SS0526 : Professional Facilitator: Facilitation Skills and Group Dynamics

 

This practical and highly-interactive course includes various practical sessions and exercises. Participants will be able to practice the various facilitation skills learned in this course. 

 

The course is designed to provide participants with an up-to-date overview on facilitation skills and group dynamics. The focus of the course is to build trusting relationships and define a clear brief/outcomes; plan appropriate small group interventions to deliver a brief/outcomes; facilitate effective and inclusive discussions, actions and learning; build awareness of good facilitation and group processes; and focus on facilitating ‘conversations that matter’ including how to host effective “World Café” style small group table discussions within a large group engagement. 

 

The course will also cover the roots of facilitation; creating a safe, facilitative environment and defining where facilitation works; the facilitation cycle focusing on outcomes and objectives; delivering clear and concise instructions; overcoming common obstacles to effective facilitation; developing self awareness; the facilitator role and the basic principles of group processes; reducing facilitative stress; the techniques to develop emotional neutrality; the common causes of meeting tension; planning a facilitated meeting; identifying critical success factors; developing meeting agenda by applying critical planning and analysis techniques; and predicting potential meeting dysfunction. 

 

 

At the end of the course, participants will be able to make an assertive start, establish ground rules, achieve the meeting outcomes and close at the appropriate juncture; carryout active listening and facilitative questioning techniques; facilitate and build consensus; apply the tools to maintain and build concensus; employ advanced facilitative techniques through creating a highly productive climate and dealing with difficult people; create action plan for facilitation; implement checklists to support complete and timely follow-up; plan and structure an effective small group session; use a variety of methods to direct and guide groups; develop a personal facilitation action plan; identify and flex the facilitation style with self-awareness, authority and presence; develop strategies for managing dynamics indiverse cross cultural and intergenerational group; and capture and summarize information accurately and skillfully.