Conducting an Orchestra and Group Facilitation
“The principal task of a Conductor is not to put himself in evidence, but to disappear behind his functions as much as possible. We are pilots, not servants.”
- Franz Liszt
Photo by Gabriel Santos Fotografia from Pexels
A group of people can be extremely powerful. If they have a shared purpose. If what they do is drenched in meaning.
Like the Conductor of an Orchestra, a Facilitator helps groups of people to practice the meaning, live the purpose, unleash the power.
Photo by Diogo Nunes on Unsplash
“The Conductor of an Orchestra doesn’t make a sound. He depends, for his power, on his ability to make other people powerful.”
- Benjamin Zander
A good Conductor helps all musicians to play better. A good Facilitator brings out the contributions of all group members.
A good Conductor is not a better instrumentalist than any of his Orchestra musicians, but he creates the most beautiful music they can play together. A good Facilitator doesn’t know as much as his group members, but he creates the best possible outcome they can achieve together.
Photo by Roxanne Minnish/Rene Asmussen from Pexels
“The most important thing for the Conductor is that he or she listens. Her listening will make things sound a certain way. If the Conductor listens well, the musicians will listen to each other better. The Conductor can, in fact, impose a certain kind of listening for everybody.”
- Laurence Equilbey
A good Conductor and a good Facilitator listen more than they speak. And when they speak, they do so to help their Orchestra or their group perform better.
