Overview of Facilitation

1. Overview of Facilitation

2. Agenda • What is a Facilitator? • Why is a Facilitator important? • Characteristics of a Successful Facilitator • Responsibilities of a Facilitator • Tips for Successful Facilitation • Review

3. What Is a Facilitator? • The Facilitator serves as the operational lead for the Community of Practice. • Facilitators work with the Community’s Champion, Knowledge Integrators, and Subject Matter Experts to clarify and reinforce the purpose of the Community. • They help to smoothly manage the flow of a meeting or event.

4. Why is a Facilitator Important? • The facilitator focuses on effective processes allowing the participants to focus on the content or the substance of their work together. • By mediating the group process, the facilitator plays an active and critical role in ensuring that the Community taps deeply into its own knowledge.

5. Characteristics of a Successful Facilitator • Enjoys working with people and understands that all members have something to contribute • Desires to help members bring their contributions to the Community’s purpose • Ability to track various items simultaneously and analyze comments, relating them to the topic and develop appropriate responses • Communicates clearly • Uses appropriate levels of energy to build excitement and enthusiasm • Practices active listening skills • engaging a speaker • listening attentively • asking probing questions • discerning context and subtext • translating it in a way that is meaningful to the Community. • Demonstrates self-confidence and leadership

6. Facilitators Need to Provide Answers to Many Questions • WHY: Make sure that everyone understands the purpose and overall goal of the group • WHO: Be clear about who are the attendees and their roles, including group members who are not attending • WHERE: The location (face-to-face, virtual, or both) • WHAT: Provide agenda items and timing • HOW: Determine which facilitation methods to employ

7. Responsibilities of a Facilitator – Developing the Agenda • Coordinate with Community leaders (e.g., Subject Matter Expert and Champion) to determine agenda and goals. • Distribute agenda prior to the meeting so that participants know what to expect and how to prepare. • Include date, time, location, any call-in or log-in details, and agenda items and goals.

8. Responsibilities of a Facilitator – Meeting Facilitation • Clearly communicate the goals and objectives as outlined in the agenda. • Set ground rules to for interaction during the meeting. Examples include: • Listen to and show respect for the opinions of others • Describe how decisions are to be made (consensus, majority rule, etc.) • Limit disruptions by turning off cell phones, muting phone lines if necessary, and avoiding side conversations

9. Responsibilities of a Facilitator – Meeting Facilitation • Create an atmosphere of mutual support, respect and encouragement • Keep the discussion focused • Adhere to agenda items and the allotted time • Ensure all participants are involved • No single participant should dominate the discussion • While some may participate more than others, no one should feel excluded

10. Responsibilities of a Facilitator – Meeting Facilitation • Address unproductive behavior • Direct the discussion towards dialogue, not debate • Intervene when a participant is disruptive or disrespectful • Manage information • Document ideas for the group to review and refer to throughout the discussion. Everyone should see, hear, and understand what is presented and what decisions are made • Direct questions, misperceptions, or misinformation to a knowledgeable Community leader, and/or pose the question to the group • Record full minutes for a record of the discussion

11. Responsibilities of a Facilitator – Meeting Facilitation • Thank the group for the opportunity to work with them. • Congratulate the group on their hard work and achievements. • Keep track of action items and associated deadlines. • Work with Community leaders to assign, distribute and follow-up on action items. • Assess meetings and events through feedback from participants.

12. Tips for Successful Facilitation • Role Call • Greet or address the Community members as they “arrive”.Set an engaging tone when opening the discussion and let the group know when everyone has arrived • Virtual Reality • Keep in mind that meetings and events are not always face-to-face or in real-time • All shared information should be accessible to all participants, regardless of meeting space, prior to the meeting (e.g., face-to-face, web conference, or telephone)

13. Tips for Successful Facilitation • Stay the Course • When dialogue strays off-topic, refocus the group on the agenda item • If a participant is overly talkative, during a pause for breath, thank the participant for his comments and restate the agenda • Avoid side conversations by asking the participant to share her idea with the group • Suggest to “park” pertinent non-agenda items in a parking lot and revisited at a later time. Alternately, let the group decide if the topic warrants revising the agenda

14. Tips for Successful Facilitation • Crickets Chirping? • Use probing and open-ended questions related to meeting objectives to stimulate the conversation • For quiet or shy participants direct a question to the specific member • When faced with a lull, ask the group for input. What would they like to discuss? Do they want to move on? Leverage the texting functions to facilitate this type of communication

15. Tips for Successful Facilitation Conflict Management • Use progressive intervention for unproductive behavior. Respond to the participant’s comments, not the inappropriate behavior: • Use gentle and appropriate humor for redirection in order to restate the ground rules without overemphasizing the problem • Directly address the individual and their concern as it relates to the agenda • Address the issue at a break or offline directly and honestly

16. REVIEW QUESTIONS

17. Question 1 Which Community leader works closely with the facilitator? • Champion • Knowledge Integrator • Subject Matter Expert • All of the above

18. Question 1 - Answer D. All of the above Facilitators work with the Community’s Champion, Knowledge Integrators, and Subject Matter Experts to determine the meeting/event agenda, to assign and follow-up on action items, and to clarify and reinforce the purpose of the Community.

19. Question 2 True or False? The facilitator allows the meeting/event participants to focus on processes rather than the content of their work together.

20. Question 2 - Answer False. • The facilitator focuses on effective processes, allowing the participants to focus on the content or the substance of their work together. • By mediating the group process, the facilitator plays an active and critical role in ensuring that the Community taps deeply into its own knowledge.

21. Question 3 Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a successful facilitator? • Enjoys working with people • Thinks quickly and logically • Communicates clearly and impassively • Practices active listening skills

22. Question 3 - Answer C. Communicates clearly and impassively A successful facilitator communicates clearly and expressively making specific, concise points, using appropriate levels of energy to build excitement and enthusiasm.

23. Question 4 Choose one phrase to complete each sentence: Document ideas Direct questions, misperceptions, or misinformation Record full minutes __________ for a record of the discussion __________ for the group to review and refer to throughout the discussion. Everyone should see, hear, and understand what is presented and what decisions are made __________ to a knowledgeable Community leader, and/or pose the question to the group

24. Question 4 - Answer In order to manage information while facilitating the discussion: • Document ideas for the group to review and refer to throughout the discussion. Everyone should see, hear, and understand what is presented and what decisions are made • Direct questions, misperceptions, or misinformation to a knowledgeable Community leader, and/or pose the question to the group • Record full minutes for a record of the discussion

25. Question 5 What would you do or say as the facilitator in the following scenario? The discussion has veered from the agenda items on to an unrelated topic. There are additional agenda items to cover and there is not much time left in the meeting.

26. Question 5 - Answer When dialogue strays off-topic, refocus the group on the agenda item. For example, “I’d just like to remind you that we’re discussing item 4. Please hold the discussion on other topics.” Suggest that pertinent non-agenda items be added to a list and revisited at a later time. For example, “I’ll add this to a list of future topics. We have 10 minutes left for item 4.” Alternately, let the group decide if the topic warrants revising the agenda. For example, “Is this item more important than the remaining items on the agenda, and if so, when will we address the other items?”

27. Question 6 What would you do or say as the facilitator in the following scenario? A group member continues to make snide comments about other members’ contributions to the discussion.

28. Question 6 - Answer Use progressive intervention for unproductive behavior. Respond to the participant's comments, not the attack: • Use gentle and appropriate humor for redirection in order to remind the group of the ground rules without overemphasizing the problem. For example, “I hope that comment isn’t an indication that we need armor for this meeting.” • Restate the ground rules directly. For example, “Our ground rules state that we welcome all ideas, but not negativity.” • Directly address the individual and their concern as it relates to the agenda. For example, “George, could you clarify how the Community can turn that into an actionable item?” • Address the issue at a break or offline directly and honestly. For example, “I’m concerned that your method for surfacing issues is not helping move the Community’s agenda forward.”

29. Question 7 What would you do or say as the facilitator in the following scenario? An agenda item garners little or no discussion from the group.

30. Question 7 - Answer Use probing and open-ended questions related to meeting objectives to stimulate the conversation. For example: • “I want to make sure that I captured the overarching themes and decisions made.” Repeat them to the group and ask for any further discussion. • If you as the facilitator feel that one topic was not addressed in detail or have clarifying questions, ask the group to go back and discuss. When faced with a lull, ask the group for input. For example, are there any points related to agenda item X that were not addressed? What would they like to discuss? Do they want to move on?

31. Exercise Meeting/events may occur virtually or face-to-face. The following exercise examines the differences and similarities between various forms of communication. When do you think it is better (or easier) to deal with the following types of situations, during a virtual meeting, a face-to-face meeting, or both? To stick to time lines To give your opinion when you are a shy person To be sure that everyone has access to the same information To insult someone unintentionally To be very dominant in a discussion To brainstorm To make sure everyone sticks to the same ground rules

32. References • “Basic Facilitation Skills,” May 2002, The Human Leadership and Development Division of the American Society for Quality, The Association for Quality Participation, and the International Association of Facilitators. • “Facilitating a Community: KariaNet PKF KS and Facilitation Workshop Resource Manual,” 2005, International Development Research Centre, ITrain Group, Bellanet. • “PHIN Advanced Facilitation Guide,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accessed May 19, 2010 from http://www.cdc.gov/phin/communities/resourcekit/tools/resources.html. • “PHIN Facilitation Tip Sheet,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accessed May 19, 2010 from http://www.cdc.gov/phin/communities/resourcekit/tools/resources.html. • Wilkinson, Michael, “Facilitation Excellence: The Seven Separators: What separates top facilitators from the good ones?” accessed May 19, 2010 from http://www.leadstrat.com/library/articles.asp. • Wilkinson, Michael, “Target Characteristics for Facilitator Candidates,” accessed May 19, 2010 from http://www.leadstrat.com/library/articles.asp.