Demonstrating facilitation at Mvuu

This morning, just before sunrise, I met with a small group at Mvuu Camp on the Shire (pronounced Sheeray) River in Malawi.  We were going for a walk in the bush and our guide was Samuel, and in terms of facilitation skills he did a lot of the right things.

He took charge and established a start and a clear process for the walk.  After coffee together he gathered the group and welcomed us to our walk.

• He articulated the dangers, set clear rules and offered useful guidelines.  Walking in the bush, he said, we may come across dangerous animals and he needed a strategy for each.
• For hippo, we should not get between them and the river and we should not try to outrun them (a hippo can run at 45 km/h).  We should rather hide behind a tree and let them pass.
• We would also give buffalo a wide berth but if necessary we should climb a tree.
• And the elephant in the park would give us ample warning if they were getting ratty.  We would only view them from a distance and from a tree or an anthill.
• He introduced us to James who carried a rifle.  “No James – no walk” he said.  We were to walk in single file between him and James.
• To get the best out of the walk he suggested we look left and right as we walked, not just at the ground or we would get back and all we had seen was the ground.  And he asked us to keep our voices low so as not to scare any animals.  And of course, all cell phones off, a good rule for any facilitator.

He took his time over the briefing, explaining each point and pausing for effect.  At the end of the briefing I felt aware of the danger, primed to learn, and in good hands.  I reflected on times when I had felt the pressured to rush through a briefing session.

On the walk he kept a flow of interesting observations.  We learnt about the flowers, grass, spiders, trees, birds and animals.  He found a juvenile Baboon Spider and explained how they lived in a hole lined with silk with silk thread in a radial pattern around the hole.  Whenever something touched the thread, it would feel the vibration, rush out and catch it, eating it right there (alive) or poisoning it with a bite and dragging it down the burrow.   He gave researched, relevant, interesting facts for everything we saw.  I asked him about a big pod.  “This is a Borasus Palm.  It has a fruit you can eat like a mango.

But it is not indigenous to Malawi.  The palms were introduced by the Arab slave-traders who carried their slaves down the Shire River, the Zambezi to the Mozambique coast.  They brought the fruit from North Africa and tossed the pips over-board as they ate”.

He supplemented his broad and detailed knowledge with reference books, showing us names and pictures.

He applied his knowledge with immediacy, relevant to whatever he wanted to show us.  A large bird flew up from the ground into a tree some distance away.  “There is a Palm Nut Vulture, it has been feeding on a carcass.  It is the only vulture that is an omnivore, feeding on meat the fruit of the palm tree.

He used a little dry humour.  “Some hippo he said are slow walkers.  We may still meet them on the way back to the river.”  Showing a songalolo, (a millipede), he said when he was young his mother used to say “don’t play with them, if it stings you, the only cure is count the legs” which he pointed out is impossible because they are always moving.

He maintained order but allowed a lot of flexibility.  Here you can see us more or less in single file.

They are waiting for me while I take this picture.

He welcomed input from everyone.  When he showed us Green Pigeons I mentioned that I had heard that they used them to find copper deposits in Zambia when they found that the pigeons living in the copper areas had brighter plumage.  He was interested in the idea and mentioned a plant that has brighter flowers when it grows over copper deposits.  When I suggested that there could be a relationship he said “Ah yes, the minerals in the food eaten by the pigeons may enhance the colour of their feathers.  Later he told me he sometimes has experts like botanists and zoologists on his walks and he likes to press them for as much knowledge as possible.  Then he takes the leads and consults his books or goes to the library.  He has learnt the gift of life-long learning.

The walk had a clear end.  When we returned to camp he said the walk is over, and he pointed out the direction to people’s tents.

As a facilitator I sometimes get into trouble by going over time in workshops.  We got back to the camp half an hour after the advertised time but I certainly did not mind.  I also like to ask the group if they are getting value out of the workshop.  Samuel said he gauges the interest and capacity of the group and tailors the walk to what he sees.

Well done Samuel, thanks for the input.