Expanding My Work as a Facilitator

As we head into late May, that dazzlingly green and beautiful season has arrived once again this year - this is my most favourite time of the year!

I’m still spending much of my time working as a university lecturer, but perhaps because I now feel ready to adjust that balance going forward, I no longer feel the same sense of uneasiness or frustration I used to. One reason I’ve reached that mindset is that, over the past few months, I’ve been focusing more intentionally on my work as a facilitator.

This April marked four years since I was certified as a Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF) by the International Association of Facilitators (IAF), headquartered in Canada. It was time for my recertification review, and preparing the required documents gave me a valuable opportunity to reflect on my work over the past four years as a facilitator. As I worked on the application, I found myself thinking again, “I want to do more facilitation,” and “I want to share the value and appeal of facilitation.”

Another key reason was the opportunity I had in February to host and facilitate an online event with anti-nuclear activist Ms. Ruiko Muto, whom I welcomed for the second time (the last one was four years ago, in 2021 that was the 10th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster). Both the preparation for the event and the experience itself gave me the chance to reflect on how I show up and engage as a facilitator, and I could feel how much I’ve grown over these four years.

What’s more, I was deeply encouraged by the words I received about my facilitation from Ms. Muto and Ms. Misaki Matsuo, who joined the event as a youth representative.

Chizu-san’s facilitation style creates a gentle, calm atmosphere that is very comforting. She values not only the presentations but also the time for each person to reflect, savour what they’ve heard, and find their own words—honouring the lingering resonance of the dialogue.

In settings like this, people sometimes feel the urge to speak at length or make strong criticisms, but she managed such moments with care, creating a sense of safety.

ー　From Ms Ruiko Muto

Amid a passionate exchange of diverse perspectives, Chizu served as a stabilizing presence - never dismissing any viewpoint, but instead embracing each with positive and thoughtful language that fostered an open and welcoming atmosphere.

At the same time, she skillfully ensured that the discussion remained focused, guiding it with precision so that it steadily progressed toward its intended goal. Her facilitation was akin to meticulously weaving individual threads - delicately and intentionally intertwining diverse opinions to create a rich and cohesive dialogue.

Her ability to seamlessly connect differing perspectives and shape them into a unified flow not only brought warmth and a sense of shared understanding to the discussion but also led to meaningful and tangible outcomes.

I sincerely hope that Chizu’s exceptional facilitation skills will continue to be leveraged in discussions, negotiations, and decision-making processes, helping to foster a more constructive and harmonious world.

ー　From Ms Misaki Matsuo

Top: From left – Ruiko, Misaki, and myself.

Receiving such kind words made me feel strongly: “I want to make the most of this—I want to keep using and building on it!” (By the way, though only in Japanese for now, you can watch Ruiko and Misaki's presentations from the event here.)

The International Association of Facilitators (IAF) defines facilitation as process facilitation, meaning that delivering content—like in workshops or training sessions—is not considered the core role of a facilitator, at least according to IAF’s original definition (though in practice, people who deliver content are often also called facilitators, which can be a bit confusing).

Recently, I’ve had more opportunities to engage in that original form of facilitation. For example, here in The Hague, I co-founded a group called Seed Group The Hague with a diverse group of friends I’ve met in the city. We use the Open Dialogue method, choosing a theme each time and holding a space for thoughtful dialogue around it.

As part of expanding my work as a facilitator, I led a workshop this April at the IAF England & Wales conference in Birmingham. Most participants were practising facilitators, so I wanted to create a space for sharing insights and experiences among peers. I designed the session around the theme of Holding Truly Inclusive Meetings (I wrote about this in more detail on a LinkedIn post).

Although it wasn’t a process facilitation session as such, the most valuable outcome of attending the conference was the strong sense of confidence it gave me—to continue on this path as a facilitator and to broaden the scope of my work.

Moving forward, I hope to expand not only content-based facilitation for workshops and trainings, but also process facilitation for dialogues and meetings.

To align with this month’s Facilitation Week, I’ve brought the workshop I did in Birmingham online. The English-language version took place on 15 May and turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for new connections and meaningful exchange.

The Japanese-language version will be held on 23 May. If you’re interested, you’re warmly invited to join! You can find more details and register here.