Anisa
Facilitation Skills for an Effective Facilitator
What is facilitation?
Facilitation :
the act of engaging participants in creating, discovering, and applying learning insights
usually involves a “guide on the side” who asks questions, moderates discussions, introduces activities, and helps participants learn
In contrast to presentation,
which is typically characterized by a “sage on the stage” delivering content to an audience
This necessary and evolving skill is particularly important :
for talent development professionals who conduct in-person or virtual training,
but other professionals can also use it facilitate team projects, task forces, committees, and meetings of any type.
A ‘catalyst’ for discussion: She makes possible the transformation of input (ideas, opinions) to desired outcome (refined ideas, decisions, strategies, etc.) without being an active part of the conversation herself.
A ‘conductor’ of an orchestra: She synchronises all the musicians (group participants), optimally guiding the use of their instruments toward the desired result – a harmonic musical expression of the musicians’ complex interactions, creativity, and expertise. As the “conductor” guides the participants, a system is organically created wherein the facilitator helps every individual comply with the agreed-upon rules and norms to be followed. In this way, her efforts enable each person in the “orchestra” to create something greater than themselves.
A ‘coach’: she helps the group form a constructive way of working together, identify its needs and wishes, and reach the outcome they would jointly like to achieve.
What does a facilitator do?
A facilitator is a person who essentially sets all the right coordinates for a meeting or workshop to take place and produce results. The process may vary depending on the situation, but most often, a facilitator has the following responsibilities when engaging in workshop or meeting facilitation:
Design and plan: The cornerstone of facilitation is understanding what the objectives of the session are so you can work towards achieving them. Once you know the objectives, it is time to design the right group process and select the proper facilitation techniques that will help you achieve the outcomes. Having a sound agenda will help you stay confident and make adjustments as needed during the event.
Run the process and facilitate the meeting: When the session starts, it is time to guide the group through the designed process, encourage participation and help the group achieve its goals. Here are some of the most important elements of what a facilitator specifically does during a session.
Set the context and ground rules: This is about making sure that everyone is on the same page concerning goals and the agenda of the session and ensuring everyone is aware of, and agrees upon, the rules of the meeting (Rules are created about respecting others’ opinions, how questions will be answered, etc.). Facilitation best practice includes leading by example – setting the ground rules is a great place to start.
Encourage participation: Create an environment where all participant feels encouraged to share their opinions. This may involve breaking the ice, helping people warm up to the meeting and acknowledging contributions of participants to the conversations. This is one of the most important group facilitation skills a facilitator can have. If you can encourage participation from everyone in the room, everything else can begin to fall into place.
Facilitate discussions: Staying neutral, you will help kick-off and round up conversations, highlighting points of consensus and summarising key takeaways. Intervene when necessary and help the group clarify outcomes.
Hold the time and space: While guiding the group through the different steps of the process, maintain a focused and participative atmosphere. Take care of timing and keep the environment supportive to ensure productive discussions. Be present as a facilitator and remember even your most basic facilitation skills. A meeting or workshop can’t be successful if you mess up the fundamentals!
Keep an eye on the efficiency of the group work and adjust the process if necessary: Your main focus as a facilitator is to keep up a good momentum of the group’s work and ensure that all participants contribute to finding solutions during the session. If you notice that cooperation falters or the process is stuck, it is your responsibility to find the right techniques to adjust the plan and help get the group back on track. Group facilitation isn’t easy, but by being aware of the process and alert to what is going on in the room, a workshop facilitator can help it be successful for everyone.
Record results: Agreements made, points of consensus, decisions and action items – these all need to be recorded and preferably kept visible for all participants during the event. Effective facilitation is all about creating an open dialogue for groups and teams. Recording and sharing the results of a meeting or workshop is a hallmark of a facilitator doing great work.
How can I improve my facilitation skills?
Co-facilitate with experienced facilitators: On-the-job learning from seasoned veterans is probably the most effective way to level up your skills. Strive to design facilitation processes together with other facilitators, and you will encounter different perspectives on how to design an effective group process. Co-facilitate discussions, and you will gain first-hand experience in observing how different strategies work to manage conversations.
Learn new tools and techniques: Keeping an open mind and staying ahead of the curve is important. Find time to learn and experiment with new tools and techniques to stay up-to-date. Read books, watch videos, look up online facilitation toolboxes and share best practices with colleagues.
Get trained (and potentially certified): You may consider attending a general facilitation training, or get trained in specific facilitation frameworks or facilitation skills. Whether you are a beginner or professional facilitator, facilitation training can help you grow and refine your practice.
BEGINNING TO BLEND (K-12)
Self-paced online course
DESCRIPTION
This course will teach you about blended and personalized learning as a whole, and show you how to stretch your thinking and try something new. You’ll learn the how and why of “blended” and how blended/personalized learning is changing the face of teaching and learning. You’ll leave this course with four blended “recipes” you can implement in your classroom immediately.
OBJECTIVES
In this course, participants will:
Explain how blended learning can be used to support student achievement through differentiated instruction, personalizing curriculum, and/or engaging students in their own learning.
Describe key mindsets needed to be successful in a blended classroom.
Reflect on their practices in order to identify one instructional challenge that can be supported through blended learning.
Design and implement one blended lesson using one of the identified blended/personalized models.
Target Audience: Teachers, leaders, and educators interested in blended and personalized learning.
Link to the course :
https://www.canvas.net/browse/relay/courses/beginning-to-blend