The “Course Topics” series from Manage Train Learn and Slide Topics is a collection of over 4000 slides that will help you master a wide range of management and personal development skills. The 202 PowerPoints in this series offer you a complete and in-depth study of each topic. This presentation is on "The Art of Non-Doing".

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The Art of Non-Doing
Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
FACILITATION SKILLS
The Art of Non-Doing

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The Art of Non-Doing
Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
The Course Topics series from Manage Train Learn is a large collection of topics that will help you as a learner
to quickly and easily master a range of skills in your everyday working life and life outside work. If you are a
trainer, they are perfect for adding to your classroom courses and online learning plans.
COURSE TOPICS FROM MTL
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The Art of Non-Doing
Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
ARE YOU READY?
OK, LET’S START!

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The Art of Non-Doing
Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
INTRODUCTION
There is a paradox at the heart of facilitation as there is at
the heart of all people management; and that is, that to get
people to do great things, we, the facilitators, need to allow
things to happen, not by doing a lot but by doing as little as
possible. When we get out of their way, they have the space
to grow. When we stop thinking for them, they start to think
for themselves. And when we stop telling them what our
solutions are, they come up with the best solutions of all.

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The Art of Non-Doing
Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
NON-DOING
Managing people without doing things ourselves is a foreign
concept to most people in the Western world. Here our
tradition is one of managing by harnessing, directing,
controlling, dominating, exploiting and using.
Non-doing is an Eastern concept best expressed in the
philosophy of Taoism. This is the tradition of letting things
happen naturally without forcing them. It is based on the
belief that people are naturally creative, spontaneous and
aware and that we "manage" them best when we
encourage these gifts to grow in each person rather than
impose our wills on others.
This management philosophy of making things happen by
non-doing is exquisitely expressed in the Taoist principle of
Wu Wei which means "effortless effort".

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Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
ATTENTIVENESS
When you practise non-doing in a group leadership role, it
does not mean that you are doing nothing. It means you are
still, quiet and attentive to what is going on.
Being attentive means being aware of what is happening in
the group without judging it and without wanting to give it
meaning. You can observe physical interaction, who is
included, who is left out; you can observe the nature and
quality of interactions, whether slow or quick, high-spirited
or dull; you can observe what is happening in order to
detect whether the group needs your help to change its
direction.
Attentiveness allows you to do what nobody else in the
group can do and that is to see the group as a group. As
such, you can make a key contribution to the group's
awareness of itself.

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Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
PHIL AND IRENE ON NON-DOING
Phil was new to facilitative groupwork and was
having some difficulty with the idea of non-
doing skills.
Over coffee he had a chat with Irene who had
been a facilitative trainer for some years.
"What exactly are non-doing skills, Irene?"
"Well," said Irene, "what do you think they
are...?"
Phil replied:
“Presumably sitting doing nothing. If that's all
there is, where's the skill in that?"
"But in leading a group are you ever just sitting
doing nothing?"
Phil thought for a moment.
"No, I suppose not...I suppose you're listening or
at least trying to listen...The skill would be to
listen closely without any kind of judgment,
letting people know you're listening, so that
they can hear themselves...I know it's quite hard
to just sit and say nothing when you're dying to
make your point or tell someone where they're
going wrong...so I suppose that's a non-doing
kind of skill."
"Anything else?“
"Well, I always think silence goes with
listening..."
"Mmm..."
"...and I suppose when you're not rushing to put
your point of view, people feel able to work out
their own point of view. They don't have to take
what you say into account...just their own
thoughts...Wow, that's something when you
think about it...it means you don't just get
conformity...or agreement or
disagreement...you actually encourage genuine
views...
"And this can all happen by being there,
allowing people the time and space to be
themselves and doing nothing.
"Thanks, Irene, you've really helped me a lot!"

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Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
SILENCE
In traditional forms of groupwork, such as talking shop and
control groups, silence signifies a lack of knowledge, an
inability to act, a loss for words, an admission that you don't
know what to do next. Consequently, silences are rare.
In facilitative groups, silences are aids to understanding.
They can be a way to comment without words; a way to
search for deeper meaning; a chance to rest; a natural gap
because you really have nothing to say; a pause for
reflection; or simply a respite from active work. They may
be a way for the facilitator to indicate to the group that he
or she has no superior knowledge and that it is for them to
make the next move. Silence can mean whatever we want it
to mean.
"The one who speaks does not know; the one who knows
does not speak." (Lao Tzu)

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Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
SUBTLE SUPPORT
Subtle support is a valuable facilitative technique which
allows you to give support to others in a group without
making them dependent on you.
1. you can give subtle support to people who are shy in
groups and find it hard to speak up by sitting opposite
them and giving non-verbal cues of encouragement
2. you can give subtle support to those who want to be
leaders within the group by sitting close to them
3. you can give subtle support to those who deserve
compliments by praising what they do rather than
praising them. Praising what people do sounds more
sincere and avoids embarrassing people.
Whenever you are tempted to display your support ("Look
at me, I'm showing you support!"), rein it back in so that it is
almost imperceptible.

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The Art of Non-Doing
Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
CHARISMA
Charisma is a quality that belongs to the art of non-doing. It
enables you to influence others simply by your presence
and attentiveness.
One of the most charismatic people ever to have lived was
President John F. Kennedy. It was said that when you spoke
to Kennedy, you were made to feel that nothing else in the
world mattered to him at that moment than you, your
thoughts and feelings. That's the effect of charisma.
The word "charisma" comes from the "Charities" or Graces
of Greek mythology. These were three goddesses, Aglaia,
Euphrosyne, and Thalia, who were reputed to have given
humour, graciousness and good manners to mankind.

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Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
LEADERSHIP
Like it or not, the group will turn to the facilitator at critical
moments in the life of a group...
• to exert authority (especially if someone challenges the
agreed rules)
• to be a model of legitimate and compassionate authority
• to be the expert
• to inform
• to adjudicate
• to empower
• to reward
• to provide feedback.
The facilitator does not respond to the need for leadership
by wresting control back from the group, but rather uses the
skills of gentle leadership to help them lead themselves.
"The true leader is always led." (Carl Jung)

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Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
GENTLE LEADERSHIP
Gentle leadership comes from gentle interventions: a gentle
frown; a gentle look; a gentle smile; a gentle touch; a gentle
nudge; a gentle few words; gentle persuasion.
Other techniques of gentle persuasion are:
1. suggesting options but without forcing the group to
choose
2. posing questions to make people think
3. pointing out possible consequences
4. making a point indirectly through stories, anecdotes,
myth and legends, the way gentle leaders throughout
history have always conveyed their message.
"Gentle interventions, if they are clear, overcome rigid
resistance. If gentleness fails, try yielding or stepping back
altogether. When the leader yields, resistance fails." (John
Heider)

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The Art of Non-Doing
Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
3D LEADERS
The 3-D leader is the leader who can lead a group from any
of the following three positions:
1. out in front of the group
2. in amongst the group
3. at the back of the group.
The 3-D leader is like the mountain guide who knows when
to tell the group to "Follow me!", when to mix in amongst
them to gain their confidence; and when to let everyone
climb a cliff first so that he can check their progress and
safety from below.
The distinctive mark of the 3-D leader is care; and from
caring comes the courage to try bold things.

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Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
CLASS
The skilled facilitator has no need to prove himself or herself
to the group. When interventions are made, they are as a
last resort; when skills are used, they are always
understated.
"One thing that all of us must understand, whether it is in
selling, business or in our relationships with others, is not to
come on too strong. Many of us tend to do this. We get so
excited that our enthusiasm outruns the content of our
message. That is, the harder you try, the more doubt you
imply to the listener.
There is a phrase that covers this. The object is to be so
strong, so powerful, that you can afford to be gentle. As
change occurs, as your growth happens from inside, you will
become more powerful, more confident. So you can
become gentle, at ease and real. Which is another way of
saying you will have class." (Louis Tice)

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The Art of Non-Doing
Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
THE LEADER AS CATALYST
A catalyst is a substance that merely by its presence, causes
change in other substances.
The group facilitator acts as catalyst when he or she shows
the group genuine understanding, offers them recognition,
helps them to make sense of their problems and encourages
them to be all they can be.
1. At the feeling level, she is wooer, charmer, and
empathizer
2. At the thinking level, he is interpreter, questioner and
stimulator
3. At the valuing level, she is champion, enabler and
nurturer.
None of these roles are played up front as if to say: "Look at
me". They are always applied with a light and gentle touch.

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Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
DOING NOTHING TO DO IT ALL
In her book, “The David Solution – How to
Liberate Your Organisations through
Empowerment”, Valerie Stewart tells the
following tale about doing nothing to achieve
everything.
In the days when empowerment was all the
rage, one of the popular gurus was Chris Argyris.
A small firm decided that it ought to embrace
the concept and decided to buy a whole day of
Argyris’s time to explain what it was all about to
the board.
On the appointed day, Argyris took his seat.
After a period of silence, one of the board
members started to explain some of their
problems. Another board member then took up
the narrative and was shortly joined by another
and another. But still silence from Argyris. Soon
the walls of the room were covered with
flipcharts. Everyone was now in animated
discussion but still nothing from Argyris.
His silenced continued throughout lunch.
At 3 o’clock, the MD finished an elaborate
summary of the day’s discussion. Argyris stood
up, went to the flipchart and picked up one of
the marker pens. A hushed silence fell on the
board.
He then put the cap on the marker and, as he
replaced it in the trough, said, “You know, if you
don’t put the caps back on these things, they
dry up.” And that was the last thing he said.
Valerie Stewart says: “Here was a man not
prepared to play the game of dependency and
disempowerment. His gift was in knowing that
the group already had all they needed to make
the changes they wanted. He didn’t have to
“do” anything but everything needed was
done.”

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Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
THAT’S
IT!
WELL DONE!

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The Art of Non-Doing
Facilitation Skills
MTL Course Topics
THANK YOU
This has been a Slide Topic from Manage Train Learn