Facilitation Techniques for Working with Groups

Working with Groups - Facilitation Techniques

Advanced Training Course on-43 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 43 Facilitation Techniques for Working with Groups

Whilst there are a number of methods for public participation that do not involve face-to-face contact (e.g. surveys, questionnaires, phone-ins, public inquiries etc) this workshop is focussed on facilitation skills and therefore the following notes have concentrated on techniques that involve interaction between individuals and groups.

Depending on what participation process has been designed by you (or by others, or with others) you will have selected a variety of ‘events’ through which groups of people will participate. (Note: they are not suggested in any order – you need to have selected the most appropriate method depending on: the nature of the project, the phase of the project, and the ‘profile’ of the people involved).

These may include:  Public Meetings that may:  Give out information for people to consider  Communicate or ‘show’ different options  Seek to get broad feedback on views and opinions  Clarify understanding and educate for further work  Explain the processes that will be used throughout the project  (or may not) seek to get agreement on the way to proceed

 Focus Groups that may:  Consider the general goals and objectives of the project  Seek to get opinions on how to proceed  be used to gather initial information on issues  be used to clarify issues later in the project

 Workshops that may:  Present and clarify information to people  Seek to gather detailed information and opinions on issues  Seek to generate ideas on how to deal with issues or problems  Seek to create possibilities for action  Consider the possible outcomes of various actions  Make decisions on a preferred option

 Committee or ‘Planning’ meetings that may:  Present project design options to some key stakeholders  Seek to get agreement on the way to proceed  Seek to get initial input from key stakeholders  Generate discussion of key issues Advanced Training Course on-44 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 44  Generate discussion on key options  Give feedback on the results of broader consultation  Mediate conflict arising from a difference of opinion  Negotiate agreement on future options and actions

As mentioned before, it is important that you plan each of the stages of the participation carefully (although you may also do this through participative methods), and that you clearly state to all present what is the purpose of the session and how it fits into the ‘big picture’ of the project. A common mistake in many participation processes is to try and utilise an inappropriate methodology to undertake part of the participation process. e.g.  Large Public Meetings are good for giving out general information and explaining the ideas behind a project, and how it will proceed. They are a good way to explain to people how and when they may be able to participate throughout the whole process. Public meetings also allow people to ‘let off steam’ about certain issues and make broad suggestions and give general feedback (you can expect that some public meetings may be rowdy and maybe have some conflict). You can also use such types of gatherings as a way of displaying some initial options and maybe trying to develop some general understanding or raising awareness. However they are not the most appropriate way to ‘work through’ issues in any sort of detail. They also often not useful ways to get considered opinions or judgement. Experience shows that it can often be very difficult to get consensus at large group meetings.

 Focus Groups are excellent for just that – providing ‘focus’ on a particular idea or set of options. They are a good way to get some early feedback on issues and early suggestions for future conduct of the project. Focus groups can provide valuable detail about people’s feelings and opinions on specific things. Focus groups are generally used to get feedback on ideas or options that have been generated through some other method. However, focus groups are usually small, they have specifically selected participants and they are not necessarily representative of the broader community. Focus groups are good for getting feedback and clarification but are not appropriate for reaching agreement or making commitments.

 Workshops are one of the most generally used forms of public participation and they can take a variety of shapes and forms. They can also have a variety of goals and objectives –depending on how you have designed your project. They can be used to; educate and raise awareness, to explore ideas and generate new ideas, to develop possible options, to compare and evaluate options and to, make decisions on a preferred

Advanced Training Course on-45 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 45 way to move forward. Workshops are often the best way to generate Creative Thinking.

 Committee or Planning Group (or ‘Steering Group’) meetings are best used for clarification and decision-making. They can be used all throughout the project and they need to be clear about their role and also the timetable for their involvement. Such groups usually represent the key stakeholders and it is common that they will be given a fairly high level of decision-making. They typically: gain a group understanding of an issue and suggest broad guidelines of how to proceed, comment on project design, nominate groups or individuals who should be involved, offer broad opinions of possible reactions to ideas, review outcomes from other participative processes (meetings, workshops and focus groups). It is typical that they may be given the power to make decisions and also make recommendations. Importantly, such committees need to be informed right at the start where are the limits of their decision- making powers – will they make the final decision or make the final recommendations? However, they are not the most appropriate way to canvass broad opinions and they may have limited capacity to generate new ideas.

In truth, a number of writers about public participation techniques have all admitted that even the most experienced of them never got it right 100% of the time. There is always the likelihood that something unexpected may come up – despite the best planning in the world. A methodology that works well in one location and with a particular group may produce few useful results in another situation. Not all groups work well and even though some groups learn to work ‘better’ some groups just never work well at all.

Those experienced writers suggest that we just have to live with those facts – each attempt at public participation is an attempt to get it ‘better’ if not ‘perfectly right’.

1. Using a ‘Creative Cycle’ for Public Participation.

Public Participation processes can be viewed in one way as a ‘Creative Cycle” – i.e. they are a creative process designed to explore and generate new ideas, and then select appropriate options and make decisions. According to Lynn Kearney (1995), the creative process is something like breathing – expanding (going out and diverging), narrowing (drawing in and converging) – and, like breathing, this ‘creative cycle’ keeps repeating. It may

Advanced Training Course on-46 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 46 seem at first to be an unconscious process, but when we are considering managing and facilitating groups then it needs to be conscious and planned.

The basic creative cycle for groups may be viewed as:

 Expanding  Gathering lots of information  Exploring different perspectives  Generating lots of ideas  Seeing possibilities

And then….

 Narrowing  Sorting and classifying  Synthesizing and editing  Comparing and evaluating

Kearney suggests that the two main parts of this creative Cycle (Expanding and Narrowing) can be further broken down into four phases – starting, expanding, narrowing and closure. In some cases one or more of the phases may take a long time, and others may be handled very quickly. Experience has shown that, if a phase is skipped or treated too lightly, then it is likely that you may have to return to that phase again at a later time. Also, groups may go through certain phases over and over again before they are ready to move on to the next phases.

The characteristics of the four phases are listed below

STARTING EXPANDING NARROWING CLOSURE Getting the group Really getting into Narrowing the field Making a decision acquainted, the work: exploring, of choices to the on what action to oriented, clear of widening the field, most relevant and take. Making a their roles and getting lots of appropriate, refining commitment to: participating information and options into  A goal ideas for tackling workable actions  An idea or the tasks ahead solution  A project or action plan

Advanced Training Course on-47 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 47 Before we Start - a Warning about ‘Pressure Points’

There are two important points in the group’s time together that you must be aware of and manage carefully. These points occur when a group is really feeling under pressure – and as the facilitator you may also feeling under pressure at these points in the process.

STARTING The first pressure point comes when a new group is formed. No matter what task the group is assigned, no matter whether the individuals present know each other or not, each person present is likely to have some of the following issues:  Who is here?  Why are we here? What are our roles and how am I expected to behave?  How important is this? I am busy and I have lots to do- is this a good use of my time?  Will I join in or just sit here and watch?  Is it dangerous to speak up?  Can I get what I want out of this process?

CLOSURE The second pressure point comes when a group is finally forced to make a decision – this means that the group will need to make a decision that affects their future and quite possibly the future of others. Such a task creates a pressure, and members of the group are likely to have some of the following issues:  Have I been listened to and heard correctly?  Have my ideas been seriously considered?  Are my personal interests forwarded by my participation? Has my involvement undermined some principle or initiative that I am committed to?  Do I believe we are making a good decision (informed, reasoned, productive) even if it is not the outcome that I would most prefer?  What are the implications of making this decision for me? What actions will I need to take when I leave this meeting?

These pressure points start out as issues… and if they are not taken care of they become problems.

The following chart suggests some ideas to quickly deal with these significant ‘pressure points’.

Advanced Training Course on-48 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 48 STARTING Issues for group members Facilitator must provide:  Who is here?  Introductions  Why are we here?  Clear explanation of roles  How important is this?  Purpose and goal for this session  Will I join in or just sit here and watch?  Norm setting activity – a demonstration  Is it safe? that everyone contributes equally at  Can I get what I need? least once

CLOSURE Issues for group members Facilitator must provide:  Have I been listened to and heard If a group moves quickly to closure then no correctly? special action may be required….  Have my ideas been seriously However, you may need to provide: considered?  ‘air time’ – so each individual can  Are my personal interests forwarded by finish expressing all their opinions and my participation? concerns  Do I believe we are making a good  Integration – a method of ‘pooling’ all decision? the ideas together.  What are the implications of making  An agreed and legitimate way of this decision for me? making the decision:  What actions will I need to take? - By process - Or, by an authority figure/group recognised as legitimate by the group

The ‘Three-Step’ Creative Process.

No matter what sort of group you work with, or at what phase of the project, Kearny offers us a useful framework for planning and managing our group sessions. From her evaluation of group processes conducted in a wide variety of circumstances, she offers a simple framework that helps us design group activities that encompass all the elements of the participative process.

In brief, the 3 –step process looks like this:

- Step 1- Exploration, Focus, And Goal-Setting - Step 2 – Idea Development And Selection - Step3 – Implementation And Evaluation Planning And following this, each of the three steps is broken into the four phases discussed earlier: - Starting - Expanding - Narrowing, and Advanced Training Course on-49 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 49 - Closure

Note: although we will present these three steps and the phases in chronological order, real life is not so neat and tidy. Creative thinking is often cyclical and re-iterative – i.e the group may need to back-track and re-visit certain phases.

The theory may be to go:

Step 1 (4 phases) Step 2 (4 Phases) Step3 (4 Phases)

But in real life, and with all the realities of the real world….. participative processes often look like:

Don’t worry about this … just keep heading forward!

Someone once said “Facilitating a group is not about leading a march…. It’s more like encouraging a dance!”

The 3-Step Process in Brief

This process can be used for a whole program design, but it is equally useful to design each individual session. Sometimes a group may go through the whole process in one session … or sometimes they will need many sessions to go through the whole cycle. Sometimes, they me need to re-visit certain phases to do more work before they move on. As the facilitator you will need to be flexible and prepared for these eventualities.

A chart of Content and Outputs for the 3-step process would look like this: CONTENTS OUTPUT STEP 1 Explore the situation from different perspectives. A Measurable or Exploration , Focus Gather useful information and data. Narrow the focus observable goal or and Goal setting and set a goal problem statement STEP 2 Create a huge collection of ideas. Develop a few of the A Specific Idea or Idea Development most promising. Select one or two to implement Solution to and Selection Implement STEP 3 List the tasks and actions that need to happen: A Project Plan. Implementation and - mechanical , and Evaluation Planning - political Assign deadlines, responsibilities and tasks. Advanced Training Course on-50 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 50 So you can see how the 3-step process offers us some guidance to design a process that may cover the whole project or is equally just as useful for designing a single session.

The 3-Step Process in a Little More Detail

The 3-step process can be used for solving problems, developing opportunities, or designing and developing new ideas.

Before your participation process even starts there is usually a ‘trigger event’- something that has highlighted a particular issue as being important and worthy of attention. Some trigger events are recent and extremely tangible, but some others may have come as a result of a long and protracted series of events.

Some typical trigger events may be:  a crisis or emergency  a sudden recognition of a problem that has been growing for some time  a decision to change government policy  a conference or summit that identifies a ‘problem’  the availability of funding to conduct certain projects on a particular topic.

STEP 1 – EXPLORATION, FOCUS, & GOAL SETTING

Whatever the ‘trigger’, you need to find a point to start your exploration. You need to define your ‘starting point’. Examine the situation from different perspectives, gather information and then let it ‘settle’ for a while in your mind. Then start.

(Note: don’t forget about the overriding suggestions about the ‘pressure points’ of STARTING and CLOSURE)

A group needs a shared information base about the topic they are working on. This shared information will feed and support the group’s creative thinking – their ideas will spring from it. This shared information base will be built from a collective effort: you may supply some, the individuals in the group may supply some, and also the group itself will build some common understanding amongst themselves. Trying to generate ideas together without a shared information base is like trying to grow seeds without soil.

 For problem-solving, you will want to gather information about all the possible ‘causes’

 You will want to know who are they key interests in the ‘issue’ and what are their perspectives, issues and problems. Advanced Training Course on-51 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 51  For generating opportunities or new ideas, you will want to gather data about trends, about whether anyone else is facing similar problems or what they are doing, and what are (if any) ‘tried-and-true’ solutions.

 You will need to clearly identify what are the limitations of your project – scope, time costs etc

Once you have established a general information base you need to organize your thoughts and narrow things down to a promising starting point of achievable outcomes. Finally, you need to set a goal of some kind in order to focus your efforts and know ‘when you get there’. Set your goal as a verifiable end point for where you want to get to – make it a real measure of your success and describe it in a way that everyone understands.

STEP 2 – IDEA DEVELOPMENT AND SELECTION

Once you have your clearly defined goal or problem statement , then you are able to proceed to the step of developing ideas and selecting the most promising alternatives.

You start this step by generating as many ideas as possible using all sorts of techniques. In this first stage it is quantity and variety that counts – there is no such thing as a bad idea!

Next you will start narrowing down the ideas to a few of the most promising ones. You may then want to further explore these ideas by developing some workable alternatives form each of them.

This step ends when you select and idea (or set of ideas) to implement. At this point you need to have clear and specific recommendations on how to solve the issue or problem or act on an opportunity.

STEP 3 – IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION PLANNING.

To begin this step you need to have a specific idea or plan to implement.

Very few ideas (even good ones!) can be implemented by someone saying “well…just do it”. No matter how good the idea, there are logistic and political issues that must be handled in order to turn the idea into reality.

First you must list each and every one of the tasks that needs to be undertaken in order to implement the idea. From informing people, to writing letters, to organising an opening ceremony – each and every task you can think of that will be needed to make the idea happen. Then you need to assign responsibility to

Advanced Training Course on-52 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 52 certain individuals and groups to carry out those tasks. And…lastly, you need to build in some kind of measurements that let you know what has been achieved and where you are up to.

MMMM….. if this sounds a bit like ‘Project Management’ ….then you’re right…it is. If you don’t continue to hold some order and control over the implementation of your idea then it may never happen.

The following chart shows how this 3-Step Process is combined with the issues (mentioned before) about Starting and Closure, to create a matrix for your process design…

STEP 1: EXPLORATION, FOCUS AND GOAL SETTING STARTING EXPANDING NARROWING CLOSURE

 Who’s here? Gather information Organize ideas and Select a clear goal  Why?  Causes Information  Write as a  Is it important?  Trends  Condense display clear  Am I “in”?  Resources  Discuss statement  Different  Constraints  Synthesize  Establish a perspectives  Needs & wants Focus on key issues measure for success. STEP 2: IDEA DEVELOPMENT AND SELECTION STARTING EXPANDING NARROWING CLOSURE

 Is it still  Generate lots of  Identify most  Select idea(s) important? ideas and promising ideas to implement  Am I still “in”? alternatives  Use them to develop  Now I have alternatives different  Develop selection Knowledge and criteria experience STEP 3: IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION PLANNING STARTING EXPANDING NARROWING CLOSURE

 What is  List tasks  Refine tasks  Project plan involved ?  Assign  Schedule precisely for completion  What are the responsibilities politics?  Seat deadlines  Am I still “in”?

Advanced Training Course on-53 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 53 2.6 Basic Group Needs

Kearney suggests that groups also have six basic needs:  A shared goal  A shared information base  A means of generating lots of ideas or options  A means of narrowing down the options to a promising few  A means of deciding what option(s) to use  A means of getting from idea to implementation

These needs are not a series of steps- they may occur (and possibly) re-occur at any time. They may also show up in any order -for instance, the group may need to develop a shared information base before it can proceed to developing a shared goal that is clear and specific. The group may need an assigned goal to find out about something specific. It may cycle through all needs in just one phase of the 3-step process.

How does this relate to the 3 –step process?

Don’t worry too much about how this aligns with the 3-step process we talked about earlier… Just like the need for Starting and Closure, the basic group needs can crop up at any time and are overlaid on our basic creative process.

For example:

Need Step(s) of creative process 1. a shared goal  Expanding and narrowing (with closure) 2. a shared information base  Expanding and Narrowing 3. a large pool of ideas or options  Expanding 4. a means of narrowing a large pool of  Narrowing options to a promising few 5. a means of deciding  Narrowing (with closure) 6. a means of moving from idea to  Expanding and Narrowing (with implementation closure)

Advanced Training Course on-54 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 54 Here is an example of how the 6 needs might show up in just the first phase of the 3-step creative process (Exploration, Focus and Goal Setting).

Need 1.Goal - Reduce processing time on

Licence A

Need 2 – a shared Need 1.Goal Revisited - refine the information base: What do goal and make it measurable.. we know about Licence A? Reduce processing time on Processing requirements Licence A from 15 days to a Processing time maximum of 10. Problems etc

Need 1 Revisited: Interim Goal – Gather information learn more about licence A , its Make decision processes and customer Closure requirements.

Need 3 : Generate Ideas What information could we get – how? Need 6: Implementation – who is going to get the information , by when? What happens if we can’t get it?

Need 4. Narrow Options: What Need 5. Decide – So what information is really important and information will we get, how will vital to us? we get it?

So you can see how the six needs can be met even just within this first phase.

Advanced Training Course on-55 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 55 3. A Word about Process

In all group meetings or workshops, two things need to be managed and facilitated – the content and the process.

The CONTENT is, of course: the topic to be discussed, like problems, issues, ideas, opportunities and actions.

The PROCESS is how the workshop or meeting is going to progress – this is the key role for the facilitator.

In many meetings the groups focus too much on the content and not enough on the process. This is a mistake. If the process is not managed by the facilitator, the meeting can drag on and get nowhere or it may even flare up in conflict and anger. People may then leave in frustration and convince themselves that nothing can be done in a group process.

It is important therefore to pay attention to some key process skills:

 Define RESULTS for each meeting  Get basic AGREEMENTS  Suggest a PROCESS  Create and use GROUP MEMORY (see earlier notes)  Maintain GROUP FOCUS  Don’t forget the 6 BASIC NEEDS (see earlier section)

Advanced Training Course on-56 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 56 Defining RESULTS (Group Deliverables)

In these notes we are assuming that you are mostly dealing with a team meeting or a group workshop that is expected to produce something – some sort of outcome and/or decision. In these kind of group sessions the aim is to produce some kind of useful result. This result should be clearly defined at the start of your session so that group members know what they are supposed to deliver by the end.

This result statement should be clearly written and posted at the front of the room where everybody can see it. It should be posted right form the start – as people come into the room they should be able to see it. It should be clear and specific, so that the group knows where it is headed and can tell when it has got off track.

Here are some examples of meeting and workshop deliverables:  A measurable goal or problem statement – e.g. “We will explore and discuss the issue of juvenile crime in our town and then develop a list of information we need (to proceed) and actions to gain that information”.  Develop a list of……….. (whatever)  Make a decision on……….(whatever)  Make a recommendation on ………(whatever)

The following are NOT deliverables:  Discuss juvenile crime  Consider suppliers for town waste collection  Review the status of Project X  Examine future directions.

Statements such as that don’t give you any clear indication of what should be achieved by the end of the meeting/workshop. A true meeting deliverable will allow you to see if you achieved what you set out to do in that particular session. They are precise and relate specifically to that meeting or workshop. Whilst they contribute towards the achievement of project goals – they clearly state what is the target to achieving in that session.

Note: However, in some cases, such as a large initial public meeting, you may state your meeting deliverables as: e.g. “To allow people to voice their opinions on topic X and inform them of the project design”- you may not state an output as such.

Advanced Training Course on-57 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 57 Develop an AGENDA

A good agenda serves as a road map to help the group get oriented, stay on track and reach its destination. Holding a working meeting or workshop without an agenda is like setting off to the South Pole without a map.

Even in large public meetings where you would want to be as flexible as possible (to avoid anger as people “get things off their chest” and air grievances), you will still benefit from letting people know a broad agenda – e.g. “ I will explain the program for about ten minutes and then we have about two hours to hear all of your comments from the floor… at about 8pm I will begin to wrap up the meeting and we will finish at 8.30)

For a more task- oriented meeting or workshop you would want an agenda that lists:  Topics to be covered (content)  How it will be covered (process)  Time frames for each activity  Deliverables for the meeting/workshop

For example: AGENDA Deliverables: An implementation plan for moving office next week CONTENT PROCESS TIME  What the new office  Presentation by Jaya 20 minutes will look like  Draft schedule for moving day  Problems with  Brainstorm 30 minutes maintaining workflow  Agree on best option(s)  Dealing with enquiries  Packing and unpacking  Presentation of issues/tasks by 5 minutes Director  Discussion of alternative 10 minutes options  Agreement of best option 5 minutes  Issues arising  Group discussion 15 minutes  Summary and close  Presentation by Director 5.minutes  Confirmation of Implementation Plan Total Meeting time: 1hr 30 minutes Start 10am Finish 11.30 am, Wednesday 5th, Venue: Jaya’s office

Advanced Training Course on-58 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 58 At the very minimum, an agenda should show the deliverables, the topic and timeframes for each activity.

Compare this type of agenda to the usual sort of agenda we get in the office:

Staff Meeting, 11.30 am, Wednesday, Jaya’s office Items for discussion:  New office  Schedule for moving day  Problems  Packing and unpacking  Issues  Implementation plan.

P.S. Bring your own cup of tea/coffee – no refreshments will be provided

Which do you think would work better?

Ideally, you plan your agenda well ahead of the meeting or workshop. If you distribute the agenda to your participants well ahead of the meeting then they can be more prepared. If they can see that the meeting/workshop is going to be well organized and well-facilitated, then they are more likely to assume it will be productive and worth their time.

When you plan your agenda, don’t forget to think about all of the following issues:  Are the deliverables clear, specific and achievable?  Do the group already know each other? - if not you have to factor in some time for introductions etc.  Is the timeframe appropriate – can people get there? Are they working? Is there bad traffic? Will they have just got off a plane?  Will you be able to have everything prepared for the workshop?  Are you (as the facilitator) confident/experienced in facilitating the techniques you have selected?  Is there likely to be conflict…will it need to be dealt with?  Do a reality check – do you really think you can do this in this time?

Sometimes you may turn up to a meeting or workshop and there is no agenda. If you are the facilitator I would suggest that you develop one on the spot according to the guidelines above. At the beginning of the meeting you could distribute or post the agenda and ask if anyone had any objections to using it for your meeting/workshop.

Advanced Training Course on-59 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 59 As facilitator, you may also want to ask: “do we agree to use these timeframes?” and “ If we start running over time, do I have your permission to move us along?”.

Get Basic AGREEMENTS

Big agreements are built up over time, out of small basic agreements. You have to build them slowly , establishing both a foundation of small decisions and a habit of checking and agreeing with each other. Even groups that have come together in some kind of conflict situation can learn to be more agreeable together.

You can create this agreement foundation by asking for agreements right from the start. Instead of assuming that people will just work together happily and follow the design you have made, and use you agenda – ask them. After all they do have a choice. Even if they can’t leave the meeting they can choose whether to be an active and productive participant or not. Asking people for small basic agreements right from the start accomplishes many basic things:

 It shows respect for people’s autonomy  It helps build commitment  It lets you know right away if there is something that somebody has a real issue with so you can deal with that as soon as possible  It puts the participants on notice that they need to take some responsibility when participating in the workshop  It begins to build a habit of checking for agreement.

How to ask for agreements. Some simple ways to ask are:

 Shall we………….?  I suggest we……….., does anyone have a different approach?  Does anyone object if we…………………….?  May I……………………..?  Is it okay if we………………………….?  Can we try this ……………………?

Advanced Training Course on-60 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 60 Some of the important times to ask for agreements and some examples of what the facilitator may ask.

ASK FOR AGREEMENT ON….. YOU MIGHT SAY RESULTS OR MEETING Here’s what I think we should have by the DELIVERABLES end of this meeting/workshop…does that sound reasonable to you? (If people say no then ask “what do you think we could accomplish then?” AGENDA Here’s an agenda that I think might help us get to our target:  Is there anything missing?  Should we add/delete anything? (be prepared to make changes) YOUR ROLE I will be the facilitator and my role is to help you get to where you want to go. I won’t (or will ..if that is what you agree on) add my own ideas. Is that okay with you? PROCESS SUGGESTIONS (break complex group process decisions into simple yes/no decisions)  I suggest we start by introducing ourselves so we all know who is here …is everyone agreeable to that? (No objections….a few nods)  Okay then if you could tell us your name and briefly why you have come here to this meeting.  Would anyone object if we took a 15 minute break before we tackle the next break.

All of these suggestions for agreement could be made by anyone in the group. As facilitator it is important that you at least help build the culture of agreement by taking the lead in this way, but if others make suggestions for agreement then treat them seriously and support them.

Suggesting a PROCESS

Processes are the way for the group to work with issues problems and topics on their agenda.

If you are the Facilitator people will naturally expect you to suggest or pre- determine the processes you are going to use. You are seen as the expert in

Advanced Training Course on-61 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 61 many cases and even if people a re in the mood to disagree they will want you to suggest something first – just so they can disagree with it!

Also, groups learn and develop confidence over time, so it is not unnatural that a group will need firmer direction when they first start out. As the group learns about each other, learns about the topic, and gets some experience and practice in using different techniques… then they will be more likely to suggest processes in the future.

Even so, it is still wise to gradually introduce the idea that you will ask the group’s permission for how to proceed. This enables you to:

 Build the foundation of small agreements  Keep the group on track by maintaining process agreements  Help the group learn and take responsibility for making the processes work.

Which of these processes would you like to use?

Maintaining Group Focus

One of the most common problems for group processes is that the group loses focus. This can happen at any time during the project, although it is more likely to happen at the middle of the project rather than the beginning or the end. However, a group process that gets seriously “out of focus” in the middle

Advanced Training Course on-62 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 62 of a project may never recover and finish up with all sorts of people asking “what the heck was that that we just participated in?”.

Group focus can also lose focus within just one session. However, once your meeting or workshop is in progress then you, as the facilitator, can help maintain the group focus by:

 Posting the project goal and the meeting/workshop deliverable clearly where everyone can see it , and by referring to it as you go.  Posting a sheet called OTHER ISSUES which are things which crop up but shouldn’t be dealt with in this session … but should be dealt with anyway at a later date. We also often use sheet called DFI – Darn Fine Ideas – to collect really good ideas that don’t strictly apply to the job in hand but should be recorded anyway.  Following your agreed agenda  Using group memory  Stopping every so often to explore where you are up to  Getting the group to reflect back on the original goal  Asking “are we on track here?” or should we change the way we are working?”.  Asking deliberate questions that force the group to re-orient itself and clearly articulate its position – e.g. “ I am sorry, I am not clear…where exactly are we?”.  Suggesting processes and then maintaining them.  Sticking to timeframes wherever possible… or , if you change them, then do so by way of agreements.

You can use your body language and your position in the room to help maintain the focus of the group. Don’t be afraid to use humour as well.

Compiled by: Mr. Robert Mellor CLG-UTS

The notes are based on the author’s own experience as well as adapting the work (as allowed) of Lynn Kearny’s work as presented in “The Facilitator’s Toolkit – Tools and Techniques for Generating Ideas and Making Decisions in Groups”, HRD Press , 1995.

Advanced Training Course on-63 Moderation/Facilitation- Skills 2-6 December 2002, Lalitpur, Nepal 63