Listening, Integrating &Facilitating Skills

Adrian Mark C. AlarconMa. Karina C. Borja

What is LISTENING?Listening is the process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to spoken and/or non-verbal messages (ILA, 1996).

LISTENING & HEARING are the same.

Listening DO’s and Dont’sLook directly to the personAsk questionsDon’t interruptDon’t change the topicEvaluate emotionsRespond Listening Barriers

Bias or prejudice LanguageAttention span NoisePersonal concerns Emotions

What is INTEGRATING?Integrating would mean how you paraphrase or summarize information when you are in a team (Camit, 2011).

It is in integration that different information are collected together to form

one idea.

What is FACILITATING?Facilitating means making things easy (Merriam-Webster).

From its literal meaning, we can say that facilitating is an activity to accomplish tasks in an easier way.

Responsibilities of a FacilitatorBe the standard-setters of discussions.Make the environment a priority.Be mindful of timing issues.Be responsible for articulating goals.Make use of various tools & techniques.Pay attention to group behaviors.Have a sense of humor.

Facilitating DO’s• Exude confidence.• Use stories and examples relating to their tasks.• Select an appropriate technique.• Have lots of visually appealing handouts and flip charts.• Determine needed supplies, room requirements, & chair setup.• Think through the exercise and visualize potential problems.• Clearly explain activity directions & be prepared for questions.• Observe individual participation and involvement .• Be aware of individuals that may be experiencing discomfort. • Be available to talk/debrief with participants.

• Evaluate needs of the group.• Evaluate the experience and write down notes for

future trainings.

Facilitating DONT’s• Impose a solution on the group. • Downplay people’s ideas.• Push personal opinions as the “right” answer.• Tell inappropriate or offensive stories.• Allow people to bully others in the group.• Talk a stance with one section of the group.• Tell too much about your personal experience and life.• Assume the demographics of your group.

• Make up an answer.• Dominate the group.• Say umm, aahh repeatedly.• Read from a manuscript.