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Welcome to the Facilitation

Skills Practice Workshop!

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Workshop ObjectivesWorkshop Objectives

• To review the core skills of the facilitator.

• To help you build your skills through hands-on practice

leading a group discussion.

• To help you gain experience using a variety of process

tools.

• To provide you with specific suggestions that will help

your further improve your facilitation skills.

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About This WorkshopAbout This Workshop

• An experiential workshop in which most learning is

generated in small groups.

• A mix of partner, team and individual activities.

• An opportunity to gain skills through practice and feedback.

• An opportunity to get hands-on experience with key

process tools.

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Agenda OverviewAgenda Overview

• Welcome, Introductions and Agenda Overview• Partner Practice Exercise• Facilitation Demonstration and Debrief• Break• Facilitation Practice Session #1, followed by Feedback• Facilitation Practice Session #2, followed by Feedback • Lunch• Facilitation Practice Session #3, followed by Feedback • Facilitation Practice Session #4, followed by Feedback • Break• Facilitation Practice Session #5, followed by Feedback • Facilitation Practice Session #6, followed by Feedback• Personal Learning Reflection and Report Out• Evaluation and Adjournment

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Partner Practice

Person A plays the content role and discusses:

• What makes some meetings effective?

• What makes other meetings frustrating and a waste of time?

• What specific challenges do you expect to encounter when facilitating?

Person B plays the process role and acts as the facilitator to Person A.

Person B will:

• Stay neutral

• Listen actively

• Ask questions

• Paraphrase

• Summarize at the end

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Choose a partner!Choose a partner!

Partner PracticePartner Practice

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Partner Practice

Person A plays the content role and discusses:

• What makes some meetings effective?• What makes other meetings frustrating and a waste of time?• What specific challenges do you expect to encounter when facilitating?

Person B plays the process role and acts as the facilitator to Person A.

Person B will:

• Stay neutral• Listen actively• Ask questions• Paraphrase• Summarize at the end

Do not switch roles until instructed to do so.

Do not switch roles until instructed to do so.

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Partner Practice Debrief

• Are A and B the same or are they different? How so?

• Who is A, the content person, paying attention to?

• Who is B, the process person, paying attention to?

• What are all the things that the process person had to pay attention to and track simultaneously?

• Raise your hand if you thought that B was easier than A?

• Raise your hand if B was a harder role to play than A? Why?

• Other thoughts on the difference between being in the content role as compared to being in the process role.

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Facilitation Observation

Review the checklist on page 5 in the workbook. We will use this list to identify the skills being

demonstrated.

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Facilitation Observation

Which specific techniques did you observe the facilitator using?

Describe the scenarios in which

they were used.

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Practice Set-up

For the rest of this workshop, you will take turns playing three

roles during each facilitation practice session:

• One person will facilitate the discussion.• One person will act as their coach.• The other four participants will take part in the discussion.

• These roles will rotate throughout the day.• The coach will sit away from the group and pay attention

only to the tools and techniques being demonstrated.

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Coaching Guidelines

When it’s your turn to coach:

• Sit away from the group and be unobtrusive.

• Never interject a comment.

• Avoid making eye contact with or frowning at the facilitator.

• Make detailed notes about the process tools the facilitator used.

• Include details about the scenario, like what he or she said.

• Comment on the effective things, plus what they could do better.

• Make notes that can be handed to the facilitator.

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1. What rules of conduct do

we wish to follow at our

table during this workshop?

2. At this workshop, how do

we ensure that everyone

participates and not one

dominates?

3. What should we do if adiscussion gets stuckor starts to spin in circles? What do we

doif we go off track?

4. What should we do if wehave differences of opinion or discussions become heated?

Practice Session #1Practice Session #1

At this workshop...

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Feedback ProcessFeedback Process

1. The person who facilitated talks about:“What I did that felt like it was working.”

2. One-by-one, the group members tell the facilitator: “What you did that was effective.”

3. Each person in the group offers the facilitator tips: “What would make you even more effective.”

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Process Tool Debrief

Let’s debrief the process tool called Norming:

• Why do Norms need to be set by the group?

• How can the facilitator use the Norms to intervene?

• What would that intervention sound like?

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Practice Session # 2

Use Forcefield Analysis to explore the forces at work

in any situation, process or project.

Things that support success: Things that hinder success:

strengths, resources, opportunities... challenges, shortcomings, obstacles...

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Feedback ProcessFeedback Process

1. The person who facilitated talks about:“What I did that felt like it was working.”

2. One-by-one, the group members tell the facilitator: “What you did that was effective.”

3. Each person in the group offers the facilitator tips: “What would make you even more effective.”

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Process Tool Debrief

Let’s debrief the process tool of Forcefield Analysis:

• What are some of the uses that you can see for Forcefield Analysis?

• In what sorts of situations or discussions would

it be useful?

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Multi-Voting CriteriaMulti-Voting Criteria

• importance

• lowest cost

• easiest item complete

• first step in a sequence

• most innovative idea

• meets customer needs

• saves time

• saves money

• reduces stress

• timeliness

• strategic linkage

• political alignment

• within our control

• has management support

• least disruptive

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Systematic Problem Solving Model

The process tools that we are going to be exploring in this workshop

are all part of an important sequence known as:

The Systematic Problem Solving Model

1. Name the Problem/Create a Problem Statement*

2. Identify the Goal of the Problem Solving Exercise

3. Analyze the Problem*

4. Identify Potential Solutions*

5. Evaluate/Sort Solutions*

6. Generate an Action Plan

7. Trouble Shoot the Action Plan

*Steps that will be explored in this workshop.

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Practice Session #3

Using the first step of the Systematic Problem Solving Model

to name the problem and create a Problem Statement.

1. The facilitator helps the group select a problem to work on.

2. Some time is allowed for each person to write down the key words

that need to be in a problem statement.

3. The facilitator records these key words on the flip chart.

4. Each person then writes their version of the problem statement.

5. Problem statements are read aloud. If one stands out, it’s recorded

on the flip chart. If none stand out, the facilitator helps members

edit the various statements into one that all can accept.

6. The facilitator checks with each person to ensure that the final statement

is acceptable.

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Feedback Process

1. The person who facilitated talks about:“What I did that felt like it was working.”

2. One-by-one, the group members tell the facilitator: “What you did that was effective.”

3. Each person in the group offers the facilitator tips: “What would make you even more effective.”

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Process Tool Debrief

Let’s debrief the process of developing a Problem Statement:

• Why is it important to develop a Problem Statement before starting to work on solving a problem?

• Was this easy to do or was it difficult? Why?

• What do you need to look out for when creating a

Problem Statement.

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Practice Session #4Practice Session #4

Use the Analyze step to gain a shared understanding of the problem.

Ask questions to get to underlying root-causes!

• Describe the problem to me in detail: what is it?

• How does it manifest itself? What are the noticeable signs?

• If I were affected by the problem, what would I notice?

• Describe any steps, sequences or stages.

• What causes the problem to occur?

• What contributes to the problem?• Who contributes to the problem?• Who is affected by it?• What other problems does it cause?• What stops you from solving it?

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Feedback Process

1. The person who facilitated talks about:“What I did that felt like it was working.”

2. One-by-one, the group members tell the facilitator: “What you did that was effective.”

3. Each person in the group offers the facilitator tips: “What would make you even more effective.”

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Process Tool Debrief

Let’s debrief the process of Analyzing the Situation:

• Why is it important to conduct a through analysis of the

current situation before starting to work on solving a problem?

• Was this easy to do, or was it difficult? Why?

• What are some of the challenges of the Analyze step?

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Practice Session # 5Practice Session # 5Use Brainstorming to generate a wide range of possible solutions to the

problem.

Step 1. The facilitator lets ideas flow and tries to keep pace recording suggestions:

Let ideas flow freely. No debating or evaluating of ideas until later. Build on the ideas of others. Think in new ways; break out of old patterns. Be humorous and creative.

Step 2. The facilitator asks probing questions to helppeople generate additional ideas. Questionslike: “What if money were no object? What ifyou owned the company? What would the customer suggest? What’s the most innovativething we can do?”

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Feedback Process

1. The person who facilitated talks about:“What I did that felt like it was working.”

2. One-by-one, the group members tell the facilitator: “What you did that was effective.”

3. Each person in the group offers the facilitator tips: “What would make you even more effective.”

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Process Tool Debrief

Let’s debrief using Brainstorming to Generate Potential Solutions:

• What are the pros and cons of Brainstorming?

• How does it help a group to arrive at more creative solutions?

• How does it help groups avoid conflict?

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Practice Session #6Practice Session #6

Easy to do /

Major improvement

Difficult to do/

Major improvement

Easy to do/

Minor improvement

Difficult to do/

Minor improvement

Use an Impact/Effort Grid to sort the Brainstormed ideas.Use an Impact/Effort Grid to sort the Brainstormed ideas.

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Feedback ProcessFeedback Process

1. The person who facilitated talks about:“What I did that felt like it was working.”

2. One-by-one, the group members tell the facilitator: “What you did that was effective.”

3. Each person in the group offers the facilitator tips: “What would make you even more effective.”

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Process Tool Debrief

Let’s debrief using a Decision Grid to Sort Potential Solutions:

• Why use a tool like an Impact/Effort Grid to sort solutions?

• Compare this to using Multivoting?

• What was difficult about using this tool?

• What else did you learn about this technique?

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Process Tool Debrief

Now that you have worked with the Systematic Problem Solving Model:

• What is the significance of this model?

• How does it build an outcome that everyone can live with?

• What are the challenges of using this model?

• Who sees an application for this series of steps?

• Where can you see yourself using it?

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Personal Learning ReflectionsPersonal Learning Reflections

• Things youThings you’’re doing well.re doing well.

• Areas you wish to improve.Areas you wish to improve.

• Opportunities for practice.Opportunities for practice.