Facilitation Skills Workshop: Applied Learning for Breakthrough Results

Length:

In-person classes – 2 days

Overview: 

An effective facilitator empowers the group to capitalize upon their own latent capabilities and knowledge in the search for optimum solutions and consensus. The facilitator's ability to control the workshop to achieve its objectives is key to the success of this method. This course equips attendees with a structured approach to the planning, conduct and follow-up of facilitated workshops. Several facilitation techniques and processes are taught, and guidelines provided on why, when and how to use them. Throughout the course attention is focused on the effective management of the people dynamics. Unlike an overview course, this workshop gives participants numerous exercises to practice the techniques presented.

Objectives:

  • Use the various facilitation techniques and appreciate when and how to use them for best effect.
  • Develop a structured approach to the planning and conduct of facilitated sessions.
  • Provide effective management of the people dynamics.
  • Employ various facilitation techniques to help build teams, resolve conflict, and identify and solve problems.

Pre-requisites: None

Skill Level: Basic

Audience:

Those wishing to use facilitation for maximum effect and those wishing to go beyond basic meeting skills to deliver consensus and action.

PDUs/CDUs: 14  CEUs: 1.4

Certificate Programs:

  • Masters Certificate in Business Analysis
  • Masters Certificate in Project Management

Format: 

This course is highly interactive, providing students an opportunity to facilitate a series of progressively more difficult exercises.  Hands-on exercises will enable students to practice being facilitators and scribes.

Content:

Welcome & Foundation Skills

  • Overview
    • Course format and topics covered
    • Definition of facilitation
    • Getting and receiving feedback
  • Participant introductions
    • Benefit of introductions
    • Technique: group division
    • Facilitated exercise: participant introductions
  • Ice breakers
    • Ice breakers: benefits & when to use
    • Facilitated exercise favorite ice-breakers
    • Technique: round robin
  • Ground rules
    • Ground rules: benefits & strategies for use
    • Technique: voting
    • Facilitated exercise: developing ground rules for the class

Problem Solving

  • Problem identification
    • Overview
    • Technique: brainstorming
    • Technique: getting to consensus
    • Technique: affinity diagram
    • Facilitated exercise: problem identification
  • Root cause analysis
    • Overview
    • Technique: mind mapping
    • Facilitated exercise: root cause analysis
  • Problem solving
    • Overview
    • 5-step problem solving model
    • Facilitated exercise: problem solving

Practical Applications

  • Session review
    • Session review: when to use
    • Facilitated exercise: session review
  • Associated brainstorming
    • Overview
    • Associated brainstorming: when to use
    • Facilitated exercise: associated brainstorming
  • Process mapping H
    • High-level overview
    • Process mapping session steps
    • SIPOC chart & example
    • Process expectations & variations
    • Process mapping conventions
    • Facilitated exercise: process mapping

Facilitating People Situations

  • Group Dynamics
    • Tuckman’s stages of team development in relations to a facilitated session
    • Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in relation to a facilitated session
  • Handling difficult people centered situations as a facilitator
    • The BID model
    • Facilitated exercise: difficult people centered situations
  • Conflict Resolution
    • Conflict defined
    • Conflict causes
    • Conflict resolution strategies
    • Conflict resolution process
    • Facilitated exercise: conflict resolution
  • The Facilitation Process
    • Facilitated session steps
    • Session prep
    • Key roles and responsibilities
    • Facilitator supplies
    • Facilitated exercise: personal attributes of a good facilitator
  • Facilitation summary

 

NOTE: We are constantly improving our course offerings to ensure the best training possible and to keep you abreast of the latest industry trends. As a result, this outline is subject to change.