First impressions count; we all know that. Home / Facilitation method / Facilitation / What qualities make for a good facilitator? The facilitator is both a mediator and an enabler. Job duties revolve around making the meeting process run smoothly. Often a good choice is a high performer interested in their own personal development who is unbiased and who is strong enough to challenge your team during the process. Go on, close your eyes if you have to. This could include your industry, team knowledge, economic conditions, and current business challenges. How to Conduct an Annual Planning Meeting, Annual Planning: 9 Tips to Focus & Align Your Team with a Great Plan, Annual Planning Playbook: 5 Steps to Create a Winning Annual Plan, How CEOs Can Avoid High-Cost Mistakes in Annual Planning, Rhythm Systems Annual Planning Resource Center, Photo Credit: iStock Photo by Getty Images. Acknowledge the value of the person’s concerns. They’re more likely to press for well thought through (and defended) results rather than settle for less. Facilitation Skills Required to be a Good Facilitator. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. An integrated security facilitator should be familiar with the workshop concepts of security and well-being of women human rights defenders, but … By using our site, you agree to our. Ask for questions in an open manner – “What questions do you have?”. As a facilitator, you need to help set a tone for the behaviors and … It’s not just technique: the facilitator has to understand at least some of the dynamics, past interactions, code words, and key events that underlie the group’s discussion. % of people told us that this article helped them. Be prepared. D – Discipline. Your duties are to empower the group to work through issues by listening to the varying viewpoints and asking probing questions. Debrief the workshop. Good meeting facilitators should endeavour always to create and facilitate meetings with a clear purpose and objectives, involve the right people, and use proven techniques to get the most out of the valuable time invested. 10 meeting facilitation … How will you keep the needed energy levels up and the team focused? Get P-A-I-D U-P, consider complexity, time and effort, weigh candidates against the top ten characteristics, and give them time to prepare. Transition smoothly from one activity or discussion to another. Title: Qualities of a good facilitator 1 Qualities of a good facilitator. Today, I’m going to outline those steps for you so that you know where you need to start. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Let me ask, have you used senior team members as facilitators? The facilitator doesn’t need to be an expert in the content - the “what” - of the meeting. Sets … Watch for your co-facilitator’s signal. A facilitator suggests ways and uses tools to help the group move forward, but makes no decisions for the group. Use “I” instead of “you” or “we”, There are no right or wrong answers. Facilitation may sound fairly straightforward, but there is an art to getting it right. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Being a better facilitator requires you to focus on the specific steps that will get you there. Find opportunities to facilitate with a co-facilitator and use each other as a source of learning. Give them a copy of our Meeting Facilitation guide; explain that they are to provide facilitation without taking the reins on content, and that they will be a process (not content) facilitator. Diving Deeper Into CORE. They will need to arrange the location and dates of meetings, and help manage communications and marketing for the group. This will allow key individuals to participate fully in the listening, thinking, observing, and participation needed for business planning success. Facilitators are there to help the group advance on both their individual and collective goals. Your internal facilitator should be chosen for their knowledge of your business and their facilitation skills. The facilitator will also need to run meetings as well as potentially moderate online contacts to ensure that discussions remain on topic and everyone can be involved. You must be comfortable speaking in front of large audiences and handling a variety of personalities. 2. If you do, you’ll pay for it all year (or quarter) based on the plan developed and the pain to get there. P – Probe. Practice what you want to say, how you will say it. How to be a Good Facilitator While Coaching in a Group Program. Any discussion or meeting to be held has some important participants whose hierarchy and role should be known to the facilitator. Rhythm Systems 1111 Metropolitan Ave, Suite 330 Charlotte, NC 28204. Find opportunities to facilitate with a co-facilitator and use each other as a source of learning. 3. Note: It may be important for them to know their job in not dependent on the result. The facilitator guides a discussion of the topics laid out in the meeting agenda, with the purpose of moving the team towards a common goal. You’ll want an internal facilitator who can be coached when needed by an external coach. Make sure they take time to set up the physical space, clarify the agenda and ground rules, balance participation, identify areas of agreement and unresolved concerns, ensure that decisions are accurately documented and that next steps are defined. Facilitating with another person is an excellent way to improve your capabilities as a teacher, trainer and facilitator. If you can’t work with a co-facilitator for whatever reason, find someone who is prepared to be open and honest with you to sit and observe you and then discuss your facilitation / act as a sounding board afterwards. Being a better facilitator requires you to focus on the specific steps that will get you there. Know what you want to achieve and be able to clearly articulate the desired outcome. "The article helped me a lot to understand the steps, behavior, rules, tips and warnings to follow to become a good. Our primary task is to minimize obstacles that could derail a meeting's purpose, making it easier for attendees to absorb the material. If you want to become a facilitator, you first need to determine if this career path is a good fit for your skills, interests and personality traits. Help people collectively move through a process. They do not influence or lead the group to an outcome. For instance, Brad Ty Nunnally’s article, Why the Best Designers are also Facilitatorsoutlines the qualities that facilitators should have, and how to improve. There is a significant responsibility on the shoulders of the facilitator. Today, I’m going to outline those steps for you so that you know where you need to start. They make it look easy , but its not as easy as you might think. • If you are in a room with video conferencing equipment, check Allow the other person to “save face”. Use simple, straightforward words and sentences. A – Accountable. 1. Just because they are a great leader doesn't mean that they have all the qualities of good facilitator and can drive you to the desired outcome of your planning session. Editor's Note: This post was originally published January 14, 2016, and has been updated. Although the facilitator may have extensive knowledge on the topic, the goal of facilitation is help the group move forward, not to convey knowledge (that’s training). To be a facilitator, you should have the following skills and qualities: experience of writing and delivering training excellent communication and presentation skills If you are confident and have a good time, others will too! To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. The key ingredients of effective meetings are preparation, good facilitation, good record-keeping, and appropriate follow up. Last but not least among the responsibilities of a facilitator is the recording of outputs, and of bringing these together, sharing them, and making sure they are actioned.The key to successful recording of outputs from an event is to be clear about what will be recorded, how and by whom. 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