Note: This guest post is from Katherine Golub, a personal coach and consultant. To learn more about her work, visit CoreBrillianceAcademy.com. Thanks, Katherine!

Have you ever facilitated a meeting where things start to feel off, and you aren’t quite sure what to do next?

At those moments, do you wish it was easier to figure out your next move?

Cultivating your intuition can help. Merriam Webster defines intuition as “quick and ready insight” or “the power or faculty of attaining direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.” Having an intuitive hunch is like knowing you know something, without knowing why or how you know it.

We’re all born with intuition, but many of us have been taught from a young age to ignore it. There are many simple techniques you can use to access your facilitator’s intuition. Here are three.

Step One: Pay Attention to How You Feel

Intuition lives in the body. It’s a felt sense that says, “We’re on track,” or “Something’s off here.” Your body can serve as a detection device that picks up on the energy of the group and the next steps the group needs to take.

To harness this ability, check in with the sensations, emotions, and messages coming from your body before and throughout each meeting.

When you’re preparing to work with a group, take a few minutes beforehand to scan your body and notice how you’re feeling emotionally and physically. Having done this, it will be easier for you to identify which emotions or energy are coming from you, and which ones are coming from the group.

For example, if you’re mindful of feeling stressed or tired, the discomfort you experience during a meeting may have to do with your personal life, rather than the behavior of the group.

Likewise, if you’re feeling centered and grounded, when something starts to feel off during a meeting or training, you’ve probably identified a group dynamic that needs to be acknowledged and addressed.

Step Two: Center Yourself

Getting centered before and throughout a meeting will help you hear your intuition. This practice quiets extraneous thoughts and soothes distracting emotions, which allows you to listen deeply to the group and your own intuition.

To centered yourself before working with a group, notice the sensations from your toes to the top of your head. Take several deep calming breaths. The important thing is to do whatever helps you feel fully present as you head into the meeting or training session. Click here to download a free audio recording of this centering practice.

Likewise, if you start to feel uncertain about the best next step, allow yourself a moment of silence. Literally take a pause. I facilitate meetings at my local Quaker meeting, and we regularly pause for silence when things feel off.

Having the courage to claim a moment of silence will help you make better decisions as a facilitator, and it will allow participants gather their own thoughts. If this feels awkward, you can let participants know, before the meeting begins, that you may ask for a moment of silence when needed.

Step Three: Hold Offers Lightly  

If you’re just starting to learn how to listen to your body, you may wonder whether you can trust what you feel. The truth is, you will never know if your hunches are accurate until you test them out.

In order earn trust – both from yourself and the group – it’s important to offer assessments lightly and with transparency. You can say something like, “I want to check in with you all. I’m getting the sense that something is off here. I want to offer an idea that I think will help, and let’s see how it lands.” Then offer your idea and ask for input.

While it may seem scary to demonstrate uncertainty, transparency is one of the most reliable ways to earn trust.

Deepen Your Intuition, Improve Your Skills

Do you want to master three more steps for cultivating your intuition as a facilitator?

You can learn more at CoreBrillianceAcademy.com. This post continues there…take a look!