The document provides an overview of facilitation skills and techniques for leading effective meetings, including determining group expectations, managing discussions, addressing conflicts, and documenting outcomes. It discusses tools for generating, evaluating, and deciding on ideas as well as techniques for designing meetings, establishing ground rules, and creating a safe environment for participation. The presentation aims to equip meeting leaders with best practices for facilitating inclusive and productive discussions.

1. Leadership Arlington Class of
2015
January 8, 2015
Presented by:
Diane Kresh, Director of libraries
Arlington County Government
dkresh@arlingtonva.us
The Art of Facilitation
in words and pictures
“I really believe there are things nobody would
see if I didn't photograph them.” -- Diane Arbus

2. Overview of the Training
 Facilitation and the Facilitator
 Elements of Effective Meetings
 Process Design of Meetings
 Sampling of Facilitation Tools
 Documenting the Meeting and Next Steps
 Questions??? Answers???

3. What is Facilitation?
.
Source: David Sibbet, Founder of Grove.
Com

7. Skills of a Facilitator
Meeting Management Skills
 Determine group expectations and outcomes
 Handle meeting logistics, agenda creation
 Establish ground rules
 Manage time and process

Group Development Skills
 Be aware of group dynamics
 Accommodate group culture and norms
 Become familiar with group’s history
“Arlington Way”

8. Skills of a Facilitator
Process Skills
 Provide tools for inclusion and discussion
 Manage conflict
 Helps to create a “safe” environment
Problem-Solving Skills (not always)
 Analyze group problems
 Provide problem-solving tools
 Develop a clear problem statement and get buy-in

9. Skills of a Facilitator
“Soft Skills”
 Effective listening
 Unobtrusive manner
 Skill in asking good questions
 Skill in timing intervention(s)
 Openness and candor
 Tolerance of ambiguity

13. Getting started -- Introduction Techniques
Examples of Ice Breakers:
 Standard introduction of each participant
 Ask each person an interesting question
 Arrange them in pairs and ask each pair to interview
each other and introduce each other
 Arrange in groups of 4 and ask them to find all the
commonalities among all group members
Large Group Warm-Ups:
1)Find everyone with shoes like yours and stand
together; Now find out one more thing that you have
in common.
2)Find everyone who lives in the same state (including
DC) as you do and stand together;
3)Find everyone who has a similar job and stand
together.

14. Characteristics of an Effective Meeting
 Engaging – opportunities to participate
effectively; everyone feels valued & safe
 Useful content – information that needed to be
shared
 Purposeful – defined outcomes;
value for time spent; decision(s)
made

15. Design of Meetings: Differentiating between
Content and Process
CONTENT - What PROCESS - How
 Tasks
 Subject for discussion
 Problems to be solved
 Decisions to be made
 Agenda items
 Goals and desired
outcomes
 Methods
 How relationships will be
maintained
 Tools to be used
 Rules or norms
 Group dynamics
 Level of engagement
 Climate for the discussion
 How to achieve end result

16. Meeting Design:
The Starting Point
1) PURPOSE: What is the purpose of the
meeting/process?
2) OUTCOMES/GOALS: What is/are the desired
outcome(s)? E.g., new ideas, consensus or
agreement, strategic plan, process design, etc. How
will the client define success?
3) ROLES: Identify who will have roles in the meeting
and define what those roles are
4) AGENDA: Create an agenda using the best tools
matched to desired outcome

17. Other Design Factors
 Stakeholders – who are they? What do we know
about their perspectives and positions?
 Meeting Location/Logistics
 Promotion/Outreach and Press
 Traditional vs. social media
 Website and other notices
 Meeting Format
 Level of participation desired –
 Meeting time – constraints and opportunities
 Defined roles – chair, facilitator, etc.

18. Meeting Agenda Elements
 OPENING
 Purpose and Stated Outcomes
 Agenda review
 Ground rules/outline of process/parking lot
 Defining roles
 Decision-making
 TASK – content/substance
 CLOSING
 Review agreements/decisions
 Review parking lot and address outstanding item
 Define next steps/future action

19. Sample Ground Rules
 Refrain from any personal attributions
 Use of respectful language and behavior
 Consideration of other’s perspectives
 Willingness to listen attentively
 One person speaking at a time
 Permit side conversations only on breaks
 Begin and end on time
 Agree to consistent attendance and other
representatives
 Debate issue and positions, not individuals

20. Rules of the Road
 Multiple Routes: We have diverse group with differing perspectives, so
consensus is not our goal today
 No Road Rage: Respect different points of view and try to minimize
conflicts
 Consider Taking a New Route: we will challenge some of your
assumptions and previous approaches
 Traffic Calming: slow down, one speaker at a time, raise hands, and
be patient
 Look Both Ways and Listen: Before you enter the discussion, carefully
consider your points and do not forget to listen to the flow of the
discussion
 Traffic Flow: Try to respond directly to the topic at hand or let us know
if you would like to raise a new point
 Parking Lot: keep track of ideas and topics that we can discuss later or
in a different venue
 Hands Free: Smart Phones on vibrate only
 Travel Log: Reports from small group discussions will generally
synthesize all ideas and perspectives, but will not attribute statements to
individuals

21. Tools Organized by Process Step
Generating Ideas Evaluating Ideas Deciding
Brainstorming
- Idea writing
Consolidating/Narrowing
- Affinity group
Voting
- Majority or Super
Defining/Analyzing
Issues
-Mind mapping
-Fishbone diagram
-Picture it
-SWOT analysis
-Gallery walk
-Design Thinking
Listing in Priority Order
-Multi-voting with dots
-Pick 3 and Drop 3
-Nominal Group Technique
-Paired comparisons
Consensus
-Levels of consensus
-Opposition needs to
convince others
-Thumbs up
Visioning
-Wish, want, wonder
-Defining the vision
-Graphic representation
of the vision/constraints
-World Café
Evaluating Options
-Force Field analysis
-Pro/Con sheet
-Other ranking schemes
Sense of the Group
- Thumbs up, down,
across
- Other non-verbal cues

22. Process Tools for Facilitation
Idea Writing
 Form several small groups of 3 – 6 people
 Present a triggering question to the group
 Silent generation of ideas in writing by each person
 Exchange of written sheets among group members
with opportunity to comment/add
 Group discussion to clarify key ideas or concerns
 Presentation of a report verbally from each group
which summarizes ideas generated by the entire
work group

23. Exercise 1: Using idea writing, to create a policy on
presenting Performing Arts in Arlington County

24. Other Facilitation Tools
SWOT Assessment – Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities and
Threats
Visioning with World Café
Design Thinking
Mindmapping
Fishbone Diagramming

25. Design Thinking
Source: dschool.standford.edu

26. Tools for Evaluating Options
Force Field Analysis
Nominal Group Technique

27. DRIVING FORCES RESTRAINING FORCES
 Ex
 Ex
 Ex
 Ex
 EX
 EX
 EX
 EX
Exercise 2: The County Manager has recommended that the
Artisphere be closed, despite three years of intense effort by
dedicated County staff and Artisphere’s growing reputation for artistic
excellence and creativity. Continued operation of Artisphere would
require ongoing tax support, in contradiction to the original promise
the County made that Artisphere would not require additional general
fund revenue. What impact will the closing of Artisphere have on
the growing art scene in Arlington?

28. OPTIONS ROBERT MARY JAMES
1. Assign new office
spaces by seniority
1 3 1
2. Assign spaces by
teams
3 2 2
3. Assign by
hierarchy/status
2 1 3
NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE
RANKING: 3 – highest score; 1 – lowest score

30. Consensus and Other Voting
Options for Groups
 Consensus
 Super Majority – decide on % needed
 No Individual Veto – Must persuade another person to join
your view in order to “block”
 Majority by Interest Group – require that each interest group
achieve a majority (e.g., enviro. reps, neighborhood members,
business leaders, etc.)
 Recommendations Offered by Level of Consensus –
discussion of issues where no consensus is achieved

31. Defining Consensus
Three Key Elements:
1) Process
2) Treatment
3) Agreement
.

32. Documenting the Meeting Process

33. Choices for Organizing Information
 List
 Cluster
 Visual Map
 Diagram
 Grid or Chart
 Poster

34. Managing the Record (Flipchart)
 Decide whether to scribe exactly or to synthesize (&
then check in with speaker to ensure that it is correct)
 Use verbs and make phrases
complete/understandable
 Talk and write at the same time – maintain a good
pace
 Move around and act alive; use your energy to
energize and control behaviors of others
 Write so that everyone can see the words (size,
penmanship, color of markers)
 Post chart paper around the room as a reference tool
 Allow others to help with this role (empowering)

36. Handling Difficult Participants
 Establish and enforce ground rules
 When problems surface, address them
 Move closer to the source and engage that
person
 Give the “troublesome” person a role to play
 Change the meeting format to alleviate the
negative situation

37. Techniques for Handling Conflict
 Return to the Operating Norms: Reaffirm the group’s
agreement to abide by the norms
 Interrupt the Dialogue when Emotions Dominate:
Intervene with to ask for a reflection on where the group is, or to offer
a strategy on how to redirect, or to suggest a break in the agenda
 One-on-one Clearing: Take a break and ask individuals to
approach others privately to discuss behaviors or issues. The
facilitator can assist. Once discussions have occurred, reconvene the
entire group and report out if necessary.
 Re-energizing the Group: After a break, invite participants to
share their ideas on how to get more fully engaged. Brainstorming –
no judgments! Map out the suggestions and ask for consensus on how
to proceed or as the facilitator, you make the decision on next steps.

38. Techniques to Energize Groups
 One-on-one Clearing: (Use when only a few are stuck) Take a
break and ask individuals to approach others privately to discuss
behaviors or issues. Ask the facilitator to assist if needed. Once
discussions have occurred, reconvene the entire group and report out
if necessary.
 Group Clearing: Reflect on the purpose or vision of the group.
Invite participants to express what is getting in their way to full
engagement.
 Clearing Yourself: Take a short break to refocus and strategize
on how to modify the process design. Or perhaps to check your
emotions.
 Re-energizing the Group: After a break, invite participants to
share their ideas on how to get more fully engaged. Brainstorming –
no judgments! Map out the suggestions and ask for consensus on how
to proceed or as the facilitator, you make the decision on next steps.

40. Ensuring a Safe Environment
 Neutrality of the Facilitator
 Ground Rules or Operating Norms
 Balance – all views are shared and respected and
conflict is managed
 Facilitation Process – tools and techniques

41. Creating an Environment to Make the
Dialogue Safe
 Create an accepted set of norms that everyone can
agree to use
 Be clear about the purpose of the dialogue and the
spirit of collaboration
 Share “air time” so that everyone has the
opportunity to be heard
 Permit individuals to speak only from their own
perspective
 Monitor individual’s vocal tone and body language
in order to maintain the spirit of collaboration
 Address conflicts – interpersonal, topical and values

42. Written/Online Resources
 Alliance for Innovation – transform.gov
 Great Meetings! Great Results! – Dee Kelsey and
Pamela Plumb
 The PRIMES: How Any Group Can Solve Any
Problem – Chris McGoff

43. “Don’t think about making art,
just get it done. Let everyone
else decide if it’s good or bad,
whether they love it or hate
it. While they are deciding,
make even more art.”
Andy Warhol