facilitation

Welcome to:E.

F.F.

E.C.

T.I.V

.E.

Meeting

Facilitation

Facilitating My Meetings

Challenging Behaviors

Allowing Enough Time

Lateness &

Leave Early

Getting Actions

Acted On

Determining Agenda

Activities

Keeping Group on

Task

Getting too much or too little Response

Phone-ee-ness or

Distractions

Other

My greatest challenge :

Session Outcome

Understand the best practices for effective meeting

facilitation

Agenda

Welcome/Intro

E.F.F.E.C.T.I.V.E Meeting Components:Pre-work

Process

Progress

Wrap Up, Summary & Evaluations

EFFECTIVE

• Essential• Focused• Framework• Established• Collaborative• Time-phased• Initiative minded• Valuable• Evaluated

Meeting Components

Pre-work - Charts the course

Process - Navigates the meeting

Opening-Setting up the Session

Conducting the Session

Concluding the Session

Progress - Ensures action

Facilitator

• Focus is on ensuring that application of necessary activities, assignments and learning will occur

Educator

• Focus is on content mastery and understanding

Coach

• Focus is on improving and enhancing performance

Administrator

• Focus is on format and structure of event(s) to meet project outcomes

Communicator

• Focus is on ensuring that information is flowing productively

Motivator

• Focus is to foster a motivating environment

Miscellaneous

• Time-keeper

• Scribe

• Spokesperson

Characteristics of Facilitation

• Protects participants self-esteem

• Understands and senses group energy and productivity and acts accordingly to keep ideas flowing and energy up

• Monitors the pace and quality

• Helps summarize and prioritize content

• Moves group to consensus & to define and assign next steps

Characteristics of Facilitation

• Creates a participatory environment with active listening, dialogue creativity

• Directs group to focus and achieve desired outcomes

• Suggests helpful processes to meet outcomes

• Remains neutral on content

Neutrality

• Difficult when we have multiple roles

• When possible, facilitate parts of the meeting where you are more apt to be neutral

• Ask another group member to facilitate topics that you have more content input needs

Additional Facilitator Skills

Content Process

Facilitation Competencies

• Providing a Motivating Environment

• Demonstrating Leadership Excellence

• Providing Feedback

• Managing Discussions & Activities

• Effective Communication-clear & timely, using various tools (Written & Oral)

Delivery Do’s & Don’ts

• “Professional Presence”– Appropriate Body Language

• Appropriate Language– Inclusive– Certain

• Asking Questions– Open – Closed– Polling

Group Dynamics

• Collective experience adds more than individual experience

• Building on the ideas and experiences of many increases synergy and creativity

• Productivity, quality and efficiency improve or are enhanced

• Improved communication skills through the group interactions

Functional Behaviors• Contributing

– Suggest ideas– Offer facts, speculations and solutions– Provide information relevant to the issue

• Clarifying– Paraphrase, explain, ask clarifying questions, seek

additional ideas & connect one idea to another

• Supporting– Praise, encouragement, agreement, open communication

• Mediating– Seek to understand other’s point of view– Attempt to reconcile differences, “referee”


The Over-Participator

Self-Appointed Spokesperson

Doting on Displeasure

Readily Repetitive

I’m Important


The Aggressive-Participator

Sideshow Barking

Enormous Emoting

Constant Combating

Know-it-all


The Under-Participator

“I have better things to do…”

“Excuse me for a minute…”

“I’ll have to check on that…”

“Could you do it?”

What’s Up?• What possible resistance could there

be?

• Why?

• What else might need consideration?

• What potential concerns are there?

• What else might I need to know?

General Rules of Thumb

• Stay Calm• Relaxed & Open (non-verbal)• Reinforce Acceptable Behavior• Refer to Ground Rules/Roles• Allow Group to Discourage • Refocus to D.O./Topic Activity• Make a Direct Statement• Time Out!

ACT B.I.G.

• Describe the BEHAVIOR as you’ve seen and heard it

• Describe the IMPACT of the behavior—what it’s done to you, others, or what resulted from the act

• Explain the GROWTH needed to get a positive outcome

B.I.G.“When you _______________, I felt_________ and I noticed _________.

I would like to see you __________ if a similar situation comes up.”

Planning for Your Audience

• Types of behavior:– Over– Aggressive– Under

•Strategies to try

Communication Considerations

• Are there issues where information is not communicated clearly?

– Actions– Goals– Progress

Pre-work: Determining Desired Outcomes

Well Written D.O.s are:– Positive– Clear & Concise– Control & Influence

– Measurable– Resource-based– Ecological

My Desired Outcome

• This meeting is to decide on a mandatory class to teach all staff on how to act professionally.

My Desired Outcome

• The desired outcome of this meeting is to decide on a training program that promotes a harassment free workplace.

More Desired Outcomes1. This meeting is to stop wasting too

much money.

2. To reduce the number of people who show up late each day.

3. To find ways to change the sagging morale in our department because there is too much tension and we’re not as productive as we should be.

4. To have a team meeting.

Reasons to Meet

1. To identify problems

2. To solve identified problems

3. Generate ideas, Brainstorming

4. Establish Goals or Plans

5. Training or Education

Reasons NOT to Meet

1. Conversation, phone, or e-mail

2. Not prepared, you and/or others

3. Decision makers are not available

4. Desired Outcome is not clear

(or written)

5. A decision has already been made

Desired Outcomes

• Considerations:– Purpose/Charge/Mission of Group– Communication Needs

•Actions•Goals•Progress

– Decision-Making Protocol•Guidelines

Pre-work: Creating the Agenda

AGENDA: a written document with critical information to get the right people together at the same time to accomplish a common Desired Outcome(s).


What is the critical information?

–This is the stuff you need to do at the meeting in order to accomplish your Desired Outcome(s).•Presentations•Activities, etc.


Contents:

Desired Outcome(s)Start/End timesLocation(s)/AccommodationsMeeting and Pre-work AssignmentsTopics/Items with times allocated


–Who are the right people?

–Can this person help reach the Desired Outcome(s)?


Whenever possible, publish the Agenda at 48-72 hours prior to the meeting.

–Assign a start and end time to the meeting–Assign a timeframe for each topic


When and where should we meet?

– If you have access to schedules-set it up in the calendar system–Ask participants to accept or decline

Managing Expectations

Designed to Build Trust

Typically used:

Ritual or Regular Meetings

Training Sessions

Problem Solving Sessions

Group Facilitations

Managing Expectations: Ground Rules

Identify Potential Hazards– What are some of the things you’ve

seen go wrong in a meeting?

Minimize the Impact of Hazards– What steps can be taken to keep the

meeting as productive as possible?

Basic Ground Rules

• Start & end on time• Cell phones & pagers silent/off• Stick to the agenda/participate• Avoid side-bar conversations• Maintain respect for all views• Professional language

• Maintain confidentiality

Managing Expectations: Parking Lots

• Conventional

• Unconventional

Brainstorming

• Generate New Ideas• Spur Creativity• Encourage Idea Association• Stimulate Competition Among

Teams

Brainstorming

• Administrate to keep it: – On Target– Lively– Productive– Creative

Problem Solving

• What is the problem?• What are all of the possible

causes?• What are all of the possible

solutions?• What is the best solution &

why?

Decision-Making

• Does the group have established guidelines?

• What are they?

• How are they defined?

Consensus• Consensus: general agreement…a

view or stance reached by a group as a whole or by majority will.

• (In practice, consensus often means that not all in the group agree a given plan is ideal; rather, they may agree they can accept it and stand behind it.)

Logistics: Assigning Roles

Leader

Facilitator

Recorder

Time-keeper

Resources

Logistics: Room Set Up

• U shape

• Classroom

• Conference Style

• Table Groups

Logistics: Charts & Whiteboards

• 2-3 Bold Colors

• Use Their Words

• Color for Consistency

• Touch & Turn Technique

• Parking Lot(s)

Process: Conducting the Session

Welcome and IntroductionReview AgendaEstablish Ground RulesMembership ActivityEstablish RolesReview Desired Outcome(s)(Review necessary background 411)

Opening: Setting the Stage

Process: Conducting the Session

Content & Communication

Remain Positive

Cover Activities to the D.O.

Process: Closing the Session

The Decision reached

The Action to be taken

Assign Due Date for each item

Assign Accountability for each item

Summarizing the Meeting:

Process: Closing the Session

• Helps members commit to action• Reinforces key

decisions/learning points• Provide support and

encouragement• Stimulates personal commitment

Assign/Review Action Items

Evaluate the Meeting

Progress

Follow-up

Begin Planning

Publish Results

Publish the Minutes within 48-72 hours

Meeting Outcome?

Understand the best practices for effective meeting

facilitation

Were we EFFECTIVE?

MeetingFacilitation

Proc

ess Progress

Pre-work

facilitation

Business

project team

project outcomes

project updates

project cheer

documents project activities

effective meeting facilitation

facilitation process

facilitator focus