Group Co-Facilitation - Let's Get Motivated!!

Group Plan:

Yesterday, I had the privilege of co-facilitating a group session with another student in the class. This first group session was related to professionalism and our chosen topic was motivation. (Hence the title of my blog post, and the name of our group - lets get motivated!) My partner and I thought this would be a fun and realistic topic that we all need help with every now and then, in any given situation. With a little pondering and internet searching, we came up with the idea of doing motivational beading. It was perfect for our particular group because 1) we were all female, 2) beading was really popular during our childhood years, 3) it is still a fun and age appropriate task, and 4) it was an activity that was functional and measurable for our our topic. 

Introduction:

We role played this group session as our 2nd time meeting as a group. So for our introduction we welcomed everyone back and let them know that our purpose of that day was to get motivated about the PDE goals that we had previously identified in our "last session". To get the group members creative juices flowing, we had them participate in a warm-up activity which included defining motivation in their own words, naming one PDE goal they needed the most motivation for, and naming a couple of words and/or phrases that they associated with motivation. Afterwards, the group members had the opportunity to share what they had written on their paper. 

Activity: 

In preparation for this activity, my partner and I set up the work space before the group members arrived.  We had a wide assortment of beads and crafting supplies open, displayed, and easily tangible to the group members. This way searching and manipulation was convenient for the group members with the hopes of keeping them motivated to finish the task at hand. We also provided examples of some crafts that we had made before they arrived to group. Using one of the words and/or short phrases they had identified beforehand, we asked the group members to make a craft (bracelet, keychain, necklace, etc.) with the supplies in front of them. During this time (approximately 15 minutes), this was the perfect opportunity for my partner and I to collaborate and advise the group members. Administering a task such as this one was an easy way to see who was motivated enough to complete the task and who was motivated enough to make more than one. 

Sharing:

When everyone was wrapping up their crafts, we gave each of the group members an opportunity to share their craft with everyone and explain why they chose the word or phrase that was put on the craft. We made sure to let them know that they had the right to pass but were encouraged to speak when it was their turn. 

Processing & Generalizing:

After everyone had the opportunity to speak my partner and I were curious to see if the members could connect the purpose of our activity to our topic. This was a time for the group members to related to each other about their motivational problems and find a common ground between them. Comments such as "accountability" and "inspiration" were used from the group members in response. (Seems like they knew exactly what we were doing as group leaders - SCORE!!) 

Application & Summary:

After connections were made, we ended the group session at around 30 minutes. My partner and I thanked the members of the group for attending and participating along with encouraged them to take their crafts home and use them when a need for motivation arises, such as keeping their keychains on their badge reels while they are at school. We, of course, ended by saying "see you next time" in hopes of another successful group meeting :) 

Reflection: 

In all honesty, I was a little nervous about this group facilitation thing. I had felt confident in the things I learned in class but was skeptical if I could connect it myself as the leader role. What I found is that it was way more relaxing and laid back than I had anticipated. Of course, us knowing each other so well as a class helps, but they had no idea what we had planned for them. No matter how comfortable you can be with someone, talking about real-life emotions and situations (such as motivation toward a PDE goal) can be tough. I also noticed myself really becoming a leader in this situation without me doing it purposely. My partner and I both kept eye contact with each member as they spoke, answered any questions they had during the activities, gave compliments to their responses, encouraged group interaction when needed, and provided feedback in an appropriate manner. In some way, leading this group session helped me work on some of my PDE and other personal goals - such as active listening. I hope to carryover my classroom experience into the clinical experience one day.