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With business and organisations moving at an ever-faster pace and facing evermore demanding challenges, the need for efficient, succinct and productive interaction between individuals of those businesses and organisations is more important than ever. With the bounds of communication restrictions abandoned through technological advances (we can now see and hear anyone across any manner of virtual platforms anywhere around the globe) and with a greater understanding of the underlying dynamics of human interaction, unprecedented pressure has been thrust upon the individual or individuals who, often, enable these dynamic interactions: the facilitator.

Many of us have, at one time or other, been responsible for a meeting – whether between a small number of individuals or an entire organisation of hundreds, or possibly thousands, of businessmen and women.

Or, perhaps, we’ve had to be the mediator in a family dispute closer to home or managed a discussion between two feuding friends or colleagues. One way or another, chances are, all of us have been a facilitator at some point in our lives.

With the ever-growing demands placed on facilitators, this book delivers a methodical and structured approach to facilitation. This book is the definitive guide to instruct and assist facilitators – both new and experienced – with a set of guidelines and underlying theory that will benefit any facilitator, whether as a mediator between two individuals, single-handedly facilitating a group of 100 or working as part of a facilitation team in a multinational corporation.

The first part of the book develops the core basic skills of those new to the art of facilitating. There are many examples and exercises to show the reader how to apply them in different situations. The second part of the book is for more experienced facilitators as it focuses on more advanced skills and tackling difficult situations. Specific tools and techniques are illustrated for the reader. Essentially, this book is aimed at developing and mastering the art of facilitation. Facilitation is the art of getting the best out of groups of people to brainstorm, solve problems and gain consensus. Based on 30 years’ experience of the author and running multiple facilitation training courses across the globe, this book is aimed at upskilling people, managers and leaders to drive change and consensus with groups through running workshops and meetings.

Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half-Title
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. Preface
  7. Acknowledgements
  8. SECTION I Facilitation Fundamentals
    1. Chapter 1 What Is Facilitation?
    2. The Roles of a Facilitator
    3. The Responsibilities of a Facilitator
    4. Guiding Principles of Facilitation
    5. Equality
    6. Empathy
    7. Mutual Trust
    8. Focus
    9. Free and Informed Choice
    10. Shared Decision-Making
    11. Responsibility and Commitment
    12. Involvement by All
    13. Chapter Summary
    14. Chapter 2 Mastering Technique: The Facilitation Process
    15. Planning Dimension
    16. Meaning Dimension
    17. Confronting Dimension
    18. Feeling Dimension
    19. Structuring Dimension
    20. Valuing Dimension
    21. Planning the Facilitation
    22. What Should You Know before You Plan the Agenda or the Facilitation Program?
    23. The Goals of the Facilitation and the Measures of Success
    24. Manner of Facilitation
    25. Group Composition
    26. Available Information
    27. Climate and Environment
    28. Location
    29. Logistics and Room Requirements
    30. Equipment, Supplies and Materials
    31. Food and Refreshments
    32. Before the Facilitation Sessions
    33. Starting the Facilitation
    34. Introduce Yourself
    35. State the Reason for the Program or Session
    36. Welcome and Acknowledge Everyone
    37. Make Introductions
    38. Set the Rules of Conversation
    39. Identify Motives
    40. Begin with a Punch
    41. Starting with a Punch Line
    42. Personal
    43. Unexpected
    44. Novel
    45. Challenging
    46. Humorous
    47. During the Facilitation
    48. What If the Group Resists Being Facilitated?
    49. What If the Group Is Pressed for Time?
    50. What If the Team Is Going around in Circles?
    51. What If the Group Ignores Its Own Rules?
    52. Prevention
    53. Non-Intervention
    54. Low-Level Intervention
    55. Medium-Level Intervention
    56. High-Level Intervention
    57. Step 1
    58. Step 2
    59. Step 3
    60. Ending the Facilitation
    61. After the Facilitation (Follow-up)
    62. Chapter Summary
  9. SECTION II Core Facilitation Skills
    1. Chapter 3 Mastering Facilitation: Behavioural Techniques in Facilitation
    2. Core Values of Mastering Facilitation
    3. Flexibility
    4. Confidence
    5. Authenticity
    6. Integrity
    7. Patience/Perseverance
    8. Leadership (Presence)
    9. Initiating
    10. Perceptive
    11. The Art of Listening
    12. Synergistic Listening Is Deliberate
    13. Synergistic Listening Is Empathetic
    14. Synergistic Listening Is Multisensory
    15. Synergistic Listening Is Active
    16. Synergistic Listening Is a Learning Experience
    17. Synergistic Listening Is Non-Judgemental
    18. Synergistic Listening Is Dynamic
    19. How the Master Facilitator Listens
    20. Verbal Listening: Listening with Words
    21. Non-Verbal Listening: Listening with Your Body
    22. Do
    23. Don’t
    24. Para-Verbal Listening: Listening with Your Voice
    25. Listening to the Group: Getting the Big Picture
    26. The Art of Synergistic Questioning
    27. Blooming Questions
    28. Knowledge Level
    29. Comprehension Level
    30. Application Level
    31. Analysis Level
    32. Synthesis Level
    33. Evaluation Level
    34. Asking like Socrates
    35. Throwing APPLES: What to Ask, When to Ask, How to Ask
    36. Affective Questions
    37. Managerial and Structuring Questions
    38. Rhetorical Questions
    39. Focusing/Refocusing Questions
    40. Open and Closed Questions
    41. Quick Tips in Questioning
    42. The Ladder of Inference: A Framework for Making Minds Meet
    43. Lesson 1: Rule Your Mind or It Will Rule You
    44. Lesson 2: Stay as Low as You Can
    45. Lesson 3: Learn to Swim before You Dive
    46. Lesson 4: When in Doubt, Check It Out
    47. Lesson 5: Avoid Simplification
    48. Lesson 6: Different Folks, Different Strokes
    49. Chapter Summary
    50. Chapter 4 Conflict Resolution and Decision-Making
    51. The Nature of Group Conflict
    52. Conflict Resolution
    53. Strategic Responses to Conflict
    54. Competing Strategy
    55. Collaborating Strategy
    56. Compromising Strategy
    57. Avoiding Strategy
    58. Accommodating Strategy
    59. Guidelines for Negotiation
    60. Benefits of Interest-Based Negotiation
    61. Create Safety
    62. Facilitative Listening
    63. Feedback
    64. Reflection
    65. Attributes of Skilled Negotiators
    66. Consensus Decision-Making
    67. Conditions for Consensus
    68. Working Together
    69. Commitment to Reaching Consensus
    70. Trust and Openness
    71. Sufficient Time
    72. Clear Process
    73. Facilitation
    74. Key Skills for Consensus
    75. A Consensus Flowchart
    76. The Decision-Making Process
    77. Guidelines for Reaching Consensus
    78. Agreement and Disagreement
    79. Consensus in Large Groups
    80. Chapter Summary
  10. SECTION III Advanced Facilitation Skills and Methods
    1. Chapter 5 Understanding Groups and Individuals: Facilitating a Synergistic Dynamic
    2. Dimensions of Group Interactions and Relationships
    3. Cycles of Group Development
    4. Forming
    5. Storming
    6. Norming
    7. Performing
    8. Adjourning
    9. Adult Learning Styles
    10. Kolb’s Learning Styles
    11. Honey and Mumford’s Learning Cycle
    12. The Attention, Generation, Emotion and Spacing (AGES) Model
    13. Attention
    14. Generation
    15. Emotions
    16. Spacing
    17. Principles of Adult Learning
    18. The “Four-Quadrant” Opening: Motivating the Adult Learner
    19. Levels of Focus
    20. Vision
    21. Aim
    22. Challenges
    23. Opportunities
    24. Facilitator Focus
    25. Planning
    26. Aim
    27. Challenges
    28. Opportunities
    29. Facilitator Focus
    30. Details
    31. Aim
    32. Challenges
    33. Opportunities
    34. Facilitator Focus
    35. Problems
    36. Aim
    37. Challenges
    38. Opportunities
    39. Facilitator Focus
    40. Drama
    41. Aim
    42. Challenges
    43. Opportunities
    44. Facilitator Focus
    45. The CARER Model
    46. The CARER Model Explained
    47. Certainty (Predictable)
    48. Autonomy (Discretion)
    49. Relatedness (Bonding)
    50. Equity (Fairness)
    51. Reputation (Status)
    52. Dynamic CARER Domain Links
    53. CARER and Facilitation
    54. Conclusions
    55. A Facilitative Approach to Learning
    56. Types of Facilitation
    57. The Neutral Facilitator
    58. The Trainer as a Facilitator
    59. Process versus Content
    60. Organising “Brainstorming” Information: The ToP Method
    61. When organising lists:
    62. Pyramid Brainstorming
    63. Forced Comparison: Use of Sticky Dots
    64. Process
    65. Basic Tools
    66. Flipcharts
    67. Providing a “Group Memory”
    68. Facilitating the Process
    69. “Presentation” Skills: The Use of Colour and Graphics
    70. Here are some of the things that you might need to consider:
    71. Some useful tips and some things that could be practised:
    72. Summarising and Paraphrasing
    73. Paraphrasing and Clarifying
    74. Questioning
    75. Multiple Learning Styles
    76. Chapter Summary
    77. Chapter 6 Special Facilitation Techniques
    78. Facilitating Executive Teams
    79. Overall Approach and Attitude
    80. Establishing the Right Tone for the Session
    81. Establishing Discussion Guidelines
    82. Strategic Alignment
    83. Maximise Your Executive Team’s Capabilities
    84. Conclusion
    85. Facilitating Change
    86. Change Management: The TFDS Model
    87. Facilitating Virtual Teams
    88. Use Video
    89. Do a “Take 5”
    90. Assign Different Tasks
    91. Forbid the Use of the “Mute” Function
    92. Penalise Multitaskers
    93. Facilitating Project Improvement
    94. Facilitation Skills for Today’s Project Leaders
    95. Inspires a Shared Vision
    96. Good Communicator
    97. Integrity
    98. Enthusiasm
    99. Empathy
    100. Competence
    101. Ability to Delegate Tasks
    102. Cool Under Pressure
    103. Team-Building Skills
    104. Problem-Solving Skills
    105. Chapter Summary
  11. SECTION IV Evaluation and Conclusion
    1. Chapter 7 Facilitation Skills Evaluation and Improvement
    2. The Six Megatrends
    3. Facilitators We Dread
    4. Vince Lombardi
    5. The Drill Sergeant
    6. The Guardian
    7. The Know-It-All
    8. The Ice Cube
    9. The Blabber
    10. The Pretender
    11. The “I Can’t Hear You” Guy
    12. The Marathon Man
    13. The Parrot
    14. The Molasses Man
    15. The Passenger
    16. The Storyteller
    17. The Centrepiece
    18. The Tunnel Driver
    19. Facilitation Skill Levels
    20. Chinese proverb
    21. Self-Assessment
    22. Trust and Support
    23. Communication
    24. Making Group Decisions
    25. Cooperating
    26. Teamwork
    27. Problem-Solving
    28. Leadership Roles
    29. Giving and Receiving Feedback
    30. Respecting Personal Differences
    31. Closure Questions
    32. Participant Evaluation Template
    33. Group Questionnaire
    34. Questionnaire: “Burnout”
    35. Questionnaire: “Session Feedback”
    36. Presentation Indicators
    37. Content Indicators
    38. Impact Indicators
    39. Chapter Summary
    40. Chapter 8 Conclusion
  12. Bibliography
  13. Appendices
    1. Appendix 1 Functions of a Facilitator
    2. Create Collaborative Client Relationships
    3. Plan Appropriate Group Processes
    4. Create and Sustain a Participatory Environment
    5. Guide Group to Appropriate and Useful Outcomes
    6. Build and Maintain Professional Knowledge
    7. Model Positive Professional Attitude
    8. Appendix 2 List of Verbs for Constructing Learning Outcomes and Questions*
    9. Appendix 3 Session Scope
    10. Appendix 4 Participant Evaluation Template
    11. Appendix 5 Group Questionnaire
    12. Appendix 6 Questionnaire: “Burnout”
    13. Appendix 7 Questionnaire: “Session Feedback”
    14. Presentation Indicators
    15. Content Indicators
    16. Impact Indicators
    17. Appendix 8 Tips for Online Facilitating
    18. Preparation
  14. Index
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