Facilitation 101

Do you find yourself leading or moderating conversations between individuals or groups? Perhaps you’re not in a formal or appointed role as “facilitator,” but instead a go-to person to provide advice and insight into next steps on a key project. In my work, I am asked to help groups — anyone from university student organizations to community-based consortiums —with strategic planning, establishing a mission or vision, creating programs and more.

The role of the facilitator, whether intentional or accidental, is a vital one for organizations and groups to be successful. No matter your experience level, all facilitators need to understand and ask one key question: What issue are we navigating?

• Issues of process relate to how individual-level decisions are made, how individuals communicate within the group, how conflict between members is addressed, how others are consulted on ideas and more.
• Issues of structure relate to how the group functions in an overall sense, particularly addressing how roles and patterns of behavior affect the culture of the team.
• Issues of content directly relate to a project or topic the group is addressing.

The facilitator’s primary role is to identify the core issue at hand, coach the group to create either a shared vision or shared strategies to move forward and ensure that all participants have the time and space to share their ideas.

The next time you find yourself serving as a facilitator, pause and ask yourself: what issue are we navigating? It will help you better diagnose the situation and help the group come to a more expedient resolution.

References

[1] Schwarz, R. M. (2017). The skilled facilitator: A comprehensive resource for consultants, facilitators, coaches, and trainers.