---
title: "Notice when you work too hard as facilitator"
source: "https://virtualddd.com/heuristics/notice-working-too-hard-facilitator/"
authors: ["Evelyn van Kelle", "Andrea Magnorsky", "Kenny Schwegler", "Gien Verschatse"]
tags: ["facilitation", "social dynamics", "self-awareness"]
type: "guiding heuristics"
question: "How do you know when something beneath the surface is blocking a session?"
submitter: "Evelyn van Kelle"
---

# Notice when you work too hard as facilitator

When you find yourself working much harder than usual to keep a session moving, to get people to add stickies, or to generate conversation, that effort is a signal that something beneath the surface is blocking progress. The facilitator shouldn't have to push constantly in a well-functioning collaborative session.

## Example

In an event storming session at a hierarchical organization, two facilitators had to work very hard just to get people writing on stickies and moving them around. This unusual level of effort was a heuristic that told them something was going on beneath the surface. Combined with other signals like approval-seeking behavior and lack of disagreement, it pointed to deeper organizational dynamics blocking the session.

## Context

This heuristic helps you distinguish between a group that's genuinely engaged but moving slowly through complexity versus a group that's blocked by hidden dynamics. The amount of facilitator effort required is a reliable indicator because in healthy collaborative sessions, the group's own energy and curiosity should drive most of the activity.

## When This Might Not Apply

New groups or groups in early stages of forming often need more facilitator energy to establish safety and norms; this isn't necessarily a sign of hidden problems. Sessions exploring genuinely complex domains may require persistent facilitation without indicating group dysfunction; the key is whether participants are engaged even if progress feels slow.

## Variations

- **Early session vs. late session**: If effort feels manageable early but becomes exhausting later, something has shifted—energy depletion or a triggering event may have occurred

- **Different facilitation styles**: Some facilitators naturally work harder than others; the heuristic is about *change* in your own effort level, not absolute effort

- **Co-facilitation**: If one facilitator notices they're doing most of the work, check with your co-facilitator whether they're observing the same blocker or something different

- **Feedback during sessions**: Ask the group directly: "Does anyone feel like we're pushing really hard here?" to confirm whether your sense of effort matches group experience