To be inspired means to be stimulated to take action. To get surprised. To discover opportunities, to combat challenges. To be encouraged to make an effort, to feel enthusiastic and self-confident. Inspiration comes from the inside and is a mirror of an individual's spiritual state, desires, and expectations.
Contents
What is not inspiring
- When you overwhelm your learners with a lot of ideas or opportunities that they don’t understand (yet).
- When you direct a cognitive process too forcefully and participants don’t discover the whole range of opportunities that might otherwise appear to them.
- When you evaluate your learners’ ideas as adequate, reflective, or utopian. Evaluation at this point is limiting, whereas inspiration presents opportunity.
What is inspiring:
Beliefs and Values
- Trusting in participants’ ideas and capacities to do things on their own
- Showing fairness and honesty: truthfulness, honoring arrangements, fulfillment of tasks on time, keeping promises you made to your participants, transparency as to how you want to achieve your goals
- Allowing space for experimentation and making mistakes
- Staying aligned with your own values and passions and showing it
- Building relationships based on empathy, transparency, and fairness
Teacher's/facilitator's attitude
- Being aware of the power of words: motivating, building self-esteem, encouraging
- Critical thinking, accepting feedback about your own actions
- An orientation toward problem solving and showing creativity in the face of challenges
- Showing acceptance and understanding, focusing on lessons learned and emphasizing successes
Actions toward participants
- Encouraging participants to make independent decisions
- Encouraging participants to face new challenges by getting out of their comfort zone and into their learning zone
- Leaving space for reflection and fostering conscious learning through action
- Encouraging participants to ask for help if needed
How far does inspiration go?
As a facilitator, you can inspire learners to assume active social positions in different ways – either smoothly, almost invisibly, or explicitly. What you choose depends on the learners’ needs and on your personality.
Retentive involvement
- Let things be. Devote time, attention, and appreciation.
- Ask questions, support people in taking new directions
Moderate involvement
- Name strengths and potentials, help to uncover resources
- Address socially relevant issues openly, foster critical thinking
- Make your values clear and follow them rigorously
Strong involvement
- Be a role model, share personal stories of engagement
- Invite others to engage with what you enjoy
Handbook for Facilitators: Steps toward Action
M. Gawinek-Dagargulia (ed.), N. Zimmermann (ed.), E. Skowron (ed.) (2016). Steps toward action. Empowerment for self-responsible initiative. Help your learners to discover their vision and to turn it into concrete civic engagement. Competendo Handbook for Facilitators.
Marta Anna Gawinek-Dagargulia
Facilitator, coordinator of empowerment programs, author and program manager in the fields of cultural activism and civi education. Lives in Warsaw (Poland), head of SKORO association.
