Effective Facilitation – The Locus of Responsibility – Key Issues
PLUS Facilitator Language
by Hank Williams
Effective Facilitation explores the skills involved in supporting working groups.
It focuses on the issue of the locus of responsibility: specifically where the responsibility for the group’s effectiveness lies, how much responsibility it is useful for the facilitator to take, and how to share responsibility appropriately with the group.
This is most relevant to people who facilitate working groups, but will be of interest to trainers who facilitate groups of learners on training events.
If you’ve ever been caught in the conundrum of being brought in to do a job, wanting to prove your worth, and yet then feeling that all the responsibility for the output of the meeting or event has been handed to you, then the topics explored here will be useful.
Effective Facilitation explores how the responsibility for the group’s effectiveness at working together is being shared between group and facilitator. Often the very fact that a facilitator has been brought in can move the group to pass responsibility to the facilitator, and the facilitator keen to prove their worth, showing that they are adding value, chooses to accept. This may be an unhelpful even detrimental position for the group, and more pressure than is necessary for the facilitator.
By exploring the responsibilities of the facilitator, this guide looks at the pressure induced by the group and the pressure created by the facilitator themselves to achieve output. So if you find yourself standing at the flipchart writing reams of notes that invariably you end up typing up, this e-book will help you consider the choices you make and some alternatives for you to consider.
Effective Facilitation also explores the choices we have as facilitators and the impact that our words and behaviours have on the outcome of the meeting. It explores working with the group according to their resourcefulness, and includes resource indicators for the facilitator to tune in to as well as how to assess them.
Hank writes honestly about real experiences both as an experienced meeting facilitator and as someone who develops facilitation skills. The guide explores real examples of meetings which have been facilitated, the choices that were made and the impact this had on the outcome of the meeting.
With useful models to enable you to observe a group, to the choices you make in positioning yourself with the group – both verbally and physically, this guide offers useful insights to develop your approach to facilitation. For example, where do you focus your attention – on the person speaking or to those listening to the person speaking?
This isn’t facilitation from a text book. This comes from years of experience working with groups in the real world, and looks honestly at the choices we make or don’t and their consequences.
To find out more about Intelligent Dialogue’s tailored training and our training materials, call us now on 0845 450 0988
