The Effective Facilitator: Maximizing Involvement and Results

Want superior facilitation experiences? Look no further. This is your go-to course to hone in on core facilitation skills to create positive and seamless flow.

Your role as a facilitator demands exceptional interpersonal skills, keen observation, insight and tact. Like a conductor, you must bring out the best in individual players and orchestrate successful group efforts. This course provides maximum practice, group interaction and feedback as you explore your role as a facilitator in a variety of group situations.

• Make your meetings more productive
• Spark and enhance critical synergy and creative energy
• Address the challenges of having multiple roles—leader, manager and facilitator
• Build consensus, handle conflict and keep meetings on track
• Confront behaviors more effectively
• Direct meetings that reduce frustration and produce results
• Gain the must-have skills you can apply to all group and meeting situations
• Keep content, process and structure on track to produce positive outcomes

• Facilitation and facilitating
• Identifying and developing the qualities and skills of a facilitator
• Leveraging your personal style and preferences to maximize engagement
• Developing essential skills for fostering effective relationships
• Listening and talking in ways that you will be heard
• Mastering the phases of the facilitation process
• Planning for effective interventions for conflict, anger and disagreement
• Developing visual practitioner skills
• Incorporating visual practitioner skills into all phases of facilitation
• Customizing your plan to facilitate

Learning Objectives

• Define and Describe Facilitation and the Role of Facilitator
• Develop Greater Awareness of Self and Leverage Strengths of Personal Style
• Demonstrate Facilitator Values and Attitudes
• Utilize Key Facilitation Skills of Observation, Diagnosis, Intervention and Assessment
• Develop Visual Practitioner Skills
• Plan for Successful Facilitation Experience

Exploring Facilitation

• Define Vocabulary of Facilitation Field
• Create and Use Guidelines for Group Interaction
• Identify the Qualities and Skills of a Facilitator
• Describe the Role of Facilitator
• Differentiate Among the Roles of Facilitator, Leader, Manager, and Consultant

Understanding Yourself

• Determine Your Own Style and Preferences
• Describe How Behavior Styles Can Affect Individual and Group Functioning
• Develop Strategies to Leverage Your Style and Preferences to Maximize Involvement
• Discuss Values and Attitudes of Facilitators

Essential Skills for Effective Relationships

• Discuss Values and Attitudes of Facilitators
• Address the Challenge of Multiple Roles—Leader, Manager, and Facilitator
• Listen at Deeper Levels
• Talk in Ways That You Will Be Heard
• Confront Behaviors Effectively

Setting the Stage for Success

• Describe the Four Phases of the Facilitation Process
• Explain Foundational Skills of Facilitation
• Distinguish Between Interpersonal Interventions and Process Interventions
• Use a Process Analysis Tool to Observe Forces That Are Out of Your Control and Plan Interventions

Developing Visual Practitioner Skills

• Explore the Field of Visual Practitioners
• Describe Different Types of Visual Practitioners
• Develop and Practice Drawing Skills: Containers, Icons, Figures, and Lettering
• Discuss the Nature and Importance of Listening Skills for Graphic Recording, Facilitating, and Coaching
• Plan to Incorporate Visual Practitioner Skills into All Phases of Facilitation
• List and Describe Methods, Techniques, and Resources for Visual Practitioners

Optimizing Results from Your Facilitation Work

• Organize the Essential Elements of Effective Facilitation Work
• Assess Your Own Skills
• Identify a Challenge in Your Work Setting and Ways to Overcome It
• Plan Your Next Steps in Professional Development