Facilitation Skills

What is a Facilitator ?
A facilitator is someone who uses some level
of intuitive or explicit knowledge of group
process to help guide the group to achieve
what it sets out to do
He is a catalyst rather than a direct agent in
the process
In the words of Lao Tzu .. when the job is
done, the people say we did it ourselves..

Basic Rules of Facilitation

You are the servant of the group, the
steward of the process
Avoid content input as much as possible
If you must give content in terms of opinions,
solutions, answers to questions, inputs, it
must be clear that you are more a contributor
than a facilitator
Set your intention at the outset and help the
group that theirs

Basic Rules of Facilitation

Facilitation is a service role; it is not an
authority role
High ethics act with integrity
Stay tuned to what goes on and comes in only
when needed to allow smoother flow of ideas
Sometimes you need to have faith and trust
the process, especially initially when the
process tends to be slow

Basic Rules of Facilitation

Plan ahead
Be ready to introduce yourself and your role
Consider in advance what needs to be
communicated to the students
Plan realistic time boundaries
Ensure that material and background
information are ready
Think ahead of likely questions and help
needed

Basic Rules of Facilitation

Help each person feel heard
Use paraphrasing, scribing (written where all
can see), summarising and even a simple
acknowledgement nod to reflect back what
people are saying
Look at what is the underlying need that
someone is expressing
Sense how people are feeling
Watch the non-verbal cues
Listen carefully

Basic Rules of Facilitation

Be Objective
Being objective is important when you are
reflecting behaviour to a group
Avoid putting any value judgement on the
comments being made
Allow the group to make its own interpretation
of the behaviour or circumstances involved
Remain independent of any conflict or other
issues

Basic Rules of Facilitation

Say Little; Say Just Enough
Your job is to facilitate ; not dominate the
group or their discussion
Say little, but your input is usually necessary
at appropriate times
Say as is necessary to facilitate the group

Basic Rules of Facilitation

Avoid Involvement
Do not get involved in the discussion;
especially if the topic is of great interest to
you. Mindful of the temptation to involve
yourself
Otherwise you may turn out to be the groups
member rather than their facilitator

Basic Rules of Facilitation

Address Conflict
Unresolved conflict may inhibit the groups
progress
Addressing conflict involves recognising it and
then decide when and how to deal with it
Do NOT take sides
View issues from an objective perspective
As a last resort, seek a teachers assistance if
you cannot make any headway in resolving
the conflict

Roles of the Facilitator

Summariser and Integrator
State the sense of the group as best as you
can discern it
Reflect back what you are hearing verbally
and/or visually
Weave together diverse views and input
List out sub-topics so each can be examined
State clearly any agreements for the record

Roles of the Facilitator

Vibeswatcher
Awareness of emotional undercurrents,
gleaned from tones, body language, intuition
Keep an eye on group energy and dynamics
Intervene when emotions run high
Ask deeper questions to get better sense of
the group feel
Call for breaks

Roles of the Facilitator

Process Steward
Help group follow any process agreements or
ground rules that are in place
Consider group structures other than the
usual large-group discussion; eg small-group,
round table, think-pair-share
Focus and safeguard the process so that
others can mainly focus on the content

Roles of the Facilitator

Peacemaker
If a conflict emerges, help each person feel
heard, and seek common ground
Help people understand each other by
translating information from one person into
terms that the others can also grasp

Roles of the Facilitator

Keeper of the Stack
Keep track of whom has spoken
Note whom has been piggy-backing ;
encourage participation
If there is an order to speak than keep track of
whose turn it is to speak

Roles of the Facilitator

Scribe
Write information up front large enough for
everyone in the room to read it
Ensure someone is taking notes for the record

Roles of the Facilitator

Timekeeper
Keep an eye on the clock
Warn the group well ahead of any deadline
Note again as the deadline draws near

Roles of the Facilitator

Physical Preparation
Seating
Lighting
Airflow and air-conditioning
Supplies, markers, masking tape, blue tack,
easel, flip chart
The last 4 roles may be delegated to some group members or a co-facilitator

References
Russell Steele; A simple model for facilitating small
groups
Edward S. (Ned) Ruete; Facilitation 101
Tree Bressen; Group Facilitation Primer