facilitation

Facilitation is the art and skill of assisting others in achieving important goals through high involvement techniques.

Facilitation itself can be divided into three skills levels:
1. Basic
2. Intermediate
3. Advanced

Each level has associated skill sets and competencies. These are detailed in the following pages.
Note that customized programs can be developed to fit specific needs and situations.
Further assessment of developmental levels can be designed by using the Facilitator Excellence Skills Profile (by Fran Rees, 1999).

Adapted from: The Facilitator Excellence Handbook. Fran Rees. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. 1998

Level Compentency

1
Meeting
Facilitator

"Basic Facilitation"
Someone who has completed basic facilitation training and successfully designs and facilitates short group meetings. This person can design and implement one-shot interventions, using basic facilitation tools (see attached grid).

2
Team
Facilitator

"Effective Facilitation"
An experienced Level 1 facilitator who is also qualified to facilitate the ongoing meetings of a team or group. Someone qualified to design and facilitate longer, more complex group meetings. This person has knowledge of and basic skill in using more advanced tools for decision making (see attached grid).

3
Organization
Facilitator

"Advanced Facilitation"
An experienced Level 2 facilitator who is also qualified to design and facilitate inter-team, and organization wide-meetings and projects. This person is usually functioning as a consultant, designing unique events that often center on change management, whole system change, conflictual or controversial subjects.

Level Compentency
1 Meeting Facilitator "Basic Facilitation"	Someone who has completed basic facilitation training and successfully designs and facilitates short group meetings. This person can design and implement one-shot interventions, using basic facilitation tools (see attached grid).
2 Team Facilitator "Effective Facilitation"	An experienced Level 1 facilitator who is also qualified to facilitate the ongoing meetings of a team or group. Someone qualified to design and facilitate longer, more complex group meetings. This person has knowledge of and basic skill in using more advanced tools for decision making (see attached grid).
3 Organization Facilitator "Advanced Facilitation"	An experienced Level 2 facilitator who is also qualified to design and facilitate inter-team, and organization wide-meetings and projects. This person is usually functioning as a consultant, designing unique events that often center on change management, whole system change, conflictual or controversial subjects.

Basic Facilitation is designed to provide the new facilitator with the general knowledge and skills to effectively design and manage high involvement group meetings and events.

AGENDA
Day 1                                                                          Day 2

    AM

1. Facilitation Model 
          Facilitation defined
          Applying style to stage of team 
              development

2. Managing Team Meetings 
          Planning; Implementing; Following-Up
          Creating Goals and Agendas
          Helpful Tools

    AM

4. Core Communication Skills
          Listening
          Questioning
          Summarizing


    PM

3. Managing Group Process 
          Divergence: opening, expanding
          Convergence: narrowing, deciding

    PM

5. Intervening in Group Process 
          Intervention Defined
          Intervention Process

**AGENDA** **Day 1** **Day 2**
AM 1. Facilitation Model Facilitation defined Applying style to stage of team development 2. Managing Team Meetings Planning; Implementing; Following-Up Creating Goals and Agendas Helpful Tools	AM 4. Core Communication Skills Listening Questioning Summarizing
PM 3. Managing Group Process Divergence: opening, expanding Convergence: narrowing, deciding	PM 5. Intervening in Group Process Intervention Defined Intervention Process

1. Define the role and responsibilities of a team facilitator.
Participants will be able to define the role of facilitator, identify the boundaries of the role, and contract effectively with a group or team for facilitation services. Participants will construct their own definition of facilitation for use in negotiating with clients and groups.

2. Identify the core communications behaviors for facilitation.
Participants will be able model the key communication behaviors of: active listening, open questioning, and content summarization and testing. They will also be able to identify the appropriate situations in which to use these core behaviors.

3. To practice the skills of managing a group meeting.
Participants will be able to organize an outcome-based meeting agenda, and structure a meeting to achieve those outcomes (utilizes the Mining Group Gold model). Participants will plan an upcoming meeting in small groups.

4. To practice the skills of the Opening, Narrowing, and Closing
cycles in team sessions.
Participants will be able to select and use a set of facilitation tools for opening issues, narrowing choices, and closing or taking action on an issue. Participants will practice using a core set of techniques in small groups. Techniques list attached.

5. To learn how to intervene in team process.
Participants will be able to diagnose team difficulties and apply simple intervention techniques. Participants will apply techniques to several typical situations.

                                                                                  
     Phase 
     Tools
     Opening 
    

        Yes/No Goal 
Results Statement 
Gap Analysis 
How-To

        Perception Sharing 
Brainstorming 
Brainwriting 
Map the Territory


     Narrowing 
    

        N/3 Voting 
Affinity 
Find the Thread  
Poll the Group

        Good News/Bad News 
Jury of Peers
Lasso


     Closing 
    

        Criteria Grid 
Ideaweaving   
Worst/Best   
Jury of Peers

        What-Who-When 
Action Planning
Gantt Chart

This is an "intermediate level" facilitation class. It reviews core tools from basic facilitation, and builds on design skills using more complex tools.

DAY 1 AM Principles of Facilitation Principles of Effective Facilitation Facilitator Role: Contracting and Implementation Designing Events: Agendas

DAY 1 PM Core Tools for Managing Group Events Event Design Opening-Narrowing-Closing Tools

DAY 2 AM Advanced Tools for Decision Making

Management Planning and Decision Making ools Memory Jogger II: Affinity, ID (interrelationship digraphs), Matrices, Prioritization Matrices, Radar Charts, Tree Diagrams

DAY 2 PM Design Workshop

Teams will take an actual event and work through a design for achieving the goals of the client.

1. Define the role and responsibilities of a team facilitator.
You will be able to define the role of facilitator, identify the boundaries of the role, and contract effectively with a group or team for facilitation services. Participants will construct their own definition of facilitation for use in negotiating with clients and groups.

2. To practice the skills of contracting for and managing a group meeting.
You will be able to organize an outcome-based meeting agenda, and structure a meeting to achieve those outcomes (utilizes the Mining Group Gold model). You will plan an upcoming meeting in small groups.

3. To practice the skills of the Opening, Narrowing, and Closing
cycles in decision making.
You will be able to select and use a set of facilitation tools for opening issues, narrowing choices, and closing or taking action on an issue. You will practice using a core set of techniques in small groups.

4. To learn how to manage team conflict.
You will be able to distinguish between constructive and destructive conflict. You will apply both prevention and intervention methods to conflict situations.

5. To learn how to intervene in team process.
You will be able to diagnose team difficulties and apply simple intervention techniques. You will apply techniques to several typical situations.

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PRINCIPLES OF ADVANCED FACILITATION
1. Role of Facilitation
2. Contracting
3. Leadership/Facilitation Style Assessment

TOOLS: WORKING WITH IDEAS
1. Affinity Diagram
2. Matrix Diagram
3. Interrelationship Digraph
4. Prioritization Matrix
5. Radar Chart
6. Tree Diagram
7. Activity Network Diagram

DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING HIGH INVOLVEMENT CHANGE EVENTS
1. Real Time Strategic Change
2. Designing LSIPs -- Large Scale Interactive Processes
3. Tools and Techniques
4. Sample Design

TEAM DEVELOPMENT AND FACILITATION
1. High Performance in Teams
2. Assessing Team Needs
3. Facilitating a Development Session

The learning methods in the course are discussion, case and video analysis, application workshops, hands-on use of facilitation tools, and lecturettes.

1. Assess your facilitation style and contracting skills.
2. Assess developmental stage of a team, and how to calibrate our facilitator style to the needs of the team.
3. Gain a working knowledge of the Seven Management Planning facilitation tools.
4. Gain a working knowledge of the facilitation techniques of conducting "Large Scale Interactive Events."
5. Assess team needs and design appropriate developmental interventions.