Comparison Between Group Process Facilitation and Training

A lot many professionals wonder about the difference between Group process facilitation and training. Both are valuable tools for organizational development. They serve distinct purposes. And are best utilized in different contexts.

Here I write about the strengths and applications of each as per my experience and re-search :

Group Process Facilitation

Let’s have a look at the strengths and use cases for facilitation.

Strengths

?? Inclusivity : Facilitation enables voicing and inclusion of all ideas. People who express openly and freely get the opportunity to do so. People who would rather reflect deeply and then share get an opportunity to do so. “Listening” to all ideas is critical in generating an outcome acceptable to all. This is a great strength of Facilitation.

?? Non-Judgmental : Facilitation allows free expression without fear of judgment. Creation of a “safe space” allows for this. Process design enables people to express themselves without being in the spotlight.

?? Expression of Diverse Ideas : Facilitation encourages sharing diverse ideas. Even if it creates divergence. There no hurry to get to a conclusion. Biases are kept aside and brainstorming to widen the idea base happens.

?? Expression of Diverse Ideas : Sam Kaner talks about the "Groan Zone" in his book (Facilitator's Guide To Participatory Decision-Making). A group explores diverse perspectives after moving past familiar opinions. Group members need to integrate new ways of thinking with their own. This integration may involve some struggle.

?? Collective Convergence : Alignment and convergence happens best when all voices are heard. All ideas considered and the group has deliberated freely to align their thoughts. The collective agreement is the most powerful outcome a facilitative session can achieve. And such outcomes are long lasting since they encourage ownership.

?? Adaptability : Facilitation can be tailored to address the specific needs and purposes of the group. Adjusting their approach as circumstances evolve. I love the way they say it within the IAF World community “what is happening was supposed to happen!”

?Best Use Cases of Facilitation

While there are many applications of facilitation, I am sharing a few that have worked well for me.

? Facilitating Change : Facilitation is the best option to facilitate all stages of change. Creation of change. Adapting to change. Sustaining change. There is a greater participation for making the change. And there is greater ownership of the consequences.

? Alignment & Team Building : Facilitation builds trust, cohesion, and synergy in teams. Especially in newly formed or struggling teams.

? Problem Solving : Facilitation excels in guiding groups through complex problem-solving processes. It helps leveraging diverse perspectives to identify innovative solutions.

? Decision Making : Facilitation helps groups make informed decisions. Through structured processes, it considers multiple viewpoints and evaluates alternatives systematically.

? Strategic Planning & Execution : Facilitation works wonders in exploring business needs to achieve objectives. Business leaders get surprised by the outcomes a facilitative session throws up. In fact facilitation helps them re-visit and re-thing their strategic moves. It also helps tremendously in creating an execution plan for the strategic moves.

Facilitate the mind, facilitate the emotion, facilitate choices !

There is a lot more facilitation can do. I have been able to use facilitative approach to impart content knowledge as well. Check if content and knowledge dissemination are the main focus. If yes, then training might be a better choice. That’s what we will look at next.

Training

Training assumes the trainer is a subject matter expert. When aligned with adult learning principles, training can be highly effective.

Strengths

?? Structured Learning : Training provides a structured curriculum to impart specific knowledge. It equips participants with skills and competencies. There is a predictability about the outcomes.

?? Expertise Transfer : Trainers often possess specialized knowledge or expertise in a particular subject area. They offering valuable insights and best practices to participants.

?? Certification and Accreditation : Training programs can lead to certifications or accreditations. This enhances participants' professional qualifications.

?? Scalability: Training can be duplicated with standardisation. There is a uniformity of learning experience.

?? Ease of Trainer Capability Building : It is relatively easier to build trainer capabilities within the organization. It is a tangible skill. It can be monitored.

Best Use Cases of Training

Training has been and continues to be used for a wide range of applications. Trainers are respected and valued within and outside organization. In fact industry specific trainers industry recognition.

It can be applied to all learning situations. Areas where specifically it woul bd a better choice are :

? Functional Skill Development : Training effectively imparts technical skills, industry knowledge, and procedural know-how to participants.

? Compliance Training : Training is essential to ensure regulatory compliance. It educates employees about laws, regulations, and organizational policies.

? Onboarding and Orientation: Training is vital to orient new employees to the organisation. It helps them transition smoothly into their roles by learning policies, structure, and processes.

Training works best when there is a tangible motivation to learn

Where to use What Mode

Group Process Facilitation

• I prefer to use facilitation when the primary goal is to leverage group dynamics. It helps foster collaboration and facilitate collective decision-making processes.
• Choose facilitation for complex challenges needing diverse perspectives and creative solutions. For example when doing strategic planning.
• Choose facilitation when the emphasis is on softer aspects of skills development. Such as communication, conflict resolution, and team building. It works better in such areas. Because it is about helping people change. ?
• Choose facilitation to foster a strong sense of ownership of the outcomes.?

Training

• Use training to teach specific knowledge, skills, or competencies to a large group in a structured way.
• Choose training mode for technical skill development, compliance training, or onboarding. There will be clear learning objectives that need to be verified post training.
• Train to standardise processes, disseminate best practices, and ensure consistency in performance organization-wide.
• Use training when the subject matter expertise is easy to identify and deploy.

Both group process facilitation and training are valuable in organizational development. Their distinct strengths and applications make them better suited for different contexts. Facilitation excels in leveraging group dynamics, fostering collaboration, and facilitating complex problem-solving processes. Training is ideal for structured skill development, knowledge transfer, and compliance education.?

Understanding how to use each approach effectively maximizes impact in an organisation.

?How have you used group process facilitation? Do share your thoughts.

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