1. GROUP WHISPERING Helping groups find their hidden power Carol Sherriff and Simon Wilson

2. What is ‘Group Whispering’  A way for facilitators to help groups find the power to solve their own problems and create their own solutions  Groups are doing the best they can with the resources they have  Groups have more power than the individuals that make up the group  The facilitator’s job is to help the group unlock their power and focus it

3. Why Group Whispering  Many standard facilitation approaches result in groups feeling that things are being done to them  When groups most need to dig deep they also need to find their own way  Facilitators need to be able to focus on what really matters and avoid being drawn into the superficial

4. Tools and techniques 1. Reading the non-verbal communication of the group 2. Unlocking the energy of the group by working with its stories and metaphors 3. Questions that help the group work through its frustrations and benefit from its diversity 4. Helping the group understand its power over individual members 5. Introducing the group to ways of co-creating solutions and new ideas 6. Understanding your own behaviour in a group

5. Group Whisperer  Still your mind  Allow the internal talk, pictures, feelings to fade  Focus on the group with a ‘soft’ gaze  Notice what you notice  Working in pairs  Person A describes a group they have worked with (1 min)  Person B goes into group whisperer state and senses the group described  Quick feedback and change roles

6. Unlocking the energy of metaphors  Metaphors help groups reach deep understanding of what matters to them  A metaphor is a way of talking about one thing in terms of another thing

7. Unlocking the energy of metaphors  Capture the metaphors members of the group use to describe themselves  Ask the group to agree the metaphor they want to explore  Get into the Group Whisperer state  Ask open and ‘clean’ questions  Move the metaphor on – ‘what happens next?’  Debrief the metaphor – what did the group learn?

8. To find out more  ‘Metaphors at Work’ in the IAF handbook, Creating a Culture of Collaboration  Podcasts and resources from Riders on the Storm  Questions eBook  Contact us carol.sherriff@wilsonsherriff.com