The Masterful Facilitator

Welcome!

Welcome to the Masterful Facilitator!

This blog is dedicated to all business professionals interested in holding better meetings that yield better decisions leading to better results.  Over the coming months, we'll be talking about the various kinds of group faciltiation and how to choose a professional facilitator, as well as sharing tips for improved facilitation and reviewing books and other resources to hone your facililtation skills.

I'm passionate about helping groups reach synergy and am always eager to share thoughts, information, ideas and resources with others who share this passion.  Please join us and share your questions, concerns, and ideas.  You can email me at Cynthia@MasterfulFacilitator.com.

I look forward to getting to know you!

This week's question:  What are the things you find most challenging about meetings in your organization? 

I'll feature top challenges and respond with suggestions in a future post.

Warm regards,

Cynthia Waisner

http://www.masterfulfacilitator.com

Thanks for your kind comments, all! Movie Channel, feel free to repost on your web page. Thanks for visiting!

Recently, I've facilitated a number of sessions in which preparing for the workplace of the future has been discussed. As part of the generational discussions, the observation is usually made that for Gen X and Gen Y, "authority doesn't mean much." The speaker is actually alluding to a cultural shift pertaining to the bases of power.

It's important to note that "power," as understood, studied, and researched, refers to a neutral ability to influence. It does NOT connote the more negative uses or abuses of the term as colloquially used.

Research has generally recognized two bases of power, representing two ends of a continuum. At the one end is position power, which, as the name states, resides in the title, NOT in the person. Here, a person's ability to influence (and,by extension, respect for that ability) flow from his or her title or position, whether it be boss, police officer, or parent.

At the other end of the continuum is personal power. Personal power, unlike position power, cannot be demanded or expected--it must be freely offered by the follower. It is based upon the potential follower's assessment of the individual and decision that something--knowledge, skills, expertise, values, similar worldview, etc.--about the individual makes him or her worth being listened to.

The point of all this? Western culture has been moving inexorably for some time from a general reliance on position power toward a general reliance on personal power. This is the power source facilitators, with no real authority in the room, inherently rely upon. If you, as executive, manager, boss, or team leader, are more used to relying on position power, this is a great time to think about expanding both your skill set and your approach to reflect a more facilitative style.

Time to Think about the Workplace of Tomorrow

Looking for a great book to shape the way you think about work, the workplace, and the future of same? Check out The 2020 Workplace: How Innovative Companies Attract, Develop,and Keep Tomorrow's Employees Today by Jeanne C. Meister & Karie Willyerd. Just a few highlights:

* Hits one of my pet peeves--the whole conversation about work/life balance. In case you haven't noticed, folks, technology has erased the line between two separate domains that has, since the Industrial Revolution, been established by geography. There IS no distinction between the two, and generations like the Millennials don't expect there to be--work is part of life. The book uses the term "weisure" to describe this blending.

* Age diversity is the new frontier for organizations to master. Ever stopped to consider that there are now 4--soon to be 5--generations working side by side in many organizations? I hadn't. Stopping to think about that for a bit can take you some new and interesting places!

* The authors make 20 predictions for the 2020 workplace...but I won't spoil the fun! One of the more thought-provoking reads I've picked up in a while. Don't miss it!

Thinking of Becoming a Professional Facilitator?

I regularly get calls and e-mails from people seeking advice on becoming professional facilitators.  For the next few weeks, I'll share some thoughts on, and resources for, considering facilitation as a practice area.

First, we'll work through a few misconceptions.  Today, I'd like to tackle the one I consider most dangerous--those motivated by their desire to be in front of an audience.

Facilitation is very different from presenting, training, motivational speaking, and most other situations which can put you in front of an organizationally-based group of people.  In each of those other situations (I believe it shouldn't really be the case in training, but, in practice, it often is), there is an aspect of "performing"--the chance to be front and center and attempt to "wow" the crowd.  There's nothing wrong with this--in fact, it's often essential in the other group-based roles I've mentioned.

Please understand that facilitation is the exception.  Facilitation should NEVER be about the facilitator.  It is 100% about the group and its outcome.  What does this mean, in practice?  For starters, you will often be the instrument of raising uncomfortable issues and questions and confronting the group on its behavior and responses.  You will NOT be the one to "rescue" the group by taking it out of an anxious situation--far more often, you will be the one to send them into it!  It also means that you frequently have to function out of your stylistic comfort zone. As you read a group and understand its primary processing and communication style, you will move to match that style in order to enhance their experience, even if the style is not the most comfortable one for you. 

Recently, a client complimented me on the strategic planning session I'd just led for the organization's senior team.  Stating that it was a great improvement over their previous strategic planning retreat, he stated:  "The facilitator we had last time sang opera to us--it was all about him!" 

I can't state it too emphatically.  Each of us has a strong need to be loved and affirmed.  For the facilitator, constant vigilance is needed to ensure that we're not using the group to meet these needs.  Self-awareness, self-vigilance, and a strong accountability system are needed.

Involve your facilitator early...and often!

Sometimes, one of the biggest challenges in a professional facilitation is having the opportunity to do your best work!  Ironically, clients sometimes have preconceived notions of what you can do for them, or are unwilling to make themselves available during the preparation phase for consultation and collaboration.

The upshot is that you will get suboptimal results for your investment.  For example, I always operate on a project pricing basis, so that clients are encouraged to work with me closely during the preparation phase.  Make no mistake--this is the most important phase of the facilitation process.  With proper preparation, the facilitation itself should appear effortless. 

During this preparation phase, I like to work closely with the client to develop crystal clarity on desired outcomes, carefully plan logistics such as room selection and layout, understand group dynamics, and develop consensus on an overall approach and facilitation plan.  Once the project sponsor and I are on the same page regarding these issues, we're both freed to do our best work on the day of the facilitation.

When, however, a client (or a facilitator) want to collaborate only as far as developing the participant agenda and agreeing on basics such as start/stop times and location, the facilitation will inevitably suffer.  It may still work, but it will not yield the best possible synergistic results.  A shame, considering the investment both parties make in each engagement.

Potential clients, demand the best from your investment.  Avoid hourly pricing structures, and be sure your agreement with your facilitator clearly outlines the preparation process.  Then, make yourself available for the iterative preparation process.

Facilitators--and potential facilitators--remember that it only looks effortless as the result of careful preparation, ongoing self-reflection, and continuing professional development.

Wishing you and your groups clarity and synergy!

When Ground Rules Hinder Instead of Help

Most people are familiar with a pretty standard set of ground rules used somewhere near the beginning of each facilitated session.  These will talk about participation, electronics, and -- often -- how to disagree.

Something I've noticed with growing alarm is what I consider to be the OVERuse of disagreement ground rules in certain kinds of sessions.

Often, the reason you go to the time, trouble, and yes, expense, of bringing in a facilitator is because you've been unsuccessful in resolving an issue on your own.  Ground rules which provide too many artificial controls on the free and even unpleasant expression of conflicting points of view are not likely to get you very far.  I would even go so far as to suggest that this level of control is often for the facilitator's comfort, not for the purpose of getting the best outcome.

If there is deep conflict, forcing everyone to pretend to "play nice" only encourages taking the conflict further underground and driving it into highly unproductive -- but much more familiar -- political channels.  A better approach: make sure your facilitator will, first and foremost, manage and take ownership of his or her own anxiety.  Then (s)he can work to provide an environment where the unpleasant "truth" is expressed -- and everyone survives.

If you're trying to negotiate the boundary between family and the business in a family business, pay particular attention to this.  Most practitioners I've seen use all kinds of rules and controls to ensure that things don't get unpleasant -- but unpleasant is, in my opinion, often what you need to make progress.

A client of mine likes to tell people the organization chose me over other consultants because I promised to "kick the sleeping dogs."  Consider -- is this what your organization really needs?  If so, be sure you choose a facilitator who is willing to face into the tough, emotional issues and encourage others to do the same.

Facilitator Tools and Techniques: What to do when people are "talking past" each other

Here's a technique you can use when those with conflicting points of view get caught in the "yes, but" trap and just won't listen to each other.  It's also useful for helping to neutralize a strong leader in the conflict by creating some cognitive dissonance.

Have people break into small groups according to their points of view.  Give the small groups a short period of time to identify and document their strongest arguments and evidence.  Tell them each group must also appoint a leader.

AFTER the time is up, tell the appointed leaders to switch groups.  Give them a few minutes to be briefed by their "new" group and review the arguments, then tell them they will have 1-2 minutes to present their most cogent and compelling argument for the point of view of the "new" group.  If the conflict is not too acrimonious, you can even have the groups vote on how well their spokesperson did, with a small prize for the winner.

As with ALL facilitation tools, the exercise is only as good as the debrief.  Debrief the spokespersons first:  How did it feel?  What new insights did they gain?  Which point is most compelling or interesting?  What hadn't they fully considered before?  Then debrief the larger groups along the same lines. 

Move into actual problem-solving that looks at the points of view on their merits (make sure criteria are clearly defined and agreed to) and explores creative ways of combining solutions.

Does Your Left Brain Know What Your Right Brain Is Doing?

Any other fans of the WSJ's Weekend Journal out there? If so, you may have seen Dr. Iain McGilchrist's excellent article "The Battle of the Brain." Dr. McGilchrist traces the evolution of Western culture's overreliance on left hemisphere thought processes -- and points out the problems with this overreliance.

This overreliance is extremely common in facilitated sessions, and leads to suboptimal outcomes. There is often strong pressure to rely on left hemisphere processes, because they are comfortable and familiar. They are comfortable because they reduce the world to clearly defined and predictable patterns, lists, and details. This is important, but only after the larger context is understood.

That's where right hemisphere processes are needed. Often messy, contradictory, and paradoxical, information gleaned through right hemisphere thinking will establish context, free intuition, and allow connections and relationships to be defined that are ignored when left hemisphere processes alone prevail. This messy, organic information is a far more "real" reflection of organizational life than neatly constructed, reductionist realities.

What to do? Make sure your session provides opportunities for each hemisphere to do what it does best. For planning sessions, this may mean constructing a trend map in addition to (or even instead of) a more traditional SWOT analysis. For focus groups, storyboards, card sorts, and/or cartoon "thought bubbles" can allow the right hemisphere to function -- you get the idea. A valuable tool for most organizations is Edward de Bono's parallel thinking, which encourages participants to understand the various types of thinking and encourages facility in each.

Finally, make sure your facilitator is well-versed in processes catering to each hemisphere, knows how to design a session to make the best use of these processes to achieve your desired outcomes, and will challenge you and your organization constructively to move beyond what is familiar into what is most effective.

Happy New Year to all and may your next meeting be your best meeting!

Facilitators, Consultants and Trainers -- Oh, My!!

When I find myself with a group of my peers -- others who devote their professional lives to working with groups for the betterment of the organization -- the discussion inevitably turns to parsing whether each of us thinks of herself as a consultant, a facilitator, or a trainer.  Recently, I overheard one party in such a conversation tell another:  "Then you're not really a facilitator -- you're a facilitative trainer."

My reaction to these conversations is always the same:  an immediate, loud, internal "WHO CARES?"

Those of us in this type of group work may be the last bastion of those who define themselves professionally in terms of what they DO, rather than in terms of what they DELIVER.  Anyone who has ever taken an Intro to Marketing class can tell you this is a huge error -- products and services are best defined from the CUSTOMER point of view.

Do any of us seriously believe that our clients CARE whether, at any given moment, what we are doing is most accurately classified as facilitating or training?  I doubt it.  Which makes me wonder why we devote so much time and energy to it. 

The irony, of course, is obvious, if you look at the title of this blog.  I have yet to come up with a better way.  What I HAVE learned is that each of us can best serve our clients by being proficient in the tools and techniques of ALL practice areas engaged in group work for organizational improvement, in so far as we are personally able.  The more complete our tool kit, the more inclined we are likely to be to searching for the BEST solution for our client's organizational issues.  If we overidentify with our processes, rather than with our client's desired outcomes, we run the risk of seeing varied and complex issues through only one lens.  The old saying is true:  "When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail."