What Does It Feel Like to Facilitate a Hot Seat?
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What Does It Feel Like to Facilitate a Hot Seat?

What does it feel like to facilitate a hot seat?

By Karyn Greenstreet

How does it feel for the mastermind group Facilitator while running the Hot Seats? What are they thinking and feeling?

Depending on your experience level, it can range from “uncomfortable” to “confident.” Some Facilitators report that they feel constrained — they want to jump in and give advice right away, especially if they have a background as a trainer or consultant.

Because a mastermind group is a balanced process where everyone should be participating in the discussion, people like you and I who are consultants/teachers have to change our normal communication style to allow group discussions to flow.

We can’t be the person with all the answers. We have to switch from a consultant, coach or trainer role to a Facilitator role. It took me a long time to master this and adapt my coaching and consulting style to a new style!

I was so used to giving advice and being seen as “the teacher,” that I had to shift my mindset to “the answer is in the room but it doesn’t have to come from me.” Once I absorbed that, it was incredibly freeing to not have to be the only one with the answer.

What if you are the expert?

In some mastermind groups, the Facilitator is the expert (and that’s why your members want to join your group).

Being a Facilitator doesn’t mean you never speak during the Hot Seats, it just means you encourage the answers to come from the group first. Then, if the group misses something crucial, you can join in to add the missing pieces.

Being the Integrator

One amazing role of the Facilitator is what I call “the integrator.” You’re paying attention to the entire theme of the Hot Seat, and everything that’s being said. As the integrator, you’re looking for threads and commonalities that tie it all together.

Usually, the group members are so focused on Hot Seats that they’re not paying attention to the bigger picture of the meeting or the overall group progress. These types of insights which come from the Facilitator are priceless; they really open the members’ eyes.


Want to learn how to start a mastermind group? Click here to get my free video tutorial on how to create a mastermind group of your own.


1 thought on “What Does It Feel Like to Facilitate a Hot Seat?”

  1. David Lewes says:

    Hi, Karyn, I used to feel awkward when running meetings and hot seats. There were so many thoughts in my head and I had to keep notes and pay attention to the conversation. It’s gotten better over time, but in the very beginning I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing. Now I feel more confident, maybe not 100% but 80%, which is a real success for me! I did alot of practice meetings which helped. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who feels awkward in the beginning.

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