When Experience is Challenged
“Does anyone have any feedback?”
I scanned the room. The students looked everywhere except at our facilitation team. Everyone seemed terrified of being “called to the front.” The bright, energetic faces from earlier that morning had faded into boredom and a lack of focus. I glanced at my colleagues. We had a silent understanding: it was time to change the plan.
We were hosting a retreat for high school students at an international school. It was our first time working with such a young audience, making the project both an exciting opportunity and a daunting challenge. During the preparation phase, the lead teacher mentioned that these students were used to a fast pace and could breeze through multiple activities in a short time. We were skeptical. Based on our experience, we couldn’t imagine a group accomplishing so much in a single session. Furthermore, we believed that if they were used to moving fast, our role was to help them slow down and find the space to go deeper.
By mid-morning, we had to re-evaluate everything.
After our third consecutive question fell into a void of silence, we gave the students a break. Our team huddled together to pivot our strategy. We decided to strip down the next theoretical part and immediately jump into a game where they could apply new knowledge. Seeing their enthusiasm as they started the game told me we were back on track. We pushed the pace even further, constantly weaving in games and small-group discussions so we could still hear their voices without the pressure of “delivering a correct answer.” We also consulted the teacher to adopt methods they were already familiar with, rather than sticking to our usual tools which felt foreign to them.
By the end of lunch, the students were proactively discussing the morning modules and peer-teaching what had been shared. In the late afternoon, they even asked for extra time to continue practicing together. I breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that what we shared was truly useful to them. The stress of the constant, frantic adjustments vanished, replaced by a sense of gratitude as I watched the results they created themselves by the end of the day.
Leaving the school that day, I was reminded of a vital lesson: sometimes, we need to step out of the shadow of our past experiences. Hosting isn’t just about guiding people through a process; it’s about being ready to adapt to what is present to best serve the participants.