Chris Corrigan's Facilitation tools

[Chris Corrigan]

Here is the collection of resources I use in my facilitation practice.  By and large these resources support facilitation of participatory and self-organizing process at scales ranging from very small groups to large conferences.  I use some of these tools directly and others as inspirations to design and create my own processes.

The first section provides links to participatory group process that are inclusive and self-organizing to varying degrees.  The section on process architecture and maps contains links to sites whose worldviews can inform process design from single meetings to large scale change.  The next three sections cover more specific tools useful for particular purposes, and finally the last section contains links to sources of ongoing inspiration.

Taken together, this page could be said to form my facilitation manual.  I hope it serves you as well.  The most current form of this list can be found on my website.

Start Here

• The Art of Powerful Questions.  A brilliant guide to creating and working with powerful questions.  The basis for all good participatory design.
• The Chaordic Stepping Stones. A planning tool I use to guide groups through an organized conversation about design.

Group Process Methodologies

• Open Space Technology- My own collection of resources relating to this transformative approach to group work and leadership.
• Open Space World – The online home of the global Open Space Technology community.
• The World Cafe – The basic form of a powerful dialogue process.
• World Cafe supply list.  An excellent article on supplies needed to host a World Cafe.
• Conversation Cafe – Resources to support cultures of conversation.
• Bohmian Dialogue – Thinking on the underpinnings of David’s Bohm’s Dialogue process.
• Basics for calling a circle – From Christina Baldwin and Ann Linnea, developers of PeerSpirit Circling

Process architecture and maps

• A Pattern Language for Group Process – A collaborative project to map the essential patterns of life affirming group process.
• Civic Engagement and the Restoration of Community – An excellent resource from Peter Block on changing the nature of the conversation within community.
• Chaordic Commons – The home of chaordic design on the web. Chaordic process works with chaos and order to produce emergent structure and action.
• Chaordic Design Principles – Steps and principles for developing chaordic structures.
• Appreciative Inquiry by David L. Cooperider and Diana Whitney. An introduction to Appreciative Inquiry and its uses.(.doc)
• The Appreciative Inquiry Commons – The online home of the appreciative inquiry practitioner community.
• Theory U – A map for learning from the emerging future.
• Systems Thinking – Tools and underlying philosophy of systems thinking approaches.
• Places to intervene in a system, the classic essay by Donella Meadows.

Suites of Tools

• Art of Hosting tools and resources from Toke Moeller and Monica Nissen
• International Association of Facilitators Methods Database – Free to register, hundreds of process outlines.
• Theory U tools – A set of exercises and tools for working with Otto Scharmer’s Theory U.
• The Questioning Toolkit – Resources for developing questions.
• Systems Thinking Tools – Tools for creating systemic co-learning in organizations and communities.
• Mindmapping – A list of links to mind mapping sites. I often use mind mapping to record conversations and dialogue on flipcharts.
• Visual facilitation tools – Steven Wright’s collection of software and resources to help lift the conversation off the page.
• Getting started with graphic facilitation.  A primer.
• Strategic Questioning (.pdf) – A great resource by Fran Peavey on the power of using strategic questions to create movement
• Non-violent communication – An introduction to a powerful process for communicating needs and facilitating peace.
• Scenario Planning Resources – Tools for developing and prototyping futures.
• Strategy Tools for Community Planning – From the community problem solving team at MIT.
• Tools for working with Story in Organizations – from Steve Denning.
• Strategic Planning using the Technology of Participation – a basic approach to participatory planning.
• The art and Science of Story Part 1 and Part 2 – Dave Snowden’s method for working with anectdotes, archetypes and meaning in organizations.
• Action Research Resources – for learning while doing.
• Consensus Decision Making Tools – collected by Tree Bresson
• A Handbook for Formal Consensus Decsision Making - by C.T. Butler and Amy Rothstein
• Innovations in Democracy: tools and inspiration for citizen partici... – from DemocracyInnovations.org and the Co-Intellegence Institute

Tools for embodying learning

• Warrior of the Heart – Blending aikido and the art of hosting
• Activities and exercises for groups – From Firestarter
• Training Games – From the Thiagi newsletter.
• The Encyclopedia of Improv Games – Hundreds of ways to engage and play.

Specific Exercises

• Community River of LIfe – An exercise to create a shared understanding of where we are in the story of our organization or community’s life.
• The Work of Byron Katie – a tool for freeing ourselves from thoughts that imprison us.
• Dynamic Facilitation process skeleton – A method of honouring and working with group energy to support “AHA” moments.  Read Jim Rough’s great article about Dynamic Facilitation as well.
• The Art of the Focused Conversation – Overview of a great tool for focusing conversations and leading into dialogue.
• Anecdote Circles – Shawn Callahan’s process on using stories to size up a situation.
• Martin Leith’s Idea Generation Methods – A great collection of tools for creative group work (currently down, but if you find it in the web, let me know).
• Creativity Techniques – Basic processes for new perspectives and ideas.
• Polarity Management: A Summary Introduction by Barry Johnson. A very useful summary of a tool I use to help groups move beyond either/or thinking (.doc)
• The Interview Matrix – Instructions and forms for using a powerful brainstorming and dialogue tool (.pdf)

Inspiration

• Art of Hosting – Resources and knowledge for practicing inspired hosting.
• Institute for Cultural Affairs – the home of the Technology of Participation
• A List Of Books In My Library – Inspired advice and other resources
• Bookmarks – My bookmarks on facilitation
• Facilitation posts from my weblog.

[Ria Baeck]

Hello Chris,
I didn't have time yet to thank you for your huge collection here! Really fantastic! Thanks a lot!
(the last bit has a smaller font, can you change that?)

[Jasmine Cargill]

Wow Chris! Radical sharing! Thanks!

[Simon d'Orsogna]

Yes, yes, yes - Thanks Chris!

And I am really glad you mention Dynamic Facilitation with Jim Rough. A small gem.