Facilitating MeetingsDon Laackman for IBH and Career ServicesMay 14, 2009

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Agenda

Why facilitate?

Facilitation methodology

Concluding thoughts

Why Facilitate?

Good meeting facilitation maximizes the collective human capital in the room and achieves greater results

A little bit of planning can Go a long way toward meeting objectives

Make people feel better about their participation

Help you win friends and influence peopleDef: facilitate -- 1. a. trans. To render easier the performance of (an action), the attainment of (a result); to afford facilities for, promote, help forward (an action or process). Oxford English Dictionary

Facilitation Methodology

Setting up the meeting

Introducing the meeting

Conducting the meeting

Closing the meeting and follow-up

Setting Up the Meeting

What is the purpose of the meeting?Make decisions

Educate

Plan for follow-on actions

Depending on the purpose, think about prep and agendas (static vs. dynamic)

Distribute background material if necessary

Be clear on logistics (time, place, dress code, food)

Introducing the Meeting

RolesFacilitator vs. Boss

Participant’s roles – spectators, contributors, collaborators

Rules for the meetingTime contracts

Responsibility and authority of the facilitator

How decisions are made (boss vs. majority rule)“Ninety percent of the world’s problems are caused

by role confusion”- Don Laackman

Conducting the Meeting

Remember who is in charge

Remember the goals

Gently, but forcefully, guide the meeting

Honor your time contract

Call time-outs

The “one conversation” rule

How to make everyone feel heard

How to cut someone off

Closing the Meeting and Follow-ups

Summarize the meeting results

Re-cap who is doing what

Discuss how the meeting results will be communicated

Thank the participants

Off-line, solicit feedback on your performance

Follow-up with an email, blog entry or some other type of record of the meeting

Concluding Thoughts

Good facilitators listen well, are respectful, and push the agenda forward

Well-facilitated meetings let people know their ideas were heard and respected

Think carefully about when you should play the facilitation role – and when you do, don’t go half in

Facilitation helps a team achieve more and uses time more productively