Effective facilitators play the role of architect before diving into facilitating groups. After assessing their client’s challenges and needs, they draw on their knowledge and experience in group dynamics to design processes and environments to help their group get their desired results.
The Architect Competencies
- Negotiate tasks, deliverables, roles & responsibilities
- Design events to achieve clearly defined objectives
- Prepare to unique needs of audience
- Select best resources and processes for event
Practice
Create a Integral Project Plan. The project plan is like a blueprint for a building. It serves as a central point for those involved to refer back to when in the messy, confusing elements of a project or meeting. Integral Project Plans contain valuable information about your assessment of the group and project from a holistic perspective including your own commitments and responsibilities as the consultant/facilitator. A sample project plan should such items as:
Task Management
- Project description and goals (overarching and intangible)
- Objectives (specific and measurable)
- Deliverables (tangible product)
- Customer Needs/Requirements
- Stakeholders, Roles and Responsibilities
- Project Budget or Resources Needed
- Implementation Plan/Milestones
- Documentation Plan
Group Management (Systemic Elements, roles)
- Outcomes: (result or consequence of project execution, i.e. result of pursuing objectives)
- Historical Accomplishments: (lessons that may inform or support this project)
- Project Management Team Roles and Responsibilities
- Team member Roles Responsibilities
Group Awareness (Cultural/Relational Elements)
- Aspects of Cultural Climate that will support or impede Team Members and Project Goals
- Norms & Values (operating agreements, ground rules, and values that might impact project, including organizational rewards, customs, symbols, stories, etc.)
- Communication/Conflict Style Plan (observations around directness of communication and types of conflict that are expected or avoided.)
Self-Awareness (Values, Interests, and Motivations)
- Stakeholder Values, Interests, Personal Expectations that may support or impede project
- Facilitator motivations, interests, and biases that may support or impede Project (include triggers and methods you might use to be more aware of them)
- Facilitator’s assessment of situation
Creating a Meeting Agenda. A wise facilitator once said, “75% of a meeting is over before it starts; it’s all in the planning”. Your meeting plan is reflected in a well-crafted agenda. The agenda contains process tools, sequencing of items, and commitment of participants all in one place. An agenda should include the following minimum information:
- Meeting purpose (Why)
- Meeting objectives (What)
- Process for each agenda item and timing (How)
- Key Participants and their assigned roles (Who)
Selecting Process Tools. Brainstorming, grouping, selection, analysis, decision-making, breakout groups, open discussion, etc. These are the primary types of group processes. Knowing when to use which tools is a very important and subtle skill of the facilitator as architect.
Integral Facilitator’s Primer & Self-Assessment. Complete this assessment to determine your level of competency for each of these archetypes, then consider the questions that follow to help you craft a development plan to enhance your skills.
Take the Journey of Facilitation and Collaboration
This model is taught in an applied format during our Journey of Facilitation and Collaboration Workshop, a five-day experiential event offered regularly at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and sometimes at other locations throughout the country based on interest and by invitation.
