FREE online courses on Effective Meeting Facilitation - Orchestrating The
Meeting - Leadership
In the olden days, meetings were run by chairmen. Bringing in
an independent facilitator, or appointing someone to that role is becoming
standard planning practice. There is a danger, however, as "facilitation" moves
into vogue: It looks easy, but the appearance of ease may be deceptive. The word
"facilitation" means to make something easier, so while others look on and think
the facilitator has an easy job, the facilitator is working very hard to make it
look easy. Behind the scenes, the facilitator has taken training courses,
practiced, taken more training, learned the hard way from experience, and puts
great effort into his or her work.
The ideal arrangement is for the chairperson and a
facilitator to work closely in planning and leading the meeting. The chairperson
retains the prestige and authority of leader, and provides grounding in reality.
The facilitator has process expertise, serves to balance participation, and is
better situated to move the group through sensitive issues, controversy, and
tough problems. Sometimes groups further divide functions and ask someone other
than the facilitator to record meeting notes on a flip chart. Many facilitators
use the flip chart as a tool in leading (and controlling) the meeting.
Separating the titular leadership role from the meeting
leadership function benefits the planning process in three ways.
By taking care of process concerns, the facilitator frees the
chairperson to contribute valuable input as a meeting participant.
The facilitator must operate on principles of objectivity.
Participation is evened-out and decisions reflect joint thinking. Ideas of the
more forceful participants are tempered by the facilitator's probing questions,
and if those ideas are adopted, it is because others view them as worthy.
The facilitator brings an understanding of group process and
decision making so that he or she can interject steps and techniques (such as
those described in the attachments) to move the group through complex
information and controversial positions.
Frequently a member of the planning team must assume
leadership of a meeting. On those occasions, the internal leader can serve the
group well, just as the external facilitator does, by adopting the following
operating objectives:
- Help
the group improve the way it solves problems and makes decisions
- Ensure
that the group accomplishes its identified outcomes in a timely manner
- Foster
within the group an enhanced sense of commitment to one another and to the
achievement of goals
- See
that group members share and understand all information relevant to an issue,
and seek new information when necessary
- Buffer
the group from internal and/or external manipulation or coercion
