AOE 1. Performance Improvement; Sub section 1.7. Facilitation Methods
Learning Objectives for Facilitation Methods: Explain the differences between training facilitation and process facilitation
Describe how a facilitator may assist in team development
List the key skills associated with facilitation
Summarize several tools that facilitators use to move teams from startup to productivity
List several questioning techniques that facilitators use to stimulate discussions
List the steps in an effective meeting process
Explain the purpose of process mapping
Describe process improvement methods
Discuss one reason that teams often have difficulty dealing with a problem
List several decision-making methods
Describe the goal and process of the nominal group techniques as a facilitation tool
Facile: translated from French: (adjective) easy, simple, quick, effortless, lightA facilitator is a guide for a group; and facilitation has many meanings we’ll get into for AOE 1.7 on this episode. Training vs. Process Facilitation — what are the differences between these 2 ways to facilitate?
Training Facilitation Customer is the learner of knowledge & skills
The practitioner/facilitator is flexible, supports learners to ensure training effective & it improves performance
Design & objectives are usually predetermined
Note: when facilitating process discussions you will want to define a quantitative goal to measure impact/results |
Process Facilitation Customer is the performer/employee/team member in the organization and needs to learn a process
The practitioner/facilitator supports processes and teams by coaching performers/employees, selecting & integrating tools for learning & coordinating how the improvement will be developed
Engage the customers in creating the design and objectives to produce results
Relates to the tasks needed to lead a productive & impartial meeting e.g. decision-making or problem solving
Facilitators are responsible for the team/group they are working with and the organization they are supporting by: Coaching the team in processes, roles, procedures, policies & goals
Attending team meetings as-needed to provide feedback to the team leader & members
Acting as a consultant to the team leader
Monitoring team dynamics, diagnosing problems, and recommending appropriate solutions
Promoting team building and facilitating team development
Three skills needed to successfully manage a team: How to handle dysfunctional team members
How to use tools that facilitate team development
How to use storytelling
BONUS: Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) The TKI, outlines the basic dimensions of behavior as how others in the group want to respond to conflict situation, here are a few of the dysfunctional team members you might encounter: Competing
Accommodating
Avoiding
Collaborating
Compromising
Tools for Facilitation Listening
Agendas
Opening discussions
Shared framework of understanding
Summarizing
Brainstorming
Building agreement
Consensus building
Gaining closure
Storytelling is an effective way to communicate and present information as it helps to capture others attention, establish a rapport, build credibility, bring a team closer together, and deliver a message others will remember.
Questioning Techniques help to stimulate discussion, check for understanding, keep participants of the meeting involved, gain consensus for ideas, and allows for open thinking to brainstorm or offer potential solutions. More about this to come in AOE 3. Training Delivery.
Meeting Management Adopt ground rules
Identify issues
Record issues
Prioritize issues
Get agreement
Share information
Brainstorm solutions
Refine options
Define points of agreement
Perform a reality check
Confirm agreement
Process Improvement Methodologies - often is from a result of a gap analysis identifying the components of the process that needs attention (as shared in Ep. 1.3.). To conduct a process-level gap analysis, you will need to design and recommend process improvement solutions with these four basic components: Inputs
Process controls
Outputs
Resources
Suggested ways to get process improvement going when facilitating include: Problem-solving or process improvement models
Flowcharts
Process control systems
Collection, Organization, and reporting of data and information
Process mapping: steps involved in establishing ___ within a company; e.g. customer profile questions, applications for items, sample loan files, print ads, etc.
Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) Model is a standard process improvement model; READ: How to Apply the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Model to Improve Your Business by LucidchartAlso known as the Deming Cycle or PDSA Cycle
Decision-Making Methods & Processes — you need an organized process to solve problems so a good facilitator will ensure the team is following a specific & agreed-upon process for making a decision, like this problem solving model: Define the problem
Research and analyze the problem
Establish a checklist of criteria for use in evaluating possible solutions
List all possible alternatives
Select the best alternative and discuss how to implement it
Monitor implementation and modify it if required
In Search of Solutions (Quinlivan-Hall & Renner, 1990), offers the following guidelines for creating the appropriate question to clearly define a problem: How questions suggest a process
Where questions indicate locations
Who questions identify the people involved
When questions point to time
What questions sort process and content
BONUS READ: 7 steps of the Decision Making Process
Group Dynamics, Observations, and InterventionsGroup dynamics focuses on the nature of groups, specifically urges to belong or to identify may impact attitudes and influence the group to become bonded. To observe a group, it will be critical for the facilitator to use all three types* of listening: Passive
Attentive
Active
*There seem to be many more types of listening — these are just not identified in this section of the ATD Learning System for the CPLP exam.
Nominal Group Technique — helps with decision-making, like I shared in Episode 1.5, this exercise generates many ideas and lets the group evaluate each of these in a round robin approach to classify, rank, and identify critical suggestions of importance.
Books mentioned in episode 1.7.: Facilitating with Ease!, 4th Edition by Ingrid Bens; Chapter 9: Meetings
Facilitator’s and Trainer’s Tookkit by Artie Mahal; Chapter 6: Tools
In Search of Solutions by David Quinlivan-Hall & Peter Renner
Passive listening music clip song was The Vendetta featuring Apoxode by Stefan Kartenberg from http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/58628 with a Creative Commons license.
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