How are your “artful interruption” skills? This is a challenging yet essential skill for countering advice-giving patterns when facilitating coaching circles, peer learning groups, or team meetings. Inspired by a former student’s question about redirecting well-intentioned advice-givers without disrupting group dynamics, Meg provides practical strategies for facilitators who want to cultivate curiosity over knowing in group settings. By introducing the “two muscle framework,” along with specific techniques, visual cues, and verbal redirects, Meg demonstrates how to protect the coaching space and help people discover their own solutions. Learn how you can help safeguard space for learning and discovery! Join us to learn more!

Show Highlights:

1. The challenge of incorporating polite, thoughtful interruptions into a coaching culture: Why is this an essential and highly relevant topic in today’s coaching space?
2. Understanding the two-muscle framework: the “knowing muscle” and the “curiosity muscle” (We short-circuit the creative process when we rush in with answers and advice)
3. Advice-giving in groups is problematic in several specific ways.
4. Setting the stage before the first session with non-negotiables:
5. Pre-frame the purpose and agreements.
6. Explain the “muscle” metaphor.
7. Model what “good” looks like.
8. Create psychological safety around interruption.
9. Address the elephant in the room by naming what makes this challenging to do.
10. The Facilitator’s Toolkit, Six Specific Strategies for Interrupting Skillfully:
11. The Appreciative Redirect (Acknowledge, redirect, and teach)
12. The Pause and Pivot (Put your idea in the “parking lot” to give them time to think through and explore.)
13. Visual Cues and Signals (These can be fun with card signals, the “muscle-flex” gesture, and a “parking lot” for ideas. Meg even has suggestions for using these with virtual meetings.)
14. The Pattern Interrupt with Choice (Give agency while redirecting behavior.)
15. Reflection Break (This is where the deepest learning happens.)
16. The Question Upgrade (This is teaching in real-time.)
17. Understanding when stepping in with advice and expertise is valuable (Use both/and thinking about coaching vs. advising.)
18. A measuring stick question: “What creates more lasting impact, being told or discovering?”
19. Practical tips for implementation:
20. Start with shorter rounds.
21. Pick 1-2 visual cues that work well with your group.
22. Have a co-facilitator.
23. Debrief after every session.
24. Celebrate improvement.
25. Track progress tangibly.
26. Rotate the facilitator role when your group gains experience.
27. Create a question bank resource.
28. Build in application.
29. Be patient with yourself and the group.
30. Meg’s important takeaways about artful interruption
31. Meg’s challenge for you this week

Resources:

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