Facilitation Skills for Trainers, Facilitators, and Group Leaders
Volume I
Another article in TRG’s series of How-To Articles
for Trainers, Facilitators, and Group Leaders
Copyright 1992
Training Resources Group, Inc. (TRG)
909 N. Washington Street, Suite 305,
Alexandria, VA 22314
All rights reserved.
Reproduction by any means is
prohibited without TRG’s written permission.
Contents
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Planning Your Facilitated Event
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Using the Flipchart as an Effective Facilitation Tool
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Facilitation Skills for Leading Effective Meetings
Planning Your Facilitated Events
by Steven Joyce
A facilitated event can be a short meeting (one, two, or three hours), a series of short meetings spread out over the life of a project, or an event that lasts several days. This chapter provides facilitators with a general checklist of steps to consider as they plan and prepare for their events. The importance of each step will vary, of course, according to the requirements of individual events.
Planning Phase
There are several steps to consider when planning a facilitated event. Depending on the event, these steps may all take place in one meeting with the client,[1][1] or they may take place over several meetings.
1. Understanding the Need
The first step is to understand the need for the event. What does the client hope to achieve at the conclusion of the event? What work products should be completed, what decisions made, or what issues addressed?
2. Clarifying Expected Outcomes
The next step is to clarify expected outcomes for the event. What does the client hope to achieve at the conclusion of the event? What work products should be completed, what decisions made, or what issues addressed?
It may be that the outcomes are only partially clarified in the early stages of planning. You can gather additional information from documents and interviews to help further define priority outcomes. Then, you and the client should meet to assure mutual agreement on the results.
3. Clarifying the Facilitator’s Role
Your role as the facilitator can vary depending on the event. Some events are designed according to an in-house process to which you are expected to adhere with only minor deviation. In other cases, the client may expect the facilitator to propose a structure based on the desired outcomes, the time available, the number of group or team members, and so on.
Here are some questions to explore early on with the client.
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What does the client expect you to do in the planning phase?
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What facilitation style is appropriate for the event?
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Are you expected to share relevant subject matter expertise as part of; your role as a facilitator of this event?
4. Gathering Background Information
For any event, you will need enough background information to sufficiently understand the rationale behind the client’s desired outcomes. Generally, this background information is gathered from three sources: the client, pertinent documents, and the group or team members (who are usually participants in the event). It is important to begin the information-gathering process with the client. At a minimum, you should identify what the client considers to be essential information.
You should also seek out other background information that will help you plan and facilitate the event. If time permits, you should gather the following information:
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a group member profile--who the members are, who among them have worked together before, if there’s a history of any previous conflict, any participant behavior that could cause problems, etc.; and
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current issues--what the client considers to be the most important issues, and what other key people (including participants) feel are crucial issues.
5. Interviewing Group/Team Members
For some types of facilitated events and meetings it’s helpful to interview some or all of the group members. Interviewing group members can serve several purposes, most notably the following.
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Interviewing members can provide essential background information, particularly on crucial issues.
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Interviewing can help you understand group members’ expectations for the event. This information can help you shape the agenda and be clear right from the start about which expectations, if any, will not be met.
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Meeting with group members one-on-one prior to the event can help you get to know each other, which often assures a smoother, more comfortable start up for the event.
Developing a Logistics Plan
For both in-house and residential (offsite) events, you should help the client develop a logistics plan that clearly delineates what actions are required and who is responsible for them.
For residential events, in particular, you should discuss the logistics for the event early on with the client. Locating a facility that meets the particular needs of the event, and planning for any special arrangements can require considerable lead time.
The Design Phase
You’ll need to collaborate closely with the client to develop a design strategy that will achieve the desired outcomes. It’s not uncommon, as a result of this close collaboration, for clients to determine that their expectations for the event are unrealistic and, as a result, change their minds about what is achievable.
The following steps can help facilitators design effective meetings or events.
1. Review the purpose of the event and desired outcomes. Turn this into a goal or purpose statement -- an objective for the meeting.
2. Develop a sequential agenda that will achieve the desired outcomes. These activities will vary depending on the type of meeting -- planning, problem-solving, decision-making, etc.
3. Decide how much time each activity will require. Compare this to how much time is available. Adjust the activity to the time available or change the time so the group can accomplish the activity. Time needed for groups to complete activities cannot be determined exactly before the event. Some groups take longer than others, and you may need to be flexible. However, time management is a major responsibility for a facilitator and establishing a fairly accurate accounting of time requirements is extremely important.
4.Decide exactly how each activity will proceed. Will you develop special, small group assignments? Are there special problems or questions on which the group should work? Do you require any further information?
5. Share your plan with your client (often the group leader or manager of the group).Seek feedback and advice. If you have not facilitated this type of event before, you might want to share your plan with a colleague who has some experience in this area.
6. Make any appropriate revisions to your plan.
The Preparation Phase
Once you and the client have agreed on the basic agenda, you can begin final preparations, which may include preparing flipcharts, designing materials, and checking logistics.
Preparing Flipcharts
At the very minimum, you should prepare flipcharts with the following information:
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proposed agenda
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expected outcomes; and
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any logistical information (breaks, restrooms, facility access, parking, etc.)
Other flipcharts that you should prepare ahead of time will vary according to the event, but may include the following:
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working group assignments;
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procedures for completing tasks
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discussion points; and
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conclusions and recommendations (from planning phase).
and, of course, if handouts and other materials are required, these should be prepared--or ordered--in advance as well.
Checking Logistics
Attendance
In today’s busy world, sometimes people forget they are supposed to attend a certain meeting. Spotty attendance can doom a work group to frustration and inactivity. You need to make certain that people have been properly notified of the meeting and that they are planning on attending. You may not be the one that actually monitors attendance, but you can be the catalyst that makes it happen.
Event Arrangements
The last major step in preparing for a facilitated event is to check the arrangements that have been made.
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Has someone reserved the room?
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Have the required equipment and materials arrived?
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Has someone arranged for coffee and refreshments?
Even if you are not responsible for the logistical arrangements, it’s important that you check on them. Forgetting to check arrangements can start the event off on a sour note.
Conclusion
All the steps presented in this chapter are important ones to consider when planning for a facilitated session. But there are two key points that, if followed, will help assure a successful event.
Frequent, direct and open communication between you and the client representative(s) throughout the planning stage is essential
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to identify appropriate outcomes for the event,
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to clarify your roles and responsibilities as facilitator as well as those of other key people, and
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to develop a design that meets the needs of both the client and the participants.
Thoughtful preparation is critical. Make sure that the design is appropriate, time is accurately allocated, the client has had sufficient input, and you are prepared for the meeting.
Clearly, proper planning for facilitated events requires a commitment of time. Because some events require a greater commitment from both you and your client than do others, adequate preparation time should be the first consideration when establishing the event schedule.
Using the Flipchart as an Effective Facilitation Tool
by Steven Joyce
Why Use the Flipchart?
The flipchart is an important facilitator tool, not only for making presentations, but also for recording relevant information as it is generated. The most important advantage that flipcharts have over chalkboards and overhead projectors is that flipcharts facilitate group memory.
The concept of group memory involves two elements:
1.1. Retention and Reference. When participants are able to see a presentation’s key points listed on a flipchart, and then have visual access to these flipcharts throughout the meeting or discussion, the repeated exposure ensures greater retention of the information.
Taping flipcharts to the walls allows participants to refer back to key points--reinforcing these points with their own examples, and building on them with new ideas. Participants become more engaged, and there is greater group synergy and interaction.
2.2. Visual Record of Outcomes. When the facilitator records ideas and suggestions on a flipchart as they are generated, participants have a visual “memory” of key points as the session progresses. Communication is clearer, because of the visual record that the flipcharts provide. And, at the meeting’s conclusion, participants have a collective memory of agreements and outcomes, whether these be decisions, next steps, or new ideas.
Chalkboards, overhead projectors, and even the new electronic recording boards with photocopy capability cannot match the flipchart for generating group memory. You can leave flipcharts hanging on the walls for days, allowing participants a chance to stay after a session--or to return early the next day--to review them. Chalkboards, on the other hand, are erased as the session continues, and overheads flashed onto the wall quickly disappear into the darkness.
What You Should Chart
Flipcharts can serve as a useful tool in most situations, but not everything that goes on in a session must be charted. Outlined below are components that in most cases should be charted.
1.The Agenda
Whether the agenda is predetermined or developed at the beginning of a session, it should be recorded on a flipchart. Doing so encourages shared responsibility in achieving the agenda, as well as ongoing assessment of progress.
2. Key Presentation Points
Preparing flipcharts to accompany a presentation, as noted earlier, increases the likelihood that participants will retain more, and build on the information as a group. The flipcharts, which can be prepared in advance, should only highlight key points as clearly and succinctly as possible. In determining key points, the session leader should ask himself or herself “What are the most important messages that I want people to grasp?”
3. Proposals/New Ideas
Record on the flipchart new ideas and proposals that are generated during brainstorming sessions or participant presentations. This visual record captures the ideas and proposals so that they are not lost, and it also lets people know that their ideas have been heard.
Meetings often end up stalled (or, worse yet, result in conflict) when participants repeat suggestions and proposals they think haven’t been heard or accepted. Recording ideas on flipcharts acknowledges them, without necessarily requiring any further action.
4. Alternate Issues
Issues often surface that are not part of the planned agenda. It is beneficial to capture these issues on the flipchart to acknowledge them (for the same reasons stated before), and, if appropriate, to develop strategies for resolving them.
5. Action Items/Next Steps
Although participants may leave sessions agreeing on what needs to be done, they often are not sure about who will do what, by when. Flipcharts help consolidate a group’s agreement on next steps. It is also helpful to type all action items and next steps from the flipcharts and hand them out as a written reminder to participants.
Tips for Charting
Using flipcharts as an effective facilitation tool is not always as easy as it might seem. How you prepare flipcharts and how you record ideas and important points can have an impact upon effective communication. Listed below are some tips for producing flipcharts that enhance communication. Words recorded on a flipchart should be large enough for all participants to read comfortably. Use the flat edge of the marker, as opposed to the tip, so that letters have some thickness to them.
Use words sparingly on a flipchart. Only record major points and key phrases. Ask yourself when preparing flipcharts “What is essential for participants to remember?”
When recording participant responses and ideas on a flipchart during a meeting, capture the essence of what the speaker is saying in as few words as possible. Use the speaker’s own words if they are clear and appropriate. If not, paraphrase back what you believe the speaker intended to say, and, if you are correct, then record those phrases.
After charting, read information back to the group, and ask if any clarification is necessary. It is important that the words recorded on the flipchart reflect what the participants intended to say.
When preparing flipcharts before a session, use different colored markers to write and highlight words (however, don’t use more than three colors on any one flipchart). Flipcharts thus become more attractive visual aids. Color also helps draw attention to a particular key word or phrase.
Don’t use light-colored markers (red, yellow, pink, etc.). Although these colors highlight words well, participants who are more than a few feet away will have difficulty reading words written in them.
Be creative with your flipcharts. Box in key words, use arrows, and draw figures that illustrate important points.
The Flipchart and Facilitator Style
Finally, a few words should be mentioned about the flipchart and facilitator style. The flipchart is a facilitation tool, not a crutch. It’s not intended to take the place of your lecture notes. The “talking points” on your flipchart serve to focus the group’s attention, and assist you in keeping your thoughts organized. When referring to points on the flipchart, don’t hide behind the flipchart stand. Move to the side or off to the front as you speak. Touch key words on the flipchart once in a while to give them emphasis.
One way to keep people from reading ahead, and losing focus is to place a small strip of masking tape at the bottom center of the page, and bring the bottom of the page up to cover the flipchart to the point on which the current discussion is based.
Organize multiple flipcharts on a given topic from right to left on easels or across a wall. If you hang your flipcharts up on the wall prior to the session, keep them covered, and rehearse their location to avoid a frantic search in the middle of your presentation. For flipcharts layered on one easel, a small piece of masking tape also makes a good tab.
Keep any task instructions displayed on a flipchart throughout the tasks so participants can refer to them as needed. If you are using flipcharts to help the group record its thoughts or actions, you can display the charts on the wall as they are developed.
Facilitation Skills for Leading Effective Meetings
by James A. McCaffery
Introduction
Meetings are held for a variety of purposes. Some are held simply to pass information from the leader to the group, and are straight forward. Special leadership is needed for planning or problem-solving meetings or whenever group participation and involvement is required. For these meetings, leaders must be able to use facilitation skills competently. In addition to encouraging participation, facilitation skills insure that communication will be clear and more accurate.
When a meeting leader uses facilitation skills well, people contribute, meetings are productive, and the leader’s work appears effortless. It looks natural. Because it looks so natural, people often assume that meeting leaders are born and not made. Although there is some truth to this, it is also accurate to say that certain skills can be learned that will significantly improve your ability to lead meetings.
There are three very important facilitation skills that a meeting leader must use effectively: asking questions, paraphrasing, and summarizing.These skills are simple in concept, but they are not necessarily simple to carry out. With continued practice, meeting leaders can become very adept in using these skills.
Asking Questions
Asking questions is a critical facilitation skill. You can ask questions in two ways: as closed questions or as open-ended questions.
Closed Questions
Participants can answer a closed question with yes, no, or another one word response. You should only use this type of question when you want precise, short answers. Otherwise, such questions tend to inhibit discussion. Here’s an example of an exchange based on closed questions.
Meeting leader: Do you thing that recommendation will work?
Participant: No.
Open-ended Questions
Open-ended questions require the respondent to elaborate. The questions “What do you like about that recommendation?” seeks information and therefore is open-ended. How, what, and why are words that begin open-ended questions.
Meeting leader: What did you like about that recommendation?
Participant: I think it is a good strategy for resolving the issue, and
one we can implement without expending a lot of resources.Meeting leader: What kind of progress are you making against your
financial goals for this quarter?Participant: Let’s consider the first goal... our results are
as follows.Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is simply restating in your own words what another person has said. The prefixpara means along side, as in the word parallel.
The process of paraphrasing is very much like catching a ball and throwing one back--except the ball you throw back is your own and perhaps a bit different from the original ball. Nonetheless, it is still a ball. You can throw back the other person’s ideas by using such beginning phrases as:
You are saying...
In other words...
I gather that...
If I understood what you are saying...
The best way to paraphrase is to listen very intently to what the other person is saying. If, while the other person is talking, we worry about what we are going to say next or are making mental evaluations and critical comments, we are not likely to hear enough of the message to paraphrase it accurately.
It is helpful to paraphrase, so that you develop a habit of doing so. You can even interrupt to do so, since people generally don’t mind interruptions that communicate understanding. For example, you might say:
pardon my interruption, but let me see if I understand what you are saying...
Or, you might respond as illustrated in the following examples.
Example 1
Participant: The basic problem seems to be that some of the people don’t know how to use the management information system.
Meeting leader: In other words, you see the problem as a lack of know-how.
Example 2
Participant: I think the most important thing is to tell the staff member clearly and directly how (s)he is contributing to the problem.
Meeting leader: So you are saying it’s important to tell the staff member directly what kind of impact (s)he is having on the problem.
Summarizing
The purpose of summarizing is to:
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pull important ideas, facts, or data together,
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establish a basis for further discussion, or to make a transition,
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review progress, and
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check for clarity or agreement.
By using the summarizing technique in a meeting, you can encourage people to be more reflective about their positions as they listen for accuracy and emphasis.
Summarizing requires you to listen carefully, in order to organize and present information systematically. Summaries ensure that everyone in the meeting is clear about what transpired in the just-completed portion of the discussion.
For example, as a meeting leader, you may summarize to ensure that participants remember what has been said or to emphasize key points made during a group discussion. Or, perhaps most importantly, you may use summarizing as a way to reach a decision or bring closure to a topic and move the meeting on to the next agenda item. In these instances summarizing is very useful.
Here are some starter phrases you can use to begin a summary.
There seem to be some key ideas expressed here...
If I understand you, you feel this way about the situation...
I think we agree on this decision--what we are saying is that we intend to..
A real value of summarizing is that it gives you the opportunity to check for agreement. If people do not agree, it is better for you to know during the meeting than to find out later when a task is not completed or a deadline is missed. One of the most common meeting complaints occurs when participants think an agreement has been reached, yet things do not occur as planned afterwards. In many instances, this problem occurs because there was not really agreement during the meeting.
As an example of summarizing, assume that someone named Joan has talked for three or four minutes, and you summarize as follows:
Let me see if I have it straight, Joan. First, you say the work is boring, not carefully scheduled, and finally, you are concerned about the number of hours people are expected to work, correct?
In another example, the meeting discussion has gone on for several minutes and you summarize as follows:
In talking about this issue, we have come up with three main points...
Other Facilitation Skills
There are a number of other helpful facilitation skills. Some are verbal, others non-verbal. Here are some examples.
Nodding one’s head or saying Uh-huh.
Picking up on the last word or two of someone else’s sentence.
Repeating a sentence, or part of a sentence.
Saying That’s good, does anyone have anything else to add?
Summary
In summary, the facilitation skills of asking questions, paraphrasing, and summarizing involve a deliberate effort on the part of a meeting leader to pull together the main points made by the person or persons involved in the meeting discussion and to ensure clarity and understanding.
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