Train the Facilitator

Learning Outcomes

The facilitation skills workshop has been designed to help participants develop and fine tune their facilitation skills. The workshop will provide them with the skills and knowledge they need to effectively facilitate team and cross-sector group events and meetings. The programme will cover the following:

Facilitation: An overview

• The facilitation process.
• The role of the facilitator.
• Skills/attributes of a great facilitator: active listening, effective questioning, giving feedback, observation - picking up group signals.

Facilitating Teams and Cross Sector Groups

• Understanding group dynamics and the stages of facilitation.
• Designing an interactive team event/session.
• Developing an outcome driven agenda.
• Creating a productive environment.
• Using small and large group interactive activities to ensure group 'buy-in', involvement and ownership.
• Using a variety of techniques and activities for getting the group started, generating ideas and solving problems.
• Managing the group feedback sessions.
• Maximising group involvement, accountability and performance.
• Using parallel thinking to maximise group activity and performance.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of the session - pluses and deltas.

Facilitating Meetings

• The characteristics of effective meetings.
• Establishing a productive environment to achieve good meeting.

Handling Challenging Situations

• Knowing when and how to intervene
• Dealing with lack of engagement
• Dealing with cynicism and anger

Developing a facilitative style of management

• Potential challenges facing internal facilitators and how to overcome them.
• Developing a facilitative style of management.