Facilitation skills

Overview

When conducting a stakeholder meeting, it is important to manage effectively group dynamics in order to gain constructive participation and agreement. This workshop builds confidence and skills by developing practical and effective facilitation techniques. This workshop is a must for anyone who runs meetings, leads project teams or committees, conducts focus groups, runs training sessions or works with groups.

Course content

This workshop focuses on the skills and appropriate techniques for facilitating groups and meetings. It offers strategies for the four phases of facilitation: preparing and getting a group started; keeping momentum and gaining agreement; finalising; and following-up. There is discussion on how these phases apply in circumstances faced in the workplace.

Course outcomes

By the end of this course attendees should be able to:

• list the skills of the faultless facilitator and assess their own areas of strength
• list the stages of group development
• write a purpose for a facilitation
• manage the steps in the facilitation process
• list a range of options for identifying difficult behaviours in groups
• gain agreement and have an implementation plan following their facilitation.

Benefits to your organisation

• more focused and productive groups facilitated within the organisation
• more effective inter-agency forums, and community and key stakeholder consultations

Benefits to you

• increased skills and confidence in applying a range of group management skills
• desired goals reached with maximum group ownership and involvement
• strategies developed for constructively handling difficult behaviours in groups and ensuring that the group meets its objectives