The art of making it easier !

What’s facilitation ?Designing & implementing an environment in which a group/team can communicate, think about new ideas, develop new skills and share experiences or even make a better meeting with hard decisions.

Instructors VS. FacilitatorsInstructor Facilitator

Content expert

Lecture oriented methods

Control what to learn

Participant adapts

Process manager

Engage participants

Access prior knowledge

Participants share

A facilitator

is :

Environ-ment

designer

A friend

A guide by the side

Asking more than

answering

Listening more

than talking

Helping them to discover

ADDIE training design modelA = Asses

D = Design

D = Develop

I = Implement

E = Evaluate

1- AssesDefine where they are and what they need

Desired skills &

knowledge

Current skills &

knowledge

Training gap

2- DesignEstablish learning objectives.

Brainstorm exercises & activities.

Draft an outline of the content.

3- DevelopDEVELOP THE MATERIAL REQUIRED :

Participant guide.

Facilitator guide.

Tests & evaluations.

Power point slides.

“EVERY ONE HOUR OF THE CLASSROOM TIME NEEDS 10-30 HOURS OF PREPARATION”

4- ImplementBegin the training workshops !

5- Evaluation

Reaction Learning Behavior Result

Notes about activities & methodsWe can not mention all activities you may use because you will always have your space of creation.

It’s the facilitator responsibility to determine what activities, processes or methods to use.

Always keep in your mind what you aim to through each activity.

Here you are, some of the good methods …

Brain storming The best to generate new ideas

how to use it :

Ask a question that can be imagined in mind easily like :“if you were in trouble what is the first thing you may do?”

Gather responses without immediate evaluation.

Discuss results.

Case studyAn excellent way to capitalize on this type of adult learning.

Analyze real job-related situations.

Let them think about the solution or figure out various ways to see the situation and people.

Small group discussionsBreak the participants down into small groups.

give them case studies or work situations to discuss or solve.

Let every group preset what they have reached together and see what other groups have done.

Role-playingHelps develop new skills & learn how to face new situations.

Design the situation.

Determine how roles should be given to participants.

Give them short time to prepare.

Let them enjoy acting.

Discuss the situation after that & how they have feeled.

Presentation orientedAs a facilitator you may not talk too much, but you may also need to act as an instructor in particular parts of your training. That’s all depends on the objective & the participants.

Facilitator's set of skillsUnderstanding adult learners.

Making safe environment.

Clarifying objectives.

Agenda during the workshop.

Making a parking lot.

Track conversations.

Mirror.

Dealing with difficult questions.

Managing personalities.The whiner.

The 800 pound gorilla.

1- Understanding adult learners.Why I

need to know

My experienc

e

Involve me

Internal motivatio

n

Problem oriented thinking

Relevance to me?

2- Making safe environment.Ask for roles which would make them more comforted.

Offer some of them by yourself if it’s needed.

Remind them with the roles when it’s needed and let them be aware of what is happening and how it may influence their workshop.

3- Clarifying objectives.Make it clear.

Make it making sense to the group.

Validate agreeing and expectations.

Be ready to change if it’s needed during the workshop.

4- Agenda during the workshop.Review it with the team/group.

Visibly track progress during the workshop.

5- Making a parking lot.Track issues that requires further actions outside the workshop.

Document them.

Visit it in the parking lot time.

6- track conversationsMake sure that every one’s ideas are clear enough to others.

Summarize the results from time to time.

Make it just one idea to discuss in a time.

Always re-arrange the space of ideas spreading in the place.

7- Mirror.When someone tells a complex idea, re-express it in front of its teller and ask him ; “Am I understanding you correctly?”

When you don’t understand it, simply, ask him to clarify it further.

8- Dealing with difficult questions.If it’s irrelevant, delay it to the parking lot.

If it’s relevant :

Don’t pretend to have all the knowledge in the world or all the solution.

Ask for participants’ opinion’s.

You may tell them that you will search about it and discuss it again next workshop.

9- Managing personalities.The whiner, who disagree all the time.

Don’t ignore him.

Give him a determined amount of interest.

Ask him for the solution.

The 800 pound gorilla, who speaks too much.

Acknowledge their comment.

Offer him to here from other.

Ask ; “why don’t we here someone who didn’t talk tell now? ”