No matter whether you have to solve a simple problem, organise thirty stakeholders to make a decision, plan a significant change, or achieve your desired results in the boardroom, an independent facilitator might be the answer.
“Perhaps the most effective way to grab a person’s attention
is to ask them to solve a problem – Ellen Burns-Johnson”
Facilitators with significant business background, experience, personal skills, creativity and extrodinary communication and engagement skills are such an asset to a business wanting to shift the needle.
What is facilitation?
Facilitation is a structured approach to coordinating conversations to achieve a result. Facilitation is not coaching, mentoring or consulting. However, experienced facilitators can change hats to step into these roles when needed by their clients.
Typically, facilitation is the art of designing and executing workshops, meetings and discussions. Modern day facilitation promotes co-design and collaboration. The best solutions are never found in just one person, it is the co-creation of solutions that streamlines the problem solving process.
Facilitation Approach
Great facilitators will use the best process to get the best outcome for their clients. Although the sessions may appear unstructured, you will find every question is intentional, every shift in focus is to lead to the end result, and every step is planned and executed with confidence.
The way i work is:
STEP 1 – Meet with the client and ascertain the needs and wants. This should not be rushed as it is in this discussion that the real needs or problems are identified and understood. Without this the next steps are likely to go off course.
STEP 2 – Design the session. It may be highly structuredv or semi-structured. The design is deteremined by the number of people, the desired output, the location and the time provided. Designing a powerful, output driven session or workshop is definitely an artform and takes years of experience to master. The design includes the method for each step, the tools required, the collection mechanisms for the output, and the questions required to stimulate engagement and participation. Never underestimate this part of the design.
STEP 3 – Conduct the workshop. Ofcourse, the first thing to do is be prepared! As a facilitator, I ensure I have everything ready to go the previous day and arrive early to set up the room. I ensure the client is present as they need to be seen to be driving the agenda. If there are any uncertainties throughout the workshop, I refer them to the client for clarification. Throughout the session, I ensure all participants are comfortable, engaged and providing or recieving value. Greeting them as they arrive is a great first step. I will move around the room to ensure not to favour anyone and keep the pace fresh. The key focus is executing the structure and staying on time.
STEP 4 – Document the output. Successful workshops achieved the clients desired results and produces the information needed to action, implement or move forward. Documenting in a style that mimics the collection of the output helps the client and the participants align to the output they generated.
VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS
These days, so many sessions are conducted online. The same approach works for online and in person session however the tools used are very different.
THE PERILS OF RUNNING A WORKSHOP YOURSELF
It takes years of training and experience to design and conduct a workshop to achieve the clients desired outcomes. Most importantly, the client need to be present and participate which is not possible when facilitating. The beauty of having a professional run your session is they set a powerful structure, are not caught up in any personal relationships, connections or dynamics, they default to the leader for all clarifications and enage open, full participation from the attendees.
FACILITATED SESSIONS ARE MORE PRODUCTIVE AND ACHIEVE BETTER RESULTS
There is signficant research showing the value