Facilitation Tips. Meetings That Do NOT Work

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1 Facilitation Tips Meetings That Do NOT Work No clear meeting goal. A vague or unclear agenda. No time limit for discussion. No process for working on important issues. Discussions go in circles. Lack of closure to discussions. People argue rather than debate over points of view. A few people are dominating while others sit passively. Meetings that end without detailed action plans or next steps. Meetings That DO Work! Minimizing Your Nervousness Review materials. Rehearse your talking points. Make a facilitation plan to organize your talking points and necessary materials. Know the room and equipment; visit new rooms, practice on new equipment. Concentrate on the message and not yourself. Establishing Confidence and Trust Always be honest with participants; if you do not know the answer, do not make one up. Make presentations balanced and free from bias. Raise questions about information yourself. Invite questions from participants. Explain the goal or intended outcome of each agenda item. Be transparent, always explain what you are doing and why. Setting the Tone Introduce yourself to the participants as the facilitator, and explain your role. Invite participants to introduce themselves (provide name tags if necessary). Review the agenda, so participants have a clear idea of the meeting purpose and goals. Set the ground rules. Make participants feel welcome and appreciate their participation. Make participants feel comfortable: inform them of rest room locations, provide water and breaks. Page 1

2 Leading vs. Directing Keep your contributions on the content of the discussion brief. Ask open ended questions. Do not be afraid of using silence to give participants time to think. Encourage participation in people that have been quiet. When an idea is proposed, check in with the group on their feedback. Do not shut down a person who gives an incorrect response, instead restate it and open it up to the group to respond. Closing out a Discussion Bring topics to a close by summarizing the conversation and asking if someone has a new or different point to share before you move to the next topic. At the conclusion of a discussion be sure to review all action items, if they are not assigned, ask for volunteers. Overcoming the Uncomfortable You are asked a hostile question: Emotions can run high, just stay calm, do not get defensive and stick to the issue. You are asked a controversial question: This shows that people are thinking critically, take your time in responding and do not feel pressured to say anything you do not mean. You are asked a question you do not know the answer to: Say so, and take the action item to follow up outside of the meeting to get an answer. Your participants seem tired or less interested: Change up the energy by asking the participants to tackle a question by themselves for a few minutes, then sharing with their neighbor and lastly reporting out to the full group. You will reenergize people by shifting the group dramatic as well as having more thoughtful and concise points of discussion on important issues. One participant is dominating the discussion: Invite new people into the conversation, if someone new does raise their hand say you are going to go to the new voice first. Ask the group if there are other views in the room after the dominating person speaks. Build in small group or partner work; this will bring new voices into the conversation. Page 2

3 Facilitating the Discussion Encourage Open Discussion Create an open space for people to participate. This is especially helpful at the beginning of a discussion while participants are warming up. Be sure to use neutral words. Paraphrase This technique provides the speaker with an opportunity to hear how their ideas are being heard, or if their point was confusing, provides an opportunity for them to clarify for the rest of the group. Clarifying This technique gives participants the support they need to refine or add to their ideas. Tracking and Summarizing Review the progress of the group by pulling together important facts or ideas to give the group something to build from. This will help bring clarity to the conversation and will help move it forward. Stacking Ensure that everyone who wants to speak gets a chance, and knows when they will get to speak. When a new topic comes up in the discussion, ask who would like to speak and tell the group the order. This will help keep participants focused because they will know their chance to speak is coming up. Who else has an idea? Is there another perspective on this issue? Has this discussion changed anyone s mind about the issue? What I am hearing you say is Let me see if I understand Did I get this right? You are saying you want to change this, because? You are saying most people do not want a change, can you give me an example? It seems like there are three conversations going on, let me make sure I am tracking them all. One is about the roles and responsibility, the second is about the funding, and the third is on the technical nature of this undertaking. Is that right? (1) Would those you want to speak on this raise your hands? (2) Tom you are first, Greg you are second and Kristen you will be third. (3) Others who would like to get into the queue just raise your hand; I will note it and come to you when it is your turn. Page 3

4 Worksheet What are some uncomfortable situations you have faced in the past? What are some tools or techniques you could use to mitigate that situation in real time? Situation Tool or Technique Page 4

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