1. Better Facilitation with a Partner -
Co-Facilitators
Presented by Craig Sicilia and Penny Condoll
BISGN Coaches
1
2. Penny Condoll
Project Manager and Founder, BEST
BISGN Coach
Brain Injury Support Group Facilitator in Tacoma and
Puyallup
Craig Sicilia
Director, TBI Support Network
BISGN Coach
Brain Injury Support Group Facilitator in Spokane
Janet Novinger: BISGN Training Coordinator
3. Objectives
• Understand the roles, skills and characteristics
of a great facilitator
• How to find a co-facilitator
• Setting the stage for a successful relationship
• Defining strengths and interests
• Learn tips for Before, During and After the
Meeting
3
4. Defining Facilitation
A facilitator is someone who
helps a group of people
understand their common
objectives and assists them
to plan to achieve them
without taking a particular
position in the discussion.
Wikipedia
4
5. Role of Facilitator
(and Co-Facilitator)
Facilitators provide the process to help a
group:
Discuss an issue
Make a decision
Solve a problem
5
6. Skills of an Effective
Facilitator
listens and observes designs or chooses appropriate
group discussion techniques
asks probing questions
understands people and groups
thinks quickly
energizes group
paraphrases and summarizes
Uses humor successfully
resolves conflict
knows a variety of techniques for
uses visual aids effectively group discussions, including
problem-solving and decision-making
acknowledges & responds to emotions
6
8. How to find the right
co-facilitator
• Evaluate the strengths and interests
of your group members
• Tell group your looking for help
• Explain the benefits of being a
facilitator
• Let people try out a task before
agreeing
8
9. Before the Meeting
Schedule ample time for planning
Take some time to get to know each other and discuss each
other’s style of planning and facilitating
Avoid making assumptions about one another
Take time to discuss your views about topics, especially
examine areas of disagreement
Discuss any concerns about potential challenges that
participants may present
Agree on common goals
Review each other’s triggers
9
10. Before the Meeting
Find out whether and when it is okay to interrupt
Decide how to keep track of time
Strategize about how to stick to the original outline and how to switch
gears
Plan ways to give signals to one another
Divide facilitation of activities fairly
Share responsibility equally in preparing and bringing workshop materials
and resources
Agree to arrive in time to set up and check-in before the meeting begins
Schedule time afterwards to debrief
11. During the Meeting
Remember to keep a professional demeanor at all times
Keep communicating with each other throughout the meeting
Support and validate one another
During activities that don’t require constant attention, check-in with
one another
Include your co-facilitator even when you are leading an exercise or
discussion, by asking, for example: “Do you have anything to add?”
Use lots of eye contact
Assert yourself if your co-facilitator is talking too much
Remember that it is okay to make mistakes
Take the initiative to step in if your co-facilitator misses an
opportunity to address a myth 11
12. After the Meeting
If you can’t meet right after the meeting, schedule a time to
debrief before you leave
Listen carefully to one another’s self-evaluation before giving
feedback
Discuss what worked well and examine what did not work
Brainstorm what could have been done differently
Use written evaluations as a reference point to talk and assess
your effectiveness as co-facilitators
12
13. After the Meeting
Name particular behaviors, for example: “When you kept
interrupting me, I felt undermined and frustrated”, or “I
got the impression that some participants were bored”,
instead of “You always interrupt me” or “You were very
controlling during the workshop.”
Realize the importance and potential difficulty of debriefing
a challenging meeting
Make sure to share any clean-up or return of resource
materials
