Creating an honorable close to the workshop

Occasionally a work session may not go as planned. Due to various reasons, the session agenda may have to be drastically changed and even canceled by the manager or the sponsor. In such cases, the facilitator must always re-contract the agenda activities with the workshop manager/sponsor to accommodate any changes they might wish. The changed agenda may call for ending the workshop. If this occurs, the facilitator must begin wrapping up the closing items of the agenda (such as Next Steps, Communication Plan, and follow-up documentation).

Then thank the participants, and allow the manager or sponsor to formally close the workshop. This is an honorable way of wrapping up a session where unexpected issues cause it not to proceed further. Remember, the facilitator is responsible for the process and context, not the content. In conclusion, of this chapter, let me share with you The Facilitator’s Mantra inspired by my colleague Vince...