- Facilitation: Principles and Tips [Click here to download the Word Doc]
- Facilitation: Techniques for Structuring Discussions [Click here to download the Word Doc]
- Facilitation: Handling Challenging Dynamics [Click here to download the Word Doc]
Facilitation Training Resources:
- Facilitation Training Video
- Sample Agenda: Facilitation Training [Click here to download the Word Doc]
Resources for planning your own facilitation training:
- Foundations of Training: A Guide [Click here to download the Word Doc]
- How to Create your own Training [Click here to download the Word Doc]
- Train the Trainer videos (Coming soon!)
1. Prepare beforehand
o Materials ready
o Room set-up
o Know agenda
o Understand goals of the meeting and the organization
2. Set ground rules/norms
o Keeps the group focused on task and process.
o Remains as objective as possible
o Is an informed guide helping the group to chart its course and accomplish its goals;
o Post on the wall
o Post butcher paper pg on wall for non-agenda items (parking lot) so they don't get lost
3. Share and delegate roles
o A facilitator is neither a content expert nor a lecturer- the facilitator should be a flexible resource to be utilized by the group.
o A facilitator helps participants in the discussion to interact with each other, gain new information, and build upon their experience.
o Share responsibilities: delegate a note-taker, time keeper, etc.
o Listens more than talks
o Encourages everyone to participate while remembering that individuals participate in different ways. Some may talk only in small groups, but they are still participating. Others may wish to talk constantly and may be contributing little.
4. Stick to the agenda
o The facilitator guides a process which will help participants to reach their stated goals and objectives within the time allotted.
o Recaps, occasionally, what has happened in the discussion and helps group to make connections between issues.
o Is sensitive to the societal dynamics that play out within the room regarding class, gender, race, sexuality, and any other socialization
o Refers to the agenda to bring folks on task or reign them in
o Ask if anything else that needs to be on the agenda
Facilitation: Tips/Things to keep in mind
o Be alert to signs of confusion (puzzled or frustrated looks, people asking neighbors questions, resistance, etc.)--read non-verbal behavior
o Review pieces of information or issues which are causing confusion if several individuals are having difficulty.
o When you ask a question, allow group members time to think before answering. You might slowly count to 10. This may seem like a long time and silence may feel uncomfortable, but allowing participants’ time to think is essential if you want thoughtful answers; it will also give those who don’t always immediately raise their hands time to do so.
o Be intentional about setting an initial mood or climate of the group.
o The facilitator accepts both the intellectual content and the emotionalized attitudes within the group and tries to balance emphasis on these aspects.
o The facilitator may share opinions with the group, once the acceptable climate has been established, but must do so in ways which do not demand nor impose but represent simply a personal sharing which group members may take or leave. The facilitator has been empowered to facilitate the discussion, however, so it is best to refrain from taking up too much space in the discussion.
o Throughout the group experience, the facilitator remains alert to expressions that indicate deep or strong feelings.
o The facilitator should recognize and accept personal limitations- if you aren’t sure what to do next, ask the group