The magic of facilitation

Nancy Nuñez worked with a group of women on improving their access to health services. She was moved by the impact of the co-designed approach they used.    

Something truly powerful happens when you bring people into a room – people with different languages, roles and stories – and create the conditions for them to connect, to deeply listen and to be heard.

That’s the magic of facilitation.

I recently had the privilege of facilitating a series of co-design sessions, working with The Greater Shepparton Foundation. This work centred around working with Congolese and Afghan mothers, community health professionals, the local council and health services. The aim was to understand the barriers these women face in accessing maternal and child health (MCH) services – and to design solutions with them, not for them.

These sessions reminded me why facilitation is such a powerful tool for social change. It's more than running a session or keeping to time on an agenda. Done well, facilitation creates the conditions for people to think deeply, speak honestly, listen deeply and collaborate meaningfully. It’s about making space for stories, struggles, and aspirations and using those shared insights to shape something new.

At the heart of facilitation is the belief that ‘the wisdom is in the group’ – that those closest to the problem are also closest to the solution. The women in our sessions knew the gaps, the frustrations and the unspoken barriers in the health system not because they’d studied it, but because they’d lived it.

Co-design the way to go

Through a thoughtfully designed co-design process, they shared their lived experiences — from confusing appointment systems and language barriers to cultural misunderstandings and feelings of isolation. These weren’t just challenges. They were insights. 

When we created space for those insights to be heard, we uncovered powerful, grounded, and often simple solutions – like booking multiple appointments at the same centre, offering in-person translation, or creating welcoming spaces for ongoing connection and support.

So how does facilitation help this magic unfold?

It starts with being intentional about being inclusive,  about the space you create and about considering cultural, emotional, and physical aspects.  In our sessions, this meant choosing a familiar venue (like African House), using trusted community translators (we worked with three different languages in the sessions) and offering childcare, meals and transport.  

What helped to create an inclusive space also came from how we facilitated: setting group agreements together, being transparent about the process, and reinforcing that everyone had a voice and a choice.

Connection builds relationships

Then comes connection. Every session included time to build relationships  – not as an afterthought, but as a foundation. We used small groups, pair discussions, drawing and reflection to help people express themselves in ways that felt comfortable and real.

We shared laughter and tears. We danced to Congolese music. We listened to stories of isolation, confusion, resilience and strength. We heard how hard it can be to navigate systems that weren’t built with your experience in mind. And we heard the longing  – and the determination – to change that, not just for themselves, but for others in their community.

When inclusion, safety and connection are present, something powerful happens: people begin to speak from the heart. And when that is witnessed  – not judged, interrupted, or problem-solved too quickly  – a collective intelligence begins to emerge. Trust deepens, ideas spark and groups begin to move from "what’s wrong" to "what’s possible".

From passive to active

One of the most transformative aspects of these sessions was the shift from consultation to co-creation. Participants weren’t passive attendees. They were partners. They named the challenges. They shaped the ideas. They chose what would work best for their communities. This sense of ownership is key to lasting impact. When people see their fingerprints on a solution, they are more likely to support, champion and sustain it.

For facilitators, this means holding space with clarity, humility and curiosity. It’s not about having all the answers. It’s about asking better questions, reading the energy of the room, and knowing when to lean in and when to step back.

The impact of this work wasn’t just felt in the sessions. It’s embedded in the recommendations that emerged: culturally sensitive communication tools, translated materials, group information sessions, streamlined appointment systems and ideas for ongoing, accessible drop-in health hubs.  You can have a look at the co-design report that was produced here.

Keep it  real

These weren’t hypothetical suggestions. They were practical, community-rooted responses to real challenges  – generated by those who experience them first-hand. And they were shaped in partnership with health professionals, council staff and community leaders, ensuring shared understanding and shared responsibility.

This is the alchemy of facilitation: it bridges difference, builds shared meaning and helps people do together what none of them could do alone.

Facilitation is often invisible work  – when done well, it looks effortless. But behind it lies deep skill: listening without an agenda, designing inclusive processes, managing energy and tending to task and maintenance (the human stuff).

As facilitators, we’re not the stars of the show. The participants are. Our job is to design and hold the container – a space strong enough to support challenge, soft enough to hold emotion and flexible enough to let emergence happen.

And when it works, it’s magic. Not because it’s mystical, but because it touches something deeply human: our desire to be seen, heard and part of something meaningful.

In times of complexity and change, good facilitation is more important than ever. It helps us navigate difference, tap into collective wisdom and take action together. Whether we're improving health services, designing strategy or rebuilding trust  – the way we work together matters just as much as what we’re working on.

For me, facilitation is justice work. It’s about creating space where everyone belongs, where people are treated as whole and where power is consciously shared so that together, we can create change.