PROGRAM DETAILS

Introduction

A successfully facilitated meeting or event helps to achieve and exceed the project and business goals. It can surface the knowledge of the group, the dynamics within a group, improve decision-making, overall quality and team cohesiveness and be enjoyable too!

Facilitation is an art and a science that consists of a set of skills that can be learned. Successful facilitators can recognize and balance the needs of the meeting, the individuals present, and the team.

This course addresses those more difficult challenges faced by project and business managers in meetings and does it in a positive and interactive way.

How does the facilitator challenging behaviors of individuals and groups? We’ve all been in meetings with the “wise old owl” who philosophizes at great length and we all know what it feels like when there is an “elephant in the room.” How, too, does the facilitator secure commitment to participants preparing for meetings and taking action after the meeting? This course explains how.

Learning Objectives

Participants attending the programme will:

• Understand the facilitator role and basic principles of group processes
• Plan and structure an effective small group session, paying attention to helpful structures and interventions before, during and after a group event.
• Use a variety of methods to direct and guide groups
• Identify and flex your facilitation style with self-awareness, authority and presence.
• Develop strategies for managing dynamics in diverse cross cultural and intergenerational groups
• Accurately and skilfully capture and summarise information

Training Methodology

This practical and results-oriented program is based on adult learning concept. It incorporates participatory and experiential involving some theoretical insight, some awareness building and a lot of skill practice in a group setting. The facilitator will demonstrate exemplary facilitation skills. There will be icebreakers, ongoing discussions with action planning and ample time for Q&A and practice by the participants to apply the key course concepts in a positive learning environment.

Pre & Post-course assessments will be implemented to measure the effectiveness of the training.

Program Content

Day 1: Introduction to Facilitation

•  Definition and goal of facilitation
• The role of the meeting facilitator (before, during and after a group event)
• Three success factors of meetings
• Skills required for facilitation
• Identify the challenging meeting behaviors of individuals and groups
• Application of learning using real situations

Day 2: Facilitating Challenging Meetings

•  Good, bad and ugly facilitation methods to guide groups
• Do’s and don’ts of facilitation
• The facilitator’s tools
• All you need to know about facilitating great meetings
• Three factors of facilitating successful meetings
• Application of learning using real situations

Day 3: Individuals and their Meeting Behaviors

• How to identify the challenges
• What skills are needed and examples
• Facilitation Flow: how to facilitate and recognize optimal meeting outcomes
• Maximising participation during a meeting/session
• Case study: sample group behaviors
• Skills to handle elephants, bees and lions
• Application of learning using real situations

Day 4: Discovery

• Observe and assess a meeting by the course facilitator
• Meeting facilitation practice by participants to secure collaboration and commitment to take action (to secure the desired results)
• Reflecting on the result – did the facilitator optimise group dynamics?
• Accurately and skilfully capturing/summarising information or actions
• Developing an action plan to put your learning to work

Day 5: Facilitation Application

• Designing and facilitating a meeting/session using the course concepts
• Facilitation Flow: Finding integrity through a simple/difficult intervention
• Listening Deeper: cultivate awareness of what is taking place in the group

• Demonstrating professionalism, self-confidence and authenticity (presence)
• Facilitating the Process: techniques for brainstorming, grouping problems, selection and decision making in cross cultural/intergenerational groups