K.J. McCorry is the CEO of Officiency Enterprises Inc., a consulting company based out of Boulder, Colorado. K.J. has worked since 1996 in large and small business, government and non-profit organizations to improve management, operations and information management systems. K.J. s work requires she facilities executives, teams and stakeholder groups in order to develop strategies and initiatives to develop strategic and operational plans. K.J. initially developed her communication and facilitation skills as an intercultural trainer. She lived in Japan and Southeast Asia in the early 1990 s, training Japanese businesses in language and cross-cultural communication issues. Upon returning to the United States, she worked as a consultant for Prudential Intercultural, facilitating multi-day corporate intercultural seminars for Fortune 500 companies. She has facilitated meetings for public and private sector clients in the following areas: strategic planning, team building, union and labor relations, sustainability planning, stakeholder engagements, process improvement and communication improvements. K.J. has served on multiple non-profit boards committed to social and environmental responsibility as well as professional trade associations. She currently serves as President of Sundance Homeowners Association and serves as a mentor for students at the University of Colorado. Ms. McCorry received her BA in Psychology and International Business from Metropolitan State College in Denver, Colorado; and an Executive Masters in Business from the University of Denver. Contact Information: K.J. McCorry Email: info@officiency.com 1
Exercise: Once you have something in your head to share, turn to the person next to you and share your past observations. 2
A facilitator is someone who engages more than one person in a dialogue to achieve common objectives and/or understanding. Facilitators can perform the following roles: Manage meetings Remain neutral to outcomes Guides discussion for good conversation Establishes a process for communication Organizes and coordinates the logistics of a meeting Manages times during the meeting Engages participant discussion Manages personalities during discussion to ensure a good conversation and healthy dialogue is achieved 3
It isn t easy getting a group engaged, motivated and to consensus in order to take the necessary action that will support an organization s efforts. With the right fundamentals, process and practice, facilitation skills can be developed for any professional or consultant. In this workshop you will learn the basics of facilitation in order to assist organizations, teams and communities to agree on decisions, projects and initiatives. Participants will gain information on how to structure meetings in order to create engagement and build consensus. Strategies will be discussed to help prepare agendas, determine activities and exercises and managing difficult situations. In this training we will discuss the following: Define the role of a facilitator Learn 5 key preparation steps for planning for facilitation Gain tips in developing agendas Learn basic methodologies and facilitation formats to engage groups and build consensus Learn tips, strategies and activities to get create participant engagement Understand best practices of managing group conversations Gain strategies in how to manage disruptions and difficult situations 4
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WHEN should the meeting be scheduled? Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are usually good days to meet. Be sure not to plan it next to a holiday or long weekend. Mornings are usually workers best time of day and good for strategic and highly engaged meetings. For routine meetings that are updates those are best scheduled in the afternoon. WHAT should we accomplish following the meeting? Focus on QUESTIONS Be clear on objective. You should be able to state clearly in two sentences or less what the meeting should be about. Also be clear about what type of conversation should be had at the meeting. (i.e. brainstorming, problem solving, etc.) WHO will attend? (Key leadership, green team, implementers) Invite those people who need to be there. And only those willing to contribute and listen. If you feel you must invite some individuals strictly to avoid offending them, make it clear that their attendance is purely voluntary; then, they can decide whether to attend. WHICH participants are expected to bring information or materials? (and facilitator supplies/ materials) Be clear on what participants should bring and/or offer to the meeting. Be sure to allow enough time for participants to prepare and schedule the meeting. WHERE should I hold a meeting? (location onsite vs. offsite) Most regular face-to-face meetings are held in office conference rooms. Depending on the type of meeting you are holding, you might want to hold it offsite from the company location. If you have participants coming from varying locations, try to pick the most convenient and centralized location for everyone. For all-day and strategic meetings, holding the meeting offsite can keep participants focused. Also, meetings that require brainstorming and creativity usually have better results outside the office location. As mentioned previously, be sure to consider the other alternatives to face-to-face meetings, such as phone conferences and e-meetings. 6
Most facilitators carry a toolkit of key items they might need during the training. Here are just a few items you might want to consider bringing if you are the facilitator. Facilitators Tool Kit Desk/Table Timer or Clock Name Tags or tents Masking Tape Sharpie Markers (for participants) Markers multi colored Sticky notes Stickers (i.e. colored dots) Easel pad/easel (if not supplied in the room or if multiple ones are needed) Minor office supplies: scotch tape, paper clips, binder clips, rubberbands Noisemaker such as bell (to help participants get back to group discussion or return from a break) 7
The host or facilitator of the meeting should start the meeting. The following are important actions to take to set the stage for a successful online or virtual meeting. This ensures everyone is clear on expectations takes the small details out of the participants minds and they can fully be present. Introduce participants. If participants have not met, then the host should do short introductions of the participants. If participants have met, then the host should state who is on the call or online meeting. If there are numerous people attending the virtual meeting, the host can state who is generally on the call (e.g. we have our finance and marketing departments attending this meeting ). To build team engagement consider adding in one personal question i.e. What were you known for in high school? Facility Logistics (Temperature, can see/hear, restrooms, water/coffee). Verify everyone can hear and/or see properly. Ask if room temperature is OK. Direct participants on where bathrooms, kitchen and other necessary facilities are located. Review agenda and topics of discussion. (helps get mind into it) Make sure participants received the agenda and any handouts or materials for the meeting. If not, make sure to distribute them via email or paper. Review the time commitment. (breaks, end time, ask if anyone needs to leave early) Set expectations in the beginning of the start and end times of the meeting and if there will be any breaks. Ask participants if there is anyone who might need to leave the meeting early. Provide reminders for participants. (online meetings, prior guidelines established) Provide reminders to participants including how to use technology functions, online meeting protocol, and use of the video. 8
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There are many various processes to help facilitate groups. The following processes we will review are common strategies among facilitators. 10
There are many different ways to facilitate strategic planning sessions. Visioning There are three primary types of strategies for doing visioning. 1. Forecasting: This is where you start at present and discuss what will happen in future 2. Scenario Planning: This is where you discuss alternate futures as it relates threats for an organization 3. Backcasting: This method participants describe the ideal future state and what staff need to do to get there, working back to present. SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats One of the more popular strategic process guides participants to discuss the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organization and/or can be directed towards a specific issue or area. 11
Facilitation of projects or implementation, it is important to get all participants engaged. This process helps make sure that all participants have a chance to voice their opinions. 1. First, start with having participants provide individual answers to a particular questions. Have them write their answers on post it notes or separate note cards. 2. Then, break participants up into small groups, ideally 3 5 people, and have them share their answers and identify common themes or strategies. Ask them to consolidate and prioritize answers. 3. Finally, have each group report out to a larger group. As the facilitator then look for common themes, ideas and suggestions across all the groups. 12
The following are two processes that can be used to address issues or provide a forum to present new ideas. Open Space (Self Organization) Open space is a process usually used to deal with issues/ problems and/or talk about topics of interest. Participants are asked to write down (usually on flip chart) an issue, problem or topic they want to discuss. Then, you assign a location to each topic where participants will gather. The person who originally put up the topic is the only person who should stay the entire time of the discussion. The other participants may come and go as they wish. The following are the key guidelines with open space: 1)Whoever comes is the right people 2) Whatever happens is the only thing that could have 3)Whenever it starts is the right time 4) When it s over it s over. This process allows a few people who have ideas on possible solutions, to review those solutions with others and get feedback. TED format (Speaker) The TED format became popular with the TEDEx forums. This is useful if various participants have ideas they want to share. You provide a minimal amount of time 3 10 minutes for each person to present their idea. The time restriction enables participants to be succinct in their ideas and presentation. Once all participants have presented then, break up in small groups to discuss the ideas to get feedback or final consensus. 1. 2 5 minutes to present your solution/ idea to issue or challenge.. 2. Discuss Options 3. Vote/ Consensus Appreciative Inquiry A format that focuses on positive inquiry and success stories. Can be used to solve problems, generate new ideas, team building and/or stakeholder engagement. 13
Personality Assessments Personality assessments (i.e MBTI, DISC) can establish a starting discussion of how people communicate differently, how they perceive each other. Team building Activities There are literally thousands of team building activities. In choosing a team building activity first determine what you want the team to do better i.e. communicate, work together, consensus, making decisions, trust. Collaboration Activities Collaboration activities are designed to require the group to work together on an a group activity. These have shown to be useful to give real life examples for teams to experience challenges/issues before working on big projects together. A treasure hunt, building a structure, designing a make believe machine are all various kinds of collaboration activities. 14
World Café (Moving Groups) The World Café is a flexible facilitated process that is aimed at creating collaborative dialogue, sharing mutual knowledge and discovering new opportunities for action. This can be interesting process when you want to generate input, share knowledge, stimulate innovative thinking, and explore action possibilities around real life issues and questions. This process can have the following objectives: * To engage people, whether they are meeting for the first time, or are in established relationships, in authentic conversation. * To conduct in depth exploration of key strategic challenges or opportunities. * To deepen relationships and mutual ownership of outcomes in an existing group. * To create meaningful interaction between a presenter and an audience. * To engage groups that are larger than 16 people in a process of dialoge. World Café framework: Three (3) progressive rounds of conversation with each round addressing one question. At the end of each round, participants are invited to move to a different table but they don t have to. Each group will need to identify a table host (not facilitator) who remains at the table during the 3 conversation rounds to provide continuity to the discussion, welcome new participants and link the conversation with previous rounds. A new question is discussed while linking and connecting ideas with previous conversation rounds. Paper tablecloths or large paper is provided to create a visual memory of the conversation. Ask someone to volunteer to be the scribe at each table. 15
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Items to include on a meeting agenda; Meeting Details: At the top of the agenda should include the name of the meeting, date, time and location. Issues to Address: Make a list of all items that need to be covered. Ideally, insert short updates either first or last on the agenda. Make sure there is sufficient time allocated for problem solving or brainstorming. Start and Ending time: One of the main reasons participants do not like meetings is the time element of tardiness. Make sure to start and end on time. If you need to extend the meeting, make sure you have agreement with the group. Time for Breaks, Wrap Up, and Next Steps: Allow 10 15 minutes of time for breaks every 2 hours. Allocate 10 15 minutes at the end to wrap up the meeting by reviewing key decisions made, next action steps and planning for the next meeting. Assigning Roles: Make sure you assign who will lead which section of the agenda. Put their names in parentheses. Also, determine if a note taker or time keeping role is needed. Documents Needed : Add on the agenda if there are any documents or materials needed for the meeting. Either specify the location via hyperlink to find the documents and/or send them with the agenda. Agenda Resources: Utilize Microsoft Agenda Templates Online: http://office.microsoft.com/enus/templates/?ctt=97 18
Here are a few tips to manage time when facilitating groups: 1. Start wrapping up 5 10 minutes before a topic should be ending 2. The facilitator should alert (verbal, bell, horn) to small group conversations in 5 minutes and then again in 1 minute. 3. Use a timer and put in front of the room so that everyone is clear how much time is remaining 19
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In a perfect world, a facilitator is completely neutral party, not attached to the outcome. Ideally the facilitator focuses on the process and group dynamics, and should avoid at all costs making any content suggestions. The purpose of neutrality is to let the participants have the buy in on the outcome. Facilitators don t have to understand the content and it is often best if they don t understand it so they aren t tempted to engage in content discussions. This is often why third party consultants are hired to facilitate meetings. Exercise: Write down possible ways that this facilitator could handle this issue to remain neutral in the situation? 21
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Setting up guidelines and establishing protocols will assist in governing virtual and online meetings. It will assist not only in running a more efficient meeting but will facilitate participation and engagement. The following are some suggestions for creating engagement virtually. Keep discussion focused. It is essential in an online/virtual format to keep the discussion focused. Use the agenda as your guide to keep the conversation on track. If the conversation goes wayward, often participants will begin other activities and lose interest in the meeting. Stop frequently and ask for comments or feedback. Engage participants to contribute verbally or through the chat function. In particular, ask for comments from those individuals who haven t spoken. Often these individuals might feel hesitant during an online meeting especially if there wasn t an opportunity between dialogue to make a comment. Ask check in questions. If there is limited dialogue, develop check in questions that will engage participants with a more specific question. For example, if you are discussing a whether or not to take a certain action, ask participants to use the chat or vote feature to respond to the question, Do you think this action will improve our operations and do you support moving forward?. (example: fill in the blank I thought this was going to be about but now I think it is about ) Do round robins to get input/ feedback from everyone. Another engagement tool is to stop the meeting and ask each participant for their feedback/ comment or suggestion, depending on the topic of conversation. This can be difficult to do with over 10 participants. But highly effective to keep people engaged in the conversation if they know you will call on them specifically. Vote Tools. Both of these tools help facilitate dialogue and keep participants engaged. The host or facilitator should make sure to stop periodically during the meeting and check the chat tool and address any questions/ issues that have been written. (can use dots, Survey Monkey) Use participants names. It is important to use people s names when talking virtually. It provides a strong mechanism for establishing trust and feelings of inclusion when you use someone s name. Defer unrelated issues and topics. If there are unrelated issues and topics introduced, tell participants they will be discussed at a later meeting. This is often called deferring them to a Parking Lot. When unrelated topics get introduced, participants will often disengage during the online meeting. Small Groups: Alternate between small groups and large plenary sessions to give participants more opportunities for discussion. 23
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The facilitator should begin by providing an introduction of context and background of the meeting so that everyone is clear. Then, review the agenda for the meeting. When participants arrive to the meeting, a facilitator should assume that some of the participants have not had time to prepare or read all the materials and handouts before. Depending on the context of the meeting, provide a limited time, either at the beginning or just before working sessions, for the participants to review materials. 25
The following are tips to manage large group conversations: Ask participants to raise hands if they would like to speak. Verbalize participants names on whose turn it will be talk next so that there is a fair queue. Repeat and summarize conversation points as participants speak If participants are going on too long or go off topic, interrupt them. Ask them to summarize their point in 2 sentences or less, or give them 30 seconds to wrap up. Ask participants to practice active listening skills, and call on individuals to summarize the conversation and/or what they heard and understood from a particular participant. 26
The Ladder of Inference model was developed by Peter Senge and discussed in his book, The Fifth Discipline. The Ladder of Inference describes the thinking process that we go through, usually without realizing it, to get from a fact to a decision or action. The thinking stages can be seen as rungs on a ladder and are shown in the figure on the slide. Starting at the bottom of the ladder, we have reality and facts. From there, we: 1. Experience these selectively based on our beliefs and prior experience. 2. Interpret what they mean. 3. Apply our existing assumptions, sometimes without considering them. 4. Draw conclusions based on the interpreted facts and our assumptions. 5. Develop beliefs based on these conclusions. 6. Take actions that seem "right" because they are based on what we believe. The Ladder of Inference helps you draw better conclusions, or challenge other people's conclusions based on true facts and reality. The step by step reasoning process helps you remain objective and, when working or challenging others, reach a shared conclusion without conflict. 30
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A wide variety of personalities in a group can present problems during a meeting. Most individuals are not aware of their behavior and might need gentle reminders to get them back on track. Exercise: Work in small groups and develop some remedies for these type of individuals at meetings. Talkers are individuals who seem to go on and on and have difficulty getting to the point. interrupt, repeat key points in condense/concise manner and re direct to another person Dominators are individuals who always seem to have the "right" answer and dominate the discussion. interrupt, repeat key points in condense/concise manner and re direct to another person Wanderers are individuals who go off the agenda and begin to discuss unrelated topics, issues, and problems. Repeat question or topic of focus and re direct to another person Disengaged are individuals who seem to be consistently late for meetings. 33
Rules of Engagement 1. Focus on Behaviors (i.e. No cell phone use) 2. Focus on Interaction (Decisions by consensus) Used for: New groups Groups who have difficulty engaging Difficult conversations Setting up guidelines, or ground rules, governing the protocol of meeting participation can help you run a more efficient meeting. Developing meeting ground rules to be followed by all the participants is an especially good idea for new groups or meetings in which sensitive topics will be discussed. When a group establishes and agrees to guidelines, everyone becomes accountable for enforcing the rules. The slide above lists some common rules of engagement to have at meetings. No cell phone use during meetings 34
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One of the top complaints of meetings is that participants leave the room without understanding what s next and nothing got accomplished. It is important for the facilitator to make sure the decisions have been clarified along with next action steps. Make sure to leave at least 15 30 minutes on the agenda to wrap up. The facilitator should not only summarize the meeting and decisions, but also make sure there is accountability and due dates set for the next action steps. 36
The following are some helpful tips to remember when conducting facilitations. 37
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