The Art of Effective Facilitation

The Art of Effective Facilitation
Author: Lisa M. Landreman
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2023-07-03
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000971139

Co-published with How can I apply learning and social justice theory to become a better facilitator?Should I prepare differently for workshops around specific identities?How do I effectively respond when things aren’t going as planned?This book is intended for the increasing number of faculty and student affairs administrators – at whatever their level of experience -- who are being are asked to become social justice educators to prepare students to live successfully within, and contribute to, an equitable multicultural society.It will enable facilitators to create programs that go beyond superficial discussion of the issues to fundamentally address the structural and cultural causes of inequity, and provide students with the knowledge and skills to work for a more just society. Beyond theory, design, techniques and advice on practice, the book concludes with a section on supporting student social action.The authors illuminate the art and complexity of facilitation, describe multiple approaches, and discuss the necessary and ongoing reflection process. What sets this book apart is how the authors illustrate these practices through personal narratives of challenges encountered, and by admitting to their struggles and mistakes.They emphasize the need to prepare by taking into account such considerations as the developmental readiness of the participants, and the particular issues and historical context of the campus, before designing and facilitating a social justice training or selecting specific exercises. They pay particular attention to the struggle to teach the goals of social justice education in a language that can be embraced by the general public, and to connect its structural and contextual analyses to real issues inside and outside the classroom. The book is informed by the recognition that “the magic is almost never in the exercise or the handout but, instead, is in the facilitation”; and by the authors’ commitment to help educators identify and analyze dehumanizing processes on their campuses and in society at large, reflect on their own socialization, and engage in proactive strategies to dismantle oppression.

The Secrets of Facilitation

The Secrets of Facilitation
Author: Michael Wilkinson
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2012-06-19
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1118429524

The Secrets of Facilitation delivers a clear vision of facilitation excellence and reveals the specific techniques effective facilitators use to produce consistent, repeatable results with groups. Author Michael Wilkinson has trained thousands of managers, mediators, analysts, and consultants around the world to apply the power of SMART (Structured Meeting And Relating Techniques) facilitation to achieve amazing results with teams and task forces. He shows how anyone can use these proven group techniques in conflict resolution, consulting, managing, presenting, teaching, planning, selling, and other professional as well as personal situations.

The Secrets to Masterful Meetings

The Secrets to Masterful Meetings
Author: Michael Wilkinson
Publisher: Leadership Strategieds Publishing
Total Pages: 148
Release: 2005
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780972245807

"That was an awful meeting. What a waste of my time!" How often have you had this same thought? Why do we tolerate bad meetings? Consider the last meeting you attended. How many of these pitfalls were evident? - Did not start on time. - Missing key people. - Lacked a clear purpose. - No agenda. - Few people engaged. - One or two people dominated. - Discussion wandered, repeatedly. - Key issues were not addressed. - No decisions made. - No follow-up actions. - The meeting was not worth the time. Have we lowered the bar so far that bad meetings have become the norm? Enough is enough. It is time to ignite a meetings revolution. How Do You Transform a Bad Meeting Culture? In The Secrets to Masterful Meetings, Michael Wilkinson provides leaders with a step-by-step guide for igniting a meetings revolution. The result: a complete culture transformation in which bad meetings become unacceptable! This book supplies a step-by-step guide for igniting and sustaining a meetings revolution which, if successful, will permanently change the way meetings are run in an organization. In his book, Wilkinson recommends that executives empower their people with a set of meeting rights. He then provides a comprehensive meetings transformation program that equips meeting leaders and meeting participants with tools for masterful meetings. What this Book Contains - 10 Meeting Rights to empower every participant. - 10 steps to transform your meeting culture. - 15 meeting problems and how to address them. - 4 strategies for eliminating unneeded meetings. - 6 tips for getting meetings started on time. - 3 robust tools for resolving disagreements. - 4 techniques for rescuing poorly run meetings. - 14 strategies for maximizing virtual meetings. - 6 agendas to use to gain the results you want. - 4 checklists for executing Masterful Meetings. - And much more. Give Yourself a Gift. Give a copy of this book to everyone whose meetings you attend: a gift that truly keeps on giving!

Designing the Conversation

Designing the Conversation
Author: Russ Unger
Publisher: New Riders
Total Pages: 481
Release: 2013-02-19
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0133154718

Facilitation skills are the foundation of every successful design practice, yet training on this core competency has been largely unavailable—until now. Designing the Conversation: Techniques for Successful Facilitation is a complete guide to developing the facilitation skills you need to communicate effectively and design fully engaging experiences. Learn to take control as Russ Unger, Brad Nunnally, and Dan Willis show you how to use your skills as a facilitator to deftly extract information from different types of people in various scenarios and address any problems and needs that arise along the way. With this book, you will learn how to: Bring together different cross-functional project teams, stakeholders, and clients while balancing their needs, goals, and requirements with those of users Prepare for activities through agenda setting, planning for different types of personalities, and identifying the method of practicing that works best for you Perform group facilitation in workshops, brainstorming sessions, and focus groups Manage individual facilitation activities through interviews, usability testing, sales calls, and mentoring Conduct one-to-many facilitation activities such as presentations, virtual seminars, and lectures Understand how to manage Q & A from audiences of all sizes

The Skilled Facilitator

The Skilled Facilitator
Author: Roger M. Schwarz
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 431
Release: 2002-10-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0787964220

When it was published in 1994, Roger Schwarz's The SkilledFacilitator earned widespread critical acclaim and became alandmark in the field. The book is a classic work for consultants,facilitators, managers, leaders, trainers, and coaches--anyonewhose role is to facilitate and guide groups toward realizing theircreative and problem-solving potential. This thoroughly revisededition provides the essential materials for anyone that workswithin the field of facilitation and includes simple but effectiveground rules for group interaction. Filled with illustrativeexamples, the book contains proven techniques for starting meetingson the right foot and ending them positively and decisively. Thisimportant resource also offers practical methods for handlingemotions when they arise in a group and offers a diagnosticapproach for identifying and solving problems that can underminethe group process.

Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making

Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making
Author: Sam Kaner
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 363
Release: 2011-03-10
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 111804701X

"The best book on collaboration ever written!" —Diane Flannery, founding CEO, Juma Ventures And now this classic book is even better—much better. Completely revised and updated, the second edition is loaded with new tools and techniques. Two powerful new chapters on agenda design A full section devoted to reaching closure More than twice as many tools for handling difficult dynamics 70 brand-new pages and over 100 pages significantly improved

8 Core Practices of Facilitative Leaders

8 Core Practices of Facilitative Leaders
Author: Michael Wilkinson
Publisher: Leadership Strategieds Publishing
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2019
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780972245883

What is a Facilitative Leader? Facilitative leaders create organizations where engagement is the norm, collaboration is the vehicle, and higher levels of achievement are the result. Unfortunately, many leaders continue to view their role primarily as one of setting direction, allocating resources, and putting in place rewards, support, and development systems that ensure their people stay focused on achieving that direction. In the changing workplace, this archaic view of leadership is completely inadequate. More and more, employees are seeking to understand where their organization is going and to influence the paths taken to get there. This shift in the workplace requires a new set of leadership skills. Leaders must know how to inspire people around a vision, foster trust, manage group interaction, build consensus, resolve conflict, and adapt their approach to the specific needs of each person they lead. They must be able to facilitate rather than dictate. This new direction calls for facilitative leaders. Praise for 8 Core Practices of Facilitative Leaders "If you want a great book that takes a facilitative approach to leadership, here it is! The 8 Core Practices of Facilitative Leaders offers practical and insightful strategies any leader can apply immediately. Read this book and learn the best ways to create engagement, buy-in, and alignment in your organization." --Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The New One Minute Manager(R) and Leading at a Higher Level "Michael credits me with teaching him to value thinking and communication preferences. He has written a practical guide to help you understand the behaviors needed to be highly impactful as a facilitative leader." --Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, chief thought leader and chair of the board at Herrmann, creators of the HBDI Assessment and Whole Brain Thinking

Facilitation Skills Training

Facilitation Skills Training
Author: Kimberly Devlin
Publisher: Association for Talent Development
Total Pages: 431
Release: 2017-03-31
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1607281007

Help them make the most out of every meeting. Rambling group discussions, tangential concerns, difficult attendees, and unclear objectives can all derail a facilitated event—and often do. But more than just learning how to avoid the pitfalls, effective facilitators ease the way for groups to achieve desired outcomes, redirect them to constructive paths, and rally commitment to action plans. Expert trainer and facilitator Kimberly Devlin has designed interactive half-day, one-day, and two-day workshops to develop the essential skills of facilitating meetings that inspire, engage, and get results. Complete with all the activities, handouts, assessments, and presentation slides you will need to accelerate learning, these programs make planning your next workshop easy, whether you are new to facilitation or a seasoned pro. About the Series The ATD Workshop Series is written for trainers by trainers, because no one knows workshops as well as the practitioners who have done it all. Each publication weaves in today’s technology and accessibility considerations and provides a wealth of new content that can be used to create a training experience like no other.

The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation

The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation
Author: Sandy Schuman
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 709
Release: 2012-06-15
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1118429648

Sponsored by the International Association of Facilitators, The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation offers the need-to-know basics in the field brought together by fifty leading practitioners and scholars. This indispensable resource includes successful strategies and methods, foundations, and resources for anyone who works with groups. The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation provides an overview of the field for new and aspiring practitioners and a reliable reference for experienced group facilitators, including chapters on Creating positive ongoing client relationships Building trust and improving communications Facilitating group brainstorming sessions Drawing out the best in people Developing a collaborative environment Designing and facilitating dialogue Managing conflicting agendas Working with multicultural groups Using improvisation Understanding virtual meetings Facilitating team start-up Assessing group decision processes Building expertise in facilitation Reviewing core facilitation competencies Modeling positive professional attitudes

The Executive Guide to Facilitating Strategy

The Executive Guide to Facilitating Strategy
Author: Michael Wilkinson
Publisher: Leadership Strategieds Publishing
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2011-10-03
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780972245814

"The Executive Guide to Facilitating Strategy" provides executives, leaders, and facilitators with a step-by-step resource for guiding their team through all phases of the strategic planning process from gaining the team's buy-in to do planning and identify strategic issues, all the way through organization alignment, implementation, monitoring, and making adjustments.