The facilitator's dilemma: How much subject-matter expertise do you really need to lead an effective workshop?

Today we’re tackling the often-asked question: How much subject-matter expertise do facilitators really need to have to be able to guide effective workshops?

Did your anxiety spike just reading that? I’m guessing most of us have experienced fear around this topic at some point in our facilitation journeys. 

It’s totally normal to want to feel prepared and informed in front of the teams we’re guiding. But sometimes we put an added pressure on ourselves to have all the answers, or come across as an expert on the industry or topic at hand.

Would you feel relieved to know that you don’t need to be a subject-matter expert to be a good facilitator? In fact, being a subject-matter expert isn’t your job at all. 

Doing some backgrounding is a standard part of the prep process, but finding success is actually more about learning to discern between too much, not enough, and just the right amount of intel (it’s kind of a Goldilocks mentality).

So, what does “just right” look like? That’s exactly what I’m breaking down today to help you better focus your energy and let go of expectations that you need to have all the answers.   

Essential Subject Matter

This is the information that’s critical to outline in order to successfully facilitate your session. 

• The Problem + Outcomes: Define the problem you’re trying to solve for the group and the outcomes you want to walk away with before leading a workshop. Here’s a worksheet you can use to gather these critical inputs. Doing this prep creates clarity and alignment with the group before you even set foot in the room.

• The Participants: Know exactly who will be participating in the session and what each role/title will contribute to the conversation. These are your subject-matter experts! You should be able to clearly see how each person will support the dialogue, decision-making, and outcomes. If there are gaps, it’s your job to point this out in advance of a session to make sure the right people are in the room. When you’ve assembled the right mix of specialists, you take the pressure of being a subject-matter expert off of your role as facilitator. This allows you to stay focused on guiding the group and their various POVs toward a place of alignment. 

Nice-to-Have Subject Matter

This is the information that’s helpful to have, but won’t necessarily make or break your session.

• Background Details: It can be nice to do a high-level intake when kicking off with a team to gain understanding around the situation. I usually ask my clients the following questions at the onset of our project so that I can synthesize and play back the context for the group so we’re all starting from the same baseline:

What work has been done on this? Any documentation or examples?

Can you share any research you’ve done to understand the customer? 

Do you have any less-formal intel from customer comments or complaints that will help us understand the issues?

Are there site analytics to help inform what’s working and what’s not?

Politically, is there anything I need to know about what’s going on inside the company? 

What are the goals for the business?

What are people expecting from this session?

• Industry Language + Acronyms 101: Sometimes it’s helpful to get a high-level understanding of industry language. That said, do not, I repeat, do not get hung up on memorizing all the jargon and acronyms. This is what your subject-matter experts/participants are for! Get comfortable asking for clarity and definitions. You might actually find that by playing the role of novice, you can help the group create better shared understanding (more often than not, I find that people aren’t actually in agreement on what jargon means, so I help bring clarity to where there are hidden misinterpretations, and guide them toward shared meaning).

Situation-Specific Subject Matter

Depending on the nature of the group or organization, there may be times when you want to do a little extra research on a particular industry or client. But remember, you don’t need to learn so much that you have a strong POV or opinion – your job is to help the group come to their own conclusions. Here’s what this might look like:

• If you can’t confidently describe the industry, or if you’ve never worked in it before, it would be helpful to familiarize yourself with the space, understand how the business makes money, and review competitors. Don’t worry about memorizing everything or having all the answers. You just need enough understanding to be able to facilitate a helpful conversation.

• If you’re working in house on a cross-functional team, switching into a facilitator role rather than that of a subject-matter expert can be uncomfortable. In this scenario, you’ll need to flex a different set of skills which may require you to brush up on facilitation techniques. Here’s a resource to help you get started and avoid overwhelm. 

At the end of the day, the most important thing to remember is that your role as the facilitator is about guiding teams and helping them navigate murky waters. 

Instead of focusing on having all the answers or knowing all of the ins-and-outs of an industry, redirect your energy toward workshop design, navigating human dynamics, and keeping the team grounded in the work you set out to do. 

Plus, when you assemble the right mix of experts, you’ll naturally have access to the critical information by way of the participants. And that means you don’t have to be the expert – you can be the facilitator, which is what the “Goldilocks” approach is all about.