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Customizable SoftSkills Courseware for

Facilitation Skills

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Training materials for Facilitation Skills

It is impossible to be part of an organization today and not attend meetings. Staff meetings, project meetings, planning and coordinating meetings-they all take time. 

There has been a growing realization that we have to pay attention to the process elements of meetings, if we want them to be effective. With its focus on asking rather than telling, and listening to build consensus, facilitation is the new leadership ideal, the core competency everybody needs. Managers and supervisors are often asked to facilitate rather than instruct or manage their meetings and training sessions. 

This workshop has been created to make core facilitation skills better understood and readily available for your organization. It represents materials and ideas that have been tested and refined over twenty years of active facilitation in all types of settings.

Highlights of what participants will learn:

  • Distinguish facilitation from instruction and training;
  • Identify the competencies linked to effective small group facilitation;
  • Understand the different between content and process;
  • Identify the four stages of team development and ways to help teams through each stage;
  • Use common process tools to make meetings easier and more productive.

 

Learn more... Course Outline

What you Actually Receive with Facilitation Skills

Facilitation Skills, like each course title in the Velsoft suite of customizable courseware titles, comes complete with teaching resources that include detailed Instructor Guides, Student Manuals, Quick Reference Guides, Icebreakers & Activities, Lesson Plans, pre-made PowerPoint slides, and more.

  • Instructor Guides
  • Student Training Manuals
  • Lesson Plans
  • Quick Reference Guides
  • Ice Breakers & Activities
  • Pre-Assignments
  • PowerPoint Slides

  • Facilitation Skills Course Outline

  • Introduction and Course Overview

    You will spend the first part of the day getting to know participants and discussing what will take place during the workshop. Students will also have an opportunity to identify their personal learning objectives.

  • Definitions

    Participants will explore the differences between instruction, facilitation, and management in small and large groups.

  • What is a Facilitator?

    Through a lecture, participants will learn about the history of facilitation, some key skills, the levels of facilitation, and the facilitation process.

  • Types of Groups

    Facilitators must work with all types of groups. In this session, participants will discuss two common types (participatory and conventional) of groups in a small group setting.

  • Content and Process

    It is very important for facilitators to understand the differences between content and process, as they have a different role in each element. These concepts will be explored in a large group discussion.

  • Group Norms

    During this session, participants will learn about team norms and set some for themselves to guide the rest of the workshop.

  • Types of Thinking

    This session will explore divergent thinking, convergent thinking, the groan zone, and multi-voting tools through a lecture and a large group exercise.

  • Controversial Issues

    Facilitators are often asked for their help when a group has a controversial issue to deal with. In this session we will learn about a tool that can help participants facilitate these types of issues: the gradient of agreement.

  • Communication Skills

    A key part of the facilitator's toolbox is communication skills. We will discuss how to ask good questions, how to actively listen, how to use non-verbal messages, and how to listen for common ground.

  • Common Facilitation Techniques

    We will spend several hours looking at twenty techniques that facilitators often use. First we will explore these techniques through lecture, and then participants will role play the techniques in front of the large group.

  • Effective Feedback

    Giving and receiving feedback is an important part of facilitation. We will look at both elements during this session.

  • Facilitating an Open Discussion

    During this session, we will look at some facilitation techniques that the facilitator can use to ensure everyone in the group gets a chance to speak.

  • Managing Divergent Perspectives

    Usually, if a lot of people are taking part in a discussion, there are a lot of differing perspectives on the issues. The facilitator's challenge is to help people value one another's contributions. Through a lecture and a case study, this session will look at some ways that the facilitator can do this.

  • The Language of Facilitation

    This session will look at four language techniques that facilitators commonly use.

  • City Council

    Participants will apply the knowledge learned so far to a case study.

  • Agendas

    Agendas can be a great tool for facilitating meetings. We will look at how to develop an agenda and we will develop a sample agenda.

  • Dealing with Difficult Dynamics

    Participants will work in small groups to complete a mix-and-match exercise on difficult people and how to manage them.

  • Interventions

    This session will look at some techniques facilitators can use to intervene. Participants will have an opportunity to practice these interventions in a role play.

  • Sustainable Agreements

    As a facilitator, you want to make sure that all points of view have been considered, so that when an agreement is reached, it is one that everyone is happy with. During this session we will look at the components of a sustainable agreement.

  • Stages of Team Development

    This session will explore Tuckman and Jensen's four stage model of team development: forming, storming, norming, and performing. We will also look at some ways that a facilitator can help groups move through these stages.

  • Analysis Tools

    SWOT analysis and force field analysis can help the group analyze internal or external problems. We will take a brief look at how to use both tools.

  • Workshop Wrap-Up

    At the end of the day, students will have an opportunity to ask questions and fill out an action plan.