Clarity, with an action bias, is the deliverable of a successful Facilitator.
Engaging a Facilitator is an investment in how people are engaged, to progress what matters, in a meeting which matters. The right Facilitator makes progress possible in meetings that matter.
Insight to action is predictable when Facilitators have the communication skills and experience to assist clarity and generate action to replace confusion and inaction.
1. Leadership – demonstrate the leadership required to maximise value from a meeting that matters enough to engage a Facilitator.
2. Outcomes – clarify your outcomes in specific, measurable, and timely terms. Discussion with prospective facilitators will assist develop your thinking.
3. Facilitator Role – skilled facilitators engage others in making progress towards an agreed outcome. The facilitation role is not as a subject expert or to stifle valuable discussion amongst participants.
4. Interview – Evaluate prospective Facilitators communication skills and questioning techniques. When a Facilitator fails to motivate engagement, a passive audience is unlikely to contribute to your outcomes.
5. Proposal – Invite a Proposal detailing:
a. prospective Facilitators understanding of your outcomes in their words
b. preparation required by the Facilitator & participants
c. process and timelines to achieve agreed outcomes/time
d. ground rules to manage content, time, and space
e. strategies and tactics to encourage participation and assist progress
f. post-meeting deliverables e.g. Action Plan – What & Why, Who & When
g. Investment and Payment Terms – cost detailed by essential components
6. Testimonials/References – Benefit from others experience in engaging a prospective Facilitator
7. Cost, Cost-Benefit and ROI. ROI is multiples of the opportunity cost of participant’s meeting time when progress is made possible through a shared vision, delivered through cross-functional collaboration, to achieve agreed outcomes.
Facilitated Solutions provides skilled and experienced Facilitators who make progress possible. We also conduct Facilitation Skills workshops to build the skills required by those who wish to make process possible as an internal or external facilitator.
2021 Facilitation Skills workshop dates will be published in December 2020. Email help@facilitated-solutions.com.au for details.