 0.5% Estonia 0.5% Japan 0.4% Hungary 0.4% Czech Republic 0.4% Austria 0.4% Vietnam 0.3% Slovenia 0.3% Philippines 0.3% Norway 0.3% Jamaica 0.3% Iran 0.3% Indonesia 0.3% Uruguay 0.2% United Arab Emirates 0.2% Turkey 0.2% Thailand 0.2% Rwanda 0.2% Russia 0.2% Georgia 0.2% Finland 0.2% Ecuador 0.2% Cote d'Ivoire 0.2% Costa Rica 0.2% China 0.2% Bulgaria 0.2% Bahrain 0.2% Zimbabwe 0.1% Zambia 0.1% Ukraine 0.1% Trinidad and Tobago 0.1% Taiwan 0.1% Suriname 0.1% Sri Lanka 0.1% Sierra Leone 0.1% Saudi Arabia 0.1% Peru 0.1% Nepal 0.1% Mozambique 0.1% Mauritius 0.1% Luxembourg 0.1% Latvia 0.1% Laos 0.1% Iceland 0.1% Ghana 0.1% El Salvador 0.1% Dominican Republic 0.1% Croatia 0.1% Cambodia 0.1% Bolivia 0.1% Barbados 0.1% Armenia 0.1% Anguilla 0.1% American Samoa 0.1%
United States 211 United Kingdom 79 Germany 55 Canada 70 Australia 34 Spain 40 France 30 Italy 24 South Africa 23 Kenya 23 Netherlands 22 Belgium 22 Brazil 20 India 19 New Zealand 14 Romania 12 Argentina 11 Chile 12 Switzerland 10 Ireland 10 Denmark 9 Poland 9 Uganda 7 Mexico 8 Singapore 6 Colombia 7 Venezuela 5 Nigeria 6 Portugal 5 Sweden 5 Malaysia 5 Kosovo 5 Estonia 5 Greece 5 Hungary 4 Japan 4 Czech Republic 4 Austria 4 Slovenia 3 Vietnam 3 Philippines 3 Norway 3 Jamaica 3 Iran 3 Indonesia 3 Uruguay 2 United Arab Emirates 2 Turkey 2 Thailand 2 Rwanda 2 Georgia 2 Russia 2 Ecuador 2 Finland 2 Cote d'Ivoire 2 Costa Rica 2 Bulgaria 2 China 2 Zimbabwe 1 Bahrain 2 Ukraine 1 Zambia 1 Trinidad and Tobago 1 Taiwan 1 Suriname 1 Sri Lanka 1 Sierra Leone 1 Saudi Arabia 1 Peru 1 Mozambique 1 Nepal 1 Luxembourg 1 Mauritius 1 Latvia 1 Laos 1 Iceland 1 Ghana 1 El Salvador 1 Dominican Republic 1 Cambodia 1 Croatia 1 Barbados 1 Bolivia 1 Armenia 1 Anguilla 1 American Samoa 1
Europe 40.2% Americas 39.7% Africa 7.5% Asia 7.2% Oceania 5.5%
Europe 359 Americas 355 Africa 67 Asia 64 Oceania 49
Northern America 31.4% Western Europe 16.1% Northern Europe 11.7% Southern Europe 8.7% Latin America and the Caribbean 8.3% Sub-Saharan Africa 7.5% Australia and New Zealand 5.4% Eastern Europe 3.6% Southern Asia 2.7% South-eastern Asia 2.6% Western Asia 1.1% Eastern Asia 0.8% Polynesia 0.1%
Northern America 281 Western Europe 144 Northern Europe 105 Southern Europe 78 Latin America and the Caribbean 74 Sub-Saharan Africa 67 Australia and New Zealand 48 Eastern Europe 32 Southern Asia 24 South-eastern Asia 23 Western Asia 10 Eastern Asia 7 Polynesia 1
California 14.3% Virginia 8.8% Texas 8.2% Maryland 5.5% North Carolina 4.9% Massachusetts 4.4% Florida 3.8% Colorado 3.8% Washington 3.3% New York 3.3% Minnesota 3.3% Arizona 3.3% Wisconsin 2.7% Oregon 2.7% Nebraska 2.7% Tennessee 2.2% Georgia 2.2% South Carolina 1.6% Pennsylvania 1.6% New Jersey 1.6% South Dakota 1.1% Ohio 1.1% Nevada 1.1% Louisiana 1.1% Kansas 1.1% Iowa 1.1% Alaska 1.1% Vermont 0.5% Rhode Island 0.5% New Mexico 0.5% New Hampshire 0.5% Montana 0.5% Mississippi 0.5% Michigan 0.5% Maine 0.5% Indiana 0.5% Illinois 0.5% Idaho 0.5% Hawaii 0.5% Connecticut 0.5% Arkansas 0.5%
California 26 Virginia 16 Texas 15 Maryland 10 North Carolina 9 Massachusetts 8 Florida 7 Colorado 7 Washington 6 New York 6 Minnesota 6 Arizona 6 Wisconsin 5 Oregon 5 Nebraska 5 Tennessee 4 Georgia 4 South Carolina 3 Pennsylvania 3 New Jersey 3 South Dakota 2 Ohio 2 Nevada 2 Louisiana 2 Kansas 2 Iowa 2 Alaska 2 Vermont 1 Rhode Island 1 New Mexico 1 New Hampshire 1 Montana 1 Mississippi 1 Michigan 1 Maine 1 Indiana 1 Illinois 1 Idaho 1 Hawaii 1 Connecticut 1 Arkansas 1
Where do you currently live?

race / ethnicity

% of responses# of responses
White / European descent 69.5% Hispanic / Latinx 9.4% Black / African descent 7.5% South Asian 3.1% East Asian 2.5% Southeast Asian 2.3% Middle Eastern 2.0% Indigenous / Native / First Nations 0.7% Pacific Islander 0.3% North African 0.2% Mixed ethnicity / Biracial / Multiracial 2.7% Prefer not to say 4.3% Other 1.4%
White / European descent 663 Hispanic / Latinx 90 Black / African descent 72 South Asian 30 East Asian 24 Southeast Asian 22 Middle Eastern 19 Indigenous / Native / First Nations 7 Pacific Islander 3 North African 2 Mixed ethnicity / Biracial / Multiracial 26 Prefer not to say 41 Other 13
Which of the following describes you, if any?

69.5% of participants responded that “white/European descent” best describes them. If we aggregate all the other responses, which also includes people who self-describe as of mixed, multiracial, biracial ethnicity, only 26.2% of respondents remain. With this data, we can see a clear underrepresentation of non-white, non-European folks in facilitation. 

Despite the obvious limitations of such breakdowns, we think it’s important to keep asking the facilitation community this question in order to capture some idea of the level of diversity and representation (or lack thereof!) in the profession. 

Languages

% of responses# of responses
English 85.8% Spanish 10.9% French 7.5% German 6.3% Italian 3.2% Portuguese (Brazil) 2.8% Dutch 2.5% Romanian 1.3% Polish 0.8% Danish 0.8% Catalan 0.8% Greek 0.7% Swahili 0.6% Russian 0.6% Japanese 0.6% Hindi 0.6% Albanian 0.6% Persian 0.5% Indonesian 0.5% Estonian 0.5% Thai 0.3% Slovenian 0.3% Serbian 0.3% Portuguese (Portugal) 0.3% Norwegian 0.3% Bulgarian 0.3% Basque 0.3% Arabic 0.3% Vietnamese 0.2% Tamil 0.2% Swedish 0.2% Georgian 0.2% Croatian 0.2% Chinese (Traditional) 0.2% Chinese (Simplified) 0.2% Bosnian 0.2% Armenian 0.2% Ukranian 0.1% Turkish 0.1% Telugu 0.1% Tagalog 0.1% Malayalam 0.1% Malay 0.1% Latvian 0.1% Korean 0.1% Hungarian 0.1% Czech 0.1%
English 748 Spanish 95 French 65 German 55 Italian 28 Portuguese (Brazil) 24 Dutch 22 Romanian 11 Polish 7 Danish 7 Catalan 7 Greek 6 Swahili 5 Russian 5 Japanese 5 Hindi 5 Albanian 5 Persian 4 Indonesian 4 Estonian 4 Thai 3 Slovenian 3 Serbian 3 Portuguese (Portugal) 3 Norwegian 3 Bulgarian 3 Basque 3 Arabic 3 Vietnamese 2 Tamil 2 Swedish 2 Georgian 2 Croatian 2 Chinese (Traditional) 2 Chinese (Simplified) 2 Bosnian 2 Armenian 2 Ukranian 1 Turkish 1 Telugu 1 Tagalog 1 Malayalam 1 Malay 1 Latvian 1 Korean 1 Hungarian 1 Czech 1
What language(s) did you use to facilitate in the past 12 months?

Respondents to the survey are overwhelmingly working in English, which appears to be the language of most, if not all, international events and work. Facilitation does happen in other languages, with 10.9% of respondents working in Spanish, 7.5% in French, and so on.

25.8% of entries noted that they work in more than one language (in most cases two, of which one was commonly English). 

Age

AllBy practice type
% of responses# of responses
Under 30 years old 3.8% 30-39 years old 18.8% 40-49 years old 32.3% 50-59 years old 28.1% 60 years or older 15.9% Prefer not to say 1.0%
Under 30 years old 37 30-39 years old 181 40-49 years old 311 50-59 years old 271 60 years or older 153 Prefer not to say 10
Beginner Intermediate Experienced Under 30 years old 3.8% 30-39 years old 18.8% 40-49 years old 32.3% 50-59 years old 28.1% 60 years or older 15.9% Prefer not to say 1.0%
Beginner Intermediate Experienced Under 30 years old 37 30-39 years old 181 40-49 years old 311 50-59 years old 271 60 years or older 153 Prefer not to say 10
What is your age?

Similar to last year’s edition, the data indicates a scarcity of facilitators under the age of 30 (3.8%) and of people who identify as beginners.

In response to last year’s findings, various organizations have been making extra efforts to include, involve, and train Gen-Z facilitators. 

Is it that people tend to come to facilitation later in their careers or that younger people are missing opportunities to join the profession? In any case, let’s continue to find ways to nurture and support the next generation of facilitators!

gender

% of responses# of responses
Woman 61.3% Man 36.2% Non-binary, genderqueer, 
or gender non-conforming 1.2% Prefer not to say 1.2%
Woman 589 Man 348 Non-binary, genderqueer, 
or gender non-conforming 12 Prefer not to say 12
Which of the following describe you, if any?

Last year’s finding about the prevalence of women in the facilitation world led to many lively discussions in the global community. Is facilitation socially understood as a caring profession and, therefore, gendered? What is “feminist facilitation”? 

Has the emergence of facilitation enabled more women to move into conventionally male-dominated spaces? How can we keep the space welcoming to all? While the data has not changed much from last year, we are sure such questions keep resonating. 

Expert InsIGhT

Are two thirds of Facilitators really of White/European descent? It seems unlikely and, in our experience, not at all the case. However, any survey represents those who responded to it. Participation in certain communities, such as SessionLab or the IAF, may influence the survey responses.

On a positive note, compared to the previous year’s report, there is an increase in the representation of countries from Africa, South East Asia, and the Middle East, indicating a broader geographical inclusion in the survey findings.

It is crucial to recognize the need to make efforts to include colleagues from more diverse backgrounds and regions, and for communities to connect with one another more. Sharing across diverse backgrounds can be extremely enriching for all those involved and we urge everyone in the facilitation community to keep working in this direction. 

Regarding gender representation, the report suggests that there may be a higher number of women facilitators.  It highlights the ongoing discussions within the global community about the perception of facilitation as a “caring” profession and explores concepts like “feminist facilitation” and the potential for facilitation to create opportunities for women in traditionally male-dominated spaces.

Continued exploration of gender diversity within the field is also necessary. At the same time, it is important to approach this finding with caution, as the difference in numbers could be influenced by factors such as survey participation rates among male facilitators.

While the report mentions that English remains the dominant language of facilitation, it also recognizes the presence of multilingual facilitators. Approximately 11% of respondents worked in Spanish, and 7.5% worked in French, indicating the utilization of different languages in facilitation. 

In our experience, we’ve also seen facilitators using two or more languages at a time. For example, in East Africa, you frequently find facilitators using a mix of local languages, Kiswahili and English in their workshops.

Similar to the previous year’s findings, there is a scarcity of young and beginner facilitators. This might reflect a lower response rate from younger facilitators or a perception that their facilitation work is not considered as such or taken seriously at a younger age. 

This underscores the importance of making efforts to involve and train younger facilitators, recognizing their potential and nurturing the next generation of facilitators.

In conclusion, the document acknowledges the significance of inclusion, diversity, and representation within the facilitation community. It emphasizes the fact that as a global community, we need to expand outreach efforts, include colleagues from various backgrounds worldwide, and create an inclusive and supportive environment for facilitators.

John Kingsley Cornwell

Member of IAF Social Inclusion Special Interest Group and Freelance Facilitator, based in Mombasa, Kenya

Irene Maweu

Irene Maweu, Facilitator, IAF Member and founder of the "The Heart of African Facilitation", based in Malindi, Kenya

We need to create an inclusive and supportive environment for facilitators.

John Kingsley Cornwell and Irene Maweu

disabilities

% of responses# of responses
None 78.3% Neurodiversity 9.0% Chronic health condition(s) 6.5% Prefer not to say 4.4% Sensory impairment 2.0% Physical disability 1.8% Other 1.5% Learning or developmental disability 1.4%
None 715 Neurodiversity 82 Chronic health condition(s) 59 Prefer not to say 40 Sensory impairment 18 Physical disability 16 Other 14 Learning or developmental disability 13
Do you identify as having any of the following disabilities or chronic conditions?

In the past year we have noticed a growing interest around the topic of disability and facilitation. We’ve seen many conversations on social media or in communities about how to best include people with a disability in facilitated sessions. This may be a reflection of a wider societal discussion around inclusion, though it might also be attributed to the pandemic years of almost exclusively remote facilitation. 

Working remotely can have a positive effect on inclusion. More accessible online events, updated job designs and closed caption technology to help participants with hearing loss follow an online conversation are some examples of this. 

As far as we know, nobody had previously asked how many facilitators identify as having a disability themselves. About 20% of respondents identified as having a disability. Are our gatherings, communities and events designed to include them? 

We hope this increased visibility encourages the community to continue opening conversations about the experiences of facilitators and participants with disabilities. If we can better surface the needs of disabled folks and ask for their advice as a community, we can create a more inclusive and accessible space for all.

Expert InsIGhT

With approximately one in five people in the world having a disability, it is not surprising that about 20% of survey respondents identified as having one as well, mainly neurodiversity (9%) and chronic health conditions (7%). Neurodivergent people, for example, bring their creative, out-of-the-box thinking to their work, as well as a keen eye for detail and recognising patterns in group dynamics. Those are all very useful skills in facilitation. 

Facilitators have a unique opportunity to create truly inclusive spaces and benefit from the diversity of the group. They can do so by building empathy with the access challenges that their participants might face, planning for accessibility in the earliest development stages, and removing obstacles to participation whenever possible.

Marie Dubost

Facilitator, trainer and accessibility geek. She builds solutions that give team leaders the confidence and the tools to design inclusive and accessible collaboration processes.

Facilitators have a unique opportunity to create truly inclusive spaces and benefit from the diversity of the group.

Marie Dubost

Looking at the Spanish-speaking world

In this second edition of the State of Facilitation survey, we added the possibility of responding directly in Spanish, which 7.5% of respondents chose to do.

This coincides with Spanish being the fourth most spoken language in the world with around 7-9 % of the world population speaking it. 

The Spanish-speaking countries represented by the respondents in the survey are: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Uruguay and Venezuela. 

While responses provided in Spanish did not greatly differ from the rest of the world, we did notice numerous references to IIFACE, a professional organization that provides training and accreditation in Spanish, and the popularity of the Latin American Association of Facilitators ALFA (Asociación Latinoamericana de Facilitadores).

Expert InsIGhT

More than 6000 languages are spoken around the world, most of them are in quite a difficult state to endure into the future. Around 43% of the world population speaks more than one language to a certain degree (English is the most common second language). All of this demonstrates that there is a dire need to make facilitation available to a larger part of the world where these skills are not yet widespread. There is still a lot to be done.

Facilitating in your native tongue is quite a different experience from facilitating in a second language. It changes your perception of others, the way you communicate, the way you understand, it can change even the way you provide instructions to simple exercises. If you are up to the challenge, get a colleague that can support you in this endeavor of facilitating in a language other than your own, you may experience an expansion of your own borders.

Héctor Villarreal Lozoya

Facilitator and trainer working throughout Latin America. Co-author of The Power of Facilitation, founder of Proyectum and FacilitacionVirtual.com

There is a dire need to make facilitation available to a larger part of the world where these skills are not yet widespread.

Héctor Villarreal Lozoya

Education and experience

What backgrounds do facilitators have?

How does one become a facilitator? 

Data shows that facilitation is learned on the job, picked up informally, and strikingly often is not a certified or accredited skill for those who work with it.

Read on to find out more about what this means for individuals wanting to learn facilitation, for potential clients, and for the profession as a whole.

Pathways to learning

% of responses# of responses
Learning by doing 69.9% Attending other facilitators’ workshops and events 40.8% In-person courses 38.8% Shadowing an expert 24.6% Books and other resources 23.4% Coaching or mentoring 21.7% Active membership in a community of practice 21.5% Events and conferences 14.3% Online courses 12.0% From the process of getting accreditation 11.7% Other 2.7%
Learning by doing 679 Attending other facilitators’ workshops and events 397 In-person courses 377 Shadowing an expert 239 Books and other resources 227 Coaching or mentoring 211 Active membership in a community of practice 209 Events and conferences 139 Online courses 117 From the process of getting accreditation 114 Other 26
How did you learn to facilitate? Pick up to three pathways that had the most impact on your facilitation development.

According to respondents to this survey, learning-by-doing is the main path for picking up facilitation skills. 

Courses and training (in-person) are the main source of learning for only 14% of respondents. Less than those who reported being participants in other facilitators’ events and workshops as the best place to learn facilitation skills. 

24.6% of facilitators learnt by shadowing a more experienced colleague, which is interesting to note as this is how a craft is traditionally picked up. 

For some people, facilitation is a profession. For others, it’s seen as an art or a skillset. Based on the above, perhaps the word craft is in fact more accurate to describe it. 

Formal education

% of responses# of responses
Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s
 or Professional degree 81.5% Some college/university study
without earning a degree 8.4% Doctoral degree (Ph.D., Ed.D., etc.) 7.5% Secondary school 1.9% Primary/elementary school 0.4% Other 0.3%
Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s
or Professional degree 791 Some college/university study
without earning a degree 82 Doctoral degree (Ph.D., Ed.D., etc.) 73 Secondary school 18 Primary/elementary school 4 Other 3
Which of the following best describes the highest level of formal education that you have completed?

It is not surprising to see that as a service profession with a complex set of skills, facilitation is mostly practiced by people who have completed advanced education degrees.

It is worthy to note that there are few opportunities to study facilitation at a degree level. The data appears to show that highly skilled, educated people become facilitators after first working in another capacity or profession. 

Training and accreditation

In the last 12 monthsMore than 12 months ago
% of responses# of responses
None 84.6% Liberating Structures Training 6.0% Workshopper by AJ&Smart Certification 3.3% LEGO Serious Play Certification 2.6% ICA ToP Facilitator Certification 2.6% IAF Endorsed Facilitator Accreditation 1.8% Art of Hosting Certification 1.8% Voltage Control Certified Facilitator or Master Facilitator 1.6% IAF Certified Professional Facilitator 1.4% INIFAC Certified Facilitator Accreditation 0.7%
None 483 Liberating Structures Training 34 Workshopper by AJ&Smart Certification 19 LEGO Serious Play Certification 15 ICA ToP Facilitator Certification 15 IAF Endorsed Facilitator Accreditation 10 Art of Hosting Certification 10 Voltage Control Certified Facilitator or Master Facilitator 9 IAF Certified Professional Facilitator 8 INIFAC Certified Facilitator Accreditation 4
None 60.6% Liberating Structures Training 14.3% IAF Certified Professional Facilitator 9.0% ICA ToP Facilitator Certification 8.4% LEGO Serious Play Certification 7.3% Art of Hosting Certification 7.0% IAF Endorsed Facilitator Accreditation 3.9% Workshopper by AJ&Smart Certification 3.8% INIFAC Certified Facilitator Accreditation 1.7% Voltage Control Certified Facilitator or Master Facilitator 0.7%
None 433 Liberating Structures Training 102 IAF Certified Professional Facilitator (in... 64 ICA ToP Facilitator Certification 60 LEGO Serious Play Certification 52 Art of Hosting Certification 50 IAF Endorsed Facilitator Accreditation 28 Workshopper by AJ&Smart Certification 27 INIFAC Certified Facilitator Accreditation 12 Voltage Control Certified Facilitator or Master Facilitator 5
What accreditation or training certificates did you acquire related to facilitation?

It is sobering to see such high percentages of people who do not have any accreditation or training certificates related to facilitation in their background. “None” is the most common answer by far. 

There is also little awareness among facilitators of the difference between accreditation and certification. Accreditation is a process (think tests and interviews) attesting that the holder has achieved a certain level of proficiency. A certification is usually intended as proof that the holder has taken a course or training program, which may or may not include an element of practice.

Besides learning on the job, facilitators take many short training courses in specific tools or methodologies, but far less frequently do they invest in accreditation programs such as the IAF’s Certified Professional Facilitator, or take courses that cover facilitation skills as a whole.

Are these programs not well-known enough? Do people not see the value in them? If we look at the state of things from a client’s point of view, it’s quite confusing to have a professional milieu with no clear way of telling who is qualified to do the job and who is not. As one participant in the survey commented, certification as a requirement is a possible road for facilitation to grow as a profession. Could the lack of a clear learning pathway also account for the low number of young people in the profession?

We hope these considerations will spark a lively debate in the facilitation community about the value of training, certification, and accreditation, both in terms of professional development and of recognition of the profession. 

Meeting facilitation is a required part of many roles in my agency. Training is often on the logistics, and technology. It is rarely on the human element of facilitating.

In order for the field of facilitation to grow and move out of the lower paying arena - it must be recognized as a bonafide profession - certification as a requirement is a key way to do that.

Facilitation experience

% of responses# of responses
Experienced Facilitated a wide range of scenarios, experienced in handling complex group dynamics, large group workshops, etc. 63.8% Intermediate Confident in facilitating in determined formats, knowledgeable in basics of process design, group dynamics, etc. 30.2% Beginner I've facilitated or co-facilitated a few workshops, events, and/or meetings 6.0%
Experienced Facilitated a wide range of scenarios, experienced in handling complex group dynamics, large group workshops, etc. 616 Intermediate Confident in facilitating in determined formats, knowledgeable in basics of process design, group dynamics, etc. 291 Beginner I've facilitated or co-facilitated a few workshops, events, and/or meetings 58
Which of the following best describes your facilitation experience?

years of experience with facilitation

% of responses# of responses
0 to 5 12.6% 5 to 10 24.9% 10 to 15 18.4% 15 to 20 14.4% 20 to 25 11.2% 25 to 30 8.0% 30 to 35 6.7% 35 to 40 1.7% 40 to 45 1.7% 45 to 50 50 to 55 0.1% 55 to 60 60 to 65 0.1%
0 to 5 118 5 to 10 233 10 to 15 172 15 to 20 135 20 to 25 105 25 to 30 75 30 to 35 63 35 to 40 16 40 to 45 16 45 to 50 50 to 55 1 55 to 60 60 to 65 1
For how many years have you been facilitating?

Expert INSIGHTS

I have always found it fascinating that the world of facilitation and training does not require a level of demonstrated learning, certification, or supervision, unlike coaching.

Could it be because clients do not seek a certificate when they assess who they work with? In my experience clients are wanting demonstrated experience and knowledge. 

There are many of us supplying training for facilitators and trainers. It’s not all certified, and I question if the certification is 100% required as we all know a certificate does not make a good trainer! 

But how to get started or know if you are developing the right skills?

In my opinion a great facilitator and trainer has a blend of the following:

  • curious and flexible mindset, 
  • an ability to dance with uncertainty, 
  • listening to what is and isn’t said,
  • open questions that are meaningful to the situation at hand,
  • awareness of where to find relevant exercises and activities,
  • the ability to adapt said exercises to meet the need of the group.
  • practise, practise, more practise and purposeful feedback!

If you are considering facilitation and training as a line of work and in the corporate world here are four steps you could take

  1. Collect facilitation and training experiences in your place of work and ask for feedback.
  2. Join a community of facilitators outside your workspace (find a great list at the bottom of this report!)
  3. Find someone in your organisation who facilitates/trains well.  Shadow their workshops, watch what they do, the language they use, the tools and exercises they deploy.
  4. Put yourself into stretching situations as a co-facilitator.

Kirsty Lewis

Founder of School of facilitation Facilitator, Trainer of Trainers, Coach to freelance Facilitators and Trainers, Host of A Facilitator’s Journey podcast

A great facilitator has an ability to dance with uncertainty.

Kirsty Lewis

Expert INSIGHTS

It’s true that nowadays certification can be recognised by some companies as proof of skills, but is it really? Is certification enough to be a good facilitator?

It clearly depends on what is needed to obtain it. Because to me, practice is key!

There are many great facilitators out there who can’t afford to obtain a certification, but who have learned so much on their own journey, that they use in their facilitation work and make them unique.

What is your background? This is always the first question I ask the facilitators I meet or my guests on the podcast: they all have such rich and different backgrounds and I can name on the fingers of one hand those who have put forward a certification.

Wouldn’t it be better, rather than a certificate, to teach facilitation methods from an early age, at school or university or even during holiday camps, so that this soft skill becomes a strong skill and enables them to lead discussions, make decisions and, in the future, help teams work better together. 

These young people are naturally and implicitly trained in communication technologies, and will learn to use AI as it always existed. 

Shouldn’t they be learning how to work together? How to include everyone in a discussion, how to accelerate collective intelligence, how to be in synergy using individual superpowers.

This is what facilitation is about. And this would create a better world!

I sincerely believe that these techniques and methods should be part of their curriculum, whatever direction they take later on.

Nathy Ravez

Founder of La Workshoppeuse, Workshop facilitator, Mentor for Freelance Facilitators and Host of the Podcast There’s a Workshop for That!

Wouldn't it be better, rather than a certificate, to teach facilitation methods from an early age?

Nathy Ravez

Profession and employment

Who do facilitators work for?

What do facilitators’ careers look like? In this section we’ve asked practitioners to tell us more about their work. 

Based on responses from last year, we’ve asked practitioners to specify whether they work mainly as freelancers, as part of an agency selling facilitation services, or in-house within a company with a different mission. 

Any such breakdown is bound to be imperfect (and, as we will see below, facilitators switch roles frequently in their careers) but it enables us to look more deeply at topics that are specific to each cohort. 

practice type

AllBy experience
% of responses# of responses
I facilitate as an individual (e.g. freelancer, sole proprietor) 42.1% I facilitate for clients as part of an agency/consultancy offering services related to facilitation 28.4% I facilitate in-house, within a larger company/organization 27.1% Other 2.5%
I facilitate as an individual (e.g. freelancer, sole proprietor) 410 I facilitate for clients as part of an agency/consultancy offering services related to facilitation 277 I facilitate in-house, within a larger company/organization 264 Other 24
Beginner Intermediate Experienced I facilitate as an individual (e.g. freelancer, sole proprietor) 41.6% I facilitate for clients as part of an agency/consultancy offering services related to facilitation 28.2% I facilitate in-house, within a larger company/organization 26.9% Other 2.3%
Beginner Intermediate Experienced I facilitate as an individual (e.g. freelancer, sole proprietor) 406 I facilitate for clients as part of an agency/consultancy offering services related to facilitation 275 I facilitate in-house, within a larger company/organization 262 Other 22
Which of these statements best describes your practice?

Most (42.1%) respondents stated they mainly facilitate as individuals, e.g. as freelancers or consultants. 28.4% work as part of an agency, while 27.1% work in-house, facilitating within a company whose core business is something other than facilitation. 

This might be the case, for example, of managers or team leaders who apply facilitation skills to their work, or it might be someone hired specifically to run workshops inside a certain company. 

Practitioners of facilitation who work in-house are the group more likely to identify as beginners, presumably because they are adding facilitation tools and skills to other job descriptions.

Employment

% of responses# of responses
Employed, full-time 41.6% Independent contractor, freelancer, or sel... 40.2% Other 11.4% Employed, part-time 3.8% Retired 0.8% Not employed, but looking for work 0.8% Volunteer, part-time 0.3% Volunteer, full-time 0.3% Student, full-time 0.2% Not employed, and not looking for work 0.2% Student, part-time 0.1% I prefer not to say 0.1%
Employed, full-time 404 Independent contractor, freelancer, or sel... 390 Other 111 Employed, part-time 37 Retired 8 Not employed, but looking for work 8 Volunteer, part-time 3 Volunteer, full-time 3 Student, full-time 2 Not employed, and not looking for work 2 Student, part-time 1 I prefer not to say 1
Which of the following best describes your current employment status?

Role

AllBy practice type
% of responses# of responses
Facilitator 51.3% Consultant 42.0% CEO/founder/business owner 26.0% Trainer 25.5% Coach 22.7% Learning & Development professional 19.9% Teacher/Educator/Lecturer 11.7% Designer 9.1% Manager 8.9% Agile practitioner 8.9% Community worker 5.4% Mediator/Conflict Resolution specialist 3.6% HR professional 3.6% Engineer 2.1% Marketer 1.4% Health care specialist 1.3% Other 7.2%
Facilitator 485 Consultant 397 CEO/founder/business owner 246 Trainer 241 Coach 215 Learning & Development professional 188 Teacher/Educator/Lecturer 111 Designer 86 Manager 84 Agile practitioner 84 Community worker 51 Mediator/Conflict Resolution specialist 34 HR professional 34 Engineer 20 Marketer 13 Health care specialist 12 Other 68
I facilitate as an individual (e.g. freelancer, sole proprietor) I facilitate for clients as part of an agency/consultancy offering services related to facilitation I facilitate in-house, within a larger company/organization Facilitator 51.3% Consultant 42.0% CEO/founder/business owner 26.0% Trainer 25.5% Coach 22.7% Learning & Development professional 19.9% Teacher/Educator/Lecturer 11.7% Designer 9.1% Manager 8.9% Agile practitioner 8.9% Community worker 5.4% HR professional 3.6% Mediator/Conflict Resolution specialist 3.6% Engineer 2.1% Marketer 1.4% Health care specialist 1.3% Other 7.2%
I facilitate as an individual (e.g. freelancer, sole proprietor) I facilitate for clients as part of an agency/consultancy offering services related to facilitation I facilitate in-house, within a larger company/organization Facilitator 485 Consultant 397 CEO/founder/business owner 246 Trainer 241 Coach 215 Learning & Development professional 188 Teacher/Educator/Lecturer 111 Designer 86 Manager 84 Agile practitioner 84 Community worker 51 HR professional 34 Mediator/Conflict Resolution specialist 34 Engineer 20 Marketer 13 Health care specialist 12 Other 68
Which of the following describes your current role?

The question is multiple-answer as this reflects the fact that facilitators will often use different role titles depending on what kind of task they are taking on.

We added entries this year based on aggregating the “Other” responses from last year. One title that emerged from that analysis is that of CEO/founder/business owner (26%). Checking the breakdown by experience points to the fact that these are in many cases of experienced facilitators who have founded their own consultancy business/agency. 

The most frequently mentioned titles for in-house roles that include facilitation skill sets are Learning and Development professional (19.9%), Agile Practitioner (8.8%), and HR professional (3.6%). 

Seeing these stats points to facilitation being an important skillset for any organization seeking to build a culture of learning, create innovation and develop their people. 

8.9% of facilitators are also managers. We expect this already significant number to keep growing as facilitation becomes increasingly recognized as a necessary skill to manage teams in the new world of work. 

company size

% of responses# of responses
Just me 8.8% 2 to 9 employees 24.1% 10 to 49 employees 17.2% 50 to 249 employees 9.2% 250 to 999 employees 9.4% 1,000 to 4,999 employees 11.7% 5,000 or more employees 18.7% I don’t know 1.0%
Just me 46 2 to 9 employees 126 10 to 49 employees 90 50 to 249 employees 48 250 to 999 employees 49 1,000 to 4,999 employees 61 5,000 or more employees 98 I don’t know 5
Approximately how many people are employed by your company or organization?

facilitators in company

% of responses# of responses
Just me 12.2% 2 to 9 employees 47.0% 10 to 19 employees 14.1% 20 to 99 employees 11.1% 100 or more employees 7.8% I don’t know 7.6%
Just me 64 2 to 9 employees 246 10 to 19 employees 74 20 to 99 employees 58 100 or more employees 41 I don’t know 40
Approximately how many people facilitate workshops at your company or organization?

Expert INSIGHTS

Like last year’s State of Facilitation report, most respondents are individual facilitators or working for outside agencies, both being hired by their clients. This makes sense given the cost of permanent in-house facilitators. The changing needs of businesses and their employees often require specialization for a short time. 

Compared to last year’s report, more respondents this year said they work for organizations of 5,000 or more people. This could indicate large companies are increasingly adopting facilitation practices to keep up with competition and rapidly changing logistics.

I’m surprised to see so few beginners represented in the results. This could be due to beginners having less familiarity with resources and organizations like SessionLab; however, I would imagine the post-pandemic world with return-to-the-office and hybrid arrangements would bring more beginners. 

Two examples I can think of are managers who have now become responsible for guiding their staff through new policies and procedures, and fast adapters becoming facilitators to help others catch up.

The titles “facilitator” and “consultant” are more popular than “trainer.” In the past few years, I’ve heard L&D professionals discourage using the term “trainer” since it conjures up ideas of repeating specific steps and specific scripts for groups of people instead of getting groups to participate and answer their questions. 

In other words, “facilitating” is helping people find their way forward, and “training” is telling people the way forward. Both are vital in business and the specific term likely comes down to what’s being done (facilitating new marketing ideas vs. training staff to new software).

 

Robert Kienzle

Senior Consultant for Knowmium in Hong Kong. Facilitator, coach and author of the Hybrid Live Guide.

Large companies are increasingly adopting facilitation practices.

Robert Kienzle

Focus on

Freelancers & agencies

In this section we zoom in on the careers of people selling facilitation services to others, whether as freelancers or as part of an agency.

If you are reading this report in search of information and inspiration to launch your own facilitation practice, take notice: facilitation is (still) a sector characterized by a high degree of informality. 

Networking (57%), word-of-mouth (55.9%) and being referred by a colleague (50.7%) are the most relevant ways of getting new clients. Interacting with colleagues and participating actively in local and/or online communities are absolutely key to starting and maintaining a career in facilitation. 

Sources of work

% of responses# of responses
Repeat clients 64.3% Networking 57.0% Word-of-mouth 55.9% Referral from a colleague 50.7% Responding to calls for proposals 34.4% Requests from within the company/organization 27.1% Content marketing / Advertising 9.4% Other 3.7%
Repeat clients 450 Networking 399 Word-of-mouth 391 Referral from a colleague 355 Responding to calls for proposals 241 Requests from within the company/organization 190 Content marketing / Advertising 66 Other 26
What were your sources of work in the last 12 months?

Facilitation is a trust-based business. Beyond the large amount of work coming from networks and referrals, 64.3% of external work comes from repeat clients. This not only indicates the value of ongoing relationships, but also a high sense of satisfaction in the work delivered.

While finding new clients implies a lot of work to build trust, develop relationships and negotiate agreements, it looks like a worthwhile investment in most cases.

The current state of facilitation for freelancers and agencies is that of a trust and relationship-based profession, where it is of utmost importance to invest time in building and maintaining connections.

On the positive side, this means that facilitators who build their reputation and take part in communities can see a return on that investment. On the potentially negative side, a system based on existing relationships can prove difficult to access for beginners. And how about clients trying to find the right facilitator for their needs without a network to lean on? 

Industries served

AllBy practice type
% of responses# of responses
Non-profit organizations / Non-Governmenta... 52.5% Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) 41.0% My own team 40.5% Other teams in my company or organization 38.7% Large Corporate Organizations 37.8% Government Agencies 33.6% Educational Institutions 29.8% Individuals 29.5% International Organizations 21.7% Startups 17.2% Other 3.6%
Non-profit organizations / Non-Governmenta... 509 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) 397 My own team 392 Other teams in my company or organization 375 Large Corporate Organizations 366 Government Agencies 326 Educational Institutions 289 Individuals 286 International Organizations 210 Startups 167 Other 35
I facilitate as an individual (e.g. freelancer, sole proprietor) I facilitate for clients as part of an agency/consultancy offering services related to facilitation I facilitate in-house, within a larger company/organization Non-profit organizations / Non-Governmenta... 52.5% Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) 41.0% My own team 40.5% Other teams in my company or organization 38.7% Large Corporate Organizations 37.8% Government Agencies 33.6% Educational Institutions 29.8% Individuals 29.5% International Organizations 21.7% Startups 17.2% Other 3.6%
I facilitate as an individual (e.g. freelancer, sole proprietor) I facilitate for clients as part of an agency/consultancy offering services related to facilitation I facilitate in-house, within a larger company/organization Non-profit organizations / Non-Governmenta... 509 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) 397 My own team 392 Other teams in my company or organization 375 Large Corporate Organizations 366 Government Agencies 326 Educational Institutions 289 Individuals 286 International Organizations 210 Startups 167 Other 35
Who have you provided facilitation services to in the last 12 months?

A breakdown of the type of sector and industry served by respondents returns the image of a flexible skillset that can be, and is, applied practically everywhere, from SMEs (41%) to International organizations (21.7%). Most respondents indicated the non-profit sector as the area in which they provided facilitation services in 2023 (52.6%). 

This may be because of an overlap of interests: distributed power and stakeholder engagement practices are at the heart of much facilitation work. It may also indicate that those working in non-profits are more keen to give back to the global community, including by responding to a survey!

Pricing

By roleBy countryBy regionBy sub-region
% of responses# of responses
Number of responses 0 100 200 300 Marketer 4,000 CEO/founder/business owner 2,500 Other 2,325 Designer 2,000 Consultant 2,000 Coach 2,000 Mediator/Conflict Resolution specialist 1,860 Facilitator 1,860 Learning & Development professional 1,637 Health care specialist 1,500 HR professional 1,500 Trainer 1,395 Agile practitioner 1,302 Manager 1,209 Teacher/Educator/Lecturer 1,000 Engineer 1,000 Community worker 600
Number of responses 0 100 200 300 Marketer 4,000 CEO/founder/business owner 2,500 Other 2,325 Designer 2,000 Consultant 2,000 Coach 2,000 Mediator/Conflict Resolution specialist 1,860 Facilitator 1,860 Learning & Development professional 1,637 Health care specialist 1,500 HR professional 1,500 Trainer 1,395 Agile practitioner 1,302 Manager 1,209 Teacher/Educator/Lecturer 1,000 Engineer 1,000 Community worker 600
Number of responses 0 100 200 300 United States 4,000 Canada 3,000 Australia 2,600 Belgium 2,402.19 Germany 2,325 United Kingdom 1,860 France 1,860 South Africa 1,395 Italy 930 Spain 906.75 Kenya 300
Number of responses 0 100 200 300 United States 4,000 Canada 3,000 Australia 2,600 Belgium 2,402.19 Germany 2,325 United Kingdom 1,860 France 1,860 South Africa 1,395 Italy 930 Spain 906.75 Kenya 300
Number of responses 0 100 200 300 Americas 3,000 Oceania 2,500 Europe 1,674 Asia 1,000 Africa 525
Number of responses 0 100 200 300 Americas 3,000 Oceania 2,500 Europe 1,674 Asia 1,000 Africa 525
Number of responses 0 100 200 300 Northern America 3,750 Australia and New Zealand 2,500 Western Europe 2,325 Eastern Asia 2,000 Northern Europe 1,925 South-eastern Asia 1,140 Eastern Europe 1,116 Western Asia 1,000 Latin America and the Caribbean 1,000 Southern Europe 930 Southern Asia 600 Sub-Saharan Africa 525
Number of responses 0 100 200 300 Northern America 3,750 Australia and New Zealand 2,500 Western Europe 2,325 Eastern Asia 2,000 Northern Europe 1,925 South-eastern Asia 1,140 Eastern Europe 1,116 Western Asia 1,000 Latin America and the Caribbean 1,000 Southern Europe 930 Southern Asia 600 Sub-Saharan Africa 525
What would be your average fee (including preparation and follow-up) for facilitating an in-person one-day (8h) workshop with 15 participants?

Income range

% of responses# of responses
0-$4,999 14.3% $5,000-$9,999 6.8% $10,000-$29,999 19.3% $30,000-$49,999 13.0% $50,000-$69,999 12.0% $70,000-$89,999 9.0% Over $90,000 25.6%
0-$4,999 57 $5,000-$9,999 27 $10,000-$29,999 77 $30,000-$49,999 52 $50,000-$69,999 48 $70,000-$89,999 36 Over $90,000 102
In what range is your annual income from facilitation?

Expert INSIGHTS

When I chat with fellow facilitators about their primary source for acquiring business, the most frequent answer is referrals, word of mouth, or existing relationships, which is reflected in the data. However, many of us spend a disproportionate amount of time trying to attract new, shiny leads through social media (which, let’s face it, can be a huge distraction!).

The evidence is clear: We work in a relationship-driven industry. To increase the number of workshops you conduct in 2024, start leveraging your relationships, asking for referrals, and prioritizing conversations over content creation. 

Because word of mouth is a big driver of future bookings, it does pay to invest in creating rave-worthy, results-driven workshop experiences, where your participants turn into workshop evangelists for your work, meaning you can spend less time in business development, and more time doing the work that you love.

Income is multifaceted and heavily influenced by your client’s location/currency, the industries you cater to, and your economic buyers (and their position in the organizational hierarchy). For instance, it’s quite common for Executive Strategy workshops to command higher fees compared to IT system training for frontline leaders.

The key differentiator in earning potential lies in the perceived value of your work, and the power of your brand. If your service is commoditized, like delivering training or workshops using pre-existing methodologies, it’s treated as a commodity, and most likely, you charge a day rate. 

However, if you develop intellectual property, processes, and services, and create a powerful brand, you can demand higher, value-based fees.

I think many facilitators limit their potential by solely focusing on workshops. To boost your income, consider expanding your business model to encompass advisory services, coaching, or project work. While we wish our workshops had an immediate impact, often it’s necessary to offer wraparound services, to help sustain change and client results.

Leanne Hughes

Author of The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint: Design Fast. Deliver Strong. Without Stress; host of the First Time Facilitator podcast and of an on-demand program called Booked Out Facilitator, where she helps you book out five more workshops, for every workshop you deliver.

We work in a relationship-driven industry.

Leanne Hughes

Facilitation practice

What was it like to facilitate in 2023?

In this section we will look deeper into the daily lives of facilitators and what their work was like during the year. What were facilitated sessions and workshops like in 2023? Did they take place remotely or in person? What kinds of topics were most requested, and what does that tell us about the profession as a whole? 

Direct quotes come from responses to the question:
“How has your facilitation practice changed over the past 12 months?”

session length

20232022
% of responses# of responses
Not at all Few times a year At least monthly At least weekly Less than 1h long sessions 20.0% 19.5% 25.2% 35.3% 1-2h long sessions 39.6% 21.4% 33.8% 5.2% Half a day sessions 35.5% 6.6% 51.3% 6.6% Full day sessions 28.0% 6.3% 51.2% 14.6% More than 1 day long sessions 17.9% 2.0% 51.2% 28.9%
Not at all Few times a year At least monthly At least weekly Less than 1h long sessions 159 155 200 280 1-2h long sessions 345 187 295 45 Half a day sessions 306 57 442 57 Full day sessions 246 55 450 128 More than 1 day long sessions 152 17 434 245
Not at all Few times a year At least monthly At least weekly Less than 1h long sessions 27.3% 32.8% 19.5% 20.4% 1-2h long sessions 42.2% 28.9% 24.5% 4.4% Half a day sessions 36.7% 11.5% 46.3% 5.5% Full day sessions 27.9% 6.5% 51.7% 14.0% More than 1 day long sessions 16.8% 2.7% 54.7% 25.8%
Not at all Few times a year At least monthly At least weekly Less than 1h long sessions 237 284 169 177 1-2h long sessions 408 279 237 43 Half a day sessions 355 111 448 53 Full day sessions 268 62 496 134 More than 1 day long sessions 155 25 503 237
How often have you facilitated the following sessions in the past 12 months?

One of the inheritances of the global pandemic has been the spread of shorter interventions. The circa 2 hours session is now the most common session length, whether online or in-person. 

Facilitators in 2024 must know how to get to the point quickly and deliver value in the arch of a short, sometimes bite-sized, session, as well as how and when to argue for longer interventions.

More pressure to get straight to the point.

I have noticed that people seem to want everything in an hour or less if possible.

Face-to-face practice has become more succinct - more content is covered online in advance, face-to-face is for sharing, discussion and roleplay/practising.

Generally a trend towards shorter interventions.

We no longer run virtual sessions of over 3 hours.

All virtual and usually no more than 2 hours.

session type

20232022
% of responses# of responses
Not at all Few times a year At least monthly At least weekly Remote 31.7% 28.9% 33.7% 5.6% In person 36.7% 12.5% 46.5% 4.3% Hybrid 15.1% 4.3% 50.4% 30.2%
Not at all Few times a year At least monthly At least weekly Remote 283 258 301 50 In person 343 117 434 40 Hybrid 127 36 423 254
Not at all Few times a year At least monthly At least weekly Remote 57.8% 3.8% 38.4% In-person 29.5% 8.1% 62.4% Hybrid 7.4% 32.4% 60.3%
Not at all Few times a year At least monthly At least weekly Remote 606 40 402 In-person 312 86 661 Hybrid 69 303 564
What types of sessions have you delivered over the past 12 months?

Almost all respondents have run sessions in-person and remotely this year. As is to be expected, in-person sessions are less frequent: 46.5% of respondents have shared the same space with their participants a few times of year, while 28.9% have facilitated remote sessions at least weekly. 

While people are coming back in person, the trend of more online sessions is growing as well. During the Covid-19 pandemic remote became a necessity. Now, working together remotely is a choice for an alternative form of meeting. When is remote most appropriate, and when not? What is the true value of remote facilitation and where is the true value of meeting in person?

Hybrid sessions, with people joining both remotely and in person at the same time, have seen a small increase. Hybrids were very much an experiment in 2022, while in 2023 a consensus has emerged that hybrid meetings can be productive, but they require an investment in extra resources, staff, and dedicated technology. 

In their comments, facilitators have remarked that securing these extra resources is challenging, but also that some companies have made a successful investment in hybrid meetings. Clients with distributed workforces, take heed!

 

I'm pushing back hard against 'casual' hybrid (not thought through, under-resourced).

Our organization has reopened our offices and some of them have undergone significant renovations. The technology available in our buildings has been upgraded and this has enabled me to facilitate on-site in hybrid, in-person and virtual formats.

Estuve trabajando mucho facilitaciones híbridas, con distintos recursos para garantizar la experiencia sea lo más significativa para cada participante sea la modalidad elegida.

[I've been working a lot with hybrid facilitation, using various resources to ensure the experience is meaningful for every participant, however they choose to join.]

I have had more face-to-face & hybrid sessions. The hybrid is a challenge to get to work well technically.

session Topic

Curious to learn what facilitators are working on?

The top answer is training courses (69.7%), which require a combination of facilitation and teaching/training skills that appears to be quite common.

Next comes working with teams: from regular team meetings (59.3%) to team building events (57.2%). 

Teams returning to the office or navigating the novel practices of all-remote or hybrid work has increased the need for facilitators to work on team cohesion, team agreements and team development. Consciously creating work culture with the support of expert facilitators is helping companies navigate the new work landscape.

% of responses# of responses
Training courses 69.7% Regular team meetings 59.3% Team building events 57.2% Strategy development 56.3% Coaching and mentoring 51.5% Stakeholder engagement workshops 43.8% Conferences and seminars 43.4% Focus groups 37.8% Creativity workshops 34.5% Retreats 33.1% Community events 25.3% Design sprints 17.6% Conflict resolution sessions 17.4% Town hall meetings 12.7% Public consultation events 8.8% Other 5.7%
Training courses 673 Regular team meetings 572 Team building events 552 Strategy development 543 Coaching and mentoring 497 Stakeholder engagement workshops 423 Conferences and seminars 419 Focus groups 365 Creativity workshops 333 Retreats 319 Community events 244 Design sprints 170 Conflict resolution sessions 168 Town hall meetings 123 Public consultation events 85 Other 55
What types of sessions have you delivered over the past 12 months?

Speaking of which, here is SessionLab’s Robert Cserti discussing how to keep your team motivated and engaged on the podcast Startups for the Rest of Us.

More about bringing teams and groups together, rebuilding dynamics.

Persons generally seem to be asking for external assistance with their teams.

More people asking for help with Team Development vs innovation or strategy. Teams are struggling to stay cohesive.

More need for team building and collaboration know-how.

Number of participants

% of responses# of responses
Not at all Few times a year At least monthly At least weekly 0-12 participants 35.5% 30.6% 30.3% 3.6% 13-30 participants 39.1% 9.2% 45.1% 6.7% 31-50 participants 17.8% 1.8% 55.9% 24.5% 50+ participants 8.7% 2.1% 53.7% 35.6%
Not at all Few times a year At least monthly At least weekly 0-12 participants 295 254 252 30 13-30 participants 332 78 383 57 31-50 participants 136 14 427 187 50+ participants 67 16 415 275
How many participants attended your sessions over the past 12 months?

Co-facilitation

Looking at last year’s data, there seems to be no significant change in how common the practice of co-facilitation is. This makes us wonder whether facilitators tend to work completely alone or if collaborations primarily take place during other parts of the process. 

20232022
By experienceBy practice type
% of responses# of responses
Not at all Few times a year At least monthly At least weekly Beginner I've facilitated or co-facilitated a few workshops, events, and/or meetings Alone 32.6% 8.7% 45.7% 13.0% With a co-facilitator 16.3% 4.1% 40.8% 38.8% In a facilitation team 9.1% 18.2% 72.7% Intermediate Confident in facilitating in determined formats, 
knowledgeable in basics of process design, group dynamics, etc. Alone 29.8% 25.1% 41.8% 3.3% With a co-facilitator 22.8% 4.8% 59.2% 13.2% In a facilitation team 6.7% 3.4% 33.2% 56.7% Experienced Facilitated a wide range of scenarios, experienced 
in handling complex group dynamics, large group workshops, etc. Alone 38.7% 36.7% 22.3% 2.2% With a co-facilitator 31.0% 8.0% 51.9% 9.2% In a facilitation team 10.5% 0.9% 47.1% 41.5%
Not at all Few times a year At least monthly At least weekly Beginner I've facilitated or co-facilitated a few workshops, events, and/or meetings Alone 15 4 21 6 With a co-facilitator 19 8 2 20 In a facilitation team 32 4 8 Intermediate Confident in facilitating in determined formats, 
knowledgeable in basics of process design, group dynamics, etc. Alone 82 69 115 9 With a co-facilitator 62 13 161 36 In a facilitation team 16 8 79 135 Experienced Facilitated a wide range of scenarios, experienced 
in handling complex group dynamics, large group workshops, etc. Alone 229 217 132 13 With a co-facilitator 183 47 306 54 In a facilitation team 56 5 252 222
Never Sometimes Most of the time Beginner I've facilitated or co-facilitated a few workshops, events, and/or meetings Alone 59.2% 14.1% 26.8% With one co-facilitator 27.9% 24.6% 47.5% In a team 13.0% 59.3% 27.8% Intermediate Confident in facilitating in determined formats, 
knowledgeable in basics of process design, group dynamics, etc. Alone 62.8% 4.0% 33.1% With one co-facilitator 24.0% 12.1% 63.9% In a team 8.2% 52.9% 38.9% Experienced Facilitated a wide range of scenarios, experienced 
in handling complex group dynamics, large group workshops, etc. Alone 66.4% 1.8% 31.8% With one co-facilitator 26.7% 7.3% 66.0% In a team 6.6% 45.8% 47.5%
Never Sometimes Most of the time Beginner I've facilitated or co-facilitated a few workshops, events, and/or meetings Alone 42 10 19 With one co-facilitator 17 15 29 In a team 7 32 15 Intermediate Confident in facilitating in determined formats, 
knowledgeable in basics of process design, group dynamics, etc. Alone 203 13 107 With one co-facilitator 75 38 200 In a team 23 148 109 Experienced Facilitated a wide range of scenarios, experienced 
in handling complex group dynamics, large group workshops, etc. Alone 436 12 209 With one co-facilitator 173 47 427 In a team 39 269 279
Not at all Few times a year At least monthly At least weekly I facilitate as an individual (e.g. freelancer, sole proprietor) Alone 36.5% 29.9% 31.7% 1.8% With a co-facilitator 24.0% 4.6% 55.4% 16.1% In a facilitation team 7.9% 0.6% 38.9% 52.6% I facilitate for clients as part of an agency/consultancy offering services related to facilitation Alone 34.9% 32.9% 26.6% 5.6% With a co-facilitator 33.8% 10.4% 51.9% 3.8% In a facilitation team 12.9% 3.4% 47.4% 36.2% I facilitate in-house, within a larger company/organization Alone 35.2% 34.4% 28.0% 2.4% With a co-facilitator 28.4% 6.6% 51.4% 13.6% In a facilitation team 7.5% 1.8% 39.5% 51.3%
Not at all Few times a year At least monthly At least weekly I facilitate as an individual (e.g. freelancer, sole proprietor) Alone 144 118 125 7 With a co-facilitator 94 18 217 63 In a facilitation team 27 2 133 180 I facilitate for clients as part of an agency/consultancy offering services related to facilitation Alone 88 83 67 14 With a co-facilitator 88 27 135 10 In a facilitation team 30 8 110 84 I facilitate in-house, within a larger company/organization Alone 88 86 70 6 With a co-facilitator 69 16 125 33 In a facilitation team 17 4 90 117
Never Sometimes Most of the time I primarily facilitate Alone 65.5% 3.0% 31.6% With one co-facilitator 29.0% 5.5% 65.5% In a team 8.4% 44.3% 47.3% I sometimes facilitate as part of my job Alone 63.2% 3.4% 33.3% With one co-facilitator 22.5% 13.0% 64.5% In a team 6.3% 51.4% 42.3% I sometimes facilitate outside of my main job Alone 68.6% 1.4% 30.0% With one co-facilitator 32.8% 14.9% 52.2% In a team 6.8% 55.9% 37.3% Other Alone 72.2% 16.7% 11.1% With one co-facilitator 5.0% 20.0% 75.0% In a team 11.8% 70.6% 17.6%
Never Sometimes Most of the time I primarily facilitate Alone 332 15 160 With one co-facilitator 143 27 323 In a team 37 195 208 I sometimes facilitate as part of my job Alone 296 16 156 With one co-facilitator 102 59 292 In a team 26 214 176 I sometimes facilitate outside of my main job Alone 48 1 21 With one co-facilitator 22 10 35 In a team 4 33 22 Other Alone 13 3 2 With one co-facilitator 1 4 15 In a team 2 12 3
How often did you facilitate in the following arrangement in the past 12 months?

The topic of co-facilitation is also mentioned in response to open questions around facilitation challenges. These responses indicate that it’s seen as an advantage by most practitioners (and a necessity for hybrid work), but hard to organise and pay for.

Co-facilitation is attractive but time-consuming and clients often don't want to pay for it.

Hybrid meetings take more time, resources, support and capacity to be effective. That's why I try not to do it if the client doesn't have the budget to hire at least one co-facilitator and a dedicated technology lifeguard.

Would prefer co-facilitating as opposed to going alone.

More work! In the open question on what has changed from the point of view of facilitators, 30 people wrote about having more work in 2023 and we want to take a moment to celebrate this! 

Not only does business for facilitators seem to be increasing, but respondents have reported growing awareness and knowledge of facilitation’s role among clients.

It's become busier with more clients already having some knowledge of what a facilitator does.

It continues to grow through referrals. Relationships and trust is everything in this business.

Más trabajo referido por colegas (co-facilitado), más involucramiento de clientes.

[More jobs coming in from colleagues (co-facilitated), more direct client involvement]

My business has grown tremendously. I now have a bench of trusted facilitators that I am now able to engage to lead sessions for my company.

It has continued to increase in volume. Facilitation seems to be gaining momentum in appreciation and credibility.

More acceptance of facilitation, working with groups and companies.

With increased awareness comes increased pressure to deliver impactful results. Here are some quotes that bring to our attention the growing interest in how to assess and evaluate the impact of facilitation.

A clearer focus on impact driven businesses.

More focused on tangible/measurable results.

Managers have less time for games in training and want focused delivered training.

I have started implementing new methods, especially focusing on tangibles.

More focus on the final deliverables.

Less "fluff", clients want a higher focus on measurable results.

Expert INSIGHTS

In 2023, facilitation finally emerged as a recognised and valuable service in a post-pandemic world, as shown in an increase in work for facilitators. Clients begin to understand the value facilitators can add to their processes and collaborative efforts. With more clients working with professional facilitators there are higher expectations and more pressure to deliver higher quality, more novelty in less time. 

Online, offline or hybrid? 

While 2023 reminded us of the charm of in-person gatherings, we learned that online facilitation is here to stay, despite the looming “Zoom-fatigue”. While the excitement for in-person grew, online sessions had to adapt to meet clients’ demands for efficiency and quicker results. Hence, asynchronous work became integral, with preparation occurring independently, followed by collaborative segments either online or in physical settings.

For the first time, clients and facilitators had a real choice between online, in-person, or hybrid gatherings. Unfortunately though, from my experience, hybrid sessions, though increasingly common (with 70% of respondents hosting at least one), often remain a last-minute solution rather than a deliberate choice. 

Clients need better education about the complexities involved in transitioning from online or in-person to hybrid, as it needs adjustments in technical aspects, workshop design, and activities. The report also shows that some clients have embraced this transition by investing in the required technology.

So, when is remote facilitation ideal, and when should we opt for in-person? From my perspective, in-person sessions excel in building trust, initiating projects, and fostering interpersonal connections. They allow for the magic to happen in the liminal space between activities, during breaks, and after workshops. 

Conversely, online sessions are more effective for task-driven activities and brainstorming, thanks to the availability of collaborative digital tools and the ability to allocate participants into smaller working groups quickly and democratically.

What do we facilitate? 

While facilitation became a widespread skill among trainers, educators, and managers, those who call themselves Facilitators do various things as part of their work. 

Training remains, in 70% of cases, the biggest part of Facilitators’ work and still, they might not label themselves as “Trainers”. Why so? While all great trainers facilitate because it’s the skill that turns a lecture into a learning experience, not all Facilitators train because they often focus on the process work that remains content-agnostic. 

Looking at the types of sessions they hire facilitators for, clients seem to increasingly recognize the importance of mental well-being, effective communication, and collaboration. This also reflects the growing complexity of work, particularly in the wake of 2023’s AI and ChatGPT development. 

Companies understand the significance of human collaboration, leading to the hiring of facilitators for people-centric sessions like team building, conflict resolution, coaching, mentoring, and community and stakeholder engagement.

Co-Facilitation 

Although the data on co-facilitation hasn’t changed much since last year, it would require more space to delve into deeper reflections about the underlying reasons for the lack of co-facilitation within a profession that’s all about collaboration. The picture hasn’t changed: Novice facilitators tend to operate alone, while the experienced ones often collaborate.  

Explaining this solely through resource constraints or the prevalence of smaller workshops would be an oversimplification. Co-facilitation is more complex than this: It’s like a dance, rather Swing characterized by improvisation than the structured lead-follow dynamics of Tango. 

Experienced facilitators find joy in this co-facilitation “dance” with trusted peers, which may limit the time available for mentoring newcomers. This underscores the need for additional learning opportunities for new facilitators to help enhance their skills and contributions within the field.

Dr Myriam Hadnes

Facilitation Evangelist, Podcast host of workshops work, Founder of the NeverDoneBefore Community

Companies understand the significance of human collaboration.

Dr Myriam Hadnes

Challenges

What challenges are facilitators experiencing?

Keeping up with the trends

This is found to be the most challenging issue for facilitators due to the speed of technological and social changes, combined with growing workloads.

Dealing with conflict

Rising in importance is the matter of how facilitators, who (in most cases) are not trained as mediators, respond to polarisation and conflict in the room.

Professional recognition

Answers highlight how facilitation remains a niche profession and while recognition is growing, there remains a lot of work to do to bring it solidly into the mainstream.

Challenges

% of responses# of responses
Not applicable to me Not at all challenging Somewhat challenging Very challenging Keeping up-to-date with the trends 3.0% 25.4% 51.7% 19.9% Dealing with conflict 3.2% 28.9% 53.9% 14.1% Facing difficult situations during sessions 1.7% 31.5% 56.8% 14.1% Getting buy-in from stakeholders 8.9% 24.8% 52.1% 14.1% Managing my own capacity (time/energy) 0.9% 33.8% 46.1% 19.2% Finding clients 20.6% 17.7% 40.0% 21.7% Changing mode (online/in person/hybrid) 6.2% 34.9% 41.6% 17.3% Setting prices 22.4% 21.3% 38.2% 18.0% Negotiating with clients 20.0% 25.2% 35.5% 19.3% Getting paid adequately 19.8% 25.5% 44.3% 10.4% Keeping participants engaged 0.4% 52.1% 40.5% 7.0% Keeping my sessions on time 0.4% 53.8% 38.4% 7.4% Facilitating online 2.9% 52.6% 34.6% 9.9% Finding/designing content for my session 1.7% 60.4% 33.7% 4.1% Collaborating with co-facilitators 6.9% 57.1% 31.5% 4.5% Customizing designs 3.4% 62.7% 28.4% 5.5%
Not applicable to me Not at all challenging Somewhat challenging Very challenging Keeping up-to-date with the trends 27 232 472 182 Dealing with conflict 29 262 489 128 Facing difficult situations during sessions 16 289 521 92 Getting buy-in from stakeholders 81 225 472 128 Managing my own capacity (time/energy) 8 310 423 176 Finding clients 192 165 373 202 Changing mode (online/in person/hybrid) 57 319 381 158 Setting prices 207 197 353 166 Negotiating with clients 182 234 407 96 Getting paid adequately 182 229 322 175 Keeping participants engaged 4 476 370 64 Keeping my sessions on time 4 494 353 68 Facilitating online 27 484 319 91 Finding/designing content for my session 16 555 310 38 Collaborating with co-facilitators 63 521 287 41 Customizing designs 31 573 260 50
How challenging do you find the following in your facilitation practice?

Other challenges

In response to the question on whether they had other challenges to add to this list, by far the most common answer is related to issues of recognition. Many facilitators struggle to explain their role and the value it can bring.

Showing that professional facilitation requires skills that are worth paying for (aka not everyone can do it well).

Aún encuentro necesario aclarar o dar a conocer a algunos clientes qué es la facilitación y cuál es mi papel como facilitadora.

[I still find I need to explain or clarify to certain clients what facilitation is and what my role as a facilitator is.]

Make it clear that solving a complex problem requires a lot of facilitation work.

Helping customers understand and value my contribution before they actually experience it - if they never had someone professionally design and facilitate their meetings and conferences in an interactive and goal-focused way, how should they know how energizing, refreshing and valuable it is? Our business world is still very old-fashioned and hence people often lack that experience.

Having people understand the true value of an effectively facilitated process.

Most people think facilitation is anyone standing up in front of a group - low understanding of micro-behaviours and depth of mastery that makes the group work easily.

Wrong or very vague Idea of what facilitating is in the head of my clients.

Having people understand the depth of my skills and what impact I have with a group because of those skills.

Other challenges

Throughout the report we’ve been highlighting noticeable changes in the data from 2022 with respect to 2023. 

But what has changed from the point of view of facilitators? Over 600 participants to the survey gave long-form responses to this question.

Here are the main findings.

Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis’s podcast on career paths that do not run in a straight line was one of many resources mentioned as inspiration by facilitators, and no surprise!

Over 50 respondents mentioned that the main change in their facilitation career in 2023 was, in fact, a career change. Facilitation skills are applicable in many topics, so it is quite common to:

  • Move from a freelance career to an in-house position

    I went from facilitating 1-2 meetings a month as a freelance facilitator, to facilitating 1-2 meetings a day as a full-time facilitator with a company.

    I went from being a solopreneur to finding a Strategy role within an organization.

    Adapting to being in-house after years of being freelance/ consultant has required changes to meet the contextual needs.

  • Transition from working in a company to going solo

    I jumped ship and started my own business exactly a year ago.

    I’ve dropped all other work to focus solely on facilitation.

    I shifted from facilitating for an internal team to facilitating as an independent contractor.

    Perdí mi trabajo como facilitador en una empresa y ahora ofrezco mis servicios de manera independiente.
    [I lost my job as an in-house facilitator and now I offer my services as a freelancer.]

    I have returned to consultancy after 12 years in full time employment for a company.

  • Change target, providing services to different types of clients

    Much more public participatory decision making and deliberative democracy work, citizens panels, juries and assemblies.

    More non profit voluntary oriented than in corporate/business settings.

    It has gone from primarily providing facilitation services to clients, to developing our own programmes and sessions that people sign up for.

    I work with larger groups on a long-term basis, trying to reach out to employees and not just managers.

    Working in an ever-widening range of environments.

  • Switch between training and facilitation

    Stopped delivering training – now only do experiential learning or facilitate multiparty negotiations.

    Pivoting from a training focus to a facilitation focus supporting groups on their journey where they are the center of attention.

  • Move from smaller to larger groups.

    Ha vuelto más frecuente facilitar para audiencias más grandes (50+).
    [I’ve facilitated more often for larger groups (50+)]

    Larger groups (usually between 30-40, now 80 participants).

    I had the opportunity to design and facilitate some events with more than 40 people, learning something about how to deal with this amount of participants.

    My biggest workshop I run with my team was for 1600 people. Large scale workshops is new to me.

    I am doing more events with large groups, over 80 people.

Facilitators tend to be curious by nature, always searching for the next course, deck of cards, or activity to add to their toolbox. Post Covid-19, there is a growing number of opportunities to learn and pick up new tools online, wherever you are in the world.One in six respondents to this question highlighted new learning, studying and resources in 2023.
More online collaboration tools and approaches.
More tools and approaches (always looking for them).
Incorporated other activities through looking at other industries like psychology and even improv and acting.
The most mentioned word in answering the question of what changed in 2023 was “confidence”. Confidence standing up in front of a crowd, confidence delivering instructions, confidence going with the flow.
I am getting more confident in explaining my role, what I am able to do, what is beyond the scope of my practice and what I need from my client.
I find I continue to rebuild confidence post pandemic and feel my in person facilitation skills have restrengthened and rebuilt significantly this year,
I am more confident and have more credibility.
I am more confident in managing and handle the groups’ emotions and hidden agendas.
There is a pattern in the life of a facilitator that goes from using structured methods and pre-prepared agendas (possibly created by a more senior colleague) to delivering customised, and even improvised solutions based on sensing what is needed in the room, in the moment.Over 30 responses focused on changes in respondents’ ways of handling the energy of a session. This might combine with a post-Covid need for more spacious agendas, with more time to integrate information and connect with other participants.
I emphasize more playful connection during sessions post-pandemic than I did before that.
More confident, less tightly structured and more willing to flex the format/timeline/sequencing accordingly to the feedback/vibe from the audience.
The words “less is more” seem to be coming up more frequently. I’m being asked to simply bring my presence and my stand for conversation culture to a gathering – to bring and model my “beingness” with appreciation and inquiry to a space, and how that dynamically shifts the flow. More than structuring or designing actual facilitations.
Giving more freedom to participants, less structure.
Allow the conversation to go where it wants depending on what the participants want to talk.

With more facilitation happening online or through a combination of digital and in-person, graphic harvesting and visual facilitation are on the rise. This makes workshops and sessions more accessible, memorable, and beautiful!

I use more visuals in online sessions.

Including more and more graphic facilitation.

I am incorporating more facilitation graphics and visuals.

Respondents also noted that as their practice develops and grows, they learnt to add more creative practices and became more comfortable with improvisation.

The story these responses tell is of a pattern in a facilitator’s development that moves from knowing how to use a few structures and methods, to having enough tools in the toolkit, confidence and experience to improvise, go with the flow, and create customized sessions, often incorporating more unusual elements such as movement, silence, and artforms.

This step of developing a personal approach to the craft is sometimes referred to as the “facilitator’s signature”.

More creative approaches both for corporate and social events (e.g. include pottery or dance movements).

He incorporado herramientas de storytelling y creatividad.
[I have added storytelling and creativity tools.]

I emphasize more playful connection during sessions post-pandemic than I did before that.

Really getting a lot more courageous in the creativity and spirituality i bring into my facilitation assignments.

What comes next in a facilitator’s pathway, after a lifetime transformation and adaptability, after learning and unlearning tools, getting used to handling bigger groups and challenges, and all the other changes mentioned above?

As is fitting for a trade that leans so much on informality and networking, facilitators with a lot of experience tend to become trainers and mentors.

[I have] consulted others as to how they might facilitate their own events.
Less facilitation work, more coaching and mentoring facilitators and consultants.
More mentoring work.

Expert INSIGHTS

I’m struck by two major challenges that continue to dominate in 2023. 

First, there’s the need to adapt to rapid changes, especially in the wake of the pandemic. And second, there’s the push to establish facilitation as a recognized, viable career. Let’s unpack these.

New rules for work mean new demands on facilitators. Many facilitators have found themselves switching gears between in-person, hybrid, and virtual sessions, reinventing engagement strategies and learning new digital tools as they go.

The report also shows that facilitators are increasingly grappling with conflicts and difficult situations in sessions. It’s like our group sessions are a reflection of the complex and thorny issues we see unfolding in the wider world.

But as facilitators are asked to adapt to all of these changes – from learning tech to mediating conflict – often without specialized training for each, do we risk ending up as jacks-of-all-trades but masters of none? And what’s the toll on facilitators’ well-being?

Adding to this are major tech advances, namely AI. It’s the new frontier in 2023, but it’s still a bit of a wild west. AI’s changing the game, but how? The report shows that only a third of facilitators are diving into these waters yet. Are facilitators lagging behind other professions in fully embracing AI’s potential. 

This begs the question: will those who fully embrace AI lead the future of facilitation? What happens to those who don’t?

Here’s the second and related challenge – making facilitation a viable and recognized career path. 

Facilitators are seeing their worth more clearly thanks in large part to these shifts. But many respondents pointed out that organizational leaders still have very little awareness and understanding of the facilitator’s role. This means that facilitators continue to struggle with the basics of facilitation as a viable career path such as landing jobs and getting paid what they are worth. 

We need to look at related fields like coaching and HR. One respondent noted that once, these professions were in the same boat. But now they’re integral parts of companies, even at the VP level. 

What’s their secret? What’s it going to take to elevate facilitation to that level of recognition and necessity in the modern workplace?

This brings us to a crossroads: 

Is facilitation experiencing a “moment” where organizational leaders are finally recognizing its true value? Or will it remain a niche profession that undervalues and underpays?

Amidst these challenges lies a silver lining. 

There is a silver lining here. Post-COVID, facilitators report emerging with more confidence, creativity, and focus. And here’s the promise – clients and organizations are actively looking for ways to increase connection and human touch.

Perhaps these uniquely human capacities – so well honed in facilitators –  provide the very keys to overcoming the challenges. 

After all, this is the magic that facilitators bring to the table. We make it easier for organizations and teams to solve complex problems amid uncertainty and create impact. That’s what AI can’t do, at least not yet.

Gwyn Wansbrough

Facilitator, Trainer, Editor @ The Quest newsletter, Course Creator Breakthrough Facilitation

Clients are looking for ways to increase connection and human touch.

Gwyn Wansbrough

Facilitation matters

In 2023, the topic chosen for Facilitation Week was “Facilitation Matters”. Inspired by this idea, we asked participants to give their views on two of the many possible topics related to facilitation’s impact in the world.

We asked questions around how facilitators integrate concerns for the environment and for social justice in their work, suggesting options of answers mostly as food for thought.

We appreciate that this is a simplified lens and only the tip of the iceberg. Our aim is to stimulate discussions and conversations on these topics and in that vein have included below a list of unique responses participants have offered as inspiration from their own practices.

Environmental / Climate impact

% of responses# of responses
Educating myself on these topics 57.0% Using reusable/refillable supplies 43.1% Working with projects 
that address environmental and climate change issues 40.2% Limiting travel / choosing environmentally-friendly
means of transport 39.7% Discussing these topics with clients 32.7% Sourcing local, organic
and/or vegan products for breaks 27.7% Calculating and offsetting the
carbon emissions of my workshops 9.9% Other 3.5% None 16.1%
Educating myself on these topics 543 Using reusable/refillable supplies 410 Working with projects 
that address environmental and climate change issues 383 Limiting travel / choosing environmentally-friendly
means of transport 378 Discussing these topics with clients 311 Sourcing local, organic
and/or vegan products for breaks 264 Calculating and offsetting the
carbon emissions of my workshops 94 Other 33 None 153
What practices, if any, have you used to address the environmental/climate impact of your work?

It’s very heartening to see that only 16% of respondents have not  integrated any of these practices in their work.

More online work has reduced the impact of travel on facilitation and a few respondents chose to highlight their choice to maximise the number of online or hybrid events and limit the need for travel.

The use of digital tools during in-person sessions (as we discuss above in the Changes section) is also mentioned as a way “to reduce waste and product use”.

A note of caution comes from another respondent who added that “digital pollution” (the carbon emissions behind our digital activities) is also something to be aware of. We can imagine many fruitful discussions and tips coming from this topic!

Materials were the focus of a series of quick, practical tips, including 

  • using online whiteboards during in-person workshops to save paper;
  • sourcing recycled or re-used paper for posters;
  • asking participants to write their name on masking tape to put on cups and glasses in order to re-use them during the day;
  • finding eco-friendly venues;
  • making sure all that paper waste goes into the proper recycling bins at the end of the day! 

How to combine attention to environmental topics with a facilitative stance of neutrality? One respondent noted how rather than discussing these topics with clients they elect to “refrain from being an advocate with my clients for any social or environmental issue… other than to accept them as clients or not.” 

In the same vein, respondents indicated that they have chosen to direct their career towards supporting certain types of organisations. 

We heard from respondents choosing to focus on advancing sustainable businesses”, “leading Climate Fresk workshops” and even developing a training course on outdoor facilitation.

What do you think about these responses, and what are yours? Join the conversation that continues after the report is issued, in SessionLab’s free community!

Social justice, equality and inclusion

Judging by the higher number of respondents and the lower rate of people answering “none” (12% vs 16% for the previous question), matters of social justice, inclusion and equality rank high amongst priorities for facilitators.

It’s been commented that this question was a bit of a mixed bag, throwing together matters that would well deserve their separate paragraphs, but we hope it sparks conversations and gives readers some new ideas of areas to venture in.

% of responses# of responses
Educating myself on these topics 63.0% Designing sessions to be more inclusive for participants from diverse backgrounds 62.6% Working in projects that address social justice and equality issues 48.0% Co-facilitating with colleagues from diverse backgrounds 45.4% Designing sessions to be more inclusive for participants with disabilities 41.9% Discussing these topics with clients 39.0% Offering price differentiation depending on income or other accessible pricing systems 24.2% None 12.1% Other 2.3%
Educating myself on these topics 597 Designing sessions to be more inclusive for participants from diverse backgrounds 593 Working in projects that address social justice and equality issues 455 Co-facilitating with colleagues from diverse backgrounds 430 Designing sessions to be more inclusive for participants with disabilities 397 Discussing these topics with clients 370 Offering price differentiation depending on income or other accessible pricing systems 229 None 115 Other 22
What practices, if any, have you used to address social justice, equality and inclusion in your work?

Among those who answered “other”, numerous entries concerned training and mentoring other facilitators on such topics. Here are some examples: 

Train other facilitators in how to work more inclusively with disabled people.

Hosting gatherings for facilitators and organizations on how to design and run events that are inclusive, with participants from diverse backgrounds.

Mentoring other facilitators.

Frameworks & Tools

What tools do facilitators use?

A disclaimer is in order: the SessionLab Library of facilitation techniques and its Session Planner feature prominently in these lists. We recognize that many respondents reached the survey from our networks so we are certainly over-represented here.

Tools

7% of facilitators used ChatGPT consistently during the design/planning phase of their workshops in 2023, with many more experimenting with it occasionally. Find a deeper dive into data we’ve collected around AI use in the next section.

Planning, delivery, evaluation

20232022
Top toolsFor session designFor deliveryFor evaluation
% of responses# of responses
Zoom 75.4% Offline tools 70.5% Microsoft PowerPoint 68.2% Microsoft Teams 48.9% Google Docs 48.5% Mentimeter 46.6% Miro 45.7% Microsoft Word 41.5% Google Forms 40.9% Google Slides 38.0% SessionLab 37.7% ChatGPT 36.4%
Zoom 728 Offline tools 680 Microsoft PowerPoint 658 Microsoft Teams 472 Google Docs 468 Mentimeter 450 Miro 441 Microsoft Word 400 Google Forms 395 Google Slides 367 SessionLab 364 ChatGPT 351
Zoom 76.4% Pen and paper (and sticky notes) 70.6% Microsoft PowerPoint 65.0% Mentimeter 49.7% Microsoft Teams 47.1% Google Forms 47.1% Other 45.2% Miro 43.3% Google Docs 42.5% SessionLab 37.2%
Zoom 857 Pen and paper (and sticky notes) 792 Microsoft PowerPoint 729 Mentimeter 558 Microsoft Teams 529 Google Forms 529 Other 507 Miro 486 Google Docs 477 SessionLab 417
Offline tools 70.7% Microsoft Powerpoint 59.6% Google Docs 48.6% Miro 42.8% Microsoft Word 41.5% ChatGPT 36.5% SessionLab 36.3% Canva 34.3% Google Slides 34.2% Mural 31.5% Microsoft Excel 28.7% Google Jamboard 22.5% Google Spreadsheet 21.2% Other 14.1% Apple Keynote 7.6% None 0.3%
Offline tools 680 Microsoft Powerpoint 573 Google Docs 468 Miro 412 Microsoft Word 399 ChatGPT 351 SessionLab 349 Canva 330 Google Slides 329 Mural 303 Microsoft Excel 276 Google Jamboard 216 Google Spreadsheet 204 Other 136 Apple Keynote 73 None 3
Pen and paper (and sticky notes) 70.7% Microsoft PowerPoint 54.1% Google Docs 42.6% Miro 38.2% SessionLab 36.4% Microsoft Word 36.3% Google Slides 28.6% Mural 26.4% Microsoft Excel 25.4% Google Spreadsheet 20.2% Other 19.4% None 0.4%
Pen and paper (and sticky notes) 792 Microsoft PowerPoint 607 Google Docs 477 Miro 428 SessionLab 408 Microsoft Word 407 Google Slides 321 Mural 296 Microsoft Excel 285 Google Spreadsheet 226 Other 217 None 5
Zoom 75.8% Microsoft PowerPoint 58.9% Microsoft Teams 49.2% Mentimeter 42.3% Miro 39.1% Google Slides 29.8% Mural 29.3% Google Meet 25.3% Google Forms 24.7% SessionLab 22.8% Google Jamboard 21.1% Kahoot! 14.5% Slido 13.5% Padlet 12.5% Other 10.7% Webex 8.9% Apple Keynote 6.7% Skype 4.5% Prezi 3.5% Butter 3.2% FigJam 2.7% None 2.5% Klaxoon 2.5% Stormz 2.0% Stormboard 0.3%
Zoom 728 Microsoft PowerPoint 565 Microsoft Teams 472 Mentimeter 406 Miro 375 Google Slides 286 Mural 281 Google Meet 243 Google Forms 237 SessionLab 219 Google Jamboard 203 Kahoot! 139 Slido 130 Padlet 120 Other 103 Webex 85 Apple Keynote 64 Skype 43 Prezi 34 Butter 31 FigJam 26 None 24 Klaxoon 24 Stormz 19 Stormboard 3
Zoom 76.8% Microsoft PowerPoint 55.5% Microsoft Teams 47.4% Mentimeter 46.9% Miro 38.6% Mural 28.2% Google Slides 26.8% Google Jamboard 24.6% Google Forms 24.0% SessionLab 23.9% Google Meet 20.0% Other 14.3% Kahoot! 14.3% Slido 12.5% Skype 4.5% Prezi 4.0% Butter 3.2% FigJam 2.5% None 2.1% *Padlet 1.7% *Webex 1.4% *Klaxoon 1.2% *Keynote 1.1% Stormz 0.9% Stormboard 0.9% *Canva 0.9% *Microsoft Teams 0.8%
Zoom 857 Microsoft PowerPoint 619 Microsoft Teams 529 Mentimeter 523 Miro 431 Mural 315 Google Slides 299 Google Jamboard 274 Google Forms 268 SessionLab 267 Google Meet 223 Other 160 Kahoot! 160 Slido 140 Skype 50 Prezi 45 Butter 36 FigJam 28 None 23 *Padlet 19 *Webex 16 *Klaxoon 13 *Keynote 12 Stormz 10 Stormboard 10 *Canva 10 *Microsoft Teams 9
Offline tools 37.1% Google Forms 36.7% Mentimeter 28.6% SurveyMonkey 25.8% Microsoft Forms 20.8% Other 19.2% None 9.3% Typeform 8.6% Control Room App 1.2%
Offline tools 350 Google Forms 346 Mentimeter 270 SurveyMonkey 244 Microsoft Forms 196 Other 181 None 88 Typeform 81 Control Room App 11
Google Forms 43.0% Other 30.6% Mentimeter 29.9% Paper evaluation 29.0% None 11.0% Typeform 10.5% *SurveyMonkey 5.8% *Microsoft Forms 4.2% Control Room App 1.6%
Google Forms 469 Other 334 Mentimeter 326 Paper evaluation 316 None 120 Typeform 115 *SurveyMonkey 63 *Microsoft Forms 46 Control Room App 17
Which tools did you use regularly over the past 12 months?

In the past few years, a number of tools have appeared to support facilitators in their practices. Nowadays we are seeing digital-assisted facilitation showing up during in-person events. 

Practices such as using smartphones and projectors to quickly poll participants and show results as they come in, once a novelty, have become commonplace. With so many digital tools available, it is essential for facilitators to know what they want to deliver and find the right tech to assist in doing it. 

The list of tools used in delivery of sessions is the longest, including software that is clearly used for remote facilitation only (Zoom) as well as digital tools that can be used during design (SessionLab) and those that can be used online as well as during in-person events (Mentimeter).

If we look at the list from 2023 and compare it to 2023, besides the introduction of OpenAI’s ChatGPT (more on this later) two tools for creating attractive graphics and visual learning experiences have appeared in responses, Canva and Padlet. This is an indication of the growing interest and importance of visuals and visual practices in facilitation.

Frameworks

20232022
% of responses# of responses
Brainstorming 74.6% Bespoke techniques I created myself 59.1% Design Thinking 48.4% World Café 47.6% Appreciative Enquiry 38.9% Liberating Structures 36.3% Agile 31.6% Open Space Technology 29.9% ToP (Technology of Participation) methods 19.5% Design Sprint 19.0% Art of Hosting 12.9% Lego Serious Play 11.2% Other 20.8%
Brainstorming 710 Bespoke techniques I created myself 563 Design Thinking 461 World Café 453 Appreciative Enquiry 370 Liberating Structures 346 Agile 301 Open Space Technology 285 ToP (Technology of Participation) methods 186 Design Sprint 181 Art of Hosting 123 Lego Serious Play 107 Other 198
Liberating Structures 31.0% Other 24.3% Open Space Technology 22.9% Design Sprint 18.9% Design Thinking 12.9% Technology of Participation 12.6% Art of Hosting 9.2% World Cafe 8.5% LEGO Serious Play 5.5% Appreciative Inquiry 4.9% Bespoke/own methods 4.4% Agile/Scrum 3.2% Brainstorming 2.5%
Liberating Structures 282 Open Space Technology 208 Design Sprint 172 Design Thinking 117 Technology of Participation 115 Art of Hosting 84 World Cafe 77 LEGO Serious Play 50 Appreciative Inquiry 45 Bespoke/own methods 40 Agile/Scrum 29 Brainstorming 23 Other 221
Which methodologies / techniques / frameworks have you used in your sessions over the past 12 months?

Method libraries

% of responses# of responses
SessionLab Library 35.0% Liberating Structures 32.3% None 29.2% Mural Templates 19.0% Miroverse 14.6% IAF Methods Library 14.3% Other 11.9% IDEO Design Kit 11.6% Hyper Island 10.8% Service Design Tools 6.2%
SessionLab Library 320 Liberating Structures 296 None 267 Mural Templates 174 Miroverse 134 IAF Methods Library 131 Other 109 IDEO Design Kit 106 Hyper Island 99 Service Design Tools 57
Which method toolkits / libraries did you use regularly over the past 12 months?

Focus on AI

% of responses# of responses
What generative AI tools have you used in your facilitation practice?

When we ran the survey in late 2023, 49.4% of facilitators were not yet using AI in their practice. It will be interesting to see how this changes in 2024. Will ChatGPT continue to be the most used tool, or will more specialist AI-powered tools be picked up by pioneering facilitators?

We asked an open question to collect how facilitators are integrating AI into their practices and got 257 responses to this question. We’ve aggregated the answers to see what the most common uses are, and also want to highlight some unique ways of using AI that we think have a lot of potential for the future.

Based on the input we received, it seems facilitators are using AI tools primarily in the design and preparation phase of their process. 

Before a session

💡 AI as a support to idea generation – the most common reported use of AI is to get ideas and starting points. AI acts as a sparring partner and springboard, kick-starting and speeding up the process of creating activities and even full agendas for a group. 

101 respondents mentioned some form of idea generation as their main use of AI tools. In most cases this was about ideas for individual methods or activities. (At SessionLab we’ve been thinking along the same lines, and have created an AI-assisted block creation feature you can use to ideate on new activities while working on your agenda) 

I've used it for ideation and helping me to get some thought-starters for questions as well as designing workflow.

Actually just as a test during the initial step of designing the session, as a sort of brainstorming.

Diseño de sesiones y propuesta de dinámicas.

[Design sessions and ideate activities.]

AI as copywriting assistant – there are a number of tasks that form part of a facilitator’s day beyond actually facilitating! Copywriting tasks such as creating reports, slide decks, presentations or marketing materials for courses can take time away from the actual work of facilitation.

AI-assisted copywriting was the second most reported use of these tools (89 entries). Entries include: “blog posts”, “materials for participants”, “advertising material for courses”, “catchy titles” and “invitations”.

Here is one that caught our eye: “To suggest a more upbeat write-up on my workshop synopsis.”

Many people also use AI for pre-workshop research. Exploring the subject matter, the client company’s field, and even the “culture of the geographical area I’ll be working in” are common uses of AI here.

Other, less common, uses found by facilitators in using AI assistants included:

  • Creating visuals, especially for presentations.
  • Composing scenarios for discussion, scenario planning, writing fictional cases for role play activities.
  • Improving draft agendas.
  • Help make facilitation practices more inclusive, including through translation.

I will feed my work into ChatGPT and then ask it to surmise what my goals are. If it doesn't guess correctly, then I work to make sure my plan is clearer

To generate content for different learning styles and for ND/neurotypical audiences

Wordly - an AI translation service that allows people to read or listen in real time to speakers and get the translation on their device in 38 languages. You can update the word list as you go with technical terms. Works a dream.

In session

Very few responses indicate in-session use. A few people reported using Stormz AI to cluster input and someone invited participants to use it when brainstorming to add more options to consider.

After sessions

The third most commonly reported use of AI by facilitators in 2023 (53 entries) was for summarising large quantities of information (e.g. post-its clustered on Miro boards) and transcribing and summarising conversations.

Expert INSIGHTS

65% of facilitators used AI tools in 2023.

That is huge!

Remember, OpenAI released ChatGPT only in November 2022.

So, what else do we see?

ChatGPT, the Swiss knife of AI, leads the charge in AI adoption among facilitators. Yet, we’re also seeing the timid rise of AI use within a few specialized tools like Miro, SessionLab, and Stormz.

The big picture is that we’ve been using AI for a variety of tasks covering the full spectrum of facilitation activities: from Marketing to Reporting. However, individually, each one of us has been using it only sparingly in a few select use cases:

1/ The bulk of AI use is in workshop preparation and reporting: brainstorming session ideas, creating materials, and helping with reports.

2/ There’s minimal AI usage during live workshops. The risk of real-time mishaps in front of participants and clients is possibly the reason.

Personally, I have identified 20 opportunities to leverage AI, leading to possibly hundreds of use cases (AI & Facilitation SessionLab Webinar). This suggests that facilitators are prudently testing the waters with AI, yet hesitant to take the deep dive!

And, we are right!

We’re essentially pioneers, learning to harness a powerful tool… without a manual. We’re identifying use cases and best practices as we go, exploring the “Jagged Frontier” (Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier), i.e., the rapidly moving limits of AI each week.

We must understand and navigate the limitations of AI, like hallucinations and biases. For example, we should be cautious in areas where accuracy and reliability are important and, yet, we shall embrace AI with creative tasks.

This is why I always stress the importance of understanding the basics of these “prediction machines,” even for non-coders and non-technicians like us. By grasping the fundamentals, we can clear away irrational fears and gain a clear perspective on what GenAI truly represents: a suite of facilitation tools, each with its sweet spot, limitations, and associated best practices.

The future: models getting stronger and interfaces, more intuitive. This will make using AI easier. But the real change will be in personalization. Imagine, what it will achieve when you will feed your assistant with your data – like your favorite collaborative activities or your facilitation style…

And finally, here’s a question for you:

Some things definitely have to stay human, but which ones exactly?

(Keep in mind, the answer is far more nuanced than it appears at first glance.)

Alexandre Eisenchteter

Hey there! I'm Alex. I have 20 years of experience as a facilitator and have been exploring AI for facilitation since the early days of Stormz in 2012, a platform I created to enable remote brainstorming and decision-making. I'm the founder and animator of this AITinkerers' Club, together we explore the best ways to leverage AI in our facilitation and consulting activities.

Facilitators are prudently testing the waters with AI, yet hesitant to take the deep dive!

Alexandre Eisenchteter

Resources for continuous education

How do facilitators keep learning?

As creators of facilitation content ourselves, we are alwas curious to find out where facilitators go to keep learning.

There are so many opportunities for facilitators to learn from one another, including communities, informal groups and conversations, podcasts, and newsletters edited by thought leaders in the field.

Here are the resources facilitators around the world use the most.

Resources

What are facilitators’ favorite resources for continuous learning? We asked respondents how they stay on top of the latest trends and what their go-to references are. From those responses, we compiled lists of top books, newsletters, podcasts and more.

Top 5 Most Recommended Facilitation Books

  1. The Art of Gathering, How We Meet and Why it Matters by Priya Parker (2018)
  2. Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rule-breakers, and Changemakers by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, James Macanufo (2010)
  3. Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making by Sam Kaner (1996)
  4. The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures: Simple Rules to Unleash A Culture of Innovation by Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless (2014)
  5. Facilitating Breakthrough: How to Remove Obstacles, Bridge Differences, and Move Forward Together by Adam Kahane (2021)

Top 5 Most Read Facilitation Newsletters

  1. SessionLab’s own facilitation newsletter. We realize this is due to the nature of our data collection, but are glad to hear so many of you find it a useful source of learning!
  2. IAF-world’s newsletter, sent to members of the International Association of Facilitators.
  3. Myriam Hadnes’ newsletter.
  4. AJ&Smart’s Facilitation Newsletter.
  5. We have a tie! Jan Keck’s newsletter on icemelters was mentioned as many times as Gwyn Wansbrough’s The Quest

Top 5 Most Listened-To Facilitation Podcasts

  1. Myriam Hadnes’ Workshops Work.
  2. Leanne Hughes’ First Time Facilitator Podcast.
  3. Douglas Fergusons’ Facilitation Lab Podcast (formerly known as Control the Room).
  4. IAF England and Wales’ Facilitation Stories.
  5. Beth Cougler Blom’s Facilitating on Purpose.

Top 5 Most Consulted Facilitation Websites & Blogs

  1. SessionLab’s blog (thanks!).
  2. IAF-world International Association of Facilitators website.
  3. The Liberating Structures website and blog, including the Spanish-language version Estructuras Liberadoras.
  4. AJ&Smart’s facilitation resources.
  5. Tools and activities from Gamestorming.

Communities

% of responses# of responses
Local group of practitioners 30.7% In-house group at the organization I curre... 29.7% IAF - International Association of Facilit... 20.8% ICF - International Coaching Federation 7.9% Miro Community 7.2% Liberating Structures User Group 7.1% Mural Community 5.7% ToP - Technology of Participation alumni c... 5.4% Workshopper (by AJ&Smart) 4.3% Control The Room/Facilitation Lab (by Volt... 3.9% Butter community 3.6% IAP2 - International Association for Publi... 3.3% ATD - Association for Talent Development 3.3% Art of Hosting 2.9% XCHANGE 2.4% MAFN - Mid-Atlantic Facilitator Network 2.3% NDB - NeverDoneBefore 1.9% AFN - Australasian Facilitators Network 1.9% IFVP - International Forum of Visual Pract... 1.8% EMCC - European Mentoring and Coachin 1.5% ICA - International Coaching Association 1.4% ALFA - Latin American Association of Facil... 1.3% SAFE - Southeast Association of Facilitators 0.4% Other 17.8% None 18.8%
Local group of practitioners 278 In-house group at the organization I curre... 269 IAF - International Association of Facilit... 188 ICF - International Coaching Federation 72 Miro Community 65 Liberating Structures User Group 64 Mural Community 52 ToP - Technology of Participation alumni c... 49 Workshopper (by AJ&Smart) 39 Control The Room/Facilitation Lab (by Volt... 35 Butter community 33 IAP2 - International Association for Publi... 30 ATD - Association for Talent Development 30 Art of Hosting 26 XCHANGE 22 MAFN - Mid-Atlantic Facilitator Network 21 NDB - NeverDoneBefore 17 AFN - Australasian Facilitators Network 17 IFVP - International Forum of Visual Pract... 16 EMCC - European Mentoring and Coachin 14 ICA - International Coaching Association 13 ALFA - Latin American Association of Facil... 12 SAFE - Southeast Association of Facilitators 4 Other 161 None 170
What professional communities/organizations are you actively participating in?

Expert INSIGHTS

I deeply value community. From my early childhood in a supportive rural community, through many years immersed in a vibrant music scene, to running a CTO community and launching Facilitation Lab, the concept of community has been a consistent and vital thread in my life’s work. The journey since starting Facilitation Lab back in 2017 has been both rewarding and enlightening. Witnessing its growth alongside the wider facilitation ecosystem has reinforced my belief in the power of community. 

We can see from the data that a large majority of community participation is local (whether in their region or at their company). Otherwise, people are spread out across a variety of organizational or institutional communities. These responses resonate with much of what we’ve heard from our community members. Facilitation necessitates ongoing practice, and it’s important to have a supportive and local space to grow that practice in community.  

Respondents’ top practice challenges were mainly about keeping up with current trends and adapting to the needs of clients (especially when it comes to more difficult or fraught topics). Close behind was the essential work of running a facilitation business: finding clients, getting paid adequately, etc. 

To help address these challenges, dedicate time to engage in peer communities of practice, leverage the resources in this study, and regularly play with new facilitation technologies.

For improvements in the business side facilitation, seek out branding and marketing support (webinars can help here if resources are tight), utilize CRM tools, and ask about these issues in your community of practice. Real growth in facilitation comes from continuous and iterative practice in community.

Douglas Ferguson

Douglas Ferguson

Facilitator, Author, Founder @ Voltage Control, Host @ Facilitation Lab Podcast

Real growth in facilitation comes from continuous and iterative practice in community.

Douglas Ferguson

In closing

Facilitation today is a balancing act. On the one hand, facilitators must remain grounded in timeless values and skills, such as reading the room and cultivating emotional intelligence. These are irreplaceable (so far!) human abilities which clients and participants truly value the most. 

On the other, constant learning and rapid integration of new practices is required to stay up to date in an ever-evolving landscape of digital tools and assistants, including the emergence of AI.

At the closing of this second edition of the State of Facilitation report, we are left with a lot of gratitude for all the people who helped shape it with their feedback, commentary and, of course, the time spent responding to the survey. 

We are also left with four big challenges we think the entire facilitation community faces in 2024:

The digital paradox

Are we using digital tools to save time and mental energy so we can focus on important human dimensions, or are we getting distracted? How can we strengthen and communicate the core values of facilitation in balance with the rise of digital tools?

Who gets to say they are facilitators?

What proves that a facilitator is skilled in the core competencies in the field? A consolidation of facilitation certifications and accreditation programs might well be needed in order to professionalise the sector and help guide client choices.

Representation and diversity

We must keep working on representation and strive to make the profession more accessible. It's vital we take opportunities to amplify the voices of colleagues in far-flung corners of the world and learn from others, even across different languages and fields.

What does AI mean for us?

Facilitators can't afford to ignore AI. As a community, we need to learn and experiment quickly in order to unlock the potential of AI assistants. What will digitally-assisted facilitation look like next year?

What open questions are you left with? What new ideas did reading this report spark for you?

Join the conversation in our Community!

Your comments and feedback will also help shape the next edition of the State of Facilitation survey: some questions will stay the same (to allow for the emergence of patterns) but we have quite a few ideas for improvement already, and would love to hear yours.

2024 Survey

Want to take part in this year’s survey?

No problem! We’ll tell you when the State of Facilitation Survey is ready. Just leave your email below — we will not use your email address for anything else than notifying you when the survey is open.

report promo kit

Help us get the word out!

Can you help us expand our reach? 

Start conversations on facilitation wherever you are: on social media, in your newsletter, with colleagues, clients and friends. We’ve created a promo kit where you can find easy-to-share visuals to help us spread the word. 

State of Facilitation Report Promo Kit

Thank you

Special thanks to the following people for helping us creating this report.

You!

Pollster

Filip Kis

Editor-in-Chief, Founder & CTO @ SessionLab

Deborah Rim Moiso

Report Editor, Content Writer @ SessionLab

Irene Maweu

Expert Insight, Founder @ The Heart of African Facilitation

John Kingsley Cornwel

Expert Insight, IAF Social Inclusion Special Interest Group

Marie Dubost

Expert Insight,Trainer and Accessibility geek.

Kirsty Lewis

Expert Insight, Founder @ School of Facilitation

Hector Villarreal Lozoya

Expert Insight, Trainer, Facilitator, Founder @ Facilitación Virtual

Nathy Ravez

Expert Insight, Founder @ La Workshoppeuse

Leanne Hughes

Expert Insight, Author and Host @ First Time Facilitator

Robert Kienzle

Expert insight, Senior Consultant @ Knowmium

Myriam Hadnes

Expert Insight, Founder @ NeverDoneBefore

Gwyn Wansbrough

Expert Insight, Author @ The Quest

Douglas Ferguson

Expert Insight, President @ Voltage Control

Alexandre Eisenchteter

Expert Insight, Founder @ Stormz and AI Tinkerers' Club

Laura Vidal

Design, UX Designer @ SessionLab

Appendix

How we collected and analyzed the data

Data was collected through a survey run between September and November 2023 using the Jotform platform. Respondents could choose whether to answer in English or Spanish.

To obtain responses we promoted the survey in our SessionLab newsletter subscribers and to our users, as well as our partners’ networks, various facilitation-related communities and social media channels.

Due to limited tracking capabilities, we cannot tell with certainty where the responses come from.  Correlating our promotion efforts with response rate gives us a good estimate that the majority came from our own users and newsletter subscribers. External networks and partners contributed a smaller but still significant number of responses. Our aim for future reports is to further even out this distribution and improve the reach of the survey.

The survey reached 3517 individuals and had a 27% completion rate resulting in 975 responses. As most questions were optional, when we present results to these questions we exclude those who did not answer the specific question. Therefore, our charts always display the number of responses collected for each question.

When analyzing the data, we used visualizations to present the data distribution. In the report we included the basic breakdown of the data, and in a few cases a few alternative breakdowns, while in our analysis we used many more views of the data to try to identify patterns.

For the open-ended questions, we used both manual and automatic methods, with some help from ChatGPT 4.0, to classify the responses, and several people were involved in cross-checking final results. We shared our analysis and data breakdowns with domain experts who additionally provided their insights.

WHO IS BEHIND THE REPORT?

The State of Facilitation report is an initiative from SessionLab – A better way to design workshops.

With our Session Planner and library of methods we support facilitators and workshop designers because nothing pleases us more than excellent collaboration. With this yearly survey and report, we are holding up a mirror to the profession in order to inform, challenge and inspire.

If you have any questions about the report or the data behind it, or want to contribute to the next edition, get in touch with us on state-of-facilitation@sessionlab.com.