Facilitation (business)

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See the Facilitation page for other meanings of the word facilitator

Facilitation in business, organizational development (OD) and in consensus decision-making refers to the process of designing and running a successful meeting.

Facilitation concerns itself with all the tasks needed to run a productive and impartial meeting. Facilitation serves the needs of any group who are meeting with the aim of making a decision. It does not lead the group, nor does it try to distract or to entertain.

Contents

[edit] Aspects of facilitation

  • The role of the facilitator. (see below) The role of facilitator only emerged as a separate set of skills in the 1980s. It has similarities to the traditional Chair or secretary roles in a meeting but goes beyond them to actively participate and guide the group towards consensus.
  • Consulting with the client. A facilitator will work with a client who is someone in an organisation, or diverse group, who is calling the and has invited the facilitator to assist. They will try to understand the purpose and outcome of the meeting by discussing it with the client.
  • Making arrangements for the meeting. The practical arrangements will be arranged or managed by the facilitator. They will also consider in detail the location and layout of the room. They will research the meeting beforehand to understand why it is being held and that all stakeholders are invited and able to attend.
  • Setting the agenda. They will understand in detail how each item on the agenda is to be tackled and how long it should take. Using specialist techniques they will allow participants to understand all the issues at stake and all alternative courses of action.
  • Understanding group norms. They will not make assumptions about the way people interact and will try to adapt to the ways of different cultures and organisations.
  • Understanding group process. Whilst tackling the practical aspects of a meeting they remain aware of undercurrents, both verbal and non-verbal, which may indicate problems the group is having. The facilitator may try to assist the group in becoming aware of these.

[edit] The role of the facilitator

See the facilitator article for details of exactly how a facilitator might run a meeting.

  • Prior to a meeting, facilitators:
    • research the meeting before it happens
    • find out the purpose and goal (if any) of the meeting
    • establish who needs to attend
    • draw up a draft agenda and design the group processes to attain the necessary results
    • share the agenda with potential attendees, changing it as necessary
    • ensure everyone gets fully briefed for the meeting and that everyone knows the purpose and potential consequences of the meeting
  • During the meeting, facilitators:
    • monitor the agenda
    • keep time
    • manage the group process
    • encourage participation from all attendees
    • help participants understand different points of view
    • foster solutions that incorporate diverse points of view
    • teach new thinking skills and facilitating structured thinking activities
    • record (with an agreed phraseology) agreements. They may also note unresolved issues for later debate.
  • The facilitator may write up and publish the results of the meeting to everyone concerned including those who could not attend.

[edit] The form of meeting

A meeting usually means everyone is together in the same room at the same time and this is the major situation in which facilitation is practiced. With the introduction of modern telecommunications the field has grown to embrace other forms of meetings:-

  • Same time same place - the traditional meeting in a room with all parties present.
  • Same time different place - the teleconference with either all parties on separate telephones or some in separate rooms with speaker phone connection. The internet chat also falls in this category.
  • Different time same place - a meeting focussing on a notice board and poster display which allows individuals to add comments as they pass.
  • Different time different place - meeting via a web link such as discussion groups and Wikipedia.

[edit] Principles of facilitation

  • Statement of Values and Code of Ethics for Group Facilitators
  • Teach them to fish: helping people "do it themselves"
  • When the true leader leads the people say, "We did it ourselves"
  • Facilitators are substantially neutral to content discussions
  • Facilitators are outcome oriented
  • Facilitators Plan before Doing
  • Facilitators use proper models and methods
  • Facilitators work to understand factors driving groups and individuals
  • Facilitators promote participation by all
  • Faciltiators encourage collaborative decision-making when appropriate
  • Facilitators capture the results
  • Facilitators manage the climate and space of the event
  • Facilitators manage the resistance
  • Facilitators provide and request timely and effective feedback
  • Facilitators seek to understand and manage themselves

[edit] External links

[edit] Professional and accrediting organisations

[edit] Networks

[edit] Resources

[edit] References

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