Facilitators’ Community

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.

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

1. To anticipate where the participants will be at the start, middle and end of each session including the areas of potential conflict;
2. To continuously ‘read’ the room for signs of confusion, conflict or consensus;
3. To help the participants see how they’re culture, norms, behaviors, assumptions and understanding are shaping the outcomes of their work;
4. 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?

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?