Facilitation Skills7296e sample manual

Facilitation Skills Instructor Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface ..............................................................................................................................................1 What is Courseware? ................................................................................................................................ 1 How Do I Customize My Course? .............................................................................................................. 1 Materials Required ................................................................................................................................... 3 Maximizing Your Training Power .............................................................................................................. 3 Module One: Getting Started .............................................................................................................5 Housekeeping Items.................................................................................................................................. 5 The Parking Lot ......................................................................................................................................... 6 Workshop Objectives ................................................................................................................................ 6 Pre-Assignment Review ............................................................................................................................ 7 Action Plans and Evaluations.................................................................................................................... 7 Module Two: Understanding Facilitation ............................................................................................8 What is Facilitation? ................................................................................................................................. 8 What is a Facilitator?................................................................................................................................ 9 When is Facilitation Appropriate? .......................................................................................................... 11 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 14 Module Two: Review Questions.............................................................................................................. 15 Module Three: Process vs. Content ................................................................................................... 17 About Process ......................................................................................................................................... 17 About Content......................................................................................................................................... 19 A Facilitator’s Focus ................................................................................................................................ 20 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 21 Module Three: Review Questions ........................................................................................................... 22

Module Four: Laying the Groundwork .............................................................................................. 25 Choosing a Facilitated Approach ............................................................................................................ 25 Planning for a Facilitated Meeting ......................................................................................................... 27 Collecting Data ....................................................................................................................................... 30 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 31 Module Four: Review Questions ............................................................................................................. 32 Module Five: Tuckman and Jensen’s Model of Team Development ................................................... 34 Stage One: Forming ................................................................................................................................ 34 Stage Two: Storming............................................................................................................................... 36 Stage Three: Norming ............................................................................................................................. 38 Stage Four: Performing ........................................................................................................................... 39 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 41 Module Five: Review Questions .............................................................................................................. 42 Module Six: Building Consensus ....................................................................................................... 44 Encouraging Participation ...................................................................................................................... 44 Gathering Information ............................................................................................................................ 47 Presenting Information ........................................................................................................................... 49 Synthesizing and Summarizing ............................................................................................................... 50 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 51 Module Six: Review Questions ................................................................................................................ 52 Module Seven: Reaching a Decision Point ......................................................................................... 54 Identifying the Options ........................................................................................................................... 54 Creating a Short List................................................................................................................................ 56 Choosing a Solution ................................................................................................................................ 57 Using the Multi-Option Technique.......................................................................................................... 58 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 59

After asking each member of his group for solutions to the current organizational problem in the office, Andrew had to pick a solution. He started the process of making a shortlist. First, he looked at the criteria: It had to have a good cost/benefit ratio, it had to fit with the company’s values, and it had to have both short- and long-term positive ramifications. .........................Error! Bookmark not defined.

He picked three proposed solutions, and asked members of his team one-on-one which they liked and didn’t like, and why. One of his team members, Paul, suggested he combine two solutions into one, and when Andrew thought about it he realized Paul was right. Soon after announcing his decision, the office’s disorganization was soon solved...................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

Module Seven: Review Questions ........................................................................................................... 60 Module Eight: Dealing with Difficult People ...................................................................................... 62 Addressing Disruptions ........................................................................................................................... 62 Common Types of Difficult People and How to Handle Them ................................................................ 63 Helping the Group Resolve Issues on Their Own .................................................................................... 65 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 66 Module Eight: Review Questions ............................................................................................................ 67 Module Nine: Addressing Group Dysfunction.................................................................................... 69 Using Ground Rules to Prevent Dysfunction ........................................................................................... 69 Restating and Reframing Issues ............................................................................................................. 71 Some of the ways of restating and reframing includes: ......................................................................... 71 Getting People Back on Track ................................................................................................................. 73 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 74 Module Nine: Review Questions ............................................................................................................. 75 Module Ten: About Intervention ...................................................................................................... 77 Why Intervention May Be Necessary ...................................................................................................... 77 When to Intervene .................................................................................................................................. 79 Levels of Intervention.............................................................................................................................. 80 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 82 Module Ten: Review Questions .............................................................................................................. 83

Module Eleven: Intervention Techniques .......................................................................................... 85 Using Your Processes .............................................................................................................................. 85 Boomerang it Back.................................................................................................................................. 86 ICE It: Identify, Check for Agreement, Evaluate How to Resolve ............................................................ 87 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 88 Module Eleven: Review Questions .......................................................................................................... 89 Module Twelve: Wrapping Up .......................................................................................................... 91 Words from the Wise .............................................................................................................................. 91 Parking Lot .............................................................................................................................................. 91 Action Plans and Evaluations.................................................................................................................. 91

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.

Chinese Proverb Preface What is Courseware?

Welcome to Courseware.com, a completely new training experience!

Our courseware packages offer you top-quality training materials that are customizable, user-friendly, educational, and fun. We provide your materials, materials for the student, PowerPoint slides, and a takehome reference sheet for the student. You simply need to prepare and train!

Best of all, our courseware packages are created in Microsoft Office and can be opened using any version of Word and PowerPoint. (Most other word processing and presentation programs support these formats, too.) This means that you can customize the content, add your logo, change the color scheme, and easily print and e-mail training materials.

How Do I Customize My Course?

Customizing your course is easy. To edit text, just click and type as you would with any document. This is particularly convenient if you want to add customized statistics for your region, special examples for your participants’ industry, or additional information. You can, of course, also use all of your word processor’s other features, including text formatting and editing tools (such as cutting and pasting).

To remove modules, simply select the text and press Delete on your keyboard. Then, navigate to the Table of Contents, right-click, and click Update Field. You may see a dialog box; if so, click “Update entire table” and press OK.

(You will also want to perform this step if you add modules or move them around.)

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If you want to change the way text looks, you can format any piece of text any way you want. However, to make it easy, we have used styles so that you can update all the text at once.

If you are using Word 97 to 2003, start by clicking the Format menu followed by Styles and Formatting.

In Word 2007 and 2010 under the Home tab, right-click on your chosen style and click Modify. That will then produce the Modify Style options window where you can set your preferred style options.

For example, if we wanted to change our Heading 1 style, used for Module Titles, this is what we would do:

Now, we can change our formatting and it will apply to all the headings in the document.

For more information on making Word work for you, please refer to Word 2007 or 2010 Essentials by Courseware.com.

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Materials Required All of our courses use flip chart paper and markers extensively. (If you prefer, you can use a whiteboard or chalkboard instead.)

We recommend that each participant have a copy of the Training Manual, and that you review each module before training to ensure you have any special materials required. Worksheets and handouts are included within a separate activities folder and can be reproduced and used where indicated. If you would like to save paper, these worksheets are easily transferrable to a flip chart paper format, instead of having individual worksheets.

We recommend these additional materials for all workshops: 

Laptop with projector, for PowerPoint slides

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Quick Reference Sheets for students to take home

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Timer or watch (separate from your laptop)

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Masking tape

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Blank paper

Maximizing Your Training Power We have just one more thing for you before you get started. Our company is built for trainers, by trainers, so we thought we would share some of our tips with you, to help you create an engaging, unforgettable experience for your participants. 

Make it customized. By tailoring each course to your participants, you will find that your results will increase a thousand-fold. 

Use examples, case studies, and stories that are relevant to the group.

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Identify whether your participants are strangers or whether they work together. Tailor your approach appropriately.

Different people learn in different ways, so use different types of activities to balance it all out. (For example, some people learn by reading, while others learn by talking about it, while still others need a hands-on approach. For more information, we suggest Experiential Learning by David Kolb.) 

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Make it fun and interactive. Most people do not enjoy sitting and listening to someone else talk for hours at a time. Make use of the tips in this book and your own experience to keep your participants engaged. Mix up the activities to include individual work, small group work, large group discussions, and mini-lectures.

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Make it relevant. Participants are much more receptive to learning if they understand why they are learning it and how they can apply it in their daily lives. Most importantly, they want to know how it will benefit them and make their lives easier. Take every opportunity to tie what you are teaching back to real life.

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Keep an open mind. Many trainers find that they learn something each time they teach a workshop. If you go into a training session with that attitude, you will find that there can be an amazing two-way flow of information between the trainer and trainees. Enjoy it, learn from it, and make the most of it in your workshops.

And now, time for the training!

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Facilitative skills are increasingly becoming a core competency for leaders, consultants, and others who work with groups.

Roger Schwarz Module One: Getting Started Welcome to the Facilitation Skills workshop. Facilitation is often referred to as the new cornerstone of management philosophy.

With its focus on fairness and creating an easy decision making, facilitation can make any organization make better decisions. This workshop will give participants an understanding of what facilitation is all about, as well as some tools that they can use to facilitate small meetings.

Housekeeping Items Take a few moments to cover basic housekeeping items. 

If you need an opening or a way to introduce the participants to each other, utilize the Icebreakers folder to begin or between breaks during the day.

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Let participants know where they can find washrooms, break facilities, and fire exits.

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Ask participants to turn off their cell phones or at least turn them to vibrate. If they must take a call, request that they do it outside.

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Take this time to encourage the group to ask questions and make this an interactive workshop.

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Write the words Respect, Confidentiality, and Practice on a piece of flip chart paper and tape it to the wall. Explain to participants that in order to get the most out of this workshop, we must all work together, listen to each other, explore new ideas, and make mistakes. After all, that’s how we learn!

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The Parking Lot Explain the concept of The Parking Lot to participants.

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The Parking Lot is a visible place where you will “park” ideas that arise which are not on the agenda, may be off topic, or are better addressed outside of the program.

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At the end of the session, we will review parked ideas and follow up, or make suggestions for your own investigation when you are back at work.

Suggestions for the trainer: 1. If you are working with a large group of participants, you may wish to nominate a recorder to park items as you are facilitating.

2. It’s a good idea to note the name of the contributor along with the parked item.

3. Items noted on the parking lot can be useful to you later as you plan future training sessions.

Workshop Objectives Research has consistently demonstrated that when clear goals are associated with learning, it occurs more easily and rapidly. With that in mind, let’s review our goals for today.

At the end of this workshop, participants should be able to: 

Define facilitation and identify its purpose and benefits.

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Clarify the role and focus of a facilitator.

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Differentiate between process and content in the context of a group discussion.

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Provide tips in choosing and preparing for facilitation.

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Identify a facilitator’s role when managing groups in each of Tuckman and Jensen’s stages of group development: forming, storming, norming, and performing.

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Identify ways a facilitator can help a group reach a consensus: from encouraging participation to choosing a solution.

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Provide guidelines in dealing with disruptions, dysfunctions, and difficult people in groups.

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Define what interventions are, when they are appropriate, and how to implement them.

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Pre-Assignment Review The purpose of the Pre-Assignment is to get participants thinking about the facilitation skills they are already using, and where they need to improve.

As a pre-assignment, we asked participants to recall the last time they had a group meeting. The group meeting can be at work, at church, at civic groups or even within the family.

We also asked participants to think about the way the meeting was ran, the person (or people) who steered the discussion, and the tools and techniques used to engage the participants and accomplish all the meeting’s goals.

The following guide questions can help this process: In your group: 1. Did you feel that everyone’s contribution is welcome? o

What are your indicators?

o

What did the facilitator (this maybe you) say or do to make the group feel welcome or unwelcome?

2. Did you feel that the decisions your group made are reflective of everyone’s position, or at least the best compromise of everyone’s position? o

What are your indicators?

o

What did the facilitator (this maybe you) say or do to make surface everyone’s point of view and incorporate it in the decision-making process?

3. Which of these two do you think is prioritized more in your group: getting the tasks in the agenda accomplished, or making the most of the knowledge, creativity, and relationships in the group? What makes you say so?

Action Plans and Evaluations Pass out the participant action plans and course evaluation forms. They are located in the activities folder. Ask participants to fill these out throughout the day as they learn new things and have ideas on how to incorporate the things we discuss into their lives.

The action plan uses the SMART system. This means that your goals must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.

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Managers who fail to learn facilitation skills are getting buried. Their traditional “direct control” approach to managing just does not work when there is so much to do and so little time to do it Richard Weaver & John Farrell Module Two: Understanding Facilitation Groups are powerful resources in any organization. When you tap into groups, you don’t just get the best of individual members, you also get the best of group interaction. The result is a more dynamic, creative and empowered team.

To get the most of groups, you need facilitation skills. In this module, we will discuss what is facilitation, what is a facilitator and when is facilitation appropriate.

What is Facilitation?

Facilitation is a manner of handling group meetings in a way that takes the focus away from just one leader, and instead distributes leadership to all members of the group. There is premium on democracy, group involvement, and cooperation.

The focus is not just on getting things done, but also in feeling good about it.

Consultant Dave Sibbet defines facilitation as “the art of leading people through processes towards agreed-upon objectives in a manner that encourages participation, ownership, and creativity from all involved.”

Facilitation is often contrasted with presentation, which is delivering information or decisions to a group. Facilitation is group-centered while presentation is leader-centered. For this reason, facilitation is incompatible with an autocratic management style.

Example of the difference between facilitation and presentation: FACILITATION: “How do you think the company can solve this problem? Does anyone have any ideas?”

PRESENTATION: “This is how we will solve the problem…”

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Estimated Time

5 minutes

Topic Objective

To define what is facilitation.

Topic Summary

Facilitation is the art of leading people through processes towards agreedupon objectives in a manner that encourages participation, ownership, and creativity from all involved.

Materials Required

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Flip chart paper

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Markers

Planning Checklist

Prepare illustrations about the difference between facilitation and presentation.

Recommended Activity

Brainstorm with the group words commonly associated with the term “facilitate.” Post responses on the flip chart paper. You can create a word map if you want.

Conduct the activity first before discussing the definition of facilitation. This way you can surface the misconceptions participants have about facilitation.

Delivery Tips Provide examples to illustrate the difference between facilitation and presentation.

Review Questions

What is the difference between facilitation and presentation?

What is a Facilitator?

Group-centered meetings require an individual or individuals in the case of larger groups to manage the process. This person(s) is a facilitator.

A facilitator is a person who helps groups to arrive at their objective by ensuring that everyone’s contribution is heard and the processes being used are both productive and empowering to all. Facilitators work primarily through leading and blocking techniques, basically directing traffic within a group discussion. Facilitation can also involve managing group member’s emotions, defusing tensions and encouraging team cohesiveness. In some cases, facilitators help in setting and revising meeting structure, and managing conflicts.

To be effective, facilitators have to be neutral to the discussion, not partial to any members, and acceptable to everyone involved. They should not take a position in any of the issues raised, nor should they advocate a solution --- or attempt to directly solve the problem. Having an objective “third party” facilitator ensures that group members would feel safe about voicing out their opinions.

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Knowledge of group process and an appreciation of democratic management are pre-requisites to becoming an effective facilitator. Sensitivity and keen observation skills are also non-negotiable.

Estimated Time

10 minutes

Topic Objective

To define what is a facilitator.

A facilitator is a person who helps groups to arrive at their objective by ensuring that everyone’s contribution is heard, and the processes being used are both productive and empowering to all.

Topic Summary

Recommended Activity

Facilitators work primarily through leading and blocking techniques, basically directing traffic within a group discussion. Facilitation can also involve managing group members’ emotions, defusing tensions and encouraging team cohesiveness. In some cases, facilitators help in setting and revising meeting structure, and managing conflict.

Ask the group to list down personality traits needed to make a good facilitator (e.g. patience, objectivity). They can refer to facilitators that they know. Afterwards, encourage them to reflect which of the traits in the list they possess.

You may use Worksheet One for this activity.

Materials Required

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Flip chart paper

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Marker

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Worksheet One

Stories to Share

Effective group processes rely on the neutrality of the facilitator. In some cases, however, facilitators are invited because of expert knowledge in an area of discussion, and are expected to provide a learned opinion on an issue. The extent a facilitator can be directive depends on the agreement between the sponsor and the facilitator, but once a facilitator adopts a less neutral position in a group discussion, his or her role becomes that of a facilitator-consultant.

Delivery Tips

If there are participants with facilitating experience, encourage them to share to the group their job description as facilitator. You may also share personal experiences if you have any.

Review Questions

True or False. Facilitators need to be neutral to the discussion.

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When is Facilitation Appropriate?

In general, facilitation has something positive to offer every group process, whether we’re talking about a working group or a recreational group.

Facilitation is most appropriate: 

When you want to encourage group motivation, commitment and confidence. A facilitated process is a great way to get employees engaged and empowered; it sends the message that all team members’ opinions, suggestions, and feelings are valued, and will at least be taken into consideration before making a decision.

When a discussion is facilitated, group members can take pride in the results, because the bulk of the ideas came from them.

More so, a facilitated process promotes ownership of a task or an issue among group members.

Because results depend directly on the team members’ effort and performance, teams are more likely to invest in the process and carry a task through.

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When you want to make the most of group knowledge, experience and diversity. Facilitation is ideal when you have people of different backgrounds, expertise and or work style, and you want to create something that integrates all these differences. For example, brainstorming sessions always work best if participants are from diverse disciplines. Facilitation can ensure that all members have their say, and that cross-fertilization of ideas (members building on other members’ ideas) can happen.

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When there is more than one answer to a question, or one side to a story. Facilitation is appropriate for discussion of issues that allow a healthy debate and multiple perspectives. A discussion where the solution is clear from the very beginning, or where no other viable alternative exists, is not recommended for facilitations. Similarly, a conflict situation where only one position will be tolerated is not for facilitation.

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When a person in power wants to just be a participant. Facilitation is recommended when a leader wants to level off with his members when discussing an issue. For example, a discussion on a sensitive policy change is best handled by a neutral facilitator; so that members don’t feel intimidated or threatened by their boss’ position, and boss’ can be guided in seeing things from their employees’ point of view. Facilitation is also advisable when a person in power wants a fresh perspective, and he’s worried that he’ll influence output if he leads the discussion.

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When you want to learn about your group’s process, or challenge an inefficient process.

Facilitation can be a way to identify roots of unproductive discussions, and teach alternative ways of tackling an issue. For example, meetings that often monopolized by one person can be restructured by simply adding a facilitator. Once that group experiences a facilitated discussion, they might be inclined to have more democratic meetings even after the facilitator leaves.

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

When there are psychological blocks that need to be addressed in an issue. A discussion might seem clear cut, with decisions final. However if there are underlying tensions and reservations, calling in a facilitator will be a good idea. Facilitators are experts in not just managing what was said, but what was left unsaid as well. He or she can surface psychological blocks to an issue and bring it to discussion.

Facilitation is least appropriate: 

When discussing issues where the only solution is administrative adjudication. Some issues are not meant for discussion but for an executive decision, an example of this is the termination of an employee. Also, if two parties are at a stalemate and the only way to resolve the issue is for the leader to directly interfere and make a judgment call, then mediation is more appropriate than facilitation.

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When the goal of a meeting is merely to inform a group. Facilitation is not recommended in situations when group members don’t have the information or sometimes authority, to get the task done. The same goes when group members are in no position to contribute to the issue for ethical or legal reasons. In these cases, information can only flow from the leader down to the members and not vice-versa.

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When participants take turns in arriving at the meeting. Group-centered discussions require continuity, which is why it should only be appropriate to situations where all or a significant number of group members are available for meeting at the same time. If a group is always changing members in the middle of a discussion, or only one “clique” or coalition in a group is present, it is difficult to conduct effective processes.

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In crisis situations when quick decisions have to be made. Facilitated discussions take significantly more time than non-facilitated discussions, and arriving at a consensus is not always guaranteed. If quick decision-making and immediate action is required, facilitation is not recommended.

Estimated Time

10 minutes

Topic Objective

To list situations when facilitation is appropriate, and situations when it’s inappropriate.

Facilitation is most appropriate…

Topic Summary

a. When you want to encourage group motivation, commitment and confidence. b. When you want to make the most of group knowledge, experience

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and diversity. c. When there is more than one answer to a question, or one side to a story. d. When a person in power wants to just be a participant. e. When you want to learn about your group’s process, or challenge an inefficient process. f.

When there are psychological blocks that need to be addressed in an issue.

Facilitation is least appropriate… a. When discussing issues where the only solution is administrative adjudication. b. When the goal is merely to inform a group. c. When participants take turns arriving in the meeting. d. In crisis situations when quick decisions have to be made.

Materials Required

Planning Checklist

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Flip chart paper

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Marker

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Metacards

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Masking Tape

In small metacards (around 2 x 10 inches), write each situation when facilitation is most appropriate. Write one situation per card. Do the same for the situations when facilitation is least appropriate. After writing each down, you will have a set of 10 meta cards. Prepare as many sets as there would be groups.

Divide flip chart paper into two columns: one labeled as “for facilitation” and the other “not for facilitation.” Prepare as many of these flip chart papers as there would be groups.

Prepare as many masking tapes as there would be groups.

Recommended Activity

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Divide participants into groups of 4-6 members each. Provide each group with a set of the metacards with names of situations in it (see above for

instructions), flip chart paper divided into two columns, and tape.

Ask each group to classify each situation as “for facilitation” or “not for facilitation.” Let groups tape the situations in the appropriate column.

Discuss the group’s responses.

Delivery Tips

You may conduct the activity in small groups or as a plenary.

Stories to Tell

Share examples for each situation.

Review Questions

Give a situation when facilitation is recommended.

Case Study Dave and Daniel fought to keep their eyes open. Nathan's constant barrage of information and commands shaved years off their lives. Dave and Daniel had given up the fight and begged for mercy.

Nathan took notice and demanded an explanation. Dave yawned like a cat and wiped his tired eyes.

Daniel stood up, wide-eyed and anxious to show Nathan the error in his ways. Daniel explained that a better approach required more than one cook in the kitchen. That piqued Nathan's curiosity. He'd never dreamed of such a thing. Daniel and Dave could see the wheels of change as they turned in Nathan's big head. They celebrated as Nathan decided they were right and gave them the floor.

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Module Two: Review Questions 1) Applying facilitation on group meetings requires: a) b) c) d)

Focus on one group leader Focus on one or two group leaders Focus on several group members as leaders Considering each team member as a leader

2) What would be the direct opposite of facilitation? a) b) c) d)

Training meetings Presentation Brainstorming Report meetings

3) Which of the following is not something that a facilitator applies? a) b) c) d)

Blocking techniques Leading techniques Trick techniques Directing discussion

4) What is the key for a good facilitator? a) b) c) d)

Being neutral Supporting people with better ideas Being strict Having a readymade plan

5) In which of these situations is facilitation not appropriate? a) b) c) d)

When you want to encourage group motivation When there is more than one answer to a question When participants take turns in arriving at the meeting When a person in power wants to just be a participant

6) Why is facilitation good for a group? a) b) c) d)

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It gets the maximum of each team member It makes people work better under the pressure It definitely results with a good outcome It gets the maximum of group’s knowledge

7) When it comes to workers who are not efficient, facilitation usually: a) b) c) d)

Challenges them Makes them feel unpleasant Gives the unnecessary pressure Completely changes them

8) Why is facilitation not recommended when it comes to urgent situations? a) b) c) d)

Because it’s not effective enough Because it takes a lot of time Because usually doesn’t result productively Because the pressure is too high

9) Which of the following makes a man most appropriate to be a facilitator? a) b) c) d)

Good relations with the whole team Higher position than other team members More experience than the rest of the team Expertise in a certain field

10) If a facilitator becomes less neutral, that makes him: a) b) c) d)

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No longer appropriate for a facilitator Team leader Team consultant Facilitator-consultant

The new leader is a facilitator, not an order giver.

John Naisbitt Module Three: Process vs. Content Facilitators are process experts; they are as interested in the “how?” as much as the “what?” To produce quality output, you must arrive at it functionally. In this module, we will discuss the difference between process and content, and which among the two should be a facilitator’s focus.

About Process Process refers to the way a discussion is happening, independent of the subject matter or issue being talked about. Basically, process talks about how a group works together. It includes how members talk to each other, how they identify and solve problems, how they make decisions, and how they handle conflict. It takes into account group dynamics, non-verbal messages, and situational elements.

Process elements include: 

Meeting Flow. How does the meeting begin? How do they transition to another item in the agenda? Who keeps the ball rolling? Are there topic jumps? How does the meeting end?

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Participation. How many people contribute to the discussion? What is the quality of their contribution? Are there highs, lows, and shifts in group participation? How are silent people treated?

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Communication. How do group members communicate with one another? Is the verbal communication congruent with the non-verbal communication? Who talks with whom? Who interrupts whom?

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Roles. What roles do each member of the group play? Are these roles self-assigned or assigned by others? Are the roles productive? How do the members of the group respond to these roles?

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

Power/ Influence. Who has high influence? Who can move the group into a particular action whether positive or negative? How do they exert this power? Is the group democratic, authoritarian, or permissive when it comes to discussions? Are there shifts in power/influence?

Are there rivalries? Do there seem to be coalitions and alliances?

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Problem-Solving Process. Is the problem stated in clear workable terms? Does it seem clear to everyone what the issue is? How does the group arrive at solution? Is this method acceptable and fair to all members?

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Decision-Making Process. How are the best interests of all participants represented in the decision making process? Are there self-authorized decision-makers? Does the group arrive at a consensus? Is the way of deciding acceptable to all members of the group? How are people who disagree with the majority treated?

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Group Atmosphere. What is the general feeling in the group? How are feelings handled? Are they encouraged and validated? Is this group capable of care? Are there significant emotional attachments between members?

Estimated Time

10 minutes To define what is process.

Topic Objective To provide examples of process elements in groups.

Process refers to the way a discussion is happening, independent of the subject matter or issue being talked about.

Topic Summary

Preparation Checklist

Materials Needed

Recommended Activity

Basically, it talks about how a group works together. It includes how members talk to each other, how they identify and solve problems, how they make decisions, and how they handle conflict. It takes into account group dynamics, non-verbal messages, and situational elements.

You can assign volunteers for the activity even before the workshop begins to get things moving faster. 

Flip chart paper

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Markers

Ask for 3 volunteers to discuss of a topic for 1 minute in front of all participants. The topic can be something trivial like “what is a great way to unwind?” or “what sounds good for dinner?”

Afterwards, ask the participants for examples of “process elements” they

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observed in the discussion.

Delivery Tips

Understanding process elements is difficult for managers who are used to attending purely to content. You may want to identify blocks to attending at process (e.g. needing immediate results) if the group is having difficulty.

Stories to Tell

A great way to practice attending to process is to watch a foreign language TV show. If you can’t understand what the characters are saying, you have no choice but to get clues from process elements as to what’s going in the conversation!

Review Questions

Give two elements of process.

About Content Content refers to the subject matter of a discussion: the actual words or ideas that were spoken independent of contextual variables like non-verbal cues and procedural variables. It refers mainly to the literal meaning of words and makes no reference to connotations, subtexts, and insinuations behind messages.

In a meeting, content are the agenda topic, the suggestions put forward by the staff members, the solutions they arrive at. Content in a facilitated discussion should all come from the group and not the facilitator.

Example: The content of the meeting may be “how to change the company’s image to that it will appeal to a younger market.” In contrast the process element in the same meeting is brainstorming to solicit as many options as possible.

Estimated Time

5 minutes

Topic Objective

To define what is content.

Topic Summary

Content refers to the subject matter of a discussion: the actual words or ideas that were spoken independent of contextual variables like non-verbal cues and procedural variables.

Materials Required

Recommended Activity

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Flip chart paper

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Markers

Refer back to the discussion the 3 volunteers conducted in the previous

activity. This time ask the participant to identify the content elements in the discussion.

Delivery Tips

Assist participants in differentiating content elements from process elements.

Review Questions

True or False. Content in a facilitated meeting should all come from the facilitator.

A Facilitator’s Focus Which between process and content should a group facilitator attend to?

Ideally, a facilitator should attend to both process and content. After all, process and content feed one another. Good meeting processes create better content; keeping to relevant content makes for a great discussion process. A productive discussion can only happen when the content is on track and the meeting flows in a functional way.

However, facilitators are primarily process experts; they manage information flow and treatment. They are not encouraged to provide content input in any way. While some knowledge of a meeting’s topic can help a facilitator manage a meeting better, a facilitator should not put forward personal opinions and suggestions, or make judgments and decisions for the group. They’re also content neutral; they should never take sides in a debate.

When a facilitator adds to the content of a discussion, the facilitator’s role is confused from neutral guide to biased participant or a trainer/ coach. If a content expert is needed (one whose task is to clarify technical issues in a discussion e.g. a lawyer for union issues, or an Organizational Development consultant), they can be included as participant in the group for expert reference.

Here is an example of a facilitator focusing primarily on process instead of content: Imagine that a group discussion is stuck. The group can’t seem to generate a good, viable idea for their project. A content expert in this situation can provide a range of alternatives they can try--- after all he or she has specialized knowledge in this area. But a facilitator is a process expert. Instead of giving suggestions, a facilitator would seek to identify why idea generation is not proceeding well. Maybe the group is tired? Maybe the problem needs to be re-defined? In these cases, a facilitator can encourage a working break to get the thinking juices flowing, or ask the group to re-define the problem to encourage a different perspective, respectively.

Estimated Time

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10 minutes

Topic Objective

To identify a facilitator’s focus in a discussion: process or content.

Topic Summary

Facilitators are primarily process experts. They are not encouraged to provide content input. While knowledge of a meeting’s topic can help, the facilitator should not put forward personal opinions and suggestions, or make judgments and decisions for the group.

Materials Required

Planning Checklist

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Flip chart paper

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Markers

Prepare how you want to present the list of situations for the activity. If you’re going to conduct the activity in break-out groups, then print copies for each group. If the activity is going to be conducted as a plenary, post the situations on a flip chart paper.

Present the following situations to the group and solicit ideas on how a facilitator should react. Make sure that the appropriate facilitator’s focus is evident in each response.

Recommended Activity

a. Two parties in conflict are asking the facilitator which among them is right. b. The group can’t decide on the best solution to a problem. c.

Delivery Tips

Not everyone feels able to contribute to the discussion.

Explain how focusing on just content can jeopardize group process.

Case Study Thomas had the focus of a laser. He'd done his homework and had a plan that could rival any natural born leaders plan. In the palms of his hands, he carried the message that he'd convinced himself would change the way things were done. He dubbed himself, “The Facilitator” and couldn't wait to share his knowledge with his coworkers. Tracy walked by and noticed Thomas' peculiar get-up. “What's with the cape,” she asked. Thomas firmly planted his feet on the ground and said, “I'm The Facilitator.” Tracy shrugged and moved on. Thomas' voice boomed out. He didn't understand why no one else questioned him. Tracy raised her voice and explained that leaders lead by example, not because of a fancy superhero suit.

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Module Three: Review Questions 1) Process primarily refers to: a) b) c) d)

Way of discussion Time of discussion Issues of the meeting Participants of discussion

2) Which of the following is not an element of process? a) b) c) d)

Communication Group atmosphere Meeting circumstances Roles

3) Which of the following things is not crucial for the process? a) b) c) d)

Non-verbal messages Group dynamics Situational elements Difficulty of the issue

4) Which of the following things is crucial for the content? a) b) c) d)

Actual spoken ideas Subtext of ideas Possibilities of ideas Insinuations of ideas

5) Who usually comes up with the content in facilitated discussions? a) b) c) d)

Facilitator One or several team members The whole group Facilitator and one prominent team member

6) Which between process and content should a group facilitator attend to? a) b) c) d)

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Process Content Ideally, both Whichever suits him better

7) Which of the following statements is true? a) b) c) d)

Facilitators are primarily content experts.

Facilitators almost always have to put forward personal opinions.

Facilitators are not encouraged to provide content input.

Facilitators are not allowed to become biased participants.

8) Which of the following is not something that content experts do? a) b) c) d)

Clarifying technical issues Clarifying legal issues Being participants in the group Being facilitators

9) What should facilitator do if the group cannot come up with a viable idea? a) b) c) d)

Identify what seems to be the problem Offer alternative solutions Impose personal solution End the meeting

10) Content refers to: a) b) c) d)

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Ideas obtained during the process Final outcome of the process Subject being discussed All of the above

END OF FREE PREVIEW FULL WORKSHOP AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY AT:

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