2. If you are wondering how to be a great
facilitator, here are a few tips for you –
Introduction
The role of a facilitator is not that easy if you think about guiding the
group throughout the whole process to achieve a smooth and
productive result of a discussion, training session, or team activity.
The Facilitator guides the participants to a “learning journey”
in discovering their own experiences and exploring those of others,
identifying their strengths and weak points, and sharing what they
already know to the rest
3. A Facilitator’s Competency: Knowledge
The role of a facilitator is properly manifest with apt
knowledge of the given subject for the discussion. You have to
have an understanding of what the purpose is for having a
workshop or such an activity. And this knowledge we are
talking about is not just knowledge about the subject matter of
the workshop or the session but a wide interest and awareness
of the community and the society as a whole. The facilitator
should have a good understanding of the organizational issues,
too. This is necessary especially when the participants will ask
a question about the subject matter, the facilitator will be able
to offer information and solicit ideas that may enlighten the
group. With the proper knowledge, there is a smooth interaction
and discussion between the facilitator and the group.
4. A Facilitator’s Competency: Skills
Good facilitation skills must be demonstrated. This would
include the ability to communicate, the ability to manage
and lead a group, the skill to actively listen and use effective
questioning technique, and the capability to easily resolve
conflicts or misunderstanding. With good communication
skills, the facilitator is able to create a healthy interaction
among the group.
Good management skill is also an asset of an effective
facilitator who knows very well how to motivate and empower
the team members to bring out the best in them and evenly
delegates tasks to each participant. Two of the most essential
skills of a facilitator are active listening and effective
questioning. A good facilitator knows how to hear not just the
words but the thought or the message and responds
appropriately. Asking good and intelligent questions that
would help the participants discover themselves and reflect on
the situation is a manifestation of an effective facilitator.
Lastly, the excellent facilitator has a knack for recognizing a
problem as it comes, and does something to resolve it.
5. A Facilitator’s Competency: Attitude
People love to be with a person of desirable attitude and
a pleasant manner of dealing with other people. A facilitator
should have a friendly and honest disposition. It is difficult
to socialize with the members if the facilitator himself is not
that friendly and sociable. During the workshop or training
session, equal treatment should be given to all the members,
knowing how to consider the differences of each one’s
personalities.
A good facilitator must be patient and persevering in order to
appreciate and understand the difficulties of the team and
also to have determination in seeing a task accomplished
and the objectives achieved. This also means having a sense
of empathy for those participants who need to be understood.
Moreover, the facilitator must be respectable to get
the admiration of each member as someone whom they can
rely on ad look up to. Commitment to help the participants
learn for themselves should be one of his main targets. A
confident facilitator will project a positive and purposeful
atmosphere in a training/session. A competent facilitator
should also definitely demonstrate a professional attitude in
carrying out the function.
6. Characteristics of a good Facilitator
An unbiased perspective:
There is nothing worse than a biased facilitator who
drives the discussion to a preplanned (and obvious to all)
conclusion. This can be a tricky point if a manager tries
to facilitate a meeting about any issue where the
participants will feel uncomfortable, or perhaps even
threatened, if they voice an opinion different from the
group leader. If the issue being discussed is sensitive,
complex, or heated, having an unbiased facilitator lead
the discussion may be the only way to avoid the meeting
becoming a complete waste of time. The best meetings
are the ones where participants feel comfortable in
knowing that their opinions are welcomed and
encouraged.
7. Sensitivity to the feelings of individuals:
Creating and maintaining an atmosphere of trust
and respect requires an awareness of how people are
responding to both the topics under discussion and
the opinions and reactions of others. Most people will
not articulate their discomfort, hurt feelings, or even
anger; instead they silently withdraw from
the discussion and often from the group. Sensing how
people are feeling and understanding how to respond
to a particular situation is a critical skill of
facilitation.
8. Sensitivity to the feelings of the group
In any group, the whole is greater than the sum of the
parts, and group “chemistry” generally reflects shared
feelings: eagerness, restlessness, anger, boredom,
enthusiasm, suspiciousness, or even silliness. Perceiving
and responding to the group’s dynamic is essential to
skillful facilitation.
9. Ability to listen
One way the facilitator learns to sense the feelings of
individuals is by acute listening, both to the explicit
meaning of words and also to their tone and implicit
meaning. A good facilitator practices “active
listening” whereby he or she may repeat, sum up, or
respond directly to what a speaker said to ensure the
speaker’s meaning was correctly understood by the
group. This is very important especially if the
speaker was unclear or the group becomes defensive.
( example: Google not goggles)
10. Tact
Sometimes the facilitator must take uncomfortable
actions or say awkward things for the good of the
group. The ability to do so carefully
and diplomatically is critical. Examples of this
include: a group discussion dominated by one person;
or a group of silent participants. The facilitator, using
gentle tact, will find a way to engage the team so
everyone can participate and get the most out of the
session. Often times a participant may ask a question,
then ramble on to eventually answer his own
question. A capable facilitator knows how to diffuse
these awkward moments and maintain a productive
atmosphere.
11. A sense of timing:
The facilitator needs to develop a “sixth
sense” for time: when to bring a discussion to
a close, when to change the topic, when to cut
off someone who has talked too long, when to
let the discussion run over the allotted time,
and when to let the silence continue a little
longer.
12. Resourcefulness and creativity
Each group is as different as the people involved.
Despite a well-planned agenda, sometimes the
discussions do not unfold as expected. To that
end, a good facilitator is able to think on his or
her feet. This may mean changing direction in
mid-stream, using other creative approaches to
engage the group, or entertaining ideas from the
group on how to shift the agenda.
Good facilitators always have tricks up their
sleeves that will help a group move forward
while still keeping an eye on the overall objective
of the meeting.
13. Over the course of time you might have wondered
what makes you a good facilitator !!!
And it is indeed very important to be a good
facilitator in order to make things run the right
way
An effective facilitator drives with the goal that
participants know the group is in charge, that their
business is being led and in a way that empowers
every individual to assume a part
14.
15. The top 6 skills of an effective facilitator
In order for facilitators to easily move between
different roles, they’ll need to possess a certain skill
set. It’s rooted in their ability to be emotionally
intelligent, respectful and weigh individual needs
against desired business outcomes.
An effective facilitator
Stays neutral
Is prepared
Clearly communicates
Builds a positive team culture
Manages time well
Is adaptable.
