My dissertation research found that jadedness is actually latent hope: when people have tried and failed at changing something in the past, they seek to protect themselves from future pain, but they are just waiting to be given a reason to hope again. Don't lean "out" from these people...lean IN! Let them voice their concerns. Understand what barriers or roadblocks prevented them from being successful in the past. Let them voice their hesitations and validate their skepticism. Then engage them in solution building. Most importantly, ensure that the leaders are 100% committed to making change happen.

Why would I even facilitate a session with skeptical stakeholders and expect them to embrace change? Clearly, we'd want to ensure they're open to it before wasting everyone's time. Without that, it's like planting seeds in concrete and hoping for a forest—optimistic at best, futile at worst!

Building trust and highlighting the benefits of change can be achieved effectively through these strategies: Use Storytelling: Share compelling stories of transformation from your organization or successful case studies. Narratives resonate emotionally and help stakeholders visualize the positive impact of change. Involve Stakeholders in Co-Creation: Engage skeptical stakeholders in co-creating solutions. Involving them in the decision-making process not only gathers their insights but also fosters ownership and commitment to change. Regular Check-ins and Updates: Establish a schedule for updates and check-ins. Transparency about progress, challenges, and next steps builds credibility and keeps stakeholders informed and engaged.

Setting expectations for the outcome of this session is critical to manage its success. If stakeholders are skeptical, how skeptical are they? It should be a range, otherwise why would they agree to attend the session? Start the session by understanding how far off they are from the change you are trying to implement. What is the common ground? If stakeholders do not agree about the changes being proposed, what do they believe needs to change and why? Working together on a collaborative path is a lot easier than trying to persuade skeptical groups to adopt your change proposal.

Practice respect, empathy and acceptance without judging them or their point of view. Listen to their perspective but do not be affected or so not plan your facilitation to respond or react to their opinions. If a facilitator is clear in their perspective, has examples, stories and a clear narrative. If you have a debate or discussion in the process, be calm and open and maintaing objectivity and consistency.

From my experience working almost always with skeptical stakeholders, I apply the principle of adult learning, for example, knowing that people's experience matters, breaking them into smaller groups and giving them prompts that make them work on the issues, use the power of asking effective questions, if the issue on the table has policies and laws that are associated to their review with the group, for them to know it is not you making up things. Acknowledge whatever they struggle with and invite them to keep reflecting on the new ideas.

I find trust-building starts with empathy. I actively listen to their concerns, acknowledging their apprehensions about change. By sharing relatable success stories from our education and upskilling projects, I illustrate the tangible impact change can bring. I make it a point to be transparent about both challenges and benefits, framing change as a journey we undertake together. I also engage them in co-designing solutions, turning them from passive listeners into active contributors. This partnership approach often transforms skepticism into shared commitment.