Facilitating Meetings

WHAT IT MEANS TO FACILITATE
To facilitate is to make easy or more convenient. A facilitator assists the group to make the work easier. A facilitator's job is to manage the way the group works together, not to influence the outcome or results.

As a facilitator  make sure you:

• Pay attention 100% of the time;
• get the job done-achieve the meetings purpose;
• keep the discussion moving
• ensure everyone gets a say;
• honor all responses;don't get involved personally in the discussion-stay neutral

BE CLEAR ABOUT PURPOSE
It is essential that the facilitator is clear what the purpose is for any meeting and that the whole group agrees with the purpose. For a small meeting, this might simply require clarifying the items for discussion at the beginning. For a larger meeting it may be necessary to negotiate on the purpose of the meeting at the outset.
The advert for Thursday's meting merely states the purpose to be Identify the issues and come up with solutions. If we stick with this with each sub-group it should be pretty straight forward

ENSURE FULL PARTICIPATION
If two or three people are dominating the discussion , ask the others regularly for their input. For example what do others think about that point raised?

PREPARATION
Make sure you have identified someone to time keep and to record notes, actions etc. from discussion for ultimate report back

May pay to put the purpose of the meeting somewhere visible

STARTING OFF
Welcome people, go through purpose and ensure introductions occur
be clear at the beginning about the finishing times and breaks and stick to them.

Establish some ground rules, for example:

• respect each others right to speak without interruption
• be aware of how long and often we speak so that everyone has a chance to contribute
• make every effort to listen to each other so we understand the various perspectives
• no personal attacks or put-downs
• use inclusive language
• turn off cell phones

DURING THE MEETING
A facilitator's role includes keeping the meeting going, as well as looking out for the energy and comfort of the group. Check that people can hear and repeat any unclear points or questions from the other participants
Record key discussion points and decisions accurately. Where actions are agreed, record who is responsible for getting it done...

Keep re-visiting the purpose and summarizing points- this helps people who have missed points and clarifies where you are up to

AT THE END OF THE MEETING
Check with the group that the purpose has been achieved. If not, then another meeting may need to be arranged.
Thank everyone for their effort and contribution.

EVALUATION
It is always valuable to evaluate the meeting and facilitation processes. The learnings can then be used for the next time..

Jegg Griggs in Whangarei offered this summary.