[To download this presentation, visit: https://www.oeconsulting.com.sg/training-presentations] Getting the most out of a group of people working together in a meeting or workshop is not always easy. Sometimes, for various reasons, the potential of the group is just never realized. To be effective as a professional facilitator, the facilitator has to be well-prepared and employ a range of tools and techniques to create a defined structure and process and guide participants through the meeting or workshop to achieve a certain goal or learning outcome. This Effective Facilitation PPT training presentation provides guidelines in the form of tips and techniques for facilitating a learning environment to enhance learning and ensure a smooth training session. These guidelines are useful for consultants who are facilitating a learning environment or workshop such as strategic planning, problem solving, goal setting, leading discussion and feedback sessions, conducting reviews and evaluations, needs analysis or team building. The guidelines or practices presented are used by consultants in the top tier consulting firms. CONTENTS 1. Creating a Positive Atmosphere 2. Keys to Maintaining Control 3. Adult Learning 4. Session Leader’s Role 5. Co-Facilitation 6. Presentation Techniques 7. Managing the Content 8. Handling Difficult & Sensitive Situations 9. Using Questions to Involve participants 10. Listening 11. Keeping Participants Balanced 12. Monitoring Exercise Activities 13. Managing the Process

1. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved.
© Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved.
Effective Facilitation

2. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 2
About this Document
• This document provides guidelines in the form of tips
and techniques for facilitating a learning environment to
enhance learning and ensure a smooth training session.
• These guidelines are useful for consultants who are
facilitating a learning environment such as strategic
planning, problem solving, goal setting, leading
discussion and feedback sessions, conducting reviews
and evaluations, needs analysis or team building.

3. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 3
Contents
1. Creating a Positive Atmosphere
2. Keys to Maintaining Control
3. Adult Learning
4. Session Leader’s Role
5. Co-Facilitation
6. Presentation Techniques
7. Managing the Content
8. Handling Difficult & Sensitive
Situations
9. Using Questions to Involve
participants
10. Listening
11. Keeping Participants Balanced
12. Monitoring Exercise Activities
13. Managing the Process
NOTE: This is a PARTIAL PREVIEW. To
download the complete presentation, please visit:
http://www.oeconsulting.com.sg

4. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 4
Creating a Positive Atmosphere
• Encourage involvement (voice quality, body movement,
state of mind)
§ Make the participants comfortable
§ They should sense support
§ They should feel free to speak up and should not be afraid of
making errors
• Create a climate that encourages participants to feel
responsible for their own learning. (“I’m counting on you
to…”)

5. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 5
Keys to Maintaining Control
• Presence – Develop comfort with the content of the
session and with the group
• Timing – Keep the discussion moving productively. Do
not let yourself get bogged down.
• Judgment and aggressiveness – Discriminate
between effective, productive discussions and
digressions that do not contribute to the goals of the
session
• Poise – Deal with challenges and unexpected situations
in a positive manner
• Physical movement – Use body and eye movements to
advantage.

6. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 6
Adult Learning
• Adult learners tend to absorb more when they see how
the material is useful and how it relates to their work
situations. Thus, examples and anecdotes about their
environment are especially important.
• Adult learners are more motivated to take in information
when they feel involved, challenged, and able to
challenge. Thus, a climate that encourages participation
is critical.

7. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 7
Session Leader’s Role
• Encourage discussion, but control it
• Stimulate, guide, and summarize the discussion by
asking questions, restating comments, and summarizing
remarks
• Ensure that participants understand and explore the
comments
• Work with the group to identify key issues, discern
patterns, ensure that all relevant considerations and
interpretations are evaluated, and develop solutions

8. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 8
Co-Facilitation (If Two Session Leaders Are Assigned)
• Plan and prepare your modules so that the session will
proceed smoothly
§ Ensure that one session leader does not lead the class for too
long
§ Capitalize on individual strengths
§ Decide where the “non-performing” session leader will be located
§ Decide how and when the second session leader will intervene or
join in during the session (for example, making notes on
flipcharts)
• Remember that session leaders must support each other

9. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 9
Presentation Techniques
• Keep in mind the “Four Ps” of professional platform
work:
§ Pitch – Vary the pitch of your voice with high and low tones;
avoid dull monotones
§ Pause – Stop at the end of an important phrase: let it sink in.
Pause for effect.
§ Punch – Drive key words home with emphasis and enthusiasm
§ Pace – Change your pace to add interest; slow down or speed up
to give variety.

10. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 10
Managing the Content
• Ensure discussion of key issues
• Ensure achievement of desired outcomes
• Ensure that participants examine the personal
implications
• Focus the discussion and provide closure

11. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 11
Handling Difficult & Sensitive Situations
• When two people try to speak at the same time,
recognize one and tell the other you will get to him or her
in a minute. Then remember to get the second person’s
comments.
• Get both sides of a question. When two people are
strongly opposed, call on others for opinions.
• If reference is made to an actual potentially ethical
situation, exercise great care. Deflect the discussion as
soon as possible. Then, offer to speak with the
participant off-line.

12. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 12
Using Questions to Involve Participants
• How to use questions:
§ If the participants are reluctant to answer a question, do not
hesitate to call on someone
§ Give the individual or group plenty of time to answer each
question
§ Acknowledge all responses
§ Don’t put anyone on the spot
§ Don’t allow a few participants to answer all of the questions

13. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 13
Listening
• Try to understand:
§ The words people use
§ The different meanings words can have for different people
§ People’s feelings and actions – apart from their words
• Demonstrate a keen interest in what the speaker is
saying
• Try to be impartial – listen to all sides of the issue
• Passive listening is wasted time and can have negative
impacts
• An active listener picks up verbal and nonverbal cues

14. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 14
Keeping Participants Balanced
• Ensure that a broad range of participants have an
opportunity to contribute
• Be sure that everyone knows what is going on. Repeat
questions from participants so everyone knows what the
questions are.
• For the most part, direct questions to the group rather
than to individuals
• Use silence to reinforce the participants’ responsibility to
contribute

15. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 15
Monitoring Exercise Activities
• Remember that monitoring exercise activities means
responding to signals and cues from the participants
rather than directing the actual work
• Monitor participant activities to:
§ Be sure that the exercise directions were understood
§ Judge whether the participants are performing their assigned
tasks
§ Determine whether and how to adjust timing

16. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 16
Managing the Process
• Flipcharts:
§ Keep flipcharts simple. Cluttered or overly elaborate flipcharts
only confuse participants
§ Use key phrases/words. Be careful not to change the meaning.
§ Leave plenty of white space
§ Charts that cannot be read turn off participants
§ Place a blank sheet after each prepared flipchart. If there is
additional discussion or if the discussion digresses, you can turn
up the flipchart to expose the blank sheet and ensure that
participants will not be distracted by a flipchart that is no longer
relevant.

17. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved.
About
Operational Excellence
Consulting

18. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 18
About Operational Excellence
Consulting
• Operational Excellence Consulting is a management
training and consulting firm that assists organizations in
improving business performance and effectiveness.
• The firm’s mission is to create business value for
organizations through innovative operational excellence
management training and consulting solutions.
• OEC takes a unique “beyond the tools” approach to enable
clients develop internal capabilities and cultural
transformation to achieve sustainable world-class excellence
and competitive advantage. For more information, please visit
www.oeconsulting.com.sg

19. © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved.
END OF PREVIEW
To download this presentation,
please visit:
www.oeconsulting.com.sg