About the Programme

Wave goodbye to ineffective meetings for good by understanding and learning the core skills and tools of great facilitators.

George J. Mitchell is one of the greatest facilitators and negotiators of our time. He was the chairman of the peace talks in Northern Ireland and was instrumental in bringing those talks to the eventual signing of the Good Friday agreement in 1998.

When Mr. Mitchell was asked in an interview what the main difficulty was in facilitating the talks between the parties in Northern Ireland, he said, “ It wasn't so much a difficulty of getting the leaders facing in the right direction, but rather trying to figure out a way to enable them to go to where I felt they already wanted to go.”

We believe that the art of facilitation is summed up in this quote. Facilitation is essentially about getting the people you are facilitating to go where they want to go. Facilitation is about making a process easier for people to go through.

Great facilitation is the key to successful meetings and efficient use of everyone’s time. Facilitation is an art. It involves creating a non-threatening environment where people are not afraid to speak. The best facilitators have a combination of intelligence and openness that they use to guide any situation. Great facilitators know how to follow the people they are facilitating rather than just sticking to the agenda.

The lowest form of facilitation is trying to please everyone.

During this programme participants learn what the art of facilitation involves. They discover simple ways to encourage people away from an individualised approach in meetings without hurting or damaging them. We look at how to manage people who are domineering and achieve a situation where nobody dominates and everybody participates. Participants will understand the pivotal importance of impartiality and see how setting ground rules for a meeting at the outset can assist with the facilitation process itself.

Who is this programme for?

Chairpersons, Managers, Supervisors and others who facilitate meetings and other proceedings on a regular basis. All those who need to develop their ability to facilitate meetings with greater confidence and skill.

Duration

2 Days (9:00 am – 5:00 pm)

Course Content

• What is the true role of the facilitator?
• What are the skills and attributes of the effective facilitator?
• Defining a well facilitated meeting
• Maintaining impartiality and objectivity
• The three styles of meeting facilitation
• Responding to different types of participant
• General and particular rules of engagement
• The essential guidelines – Aim, Rules and Timing
• The hazards and common mistakes in facilitation
• The need for self-awareness and attention
• Improving our listening skills
• Practical questioning skills and empathy
• Achieving full group participation
• Practical exercises and directions for ongoing development

The Benefits

Having completed this programme participants will:

• Fully understand the role of the facilitator
• Know how to draw on the creativity, expertise and knowledge of all the participants
• Be able to guide and facilitate meetings with confidence and objectivity
• Be equipped to deal with difficult participants
• Be able to steer clear of conflict and keep proceedings focused, positive and on track