I am fully aware that I’m a Gen X dad who’s about as trendy as a librarian, but two years later, I have earned a large following, and through that journey, I’ve learned a lot about this group. Here are two common misconceptions that we might all benefit from examining when working with Gen Z. Gen Z lost years of vital in-person exposure—first when everything went remote, and now when so much remains hybrid. If a facilitator recommends co-facilitating or investing in another role such as a graphic recorder to capture conversations, or a tech host online, don’t discount the suggestion offhandedly.
In order for groups to be able to work through challenges together, trust has to be established amongst the group. The facilitator can foster this trust building by showing up as their genuine self. By leading with authenticity, the facilitator creates a psychologically safe space and gives permission to participants to show up in the same way. If you have a session coming up quickly, using this guide will give you far better results than just diving in with no strategy.
Climate and Environment
Interpersonal communication is again an important part of effective facilitation and ensuring you have these facilitation skills can make your job in a workshop much easier. Below the surface lie life competencies and skills related to communication, time management, conflict resolution, project management, listening, and more. An effective facilitator can do much more than facilitate meetings and solve problems! In practice, this means imagining a future in which most people know how to apply facilitation skills to their work, as well as when to call in someone more experienced when need be. To learn more about what professional facilitators do and what you should know before hiring one, you can check out our blog article on What is a Facilitator and What do They Do.
- It shows that you care enough about your purpose and the outcomes you want to achieve that you deliberately design the space and process in which these outcomes can be realized within established time limits.
- Some employees may mistake content that challenges their viewpoint or critical thinking skills, for content that is simply too challenging to complete.
- Effective facilitation is the secret to a successful future of work.
- A skilled facilitator can greatly impact a group by inspiring, motivating, building teamwork, and in turn, achieving organizational success.
- Facilitators need to be able to encourage participation from all members of the group, regardless of their level of experience or expertise.
- It’s easy to tell people how to solve their problems, but it takes a skilled facilitator to guide people through the process and help them solve their problems on their own.
It also involves being aware of different learning styles and making sure that everyone has a chance to learn in a way that works for them. A key part of facilitating is creating an environment where everyone feels safe to participate. This means being respectful of everyone in the group, valuing diversity, and promoting an atmosphere of open communication. It also involves setting clear boundaries and expectations for behavior, as well as providing adequate support for people who may need it. If you want to be a successful leader or manager, it is important to recognize the importance of facilitation skills and how they can benefit you. By improving your facilitation skills, you can become more productive, avoid conflict, develop better relationships, improve your communication skills, and become more creative and organized.
Business Management vs Hospitality Management
Here are 5 things facilitators typically should not be expected to do. If you are organizing an event or workshop, making sure you have a dedicated person to take care of logistics, enrollment and equipment will save you awkward misunderstandings. Most importantly, someone specialized in such tasks will surely do a better job of it! The other two points on this list (providing content and offering solutions) are what really separates the facilitator’s role from the trainer, teacher, lecturer, or “traditional” business consultant. Bea Briggs from the International Institute for Facilitation and Change (IIFAC) has put together a handy table to distinguish the roles of facilitator, trainer, and speaker. You need to have the capacity to provoke new insights and welcome them without taking sides.
An excellent facilitator develops a sense of what the group needs and has a suite of team building activities they can employ at a moment’s notice too. Any group of people has its own dynamics dependent on the specific interrelations between its members. As a facilitator, you want to create a participative atmosphere where everyone is involved.
You’re Able to Create an Inclusive Environment
The main roles of a facilitator, however, include agenda setting, guidance, task management, motivating learners, and managing the emotional culture of the group. We should all have more people asking questions about why we do things and make sure it’s still for good reason. If it is, then it should be easy for those of us who have been at it for a while to explain why it’s the most effective way to accomplish the outcome. On the other hand, if it’s not easy to explain or not the most effective way, then it reveals a gap and opportunity to pivot. Did you love it when your parents told you the reason to do something was “because they said so”?
Our master facilitators offer trusted guidance and custom coaching to companies that want to transform ineffective meetings, reignite stalled projects, and cut through assumptions. Based in Austin, Voltage Control designs and leads public and private workshops that range from small meetings to large conference-style gatherings. Are you a leader, consultant, or trainer looking to improve your facilitation skills and create meaningful change?
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It is also the responsibility of the facilitator to monitor the energy level of the group and note when people are becoming disengaged or tired. Keeping the group engaged and focused can be a large challenge, especially in virtual meeting environments where there are other distractions. Even if you don’t specifically plan to share a personal experience, you can identify one in advance that will help you answer a certain question or explain a key point.
Through a series of sessions, you can gradually teach your facilitators each major point from our guide, which can help them become more-effective facilitators. Just keep in mind that they will learn the most by taking the main ideas and skills and using them in either simulated or real facilitation opportunities. One of the most important sets of skills for leaders and members are facilitation skills. These are the “process” skills we use to guide and direct key parts of our organizing work with groups of people such as meetings, planning sessions, and training of our members and leaders. Practice your active listening skills as a facilitator, and encourage all participants to do the same.
What’s the role of a facilitator?
Whatever method you choose, consider giving people warnings as the time for each activity draws to a close. You can say it out loud or hold up a sign (“5 minutes left” or “1 minute left,” for example) so you don’t need to interrupt the group’s work flow or conversation. Clear instructions https://www.globalcloudteam.com/ make it easier for your group to get to the outcome you’re looking for. As a mom, I often think about this in the way I give my son directions. (Not to say the groups you work with are childish!) It works best if I break down the steps to the activity and explain the end goal.
I’d propose this is because no one has trained them on how and/or because no one has given them repeated exposure to put it to use and embody the skill. Gen Z will agile team facilitation surely have to adapt, and yet I don’t see this gap in skills as just Gen Z’s problem. Point a finger at Gen Z, and the rest of us point three back at ourselves.
Ways to Improve Your Facilitation Skills
Additionally, try to observe experienced facilitators in action and take note of their techniques. Finally, be sure to practice your facilitation skills regularly to become more confident and proficient in this important business skill. Once you’ve identified the key facilitation skills, the next step is to begin mastering them. This can be done by attending workshops and seminars, reading books on the subject, and practicing in real-world situations.