What do you do if your facilitators' performance is not being evaluated regularly?

As a facilitator, you need to collect feedback after each workshop. This feedback helps you improve continuously so embrace it and remember to collect it. This can be used in assessments or in their absence. One of the IAF Core Facilitator Competencies is continuous learning, and there is so much you can learn to enhance your abilities.

In my experience, facilitators need to continually improve their performance by up-skilling. When facilitators are not up to date, they may become redundant in their roles. Companies or organizations should adopt a structure for the professional growth of their facilitators through yearly or quarterly trainings especially in communications and people skills. The psychology of communication plays a great role for facilitators to harness sessions they facilitate.

La evaluación del facilitador por parte de la organización que lo contrata es fundamental para el éxito de sus espacios de aprendizaje. Esta evaluación usualmente se enfoca en sus habilidades de comunicación, gestión de perfiles y adaptabilidad a las necesidades organizacionales para cumplir sus requerimientos. Dos sugerencias clave para que un facilitador afronte con éxito esta evaluación incluyen el mantenerse actualizado con metodologías innovadoras, alineadas su estilo de facilitación y a las necesidades de aprendizaje de su audiencia y la solicitud regular de retroalimentación por parte de líderes y agentes decisores en la organización. Esto garantizará la implementación de facilitaciones tanto memorables como efectivas.

Feedbacks are great tools for companies and organizations to see their blind spot. Every facilitation session should incorporate a feedback mechanism in their process to ensure that they are delivering their services at its very best. The process of implementing the feedback must be user friendly and easy to understand. Simple words and tech tools can be used to administer feedbacks. In my experience, people give their best feedback when they can be anonymous. There can be a bar code people can scan that will lead them to the feedback form. People will be able to fill it privately and anonymously.

Create a process. First identify core skills of an effective facilitator. Then create a rubric or tool for assessing. Share the core skills and assessment tool with facilitators. Decide and communicate frequency and completion date of evaluation session. Evaluate facilitators by observing them in a facilitated session. Build in time for self-evaluation, and a mentoring/feedback session after the observation. Debrief using strong facilitation skills. After the session, have the facilitator choose one skill to grow in and set a time line for revisiting and discussing.

The impact of trainings or feedback should reflect in subsequent facilitation of facilitators. A system of evaluation for past performance and post training performance needs to be put in place. And so, when a set of feedback from previous facilitation is prioritized and addressed through training, policy or structure. It’s important that organizations evaluate subsequent feedback after administering solutions to see if the feedback will become positive or remain negative. If the feedback is negative, it may mean that their solution was not effective. If the feedback is positive, it most likely shows that the solution was effective. In a case where the feedback is negative, the solution may not be wrong but it’s administration maybe wrong

Reinforcement of good behavior is a great way to reward and motivate others to aspire for that same good behavior. In fact, the kind of reinforcement employed can even inspire others to go high and beyond to achieve similar good behavior so that they too can be rewarded. Sociologically, rewarding people is a great way to reinforce good behavior. Companies and organizations should employ a reward system that can create a the reinforcement of good behavior. It can be a company culture to reward outstanding facilitators. Pending on the capacity of the organization, the spectrum for rewarding individuals is wide. It can be an increase in their pay, a promotion, an award, recognition at key events, all expense paid vacation, etc.