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Thrive: The Facilitator’s Guide to Radically Inclusive Meetings
Imagine meetings where everyone is heard and all people matter.
Picture organizations that embrace all voices and are committed to justice, equity and opportunity. Imagine businesses, nonprofits and the public sector creatively engaging people in thousands of ways—seeking their best ideas, empowering the silenced, and building communities where all are treated with dignity and respect.
That’s what "Thrive" seeks to create.
Each chapter contains practical insights and accessible stories that transform meetings from dull to dynamic.
You will learn how to:
• capitalize on diversity's strengths.
• keep meetings task-oriented and collegial.
• facilitate effectively in polarized or conflicted settings.
"Thrive" includes chapters on privilege and power, multilingual meetings, and full inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Whether you are a skilled practitioner or new to leadership, Thrive will teach you techniques for facilitating more effective, inclusive and energizing meetings.
Picture organizations that embrace all voices and are committed to justice, equity and opportunity. Imagine businesses, nonprofits and the public sector creatively engaging people in thousands of ways—seeking their best ideas, empowering the silenced, and building communities where all are treated with dignity and respect.
That’s what "Thrive" seeks to create.
Each chapter contains practical insights and accessible stories that transform meetings from dull to dynamic.
You will learn how to:
• capitalize on diversity's strengths.
• keep meetings task-oriented and collegial.
• facilitate effectively in polarized or conflicted settings.
"Thrive" includes chapters on privilege and power, multilingual meetings, and full inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Whether you are a skilled practitioner or new to leadership, Thrive will teach you techniques for facilitating more effective, inclusive and energizing meetings.
- GenresNonfiction
262 pages, Paperback
First published August 10, 2019
35 people are currently reading
979 people want to read
About the author
Mark Smutny
1 book7 followersDr. Mark Smutny is a professional facilitator, diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant, workshop leader, coach, author and founder of Civic Reinventions, Inc. His career spans several specialties including nonprofit leadership in senior transportation services, homelessness and affordable housing services, small business development and community organizing. He is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), a progressive Protestant tradition, and has served as a senior pastor in congregations in California, Ohio, New York, and Washington. He draws upon decades of work planning and leading retreats, teaching, facilitating meetings and working to build more inclusive organizations and communities. He has cofounded several public-private partnerships to increase funding for low income housing, strengthen municipal governments, and and rebuild neighborhood and business associations. He is a program associate with the Kaleidoscope Institute, a faith-based nonprofit that trains church leaders to embrace diversity and build inclusive, multicultural congregations. He serves as a consultant with 501 Commons, a Washington state nonprofit that teaches nonprofit leadership and management skills in the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Smutny's received his doctorate from McCormick theological seminary where his doctoral dissertation focused on building successful and thriving multicultural congregations. He received a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity school, one of the most pluralistic and progressive seminaries in the world. He graduated summa cum laude from The College of Idaho, with a B.A. in philosophy. Mark and his wife, Barbara Anderson, live in the Seattle area where they enjoy gardening, hiking in the Cascades, exercising their dogs, and enjoying their four granddaughters.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 12, 2022
Facilitator Mark Smutny wrote this book with the stated aim of helping facilitators transform the often lackluster energy of meetings into the more vibrant mood of break time, drawing from his experience as a facilitator in nonprofit, church, and corporate contexts. He offers some solid guidance towards that aim, but the editing is a bit clumsy and I found the title misleading—yes, the techniques in this book point towards inclusion, but “radical” is a bit of an overstatement. While leaders in corporate and civic contexts who are new to meeting facilitation are likely to benefit from this accessible and practical volume, many of these techniques are already baked into nonprofit cultures and marginalized folks especially aren’t necessarily going to learn anything new.
If we ignore the word “radically” in the title (”foundationally” might be more accurate), viewing this book as a basic guide to making meetings more dynamic and inclusive, it’s a decent take. I particularly appreciate the clear guidance on agenda-building and meeting invitations and on how Smutny recommends structuring the meeting to encourage participation and ultimately drive action.
Smutny introduces a number of techniques I’ve found effective as a facilitator and as an attendee that encourage introverts and those who are not in the cultural majority within a meeting to participate, such as the 1-2-4-all method that allows for individual idea generation and avoids immediate groupthink. He summarizes several ideas that you can read an entire book on (especially large group meeting approaches), so that facilitators can pick and choose areas of interest. (Keep in mind, however that the further reading section he references is not organized or annotated, so you’ll want to make reference notes as you read.) I also appreciate the centering of listening skills and setting clear ground rules from the top of the meeting.
To center inclusion, Smutny doesn’t actually get into these practical elements right away, and I wondered if the opening chapters could’ve been tightened up a bit and some of the later chapters not directly related to meetings dropped. While it’s important to ground the reader in the importance of inclusion, I actually found that his points on inclusion were better made in discussing the specifics of running an inclusive meeting than in the earlier chapters, and he might have been better served by a briefer introduction with reference to other sources for more information.
While Smutny’s personal story of growing up on a farm in Idaho and practicing basic human decency around folks of other races might be inspiring or meaningful to other white men, it left me actually questioning his competency as an author, especially when I read a cringey anecdote that felt a bit self-congratulatory about two Black women thanking him for showing up to a Black church following an incident of violence. Smutny does name his position as a white man, but I found his awareness of that position in the context of this book a little insufficient, which unfortunately carries through to how he addresses the facilitator.
I would’ve appreciated more emphasis on the facilitator’s own positionality in meetings and how privileged facilitators can incorporate marginalized leadership, as well as greater acknowledgement of the systemic and institutionalized nature of oppression. For example, in a section on flexible roles, facilitators are encouraged to allow roles to naturally shift among participants, but I’ve found that it can be more useful to designate roles to individuals based on their strengths, which acknowledges both specific participant skills and potential facilitator weaknesses. If you’re a facilitator who struggles to see certain things due to your positionality, why not ask a meeting participant to help you find your blindspots? Letting everyone occupy roles flexibly, with the facilitator as a kind of “referee,” loses this specificity.
Beyond positionality, the book could generally benefit from some less formulaic examples. For example in describing reflective listening, instructing a leader to paraphrase, it may not be clear that the most important part of this technique is getting clear about what the speaker needs and is asking for from you. In the discussion of creative questions, as another example, it seems odd that sample questions are actually not that creative and some could even come across confrontational!
The techniques Smutny teaches are important stepping stones, but this isn’t a place where you’re going to find really generative techniques for addressing conflict or strong advice on the differential impact of certain exercises. For example, one icebreaker question recommended was “what was the shabbiest place you ever lived and why?” While this was an example of how you might connect the topic of a meeting (houselessness) to an icebreaker, I immediately cringed thinking of how that language would hit a mixed audience.
With all the language around being respectful I also would’ve liked to see at least some discussion of the dangers of tone policing. A positive mindset can be good, and I agree that we often over-focus on problems, but real conflict does occur in meetings and it’s important to address its impact. I didn’t find that this book really got to how a facilitator can be present to the more emotional side of conflict, or made clear how expecting vulnerability and personal storytelling in the workplace has a very different effect on marginalized people.
Smutny discusses cultural differences, but not so much the systematic burden imposed by a white dominant culture dictating “professionalism.” I found that the goal of reducing tension was overemphasized, which I’ve seen this applied in really harmful ways by facilitators. “Sticking to the agenda” and “moving things along” often show up as reflections of white supremacy culture in the workplace, not helpful responses. The importance of closed affinity spaces doesn’t even come up, outside of a specific section on multi-lingual meetings.
I was happy to find a section all about accessibility, but I think a consultant would have made sense here as in other sections. Many common needs such as neurodivergence, sensory issues, trauma sensitivity, and nursing parents are totally left out while ASL interpreters are called “signers” and it’s a little unclear whether Smutny expects spoken language interpreters to be unqualified volunteers or paid professionals. In a section on virtual meetings that was added for this edition of the book, accessibility seems to fall away a bit, with no acknowledgment that constructive chat, for example, can be a real benefit to virtual spaces for some neurotypes.
Ultimately, I do think a lot of people without strong facilitation skills or a DEI background could benefit from this book. Smutny’s perspective is undoubtedly going to challenge and support some (especially white) leaders, and the brevity of the book will serve those in hurry. But if you’re looking for something really groundbreaking to use in diverse spaces, don’t get too excited about the “radical” promise.
(ARC provided through NetGalley.)
If we ignore the word “radically” in the title (”foundationally” might be more accurate), viewing this book as a basic guide to making meetings more dynamic and inclusive, it’s a decent take. I particularly appreciate the clear guidance on agenda-building and meeting invitations and on how Smutny recommends structuring the meeting to encourage participation and ultimately drive action.
Smutny introduces a number of techniques I’ve found effective as a facilitator and as an attendee that encourage introverts and those who are not in the cultural majority within a meeting to participate, such as the 1-2-4-all method that allows for individual idea generation and avoids immediate groupthink. He summarizes several ideas that you can read an entire book on (especially large group meeting approaches), so that facilitators can pick and choose areas of interest. (Keep in mind, however that the further reading section he references is not organized or annotated, so you’ll want to make reference notes as you read.) I also appreciate the centering of listening skills and setting clear ground rules from the top of the meeting.
To center inclusion, Smutny doesn’t actually get into these practical elements right away, and I wondered if the opening chapters could’ve been tightened up a bit and some of the later chapters not directly related to meetings dropped. While it’s important to ground the reader in the importance of inclusion, I actually found that his points on inclusion were better made in discussing the specifics of running an inclusive meeting than in the earlier chapters, and he might have been better served by a briefer introduction with reference to other sources for more information.
While Smutny’s personal story of growing up on a farm in Idaho and practicing basic human decency around folks of other races might be inspiring or meaningful to other white men, it left me actually questioning his competency as an author, especially when I read a cringey anecdote that felt a bit self-congratulatory about two Black women thanking him for showing up to a Black church following an incident of violence. Smutny does name his position as a white man, but I found his awareness of that position in the context of this book a little insufficient, which unfortunately carries through to how he addresses the facilitator.
I would’ve appreciated more emphasis on the facilitator’s own positionality in meetings and how privileged facilitators can incorporate marginalized leadership, as well as greater acknowledgement of the systemic and institutionalized nature of oppression. For example, in a section on flexible roles, facilitators are encouraged to allow roles to naturally shift among participants, but I’ve found that it can be more useful to designate roles to individuals based on their strengths, which acknowledges both specific participant skills and potential facilitator weaknesses. If you’re a facilitator who struggles to see certain things due to your positionality, why not ask a meeting participant to help you find your blindspots? Letting everyone occupy roles flexibly, with the facilitator as a kind of “referee,” loses this specificity.
Beyond positionality, the book could generally benefit from some less formulaic examples. For example in describing reflective listening, instructing a leader to paraphrase, it may not be clear that the most important part of this technique is getting clear about what the speaker needs and is asking for from you. In the discussion of creative questions, as another example, it seems odd that sample questions are actually not that creative and some could even come across confrontational!
The techniques Smutny teaches are important stepping stones, but this isn’t a place where you’re going to find really generative techniques for addressing conflict or strong advice on the differential impact of certain exercises. For example, one icebreaker question recommended was “what was the shabbiest place you ever lived and why?” While this was an example of how you might connect the topic of a meeting (houselessness) to an icebreaker, I immediately cringed thinking of how that language would hit a mixed audience.
With all the language around being respectful I also would’ve liked to see at least some discussion of the dangers of tone policing. A positive mindset can be good, and I agree that we often over-focus on problems, but real conflict does occur in meetings and it’s important to address its impact. I didn’t find that this book really got to how a facilitator can be present to the more emotional side of conflict, or made clear how expecting vulnerability and personal storytelling in the workplace has a very different effect on marginalized people.
Smutny discusses cultural differences, but not so much the systematic burden imposed by a white dominant culture dictating “professionalism.” I found that the goal of reducing tension was overemphasized, which I’ve seen this applied in really harmful ways by facilitators. “Sticking to the agenda” and “moving things along” often show up as reflections of white supremacy culture in the workplace, not helpful responses. The importance of closed affinity spaces doesn’t even come up, outside of a specific section on multi-lingual meetings.
I was happy to find a section all about accessibility, but I think a consultant would have made sense here as in other sections. Many common needs such as neurodivergence, sensory issues, trauma sensitivity, and nursing parents are totally left out while ASL interpreters are called “signers” and it’s a little unclear whether Smutny expects spoken language interpreters to be unqualified volunteers or paid professionals. In a section on virtual meetings that was added for this edition of the book, accessibility seems to fall away a bit, with no acknowledgment that constructive chat, for example, can be a real benefit to virtual spaces for some neurotypes.
Ultimately, I do think a lot of people without strong facilitation skills or a DEI background could benefit from this book. Smutny’s perspective is undoubtedly going to challenge and support some (especially white) leaders, and the brevity of the book will serve those in hurry. But if you’re looking for something really groundbreaking to use in diverse spaces, don’t get too excited about the “radical” promise.
(ARC provided through NetGalley.)
August 22, 2019
This book is excellent. It combines theory, practice, and narrative in a manner that is accessible and usable. It would be good for novice and experienced facilitators, alike. It led me to reflect on my cultural assumptions, my position of white privilege, and the unconscious assumptions that I carry into meetings. It also gave me ideas for new icebreakers, better agendas, and ways to include persons with disabilities. I highly recommend it. Buy one for yourself and some for your colleagues. Your organization/business will be better for it.
March 26, 2021
If you want to develop better tradecraft in collaboration this is a quick read on the topic. It is not an exhaustive as “Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-making” but “Thrive” provides a high level foil to the importance of approaching facilitation with mature practice.
October 16, 2021
I love the practicality of this book and that's because it can suit two kinds of people; the professional facilitator and the one who loves to have a conversation and the latter may be more.
The major take-aways I got from this book was on the importance of listening, engaging people in dialogue and above all, in not just getting people to interact or communicate but going beyond just talk into action- especially on the topic of strategic plans and management in organizations.
I can't wait to try one of the methods of listening he shares called "fogging: a listening skill used when facing criticism and simply put it means agreeing with anything in the statement a critic makes that is true for you." For example:
Critic: You annoy me with your poor facilitation skills.
Response: I could be a better facilitator
I can't wait to try that one!
Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher for for the eARC
The major take-aways I got from this book was on the importance of listening, engaging people in dialogue and above all, in not just getting people to interact or communicate but going beyond just talk into action- especially on the topic of strategic plans and management in organizations.
I can't wait to try one of the methods of listening he shares called "fogging: a listening skill used when facing criticism and simply put it means agreeing with anything in the statement a critic makes that is true for you." For example:
Critic: You annoy me with your poor facilitation skills.
Response: I could be a better facilitator
I can't wait to try that one!
Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher for for the eARC
November 19, 2021
At the heart of this book are tools that allow you to run meetings that truly provide space and voice to every meeting participant. It sets aside notions of who has ideas that matter and opens the floor for the talents, gifts, skills, and imagination of every person to rise in service to your organization or initiative. We have used the strategies in this book in meetings with parties that have a long history of contentious relationships and seen the magic unfold--everyone contributing, having fun, sharing pressure points and strengths. We also use these strategies in like-minded work groups and there is a level of creativity that unfolds that I have rarely seen achieved. The book is written in an engaging style, with stories and real examples that you can apply to adjacent industries or social movements. If you've read this far you are taking too long....Buy Now, friend. Buy Now.
August 20, 2020
Highly recommend. Practical. Easy to read. Excellent list of further reading to add to my TBR list.
As a professional speaker, I found this book very valuable. The chapters that interested me were on structuring an agenda, setting ground rules, and flexible roles in meetings. I will be using the fogging technique when faced with criticism. I will apply the mutual invitation techniques and make sure all voices are heard. I appreciated the info on strategic planning facilitation as well, as I'd like to add that to my offerings. Certainly worth the read for any meeting planners, speakers, trainers, or facilitators.
As a professional speaker, I found this book very valuable. The chapters that interested me were on structuring an agenda, setting ground rules, and flexible roles in meetings. I will be using the fogging technique when faced with criticism. I will apply the mutual invitation techniques and make sure all voices are heard. I appreciated the info on strategic planning facilitation as well, as I'd like to add that to my offerings. Certainly worth the read for any meeting planners, speakers, trainers, or facilitators.
October 23, 2021
An important book focusing on embracing diversity, making the most out of meetings, and ensuring voices are heard. I enjoyed this book, and found it beneficial for employees and business owners/ operators.
Plenty of practical examples.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Plenty of practical examples.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 19, 2022
Dr, Mark Smutny’s book Thrive: The Facilitator’s Guide to Radically Inclusive Meetings is an outstanding resource to help you have not only successful meetings but also meetings where everyone has input in the meetings and their voice in heard. If you have to facilitate meetings, this book is a must-have for you!
June 10, 2021
Great facilitators commit to being inclusive and even-handed.
January 8, 2022
Solid beginner guide to facilitating meetings complete with a facilitator check list!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews