Famed philosopher, Homer Simpson, once declared that people are “the cause of – and solution to – all of life’s problems”.

Actually, Homer was talking about alcohol, not people, but he certainly has a point. Humans are a strange and uniquely curious species and we often can’t explain why we do what we do. Fortunately, we are designed to make sense of things – and make decisions – together. Not alone.

This is an important message in our complicated and challenging world: we don’t have to do hard stuff by ourselves. We can take comfort in knowing that in almost every circumstance, we are better working things out together.

We have a lot in common – including thinking that we don’t

Our perceptions – and misconceptions – are informed by narratives in the media, politics and many other social and cultural realms. While each of us has a biased view of the world, what we have in common is so much deeper than any difference or disagreement we think may divide us.

In a landmark study of people from many different backgrounds in the UK, it was found that 73% prioritised compassionate values. Paradoxically, an even higher percentage were confident that selfish values dominate when it comes to other people.

Increasing the diversity of voices in our most important conversations and decision making is vital. People contributing from different experiences of life strongly influences the prospects for better outcomes for people and the places we share.

Everything – and everyone – is connected

It’s evident that we aren’t necessarily the best judges of our own capabilities, or those of others. There is also little doubt that in large crowds, life’s problems often become difficult to discuss, let alone resolve. Social media illustrates this and it is in our politics where we find that it’s foolish to underestimate the power of poorly informed people in large groups (to paraphrase George Carlin).

Very large unregulated groups of people have their problems, though at the other extreme, being alone isn’t a solution. If we didn’t know it already, the isolation imposed by the Covid pandemic showed just how much we all need one another.

Let’s work it out together

The good news is that when we intentionally gather to explore, experiment and co-create, we can work out our many difficulties and differences. With the right design and support, quite special things become possible. Indeed, likely.

This is why it’s a delight to facilitate for people. Facilitation is an indispensable part of Engage Change’s work in connecting people with impact. It is key to successful partnerships across business, government and community organisations and networks.

When it comes to working through the challenges and opportunities of the world, it’s vital to ensure everyone feels welcome, energised and ready to bring their best to the experience (in person or online).

Thoughtful, fun and flexible design and delivery of facilitated sessions, days or programs can help anyone explore, experiment and, vitally, co-create. Here is what one of our clients had to say about working with Matthew Wright-Simon, Engage Change’s founder (and principal facilitator):

Matthew is incredibly knowledgeable; an excellent communicator; a humble professional; a powerful leader; and has a unique ability to bring a sense of calm to whatever situation he is in. I’ve seen this with a small group in a workshop setting or meeting, through to an audience of hundreds of people.

In its broadest sense, to facilitate means to make things easier. If you’d like things to improve for your people, your clients, communities, or customers, Engage Change offers a suite of facilitation options to make it easier to curate and co-create connection.

Let’s make things easier – together

We have put together a handy Facilitation one-pager. Feel free to share with anyone you think would like things to be easier than they are right now!