TrainingHow To Lead: Discover the Leader Within You

University of Southeastern PhilippinesDavao City

March 14, 2008

what are facilitation skills?

…are essential for anyone seeking to guide a group of people through a process of

learning or change in a way that encourages all members of the group to participate.

what is a facilitator?… is someone who uses knowledge of group

processes to formulate and deliver the needed goods and services.

the facilitators focus:

Content - substanceProcess - dynamics

why do meetings need facilitators?why do meetings need facilitators?Varied mindsVaried opinionsVaried thoughtsVaried directionsNeeded to produce:• Decisions• Share informations• Plan work• Learn from one another• Create solutions• solve problems

Where does facilitation usually happens? meetingsPresentationsDiscussion groupsWork teamsInformal groups

types of group facilitation skills1. Engaging facilitation skills – members to be

a part of a group; members to feel included, valued and connect and interconnect learning's and experiences to issue at hand;

These involved:• Demonstrating leadership• creating an open environment• Encouraging connections• Building group rapport• Defining group identity

2. Informing facilitation skills – used to provide the group with information from outside the group and to help the group learn about itself; content and process

These involved:• Providing information• Soliciting information• Clarifying ideas or concepts• Conceptualizing• Learning from within the group

3. involving facilitation skills – encourage positive interaction and learning between group members; gaining experience from others.

These involved:• Inviting participation and interaction• Bouncing back to the group• Recognizing commonalities and promoting

consensus• Supporting cooperation and group cohesion• Experimenting with new behavior

4. Planning facilitation skills – working together to make specific plans to accomplish as a team; concretizing such other facilitation skills to form into reality.

These involved:• Brainstorming• Generalizing• Strategizing• Applying• Making specific plans

Techniques to support group facilitationChecking-in/ round robinWritingUsing humorSelf disclosingSurveying/votingModelingSharing in pairs/small groupsCritiquing / giving feedbackRole playing

Strategies for improving your facilitation skills identify your own learning styleConsider the diversity of learning styles in your groupReflect on your strength and weaknessesTarget specific skills for practicePractice skills in a safe environment Identify opportunities in your group to improve or try new

skillsAsk someone to observe and give your feedbackObserve other leadersVideotape yourself and evaluate your skill usage

5 most common situations that require interventions during meetings so as to keep it on track

1. side-bar conversations – side comments2. Staying on time – many to tackle in the

agenda3. Never ending discussions4. Conflict: personal attacks 5. Returning from breaks

Clues on intervention

Start always with the very diplomatic way of solving the situation….Then to moderate…

Then to stick…..

Just be objective, rational and logicalClash on ideas not on personalities

Lets practiceDivide the group into two:

- One conducting a meeting- one doing a buzz session

Thank you!

Aristeo C. SalapaFaculty

University of Southeastern PhilippinesCollege of Governance, Business and

EconomicsDavao City, Philippines