Shit Facilitators Say

I'm just a facilitator
Standing in front of a group
Begging them to keep report-outs to 3 minutes

You ok babe? You hardly stood for your vision stand.

Pro tip: when nobody knows what the next action is, suggest a landscape analysis.

A pack of huge Post Its

When they bring out the good Post Its:

I just facilitated 10 facilitators and lived to tell the tale. Ask me anything.

Sh*t Facilitators Say, with Sarah From of “Sh*t Facilitators Say’, Thu, Mar 12, 2026, 6:00 PM | Meetup **Sh\*t Facilitators Say with Sarah From of “Sh\*t Facilitators Say”** If you’ve ever thought you’ve got to be kidding me while running a workshop, this one’s for you. Joi

Facilitators facilitating facilitators - what could go wrong? Join me (the real me) for a LIVE event.
www.meetup.com/nova-scribes...

a white bunny rabbit with pink ears is sitting on a wooden table with its mouth open . Alt: a white bunny rabbit with pink ears is sitting on a wooden table with its mouth open .

When the group in the room is
NOT
the group from the prep calls:

Michael Scott cringing

Facilitator realizing the last 5 minutes just destroyed the agenda

Facilitators: We've got (at most) 4 - 5 more days to reference the Olympics in our check-ins, reflection questions and group prompts. Go for the gold! 🏅

Pair Share: What shifts when we add "On Olympic Ice" to our Q2 KPIs? How does this expand our sense of what's possible?

Examples:
▪️Secure 15 meetings w/ key legislators...On Olympic Ice
▪️Recruit 10 new monthly donors... On Olympic Ice.
▪️Convene 3 Teen Advisory Board meetings... On Olympic Ice

POV: your facilitator has been replaced by a chat bot.

"Look, it's no secret that plenty of people think icebreakers are cringe. But honestly? They may just be the kind of cringe that can knit this team back together."

When a group participant corners me during a bio-break I called for my own bio-needs:

When the retreat accommodations are unexpectedly rustic:

When there is 1 mostly used flip chart pad and 2 dry markers available for the 8-hour strategic planning session:

When there is no sturdy easel on site:

When the client says the invoice got lost in their inbox:

When the sticky notes provided aren't Post-It brand, despite specifying Post-Its and Post-Its ONLY:

When a participant ducks out before the triads, throwing my numbers off:

When the meeting venue won't let me change the room setup:

Facilitator Olympics - Materials challenge: Facilitate an entire strategic planning process with only one color marker.

Facilitator Olympics - Team event: The entire group returns on time from break.

Facilitator Olympics - Endurance event: Facilitate 4 gigs in January & February without getting the flu.

Facilitator Olympics - Solo event: Facilitate alone when your co-facilitator is sick.

Facilitator Olympics - Power challenge: Balance supportive and confronting stances while naming the unnamed power dynamic in the room.

Facilitator Olympics - Spatial challenge: Rearrange 10 tables and 60 chairs from boardroom layout to horseshoe layout before participants arrive.

Facilitator Olympics - Breakout math: Calculate all possible combos of pairs, triads, & quartets for a group of 47.

Facilitator Olympics - Bathroom sprint: Make it to the 3rd fl. bathroom & back while participants are in 4 min pair-share.

Facilitator Olympics - Speed breakouts: Sort 36 participants into triads, making sure that no one is grouped with their direct supervisor.

Facilitator Olympics - Pairs event: disrupt the group's patterns of domination by modeling power-sharing with your co-facilitator.

It's time for the 2026 Facilitator Olympics! 1st event: Learn all participants’ names by lunch on day 1 (35 person group).