Facilitation is the process of guiding a group to share ideas, opinions, experiences and expertise to achieve a common goal. The role of the facilitator is to ensure that the group works as a constructive and cohesive unit and that it arrives at its own answers, decisions or deliverables. Facilitators help the group to:
There are countless ways to facilitate an event, but they all rest on a series of basic tasks:
Make everyone feel comfortable and valued
Encourage participation
Prevent and manage conflict
Listen and observe
Guide the group
Ensure quality decisions
Ensure commitment to action
After the event, take the time to do an after-action review. It will help you assess what worked and what you would like to revise for next time.
- Make decisions
- Share information
- Plan work
- Learn from one another
- Solve problems.
There are countless ways to facilitate an event, but they all rest on a series of basic tasks:
Make everyone feel comfortable and valued
- Get to know them
- Use open body language
- Engage people as individuals and thank them for their contributions.
Encourage participation
- Use open-ended questions
- Draw out silent participants without putting them on the spot
- Use visual aids
- Consult the group
- Break into smaller groups.
Prevent and manage conflict
- Use team-building activities
- Set ground rules
- Search for agreement
- When necessary, agree to disagree
- Expressing respect for all views.
Listen and observe
- Listen actively
- Scan the room: listen for nervous laughter, raised voices, pockets of silence
- Do not make assumptions
- Check for understanding
- Rephrase and summarize participants’ responses
- Write it down.
Guide the group
- Appoint a timekeeper
- Refer to the agenda and objectives, but stray from them when necessary
- Challenge participants’ assumptions
- Encourage them to go beyond the first solution; develop creative tension
- Encourage initiative, ask about Plan B and Plan C
- Ask them about the short and long term, milestones and a continuity plan
- Use a parking lot for concepts that do not fit into the current topic.
Ensure quality decisions
- Remind the group about decision deadlines
- Review criteria and supporting information
- Review the decision-making process
- Poll the group before major decisions
- Review the decision as a group.
Ensure commitment to action
- Review objectives for each agenda item
- Record decisions
- Develop an action plan
- Ensure the team leader will follow up.
After the event, take the time to do an after-action review. It will help you assess what worked and what you would like to revise for next time.