Facilitation
What is Facilitation? We get this question often.
The root word of facilitation is "facile" or "easy". In its basic sense, facilitation means "to make it easy to assure that all voices are heard." The goal of an experienced facilitator is to make it safe and easy for group members to hear and be heard. Facilitators work to bring out and focus all of the wisdom of the group to address plans or solve problems. The degree to which that happens is in direct proportion to how easy the ultimate solutions become. While not necessarily guaranteeing a perfect outcome, a facilitator can make it easier for people to work together toward a shared solution. Also, facilitation is one of the more effective tools of conflict resolution.
Why Might You Need a Facilitator?
Our experience shows that most groups do not know how to solve tough problems on their own. Because they do not know how to build a shared framework of understanding, they seldom realize its significance. They dread conflict and discomfort, and they try hard to avoid it. Yet, by avoiding the struggle to integrate one another's perspectives, the members of a group greatly diminish their own potential to be effective. The result? They need a facilitator.
The quality of process between people in a meeting impacts the quality of the group's final product. A facilitator can be enormously helpful in orchestrating such a process. A facilitator helps the group members hear others and be heard and connect themes and ideas throughout the meeting to create a robust solution. When necessary, a facilitator can act like a "traffic cop", preventing the dominance of one point of view and ensuring that the process remains fair and balanced.
Could You Use a Facilitator?
If a strategic planning or team meeting is important enough for your key people to devote their time to it, you should consider using a neutral facilitator to ensure that your meeting flows smoothly, that everyone participates, and difficult decisions are made as effectively as possible. Even when a team member may have the requisite skills to facilitate your meeting, it can unfairly restrict his or her contribution.
A good facilitator must set aside personal opinions and stand apart from the outcome of a meeting making their contribution by guiding the process; keeping the discussion focused, on time, and on track; preventing a department or an individual from dominating or being overlooked; teasing our diverse opinions; offering structure; providing an impartial perspective and expert feedback; and ensuring that all participants are able to interact constructively. This is almost impossible for someone to do well who has a vested interest in contributing their strong opinions and ideas to the meeting.
A Summary of What an Experienced Facilitator Can Do:
1. Establish a climate of openness, initiate discussion, facilitate better communication
2. Build consensus and mobilize group resources to solve problems and achieve closure
3. Tackle difficult decisions and situations and overcome conflict or controversy
4. Provide objective guidance
5. Generate new ideas, different perspectives, new or creative approaches
6. Initiate change by securing group commitment to your plan or outcome
7. Minimize dominant personalities, departmental differences, and internal politics
8. Benchmark your expectations and intentions against those of other organizations
9. Keep discussions realistic and focused and out of rehashed entrenched positions
10. Establish useful ground rules, structure, and process to ensure everyone contributes
11. Provide encouragement of varying opinions without wasting time
12. Energize and pace the group through different stages and dynamics
13. Challenge the participants' assumptions
14. Encourage appropriate risk taking
15. Secure the support of key people
So, why not use an independent and professional facilitator to help make your meetings more effective and productive!
Click here for help.
|
