Facilitating the Meeting W ESTERN E LECTRICITY C OORDINATING C OUNCIL.

W E S T E R N E L E C T R I C I T Y C O O R D I N A T I N G C OU N C I L

Facilitating the Meeting

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Objectives

• Define facilitation and identify its purpose and benefits

• Clarify the role and focus of the Committee Chair as a facilitator

• Differentiate between process and content• Identify ways a facilitator can help a group

reach a consensus• Provide guidelines in dealing with disruptions,

dysfunctions, and difficult people

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What is Facilitation?

• Process of designing and running a successful meeting. Facilitation concerns itself with all the tasks needed to run a productive and impartial meeting while serving the needs of any group who are meeting with a common purpose, whether it be making a decision, solving a problem, or simply exchanging ideas and information.

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What is a Facilitator?

• An individual to manage the process• Helps groups arrive at their objective by

ensuring that everyone’s contribution is heard and the processes being used are both productive and empowering to all

• Can also involve managing group member’s emotions, defusing tensions and encouraging team cohesiveness

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A Facilitator’s Focus

• A facilitator should attend to both process and content

• They manage information flow • Ideally, they’re also content neutral; they

shouldn’t take sides in a debate *• When a facilitator adds to the content of a

discussion, the facilitator’s role is confused from neutral guide to biased participant

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Process vs. Content

• Facilitators are process experts• Interested in the “how?” as much as the

“what?” • To produce quality output, the group must

arrive at the solution together

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About Process

Process elements include:• Meeting Flow• Participation• Communication• Committee Member Roles• Power/ Influence• Problem-Solving Process• Decision-Making Process• Group Atmosphere

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About Content

• Content refers to the subject matter of a discussion – the actual words or ideas that were spoken

• Refers to the literal meaning of words and makes no reference to connotations, subtexts, and insinuations behind messages

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Building Consensus

• The aim of committee discussions is to create participatory groups, where the goal is cooperative rather than competitive decision-making

• All committee members should have equal input into the process and equal opportunity to voice opposition to an idea or conclusion

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Reaching Consensus

Your goal in most meetings is to gather enough information to get a consensus on a course of action. Consensus builds in accountability and helps ensure that people act on decisions. Consensus does not imply an absence of conflict, but the resolution of conflict in a manner acceptable to a majority. A facilitator’s role here is to define the issue, encourage brainstorming, synthesize the conversation, and narrow the options, then call for a decision.

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Encouraging Participation

• Provide meeting agenda• State that members’ participation is not just

welcome, but is integral to the process• Acknowledge responses • Avoid discounting responses• Solicit group members’ responses• Build on responses• Intentionally keep silent• Thank the participants

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Gathering Information

• Go-Round - each member of the group gets a turn to speak without being interrupted

• Break-Out Groups - divide the participants into smaller groups and then later allow time for a representative from each group to share their point of view

• Brainstorming - a method of gathering information that involves getting as many ideas from the group in limited time without comment

• Fishbowl Method - a sample of the group discusses the topic, while the rest function as observers

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Presenting Information

• Separate presentation from discussion time - Assign a time specifically for presentation of information

• If there is more than one side to an issue, or more than one option in consideration, make sure each has equal time - Process can be helped if each party feels that they are being treated fairly

• Use a multi-media approach if possible. When presenting information, it helps to know that information can be presented in visual, auditory, and bodily/kinesthetic ways

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Synthesizing and Summarizing

• Let the committee summarize or synthesize for themselves

• Ask a committee member to provide a synthesis or summary

• Offer your tentative synthesis/ summary and seek the committee’s clarification. For example: “This is what we have discussed so far….Did I miss anything?”

• Refer to the agenda or published documentation on a flip chart. “So far, we have discussed Topic A and B. These are our resolutions…”

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Identifying the Options

• Brainstorm - the process of coming up with as many ideas as you can in the shortest time possible

• Round Robin - Ask each member of the group to suggest one option for consideration. All members must contribute an idea.

• Facilitated SWOT Analysis. Some teams create each option as a group, and they do so by conducting an analysis of the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, as they relate to the problem.

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• Costs and benefits. An ideal solution is one that has the least costs and most benefits.

• Disagreeing parties’ interests. An ideal solution has factored in the impact on all parties concerned and has made adjustments accordingly.

• Foresight. An ideal solution doesn’t have just short-term gains but long term ones as well.

• Obstacles. An ideal solution has anticipated all possible obstacles in its implementation and has made plans accordingly.

• Values. An ideal solution is one that is consistent with the mission-vision of the organization and or its individual members.

Creating a Short List

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Choosing a Solution

• Decide on a criterion (or criteria). Ask the group to come up with the criteria to be used to evaluate each option. These criteria could be costs and benefits, consistency with the values of the organization, feasibility, etc.

• Survey which options members like. A facilitator can also conduct a quick survey of what each group members like in the list.

• Survey which options members don’t like. Similarly, a facilitator can ask the group which options from the short list are no-no’s and eliminate them.

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Addressing Disruptions

• Refocus the discussion on the agenda. If a disruption occurs, gently remind the group of the topic.

• Identify the intention behind the disruption and address it.

• Reiterate rules. You may refer to ground rules set at the beginning of the session.

• If no rule against the disruption exists, then take it as an opportunity to set one.

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Using Ground Rules to Prevent Dysfunction

Ground rules in a group meeting can relate to:• How to make the most of the meeting • How to make a contribution to the discussion• How members should treat other members• Issues relating to confidentiality• How violations of ground rules would be

addressed

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Getting People Back on Track

• Review the agenda• Reflect to the group what is happening, and

reintroduce the correct topic• Offer to put the off-topic on a “parking lot” for

possible later discussion • Ask the group if they are finding the discussion

helpful to the goal• Ignore the off-topic discussion and reintroduce

the correct topic

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Dealing with Difficult People

People who argue with you or talk amongst themselves can take a meeting off track in a hurry. While debate is usually healthy, some people will test the limits by arguing miniscule points or refusing to see others’ views. Point out the behavior you appreciate, and the behavior that does not work. During meetings, allow disruptors to speak their piece, but enforce time limits and move on.

Common Types of Difficult People and How to Handle Them

Type of Difficult Person

Description Typical Behavior Ways to Deal with Them

Dominating These are members who monopolize the conversation and even overtly block other members from making a contribution.

“I am the only one with experience in this matter. Let me tell you what to do.”

Solicit other members’ opinion. “We appreciate your experience and we’ll take what you said into account. But let’s see what others think too.”

Aggressive Members who resort to personal attacks.

“You just don’t know what you’re doing!”

Reiterate the ground rules. “We have agreed that there will be no personal attacks.”

Get back on topic. “Remember all comments are useful as long as they relate to the topic.

Re-state their position in objective terms

Quiet and Non-Participative

Group members can be quiet for a variety of reasons: they can be shy, intimidated, or uncomfortable joining in the topic.

Establish eye contact and invite them to join in. “We’d like to hear from people we haven’t heard from before. Could you give us your take on this issue?”

Overly Talkative Members talk too much. Remind them of the time limit. Tell them you can only discuss one point at a

time. Ask them for key summary points.

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Tips for Facilitation Success

• Create an Agenda– A simple agenda can help set expectations, keep

the meeting on track and create accountability. People will hijack an agenda-less meeting, while impatient participants whisper in side conversations.

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Tips for Successful Facilitation

• Encourage Participation– Participation is essential to harness creative

power, so you cannot afford to let a few individuals dominate the conversation. To stimulate discussion, ask open-ended questions like: “What’s your reaction…?” or “How could we…?”

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• The Facilitator does not lead the group, nor does it try to distract or entertain. It is neutral.

• If making a specific comment or taking a particular non-neutral stance, remove yourself from Facilitator location to avoid confusion and make it clear you are commenting as a member, not the Facilitator.

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• Manage Time– A big complaint about meetings is that they start

late, end late, and waste time in between. Starting and ending on time will encourage more participation in accomplishing what meeting participants came to do and create cultural expectations.

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• Beware of Side Meetings– Side meetings, another problem in many meeting cultures, happen

because they are tolerated or because meetings get sidetracked and/or run too long. If people are bored or restless, they start whispering, unaware of or not caring about being rude or how others see them.

– Handle disruptive side meetings by gradually escalating your intervention. First, look at the side-talkers until you catch their eyes. If your meeting rules prohibit side talking, remind the group of that. If people don’t get the message, pull them aside afterward, and make it clear that such behavior cannot help them or the team.

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Tips for Facilitation Success

• Summarize– Leaders must have the ability to summarize meeting

points, which means they have the ability to listen well and provide a brief but accurate review of what has been said. You must listen to everything, including what’s unspoken. You must also have a command of language and the ability to clarify concepts so you can sum up the discussion’s main points.

Facilitating the Meeting W ESTERN E LECTRICITY C OORDINATING C OUNCIL.

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