FacilitationTechniques

David LambENRD Contact Point

4 March 2020

Positive Atmosphere

• Encourage involvement (body movement,state of mind, voice)

• Tone is important

• Make the participants feel comfortable

• They should sense support, that you arelistening

• They feel free to speak up and should not beafraid of making mistakes

• Create a climate that encouragesparticipants to feel responsible for their ownlearning & viewpoint

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Control the room2

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• Presence – Be comfortable with thecontent of the session and with thegroup

• Timing – Keep the discussion movingproductively. Don’t get bogged downby individual issues

• Judgment and aggressiveness –Discriminate between effective,productive discussions and tangentsthat are unimportant to the outcomesor topics

• Poise – Deal with challenges andunexpected situations in a positivemanner

• Physical movement – Use body andeye movements to advantage

Control the room2

• Encourage discussion, butcontrol it – it’s my room

• Stimulate, guide, andsummarise the discussion byasking questions, restatingcomments and remarks

• Ensure that participantsunderstand and explore thecomments

• Try to take out distractions

• Work with the group toidentify key issues, discernpatterns, ensure that allrelevant considerations andinterpretations areevaluated, and developsolutions

Presentation Techniques3Speaking:

• Avoid telescoping ormumbling words

• Make yourself heardwithout shouting

• Watch out for repetitivephrases that may creep inevery few paragraphs

Eyes:

• Avoid “tying” your eyes to either your notes, the ceiling, or any onething or person. Start with one person and then shift to otherindividuals.

• Avoid the “ping-pong” effect – looking in rhythmic fashion, side tocentre to side and back

• Make contact with individuals through your eyes

• Avoid turning your back to the group

Presentation Techniques3

Mannerisms:

• Avoid repetitive mannerisms, such aspulling at your ear or nose, handling keys,or jingling change

• Use gestures that mean something, suchas indicating size

• Posture or stance: Stand erect butrelaxed; avoid taking a position that maylook “superior”

• Keep your hands out of your pockets atall times

Presentation Techniques3

Keep in mind the “Four Ps” of professional platform work:

• Pitch – Vary the pitch of your voice with high and low tones; avoid dullmonotones.

• Pause – Stop at the end of an important phrase: let it sink in. Pause foreffect.

• Punch – Drive key words home with emphasis and enthusiasm.

• Pace – Change your pace to add interest; slow down or speed up to givevariety.

Sensitivity4

• When two people try to speak at the same time, recognise one and tell theother you will get to them in a minute. Then remember to get the secondperson’s comments.

• Get both sides of a question. When two people are strongly opposed, call onothers for opinions.

• If reference is made to an actual potentially ethical / politically chargedsituation, exercise great care. Deflect the discussion as soon as possible.Then, offer to speak with the participant off-line.

Sensitivity4

• When a participant tosses you a “hot”question (but one legitimate to thesession), one technique is to hand it offto another participant

• Get a “quiet” participant involved byasking him or her an easy question ortwo at first

• Handle the person who talks too longwith a comment asking for agreementfrom the group

• If a participant wants to pursue an issuethat distracts from the focus of thesession, indicate that you can follow thatup afterwards

• If a participant seems to have an axe togrind, try to use the other participantsto refocus the discussion

Sensitivity4

Recognise the signs of resistance:

• Excessive questions to make a point ratherthan to gain understanding

• Side conversations

• Disinterest in team activities

• Questions or comments to trap or bafflethe facilitator

• Sleepy, disruptive or inappropriatebehaviour

Deal with the resistance:

• Recognise that the resistance probably hasnothing to do with you

• Speak to the individual(s) during the break;try to solicit support

Question5

Exploratory questions:

• Probe participant experiences in a particulararea

• Test the feelings of the group with respect toa particular issue

Challenging questions:

• Probe the participants and their convictionson a particular topic

• Re-establish interest when attention isdwindling

Listen6

Try to understand:

• The words people use

• The different meanings words can havefor different people

• People’s feelings and actions – apartfrom their words

• Demonstrate a keen interest in whatthe speaker is saying

• Try to be impartial – listen to all sides ofthe issue

• Passive listening is wasted time and canhave negative impacts

• An active listener picks up verbal andnonverbal cues

Monitoring7

Positioning – Do not leave the room. Stay upfront at the beginning. If you walk around, donot get too close to the teams. Avoid talking tothe teams since it will distract from their task.

Intervention – Intervene only if the participantshave misunderstood the task. If one team isconfused, quietly repeat the task for them. Ifseveral of the teams are confused, repeat thetask for the entire group.

Noise – Listen to the noise level. When itchanges (either up or down), something in theroom has changed. Listen for words in the teamsand observe body language. If almost all of theteams have finished, it is time to move on.

Timing – Keep to time, and provide time checksduring the exercise to help keep the participantson track.