Facilitation Tips

Facilitation Tips Discussions, Decisions, and Challenges 1

CopyrightŠ2011 ESC Region XIII

INTRODUCTION In the life of every group, there are many opportunities for misunderstandings, disagreements over differences, and full-blown conflicts. Use of effective facilitation skills enables the work and outcomes of any group to be more successful.

Facilitation techniques can improve XX Meeting management

XX Solution generation

XX Collaboration

XX Decisions through consensus

XX Conflict prevention

XX Implementation of decisions

XX Problem identification

XX Impact of decisions

This book is intended to XX Provide reminders of facilitation concepts and tools

XX Promote facilitation reflections for improvement

XX Serve as a “take along” to prepare for discussions and meeting

XX Give space and blank pages to add your ideas as you go

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Copyright©2011 ESC Region XIII

What Is Facilitation?

Facilitation is a process in which a person intervenes to help increase the group’s effectiveness by how it XX Identifies XX Discusses XX Solves problems XX Makes decisions Facilitation is the key to opening others’ minds and options. Facilitation is defined as making things easier.

Facilitation Promotes Satisfaction Successful facilitation of any group promotes procedural, psychological, and substantive satisfaction among the group members. Any group member, regardless of role, can facilitate interactions and impact decision-making and outcomes.

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Facilitator as Intervener Effective facilitators XX Consider the group’s task(s) and goal(s) XX Establish or follow an agenda designed to accomplish the task(s) XX Intervene throughout the group’s process to increase the group’s successful completion of the task(s) and goal(s)

The 4 Whats Questions the facilitator should consider prior to intervening

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XX What’s happening?

XX What do I not want to do?

XX What do I want to accomplish?

XX What intervention is most likely to be effective right now?

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Copyright©2011 ESC Region XIII

Procedural: Process and Structure

Group Satisfaction

XX Before the meeting XX During the meeting • Decision making • Consensus XX After the meeting

Procedural

Psychological

Satisfaction

Psychological: Interactions and Participation XX Listening XX Questioning XX Summarizing with neutral language

Substantive

XX Acknowledging and affirming XX Separating interests from positions

Substantive XX Content XX Outcomes 6

Copyright©2011 ESC Region XIII

Texas Facilitation Continuum SchoolBased Team member(s)

SchoolBased Team Member(s)

SchoolBased Non-Team Member(s)

DistrictBased, Non-Team Member(s)

Outside District Staff Member(s)

Outside District Advocate and District Staff Member(s)

Outside District, 3rd Party

All team members are trained in facilitation

Any trained team member serves as facilitator (including parent and staff member as cofacilitators)

Any trained staff members from another campus serves as facilitator

Other trained campus or center office person serves as facilitator

Trained personnel from another district serves as facilitator under a reciprocal agreement

Trained persons agree to cofacilitate

External, trained person serves as facilitator

Informal, Routine Practice

More Formal Practice

Preventative

Responsive

Resolved at Lowest Level Feedback Collected

Resolved without Legal Intervention Feedback Collected

ALL

Training refers to successful completion of facilitation trainings which teach facilitation skills and processes such as: The Basics: Facilitating IEPs and Advanced facilitation, offered at Texas Education Service Centers.

CopyrightŠ2011 ESC Region XIII

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Procedural Satisfaction Procedural: Process and Structure XX Before the meeting XX During the meeting • Decision making • Consensus XX After the meeting

Procedural Satisfaction: Before the Meeting Pre-ARD Checklist Logistics

XX Use preparation and planning tools XX Be clear on meeting purpose and roles of participants XX Identify any props, visuals, and agenda needed to support the meeting

Coffee, tea Room arrangement Visual/drafts of IEPs Name tents and roles Seating Arrangement

Charts and Markers

Table Tents Tools for Meeting

Name Role/Title

Posters Gradients of agreement Agenda Ground rules 9

Copyright©2011 ESC Region XIII

Procedural Satisfaction: During the Meeting Opening Remarks: The facilitator’s opening remarks affect the tone and spirit of a group’s work.

Key Points XX Welcome

XX Agenda

XX Introductions and roles

XX Administrative details

XX Purpose of meeting

XX Future conversations (Parking lot)

XX Facilitator’s role

XX Facilitated discussion

XX Ground rules

XX Closing and follow-up

XX Discussion guidelines

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Copyright©2011 ESC Region XIII