How do you facilitate high-stakes team situations?

1 Define the purpose and scope

Before you dive into a high-stakes team situation, you need to clarify the purpose and scope of the facilitation. What is the main problem or opportunity that the team needs to address? What are the desired outcomes and success criteria? What are the boundaries and constraints that the team needs to respect? By defining the purpose and scope, you can help the team focus on what matters, avoid distractions, and align expectations.

2 Establish the ground rules and norms

Another key step for facilitating high-stakes team situations is to establish the ground rules and norms for the team's interaction. How will the team communicate, collaborate, and make decisions? How will the team handle conflicts, disagreements, and feedback? How will the team respect diversity, inclusion, and equity? By establishing the ground rules and norms, you can create a safe and supportive environment for the team, foster trust and respect, and prevent or resolve potential issues.

3 Manage the process and dynamics

As a facilitator, you need to manage the process and dynamics of the high-stakes team situation. How will you structure the agenda, time, and activities for the team? How will you ensure that the team follows the purpose, scope, and ground rules? How will you facilitate the team's dialogue, participation, and learning? How will you deal with any challenges, risks, or crises that may arise? By managing the process and dynamics, you can guide the team through the stages of team development, facilitate effective team performance, and handle any situations that may jeopardize the team's success.

4 Support the content and outcomes

In addition to managing the process and dynamics, you also need to support the content and outcomes of the high-stakes team situation. How will you help the team generate, analyze, and synthesize information and ideas? How will you help the team evaluate, prioritize, and select options and solutions? How will you help the team document, communicate, and implement the outcomes and action plans? By supporting the content and outcomes, you can enable the team to produce quality results, achieve its goals, and create value.

5 Monitor and evaluate the facilitation

Finally, as a facilitator, you need to monitor and evaluate the facilitation of the high-stakes team situation. How will you collect and use feedback from the team and other stakeholders? How will you measure and report on the impact and effectiveness of the facilitation? How will you reflect and learn from the facilitation experience? How will you celebrate and appreciate the team's efforts and achievements? By monitoring and evaluating the facilitation, you can improve your facilitation skills, demonstrate your value, and acknowledge your team's contributions.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?