Seminar Facilitation

(November 23– 30, 2007)
by Narwin J. Espiritu

Narwin J. Espiritu

I have always been someone who develops anxiety before a public presentation. This is not unusual for a person who lacks confidence and is always conscious of other’s opinions. Being a staff member at The Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung’s Philippine office also added significant pressure for a self-confessed introvert such as me.

Somewhere along the way however, something happened: I experienced feelings of self-discovery, self-appreciation and self-confidence. As a result, I am eternally grateful for having been given the opportunity to facilitate and moderate in a liberal atmosphere.

Along with 22 participants from 18 countries, I attended the seminar on “International Moderation Training” from 15-21 October 2007 at the International Academy for Leadership (IAF) at the Theodor Heuss Academy in Gummersbach, Germany.

For the first time, I experienced being involved in an international seminar in a diverse and industrialized country. My interests intensified, and I was eager to learn new skills for self-improvement. I was given a chance to conquer my fear of giving public presentations.

The Facilitators and the Participants

Having professional and experienced facilitators on hand helped in many ways. Dr. Stefan Melnik and Ms. Bettina Hegmann made the seminar a lively and comfortable experience. The mix of culture, traditions, and language brought about by the participants from five different regions gave us all the chance to learn how to moderate and facilitate from various perspectives. What I am truly proud of with this group however, are the strong bonds of camaraderie and friendship that developed over the course of the training.

Activities like early morning jogging, sight-seeing, shopping and indoor activities at night are just some of the unconventional approaches employed by the group to encourage cohesion among the participants. One memorable game was Wolves and Villagers, where quarreling and bickering are promoted. Since the success of the game depends on how much individual personalities clash, the moderators were surprised at how comfortable everyone became towards the end.

Energizer and Division of Groups

Another exciting feature of the seminar was the energizers. The moderators asked the participants to do ‘energizers’ at the start of the day, and another energizer before the afternoon session. I also learned that the division of groups should depend on what the facilitators hope to achieve for each session. Facilitators take into account the personalities and backgrounds of the participants, along with the subject at hand. I realize now that a good training workshop requires a relaxing atmosphere for all the participants.
Participants need to be in their comfort zones in order to be physically and mentally focused on the sessions.

Live Recorded Presentations

Another memorable part of the seminar was when each participant was tasked to do a five minute presentation. We were given enough time to prepare our materials and speeches. A video recorder was used to capture all the presentations. At the end of the session, all the videos were played and analyzed not only by the moderators, but also by the other participants. One would receive insights on proper moderation skills as well as constructive suggestions on areas that needed improvement.

Stage fright seemed to be common during all the presentations. Each participant had their own method of presenting their topic. Some used notes and cards, while others just spoke spontaneously. The more skilled moderators and participants delivered their presentations with ease, particularly the politicians who are used to giving speeches in public. By watching their own video, the presenter could easily notice their own mistakes. One thing I realized is that regardless of one’s experience with public speaking, everyone actually had their own share of stage fright during the session. This made me feel comfortable and confident.

Dealing with Stage Fright

The seminar taught us the most basic ways to deal with stage fright: how to stand up straight, relaxing the body, not making your legs and waist stiff and anchoring your feet from left to right. Other methods included focusing attention on the audience who in turn respond through eye contact. We learned that one should never be affected by negative external factors that may cause one to lose focus. In the end however, we were taught that the best way to reduce stage fright is just to come very well prepared.

Helpful Methods for Facilitation

The facilitators taught us on how to control and moderate our voices. We were taught to do respiratory exercises such as proper breathing, and we practiced word clarity by reading tongue-twisters on handouts.

We also learned the proper use of moderation boards, flipcharts and cue cards. The facilitators also disclosed tips and tricks on how to put invisible marks or labels that would make presentations easier. In the end, we came to the conclusion that a good facilitator should also have the ability to improvise.

Appearance also plays an important role in conducting presentations. Our facilitators cited a survey on what areas usually catch the audience’s attention. The survey was conducted by Hamburg University in Germany. They learned that 60 percent of the audience’s attention goes to body language, 30 percent to choice of words and 7 percent to 10 percent goes to actual content. With this in mind, we were taught the proper use of hand gestures, the suitable clothes to wear and the content preparation.

Another important skill required for facilitators is clear hand-writing. We were taught calligraphy, which involves the proper use of markers depending on the written medium and also on the range and number of audience members in a particular seminar.

With all of these experiences and skills we shared and learned, I can say that we have achieved our goal during this once-in-a-lifetime seminar. My gratitude goes to our hardworking facilitators and to my newfound liberal friends. May we all go and share what we have learned with our countrymen.