Facilitators' Community

Facilitation Training Course Being Scheduled

Jack — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:37:25 +0000

At the request of a number of clients and subscribers, I am planning to offer another session of a two-day Facilitator Training Course. The fee for the course will be $499.00. All other expenses (travel, lodging, etc.) are to be paid by the attendees. The course is highly participative and we will cut off registration at 20 people.

Once we have enough folks registered, we’ll schedule the course again.

What Is ‘Facilitation’?

Jack — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:05:54 +0000

I believe that one of the core determinants of the success or failure of a facilitation ‘gig’ is the how the facilitator defines what they’re doing and how they define their role as compared to managers, participants, etc.

How do you define ‘facilitation’?

Here’s another blog I’m quite fond of by Viv McWaters!

An interesting take on the role of the facilitator in helping the group achieve their goals can be found here at Anecdote.com.

Another interesting take on Facilitation is this look at the Facilitator at The Human Imprint.

Typical tasks for facilitators are listed at Eventyr: Process Facilitator

Interactions is a blog which discusses the various styles of consultation which I found interesting.

Structuring An Engaqement

Jack — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:07:10 +0000

It has been my experience that structuring an engagement properly may be one of the most critical steps in the facilitation process. I include:

Identifying the ‘real’ client
Contracting with the client re: deliverables, participants, methodology, the client’s role, etc.
Defining milestones and ‘done-ness’ criteria
How, by whom, does the contract get changed
Fees and contingencies

Share with us your perspective on structuring a facilitation agreement and any ‘lessons learned’.

Here’s a link to Whiteboards That Work which addresses the ‘front end’ of the process.

Approach/Methodology

Jack — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:33:15 +0000

Too many facilitators utilize the same exercises and tools in doing their work. The result is that the participants are often weary and skeptical of approaches which they’ve used with mixed success in the past. I estimate that 50% of the work I do requires creating an approach/method virtually from scratch. What has been your experience and how do you go about fitting the methodology to the client engagement?

I found an interesting comment on Design For Civilized Society on when and how to choose a methodology.

Starting The Meeting

Jack — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:10:31 +0000

There is an ‘art’ to designing the structure and flow of meetings. Share with us some of the techniques you typically use in starting meetings, how you ‘position’ yourself, the client and the participants. Are there specific exercises/tools you use at the beginning of a ‘gig’ or meeting? If so, how do you decide when to use what?

Since many of my clients are physicians, you might want to check out this site: Daring Doctors

Managing The Room

Jack — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 01:33:39 +0000

I believe that a large part of a facilitator’s skillset is the ability to manage the room; by this I mean:

To anticipate where the participants will be at the start, middle and end of each session including the areas of potential conflict;
To continuously ‘read’ the room for signs of confusion, conflict or consensus;
To help the participants see how they’re culture, norms, behaviors, assumptions and understanding are shaping the outcomes of their work;
To minimize the potential that a small number of participants will ‘hijack’ the meeting and drive the group to their limited agenda and to deal with such behavior if/when it presents itself.

Part of the work is being clear on how ‘you’ filter and interpret what’s going on in the room. One of my favorite resources, professionally and personally, is “Byron Katie.

What have you learned or what questions do you have amount managing the room?

Tools and Methods

Jack — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:28:55 +0000

Share with us the ‘tools’ of your trade. What exercises, methodologies, approaches, etc., do you use and why? When do you not use a particular tool?

In choosing a methodology, I am strong advocate of engaging participants ‘visually’. Check out this website for a fascinating treatment of the topic and then share your use of Tools and Methods here.

As a subtopic, share with us any tools or methods that you’ve found effective in distance or teleconferenced meetings. I found a lot of pointers on the Virtual Events blog including a number of blogs on Virtual Events.

When The Wheels Fall Off

Jack — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 01:34:03 +0000

I think of this topic somewhat like ‘chaos theory’. My ‘theory’ is that you can count on even a well-designed and implemented facilitation gig to run into barriers from time to time. This is due primarily to the fact that, if the work is truly transformative, there is bound to be resistance from the participants, the sponsors, the client and ‘the organization’.

Although we may not know exactly where the issues will be, that shouldn’t stop us from planning ahead to deal with them. The primary opportunity to do this is during the structuring of the engagement. If we’ve structured the engagement properly, we can then more effectively deal with challenges.

Tell us about your experiences in dealing with issues during ‘gigs’ and how you’ve handled them.

Just For Managers

Jack — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 17:28:26 +0000

Managers are often called upon to facilitate; they facilitate their own groups and are often called upon to facilitate meetings of their colleagues. Tell us about the challenges, approaches and successes you’ve had facilitating as a manager.

I found an interesting discussion on The Enlightened Manager blog dealing with whether executives require special facilitation. What’s your view?

The Facilitator As Facilitator Or Host

Jack — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:29:43 +0000

I will try to present opposing views in this blog. I have always believed that the Facilitator is a ‘neutral’ outside resource available to the organization to help it meet its goals. Johnnie Moore’s website, however, gives a different perspective which you will want to consider.

He says that the hosting model is “It’s like entering the machine, becoming a part of it and changing it by being there. In a living system you cannot enter the field without affecting the field”.

My first reaction was ‘No, no, no!”, but the more I think about it, I do ‘enter the system’ and I do ‘affect it’. I had one long term client tell me I had changed their culture. I was both flattered and horrified.

Just For Teachers

Jack — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 17:21:05 +0000

Teachers facilitate groups in many settings: the classroom, staff meetings, in-service training, etc. What works for you? What problems have you encountered? Share your learnings and techniques and pose questions for your colleagues.

Here’s a link to the University of British Columbia’s Teaching and Academic growth website; an excellent resource!

Just For Therapists

Jack — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 17:19:09 +0000

Working with groups is a challenging and very effective way for your clients/patients to learn from and help each other. Tell us about your challenges, concerns, lessons learned and approaches in dealing with group in a therapeutic setting.

Just For Lawyers

Jack — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:32:03 +0000

Lawyers facilitate as a normal part of dealing with clients and resolving/negotiating issues. Tell us about your challenges, successes techniques and approaches. Pose questions for others to answer.