You must be comfortable speaking in front of large audiences and handling a variety of personalities. Think about a time when you have had a team or departmental session and really accomplished the objectives. For more than 20 years, I have facilitated many different kinds of meetings including project management meetings, strategic meetings, process meetings, and more. 10 meeting facilitation … If you are also the designer of your online course there are things to consider that will help when it comes to facilitating the course. How complicated is the scope of your session and how much effort is required to prepare, manage, and deliver objectives? An impartial facilitator can recognize the cues and help to control missteps. Allow the other person to “save face”. A 'facilitator' by definition is a person who makes any action or process easier. A professional facilitator leads the deep discussions that are needed to create a plan with inputs from the entire team. As a facilitator, your talk time should be less than 40%. Each participant has the same expectations and is accountable for the same level of preparation and engagement. You also need to have empathy and be an excellent communicator. You can also "Mute All" participants; if so, you should have Chat available so participants can communicate. 1. Don’t choose your CEO or an executive team member for strategic planning. The latter has to make sure your meeting is going well as a mission. A good facilitator must be 100% awake and present – listening, looking, and sensing at all times. Often a good choice is a high performer interested in their own personal development who is unbiased and who is strong enough to challenge your team during the process. In order to motivate and engage the learners you need to know … 3. Choose a person who will be objective and neutral throughout the process. Help people collectively move through a process. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Last Updated: September 9, 2020 And, your next consideration should be the characteristics of a good facilitator. When you are in charge, it is hard to be an active listener, which is extremely important to bring out all the great ideas from the team and cover every relevant point of view. This is not to argue that you need an outside facilitator with all of the characteristics a good facilitator, only to make the point of who should not facilitate. A facilitator should guide participants instead of leading the meeting themselves. 1. Being a better facilitator requires you to focus on the specific steps that will get you there. Think of the following skill set as a checklist – ask your prospective facilitator how he or she performs each of these necessary functions to determine whether you are enlisting the appropriate professional. Once the choice is made, you’re still not done. Use visual aids to enhance and reinforce. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. The 5 Things a Good Facilitator Can Do. These duties often include setting the agenda, making sure that the meeting remains on track, and ensuring that participants cover all the necessary topics. Be prepared. Know what you want to achieve and be able to clearly articulate the desired outcome. Sometimes she doesn’t even need to be a member of the group, such as in the case of a consultant stepping in to mediate a dispute. This means that a facilitator must take good care of him/herself to maintain the energy required for the role. This is not always the case for a peer. Transition smoothly from one activity or discussion to another. Using a facilitator who isn’t part of the session creates an “even” playing field, allowing all individuals to participate fully. Just because they are a great leader doesn't mean that they have all the qualities of good facilitator and can drive you to the desired outcome of your planning session. Good luck and have a great planning session! Have an outline or a curriculum. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 42,466 times. Following these workshops, they can then begin to deliver the Active Citizens training programme to local communities around the world. A good facilitator encourages open communication. A: You must have strong listening skills to do a good job as a facilitator. The key ingredients of effective meetings are preparation, good facilitation, good record-keeping, and appropriate follow up. It’s not just technique: the facilitator has to understand at least some of the dynamics, past interactions, code words, and key events that underlie the group’s discussion. Acknowledge that you hear and understand by paraphrasing. Title: Qualities of a good facilitator 1 Qualities of a good facilitator. How to be a Good Facilitator: Top 10 Qualities of the Best Facilitators [Updated for 2021], Ability to stimulate interaction without bias, Skill to create and maintain a safe environment for all to be engaged in the discussion, Has a natural gift for providing structure for discussion (parameters, objectives, time boundaries, etc. Find opportunities to facilitate with a co-facilitator and use each other as a source of learning. Rhythm Systems 1111 Metropolitan Ave, Suite 330 Charlotte, NC 28204. For more than 20 years, I have facilitated many different kinds of meetings including project management meetings, strategic meetings, process meetings, and more. To get the group back on topic, ask participants to link the conversation to the issue you are discussing. Speak clearly, at a moderate pace and an appropriate volume. To be a facilitator, you should have the following skills and qualities: experience of writing and delivering training excellent communication and presentation skills What skills make a great facilitator? A facilitator is someone who facilitates a group of people so that they can make progress. Today, I’m going to outline those steps for you so that you know where you need to start. After the Workshop – Lead Facilitator and Co-Facilitator. In order to become effective in a career as a facilitator, and perform your job duties with competence, you need to posses a certain set of skills, including: • Able to gain a deep understanding of the goals of the program and the organization • Able to keep a group on agenda and moving forward Acknowledge the value of the person’s concerns. This will ensure they are confident in the process and tools (whether you use an outside coach or not). This approach helps keep discussions challenging and professional while delivering a better outcome. Facilitation by definition is an activity which makes easy the tasks of others. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Wait a full 10 seconds after asking a question. Need a new plan for 2020 or preparing for 2021? Being a facilitator. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Excellent facilitators will know your methodology and be prepared for the strategy meeting with every leadership team member prepared. While there are a number of seminars, trainings and workshops to learn how to effectively facilitate or become certified as a facilitator, if you do not have the resources to hire a facilitator or become one, here are some tips to help get you started. In order to assist others, it is essential to have a good understanding of how information is communicated, so that problems and questions can be addressed, and solutions found. How to Be a Good Meeting Facilitator: Preparation It’s often said that the devil is in the details. Why is it that we roll our eyes with disdain when our calendar is loaded with meetings, and more specifically, why do we dread the planning meetings that are so important to our strategic success? Is the facilitator familiar with your planning methodology? Following are some tips for effective facilitation. Have you allowed the internal facilitator time to prepare within their daily schedule? Being a better facilitator requires you to focus on the specific steps that will get you there. They do not influence or lead the group to an outcome. In short, they should concentrate on the group process so that your senior leaders can engage in the content of the discussion. If you do, you’ll pay for it all year (or quarter) based on the plan developed and the pain to get there. This article has been viewed 42,466 times. Usability and user-friendliness are vital if learners are not to be frustrated right from the start. Get P-A-I-D U-P, consider complexity, time and effort, weigh candidates against the top ten characteristics, and give them time to prepare. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(116436, '7fe214a2-4ab7-4241-b8db-c38765700fbc', {}); Now begin to think about how you choose your facilitator. Facilitators also must express an open, learning orientation to life. Our responses are based on our unique experience. 12. Since not all teams have a member with good facilitator characteristics, don’t be hesitant to reach out to us for a great virtual planning session or in person facilitation. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(116436, 'b589ee53-26db-4e44-99de-969f61006d61', {}); Internal facilitators can save time and reduce the complexity of getting an outside facilitator up-to-speed on your business, internal language, team members and nuance of operations. The Value of Co-Facilitation I love to read books. Go on, close your eyes if you have to. Good Luck! See the list of participants on the right and mute the one who is unmuted. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/f6\/Be-a-Better-Facilitator-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Be-a-Better-Facilitator-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f6\/Be-a-Better-Facilitator-Step-1.jpg\/aid641786-v4-728px-Be-a-Better-Facilitator-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":306,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"485","licensing":"