Reflect and Reset: Renewing Your Facilitation with Fathers

Do you ever feel that your facilitation battery is running low? Have you ever ended a meeting with a father or group of fathers and thought, “Man, I just didn’t have it today?”

I’ve seen facilitators pour countless hours into fostering father involvement and developing empathy for fathers. That requires a lot of energy that must be renewed from time to time.

So, how do you renew the energy for facilitation?

By reflecting and resetting, which facilitators often overlook. When you reflect and reset, you not only recharge your facilitation battery, but you also help sustain an effective fatherhood program.

Let’s further explore why reflection and resetting matter and what they involve.

The Power of Reflection

Reflecting matters because it helps us pause, learn from our experiences, and make better decisions. This involves setting aside time to reflect on our tendencies (e.g., unique personality, facilitation style), examine their strengths, and consider areas for improvement, fostering deeper personal insight that can enhance program effectiveness (e.g., adapting their methods or becoming more empathetic to serve fathers better).

Here are a few strategies for reflection:

• Take time to pause with purpose. This period of reflection can help reinvigorate purpose and reconnect you with the core reasons behind your work, ultimately enhancing your ability to serve fathers with clarity and intentionality.
• Reflect on beliefs or habits that may need to change (e.g., one-size-fits-all approach or having a fixed mindset), allowing space for new perspectives to emerge.
• Use sensory experiences, like savoring seasonal foods or standing quietly in nature, to anchor yourself in the present moment.

Self-awareness does not just benefit the facilitator; it models to fathers the value of introspection in shaping father-child relationships and navigating challenges.

The Power of Resetting

Resetting helps us recharge and regain perspective, which helps prevent burnout or compassion fatigue (i.e., emotional exhaustion that can lead to a reduced capacity for empathy of others) and maintain our passion for supporting fathers.

A "reset" goes beyond taking a break; it’s a purposeful act of renewing intention and energy for the mission of supporting fathers.

Here are a few strategies for resetting:

• Schedule dedicated reflection time after your engagement (e.g., group sessions or one-on-one).
• Practice self-compassion through mindfulness exercises and gratitude journaling.
• Seek feedback from fathers and co-facilitators and embrace it as growth fuel.
• Connect with peers (e.g., other facilitators, managers, or professional groups) for dialogue on challenges and successes, building resilience together.

Practicing moments of quiet reflection, journaling experiences, or participating in peer support groups can help facilitators process emotional demands and re-align with their core values.

The journey towards becoming a well-rounded, effective fatherhood facilitator is built on regular moments of reflecting and resetting. These practices will help you stay present, maintain confidence, and support fathers in developing their unique roles within families and communities.

What types of resources or support networks could you leverage to help you reflect and reset to renew your facilitation battery? NFI’s on-demand Effective Facilitation Certificate™ training is a great resource to help improve your facilitation skills.