What is group facilitation? Isn’t it just running a meeting?
Sort of. It’s kind of the definition of etiquette, if we are to go off of what Emily Post has to say on the subject.
“Consideration for the rights and feelings of others is not merely a rule for behavior in public but the very foundation upon which social life is built.” - Emily Post, Etiquette 1st edition
A facilitator is a guide to help people move through some sort of process together. The facilitator is not the bearer of wisdom and knowledge. They are there to shepherd everyone’s thoughts equally, consider all rights and feelings in a balanced and fair way, and bring the group as a whole to agreements and understandings.
This means that a facilitator isn't there to give opinions, but to draw out opinions and ideas of the group members. Their role is to remain a neutral party to what happens within the group, even if it’s not where they’d necessarily prefer the direction it is leading.
That’s why often having an outside individual helps, someone not invested in the outcome that would need to forgo that investment for the time being.
Facilitation revolves around how people are participating in the learning or planning process. They do not focus on the particular outcome achieved. Facilitators are the neutral party, and never take a side. Think of them like the mediator in a political debate or court case. They are the hosts of the conversation, the hospitable entity that brings people together toward their needs, not the needs of the facilitator.
A good facilitator:
Makes certain everyone feels comfortable in participating
Creates a structure to allow all ideas to be heard and explored.
Ensures that members of the group feel good about their contributions to the meeting
Makes certain that the group feels that the ideas and decisions are coming from the group, not the leader of the discussion.
Fully supports everyone’s ideas
Doesn’t criticize anyone for what they said.
Sound difficult? Yes, it is. There are certain people that are great at it, while others might struggle a bit more. It is a skill, absolutely, but one that can be learned.
It takes preparation and focus, and depending on the focus of the meeting, sometimes an already neutral party is the best way to facilitate a session. An absence of historical knowledge, politics or other parts of the organization or team structure can help in remaining neutral.
Why are group facilitation skills important?
If an organization or team wants to do good planning, keep the team involved, and create tangible leadership opportunities in an organization and skills within the team, facilitator skills are essential.
The more someone knows about how to craft and run a successful learning or planning process, the more teams will
feel empowered to innovate
foster psychological safety
Take on responsibility or ownership
feel a drive to remain invested in the team and the organization
This all makes for better meetings, which leads to better outcomes, less time wasted and happier people.
What to expect from a well facilitated meeting
A good meeting facilitator will focus on the climate of the room, from temperature of the room from warm to cold, to the climate of people’s approach to the meeting itself.
Is everyone in a comfortable place physically?
Can they be comfortable mentally enough to innovate and be open to new ideas?
Has the ‘ice’ been broken enough to engage the group?
Are there avenues for all to add to the conversation, ways for all personality types to contribute?
Are ground rules being set for good conversation, respectful balance of input and engagement?
A meeting isn’t worth anything without some sort of outcome and those attending feeling like they got something out of it, that’s why there are a few key points that need to be kept in mind.
Successful meetings typically have someone who is:
Ensuring active participation by everyone, making room for all voices
Keeping to an agenda to move work forward. Ensuring the purpose of the meeting is adhered to.
Driving toward commitments whether they are tasks or other involvement. Using the value of having people in the room to commit drives home the value of getting everyone together in the first place.
Bringing closure to items. Bringing the group to an agreement, having voting or other forms of group decision making are essential to having individuals feel heard and their time valued.
Parking items but ensuring they have a space to be addressed. If items cannot be addressed at the time, you can put them in a hold pattern (commonly known as a parking lot) but it is essential that the parking lot is addressed. Ensure that by the end of the meeting everyone is aware of how the parking lot items will be addressed. All too often the parking lot becomes the place where agenda items go to die. This builds distrust in meetings, don’t do that.
Remaining flexible. It is a group of unique individuals after all. Sometimes things take longer than the time allotted, or others concerns arise from the conversation. Check with the group to ensure it’s ok to deviate from the agenda. Always be prepared to pivot based on the group, but always ask for consent.
Summarize the meeting in a follow up. Before the meeting ends take a minute or two to summarize what happened to close it out, sometimes so much happens it’s hard to wrap one’s head around it all. A good facilitator will close out the meeting with a summary, and review parking lot items and how they will be addressed (if they need to be).
Grateful of everyone’s time. The participants spent their time really working at coming together as a team, which is often uncomfortable and tiring. Showing gratitude for everyone’s time, from those that setup the space to those that worked to be active in the conversation is always remembered.
If you are interested in learning more about how to facilitate a group conversation, let us know.
Our team is experienced at facilitating meetings, group sessions and trainings with all levels of teams and leaderships. We turn charged or challenging conversations into useful, actionable experiences that bring groups of individuals together to form teams, move decisions along and breed innovative thought and action.
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