Workshop title :

Facilitation Skills

Workshop reference :

306 / V1.0

Duration :

2 days plus an individual session

Language :

English, French

Why, Who and What ?

Facilitated meetings and discussions make the most effective use of time spent together by colleagues working together towards a common goal, or on a common task. Learning how to facilitate meetings or workshops will allow the participant to plan an effective process to give and receive information, and improve joint problem-solving and decision-making. The workshop is specifically for those people, who have no formal authority but responsibility to make things happen through others. At the end of this two-day program participants should be able to:

• explain the purpose, benefits and methods of facilitation
• plan and organise a facilitated meeting facilitate a meeting; establish norms, maintain communication flow, monitor progress, keep people on track
• use a variety of facilitation processes to give and get information, to problem-solve and make decisions
• understand their own strengths and improvement areas in facilitation skills

The workshop is particularly practice-based with lots of opportunities to plan, and facilitate processes. Each participant will have the opportunity to facilitate and/or co-facilitate.

Module

Key Development Areas

Introduction: Why facilitate?

Definition of facilitation; its benefits and methods. Technique: Story boarding.

Responsibilities of a facilitator

The role of the facilitator; planning and organising meetings; facilitating and follow-up Techniques: Affinity diagram / Process review

Processes

Types of processes depending on purpose Avoiding difficulties of meetings Technique: Potential problem identification

Giving information

Clarity of outcome; agenda preparation. Clarity of communication; rules and norms of meetings. Practice of processes to sell ideas, to present recommendations, to report on progress. Technique: action planning worksheet

Problem-solving and decision-making

Prioritising and decision-making processes in facilitation. Techniques: Recommending alternatives for decision / steps in problem-solving.

Review of learning

Review of course content and own progress in facilitation skills. Action planning

Individual coaching session

Following the workshop, each participant has an individual one and a half hour coaching session with the trainer.