Facilitation

Industrial & Organisational : Introduction : Personnel : Organizational psychology : Occupations: Work environment: Index : Outline

In organizational development (OD) and consensus decision-making, facilitation refers to the process of designing and running a successful meeting.

Facilitation concerns itself with all the tasks needed to run a productive and impartial meeting. Facilitation serves the needs of the group in its decision-making. It does not lead the group, nor does it try to distract or to entertain.

Aspects of facilitation[]

The role of the facilitator
Making arrangements for the meeting
Setting the agenda
Understanding group norms
Understanding group process

The role of the facilitator[]

See the facilitator article for details of exactly how a facilitator might run a meeting.

Prior to a meeting, facilitators:

research the meeting before it happens
find out the purpose and goal (if any) of the meeting
establish who needs to attend
draw up a draft agenda and design the group processes to attain the necessary results
share the agenda with potential attendees, changing it as necessary
ensure everyone gets fully briefed for the meeting and that everyone knows the purpose and potential consequences of the meeting

Facilitators then run the meeting, taking care that it stays on the agreed agenda and keeping an eye on the allocated time. They ensure the recording (with an agreed phraseology) of agreements. They may also note unresolved issues for later debate.

The facilitator may write up and publish the results of the meeting to everyone concerned including those who could not attend.

Principles of facilitation[]

Statement of Values and Code of Ethics for Group Facilitators
Teach them to fish: helping people "do it themselves"
When the true leader leads the people say, "We did it ourselves"

External links[]

The International Association of Facilitators: http://www.iaf-world.org/
The International Association of Facilitators Methods Database: http://www.iaf-methods.org/
The Group Facilitation Listserv: http://www.albany.edu/cpr/gf/
The Master Facilitator Journal: http://www.masterfacilitatorjournal.com/home.html

References[]

Sandy Schuman (Editor). The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation: Best Practices from the Leading Organization in Facilitation. Jossey-Bass, 2005. ISBN 0-7879-7160-X

Roger Schwarz (Author); The Skilled Facilitator; Jossey-Bass ; ISBN 0-7879-4723-7 (New & Revised July 2002)

Thomas Kayser; Mining Group Gold; McGraw Hill - 1995.

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