Mastering Facilitation

Facilitation is the most powerful method to help groups process their ideas. Group process facilitation enables open and uninhibited conversations.

This article provides a quick view on what it takes to master facilitation. First, lets look at the benefits of it.

? The Advantage

Some of the benefits of facilitative group engagement (meetings, trainings etc.) include-

• Free flowing inclusive conversations.
• Overcomes the "loud voice dominates" syndrome.
• Expressions of thoughts in a psychological safe space.
• Absence of fear of authority.
• Un-covering the not so visible issues.
• Respect for all ideas shared.
• Collective convergence to outcomes.
• Owner ship of the outcomes.
• Much higher probability of on job behaviour change.

These are the reasons why more and more organisations are moving away from "death by power point". And shifting to having meaningful conversations.

For example in Amazon, no one uses power point slides for meetings. They share Points / data / information as notes. Everyone reads through it. And then they get into conversations. Facilitated conversations.

?? The Challenge

Group process facilitation is very underrated. I have come across many HR and L&D leaders who "claim" they are good at facilitation. For them public speaking ability is akin to facilitation.

Fact is, not all leaders, managers or even facilitators are facilitative. Mastering facilitation is not an easy task. It involves various dimensions. This requires a conscious effort to practice the principles of facilitation. Of course first one has to know the principles of facilitation !

So how do we go about mastering facilitation?

While it requires a lot of effort, here are three things you can do to become a better facilitator.

1?? Search and Research

One basic aspect of mastering facilitation is to build up requisite knowledge.

Knowledge on the competence required to be a facilitator.

Knowledge on methods and tools for facilitation.

Knowledge of techniques for enabling conversations.

There are places where you will get to read all about these. Challenge is to find authentic information. And information that will be relavent to your areas of work. Otherwise you will get flooded with an overload of information.

So best is to ask experienced facilitators. About where to find the requisite and relevant information. And I quote my favourite Zig Ziglar here -

You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

2?? Un-Learn and Learn

Skills for using facilitation methods and tools are essential. Behaviours we display have to align with the principles of facilitation.

When working on building competence to be a facilitator, first step is to un-learn. This requires awareness. Its good to do a self-scan of the behaviours one demonstrates. And then identify what all to let go.

Acceptance and readiness to un-learn is a very difficult and essential step to take. It starts the transformation into becoming a facilitator.

3?? Reframe

The most critical thing to do to become a facilitator is to adopt a facilitative mindset. Our whole approach to the group engagement needs reorientation.

Group process facilitation requires the facilitator to put the needs of the group at the top. Top of everything else. More important than the need of the authority. More important than the need of the facilitator. More important than the need of the process itself !

I have observed facilitators (including me !) get so involved with the process that they forget the main purpose. The main purpose is to engage the group in meaningful conversations.

Reframing our mindset addresses many flaws that creep in into our faclitation practice.

If a facilitator lacks knowledge, she / he can get help from some one.

If a facilitator does not have adeuate skill, practice will make it better. Feedback from others will help.

Adopting the "facilitative mindset" is a journey facilitators have to take themselves. Its a work from within on within.

So,

? Search and Research ??

? Un-Learn and Learn ??

? Reframe ??

This is a simple way of looking at how to Master the Science and Art of Facilitation. And as you attempt it, you will discover its not so simple. For me it was not.

Would love to hear you views and experiences on the mastery of facilitation. Do share in respsonse to this article.

Do share this article with all those who you think can benefit from it.