Facilitator

As a facilitator, you’ll be at the heart of team dynamics, guiding discussions, and fostering an environment of mutual respect and open communication alleviating conflicts. This role is perfect for those who are passionate about helping others achieve outcomes and enjoy working in a group environment. You get to ensure every team member’s voice is heard. Plus, the skills you’ll develop - such as active listening, clear communication, and leadership - are highly transferable and will be invaluable throughout your career.

In today’s fast-paced, collaborative work environments, facilitators are in high demand. So, not only will you be doing meaningful work, but you’ll also have excellent career prospects. Start your journey towards becoming a professional facilitator today and empower others to do their best work. Your previous experience will give you a unique perspective and understanding of team dynamics, which is invaluable in this role.

A facilitator plans, guides and manages a group meeting, workshop or event to deliver their goals or objective. If a task leader is faced with a challenging issue, they may consider asking an external facilitator to facilitate the event. The facilitator is NOT part of the team/group, rather they operate from outside looking in.

In all situations, a facilitator needs to consider and ensure a balance between:

Why are they here – what are they trying to achieve?

• What are the objectives we trying to achieve – can we define it?
• What is causing blockages to mis-diagnose the issues?
• What does success look like?
• How will the group measure success?

How can this team maximise its attributes?

• How will they best work with each other?
• How can a collaborative and trusting environment be built?
• How can the different roles and specialisms be balanced to get the best from each person?

How will we work together?

• They are all different, so they will need to accommodate introverts and extroverts.
• They will need to balance big picture and detailed orientated people.
• How will they reach consensus and make decisions?
• What tools or processes will be best for the task at hand and for the team?

Importantly a facilitator should NOT be expected to:

• Understand the content, and it will often help if they don’t understand the jargon, because the likelihood is that others don’t really understand other specialists’ technical language.
• Offer solutions - as that is the role of the assembled team.

Using a trained facilitator could help bring a meeting/workshop to life where:

• Ideas can be heard, even when louder voices would normally dominate the room. Facilitators ensure every voice is valued.
• They’re connecting remotely as a team and need to develop on a personal level. Facilitators use tools and techniques to bridge the barriers between different perspectives.
• Conflicts could be resolved constructively, not destructively. Facilitators are skilled in managing conflict, turning heated disagreements into opportunities for new perspectives.
• They could have a moment to share their thoughts without interruption. Facilitators create a space where everyone is heard and problems are understood, ideas developed, and solutions created through the dynamic interaction of people using tools and techniques rather than just their voice.

What is the difference between an internal and external facilitator?

Few people experience the power of effective facilitation. To transform meetings, workshops and events into productive, inclusive, and enjoyable experiences you may need to use an external facilitator.

The benefits of external facilitators are linked to the complexity, scale and importance of the challenge. It is worth considering an external facilitator if:

• A large number of people are involved (25 plus).
• Where the outcome has immense significance for the organisation.
• The group is very diverse, with participants from different cultures and with a range of expertise or seniority.
• Conflict between participants is expected.
• The challenge is VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex or ambiguous).

There are pros and cons for using either an internal or an external facilitator, so the decision on what is best for you is very context specific.

Tips for Facilitating a Virtual meeting

The likelihood of online virtual meetings has become a staple in today’s work environment, making effective facilitation techniques more important than ever. Some key strategies for facilitating virtual meetings effectively are:

• Preparation is crucial. Facilitators should ensure that the agenda is clear and shared in advance, and that all participants have the necessary technology and materials. This helps to set expectations and allows participants to prepare their contributions ahead of the meeting.
• Active engagement is another essential technique. Facilitators can use interactive tools like polls, breakout rooms, and whiteboards to encourage participation. They can also ask open-ended questions to stimulate discussion and ensure that everyone’s voice is heard.

• Time management is critical in virtual meetings. Facilitators should keep the meeting on track and ensure that all agenda items are covered. They should also allocate time for breaks, especially in longer meetings.
• Clear communication is key. Facilitators should speak clearly, summarize discussions, and confirm understanding to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
• Lastly, follow-up is important. Facilitators should ensure the group leaves with clear action points and deadlines.

Both virtual and physical meetings have their own advantages and challenges. The choice between the two often depends on the specific needs and circumstances of the meeting. Effective facilitation can make virtual meetings more productive and engaging, leading to better outcomes for all participants.

In today’s dynamic work environments, the role of a facilitator is indispensable. Facilitators plan, guide, and manage group meetings, workshops, and events to help teams collaborate effectively, address challenges, solve problems, and achieve their goals at both operational and strategic levels.

By fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect and open communication, facilitators ensure every team member's voice is heard, helping to resolve conflicts and enhance team dynamics. The skills developed in this role—such as active listening, clear communication, and leadership—are highly transferable and invaluable across diverse career paths.

Research by the University of North Carolina highlights the importance of facilitation skills, even for those not pursuing facilitation as a full-time career. The study revealed that 71% of senior managers across various industries consider meetings unproductive and inefficient. Knowing how to facilitate a meeting can play a crucial role in addressing these inefficiencies. But how many managers do you know who have facilitation training?

In fast-paced, collaborative workplaces, facilitators are increasingly in demand. Pursuing a career in facilitation not only provides meaningful and impactful work but also offers strong career prospects.

Becoming a facilitator involves developing a specific set of skills and gaining experience in group dynamics. Here are some steps you can take to become a facilitator:

1. Understand the Role: Learn what a facilitator does and what facilitation isn’t. A good facilitator guides a team through a process, helping them, do their best work, and avoid the usual pitfalls of group think and achieve collaboration.
2. Develop Essential Skills: Master the facilitation mindset, which is to be the guide, not the hero. Other essential skills include clear communication, active listening, asking the right questions, objectivity, focus, keeping an open mind, adaptability and flexibility, public speaking skills, leadership skills, problem-solving skills, and collaboration skills.
3. Practice: Gain experience by facilitating small group discussions or meetings. This will help you understand group dynamics and improve your facilitation techniques.

4. Learn from Others: Engage with the community, learn from other practitioners, and be curious. This is an important aspect of improving your own practice and learning how others facilitate.
5. Continuous Learning: Keep learning new methods, tools, and techniques. There are many resources available online, including articles, blogs, webinars, and courses.
6. Get Certified: Gaining a certification from a recognized organisation will enhance your credibility as a facilitator and demonstrate your commitment to the role.

You may like to ask your Boss for help:-

“I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express my interest in receiving training to become a facilitator. I believe that this training will not only enhance my personal skills but also bring significant benefits to our team and the organisation as a whole.

Facilitation skills are crucial in today’s collaborative work environment. They help in guiding discussions, ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard, and fostering a sense of teamwork. As a skilled facilitator, I can help our team make the most of our meetings and brainstorming sessions, leading to more innovative ideas and effective solutions.

Moreover, facilitation skills are particularly beneficial in the context of remote work, which has become increasingly prevalent. They can help overcome the challenges of virtual collaboration, such as miscommunication and disengagement, making our remote meetings more productive and inclusive.

Investing in facilitation training for me will, in turn, be an investment in our team’s efficiency and effectiveness. It will empower me to guide our team towards achieving our goals more smoothly and successfully. Many people have found that facilitation skills enhance the individual’s suitability for promotion and deployment into other roles.

Thank you for considering my request. I am confident that with facilitation training, I can contribute even more to our team and our organisation”.