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Group Facilitation is the art of leading people through processes toward agreed-upon objectives in a manner that encourages participation, ownership, and creativity from all involved. In social work, group work was defined at the behest of the American Association for Social Workers (predecessor to the National Association of Social Workers) in 1920 by Margaretta Williamson. "She described the importance of voluntary and democratic participation and the leader's use of problem-solving processes with members of the group, colleagues, persons in community services, boards and committees."

Facilitation has three basic principles:


 * A facilitator is a guide to help people move through a process together, not the seat of wisdom and knowledge. That means a facilitator is not there to give opinions, but to draw out opinions and ideas of the group members.
 * Facilitation focuses on HOW people participate in the process of learning or planning, not just on WHAT gets achieved.
 * A facilitator is neutral and never takes sides.

There exists a myriad of advantages to group facilitation: increased productivity, group motivation and confidence, better climate for organizational and individual change, minimized risk, and optimized group dynamics.

One of the key elements in "any kind of group is the presence of emotion, feeling, or affect." Meetings are typically considered successful when these four goals are met:
 * Planning for the meeting (agenda and goals)
 * Setting up the meeting (logistics)
 * Running the meeting (chairing/facilitating)
 * Following up (discussion after the meeting ends)

Facilitation serves the needs of any group meeting with a common purpose, whether it be making a decision, solving a problem, or simply exchanging ideas and information.

Stages of Group Process
The Stages of Group Process, also known as the Stages of Group Development, is a diagnostic model that can be used by facilitators to first, gauge where the group members are at and second, understand what their role as a facilitator should be in response to the group. This is an important model to know and understand because it explains the natural process that all groups go through, thereby offering the facilitator a way to tailor meetings or activities to the particular state the group is at. Successful groups typically experience all 5 stages in their time together.

This model is applicable for every group in any setting and essentially, outlines the typical life cycle of the group. It includes: Forming, Norming, Storming, Performing and Transforming.

See: Tuckman's stages of group development

Agenda Bell
In order to orchestrate both efficient and useful meetings, Dr. John Tropman developed the agenda bell.

The agenda bell is divided into seven sections, each section contains the proper methodology for executing group facilitation in the context of a board or organizational setting. It is shaped as a standard bell curve, starting with "easy" decisions, gradually increasing to the "most difficult" decisions, then winding down to "easy" decisions. As an aside, it is important for facilitators to send out the meeting agenda a few days prior to the meeting, giving people a chance to read over and add points that they feel are critically important.

Agenda Bell Steps:
 * Start with an easy task. (e.g., approving the previous week's minutes.)
 * Discuss any announcements people have submitted or want to discuss.
 * Group members engage in a "modest decision."
 * Group members engage in a "moderate decision."
 * Members now engage in the "most difficult" decision. After this step, the meeting begins to wind down.
 * The brainstorming section, as it allows for some decompressions and is similar to "walking around the track once after completing a hotly contested race." It also serves the purpose of allowing members to smooth out feelings, especially if contention was raised over decisions in steps 3, 4, or 5. Typically, when "nondecisional" items occur, meetings can be wrapped up in a positive manner.
 * Where "small trivial item(s)" are placed in the agenda. It is a time to unravel from the previous decisions made, and it continues the process of parting on amicable terms.

The agenda bell should be used in conjunction with:
 * The rule of halves, which illustrates "the meeting organizer has from the end of the previous meeting until halfway to the next meeting to build the agenda, by culling the environment and soliciting input from organizational members."
 * The rule of three fourths. "Participants should get relevant material ahead of time - about three fourths of the way to the next meeting - materials should include the agenda, minutes, and any reports that will be discussed (properly condensed with an executive summary)."
 * The rule of two thirds, "meetings are divided into three parts - the "get-go", the heavy work, and the decompression. The first third contains announcement items and easy decision items, the middle third contains harder decision items, and the last third contains items that are up for discussion but not for decision. The bottom line is that the energy of the meeting is focused in the first two thirds."

Creating an Agenda
One constant for conducting meetings is predicated on the need for a well-organized, concise agenda. It is important for members of the group to be both aware of and engaged in shaping the meeting.

While there exists many ways to construct a meeting agenda, the typical manner is to think of the agenda as a menu for the meeting. An effective agenda will illustrate exactly how the event will unfold. A simple meeting agenda may be headed with the date, time, and location of the meeting, followed by a series of points outlining the order of the agenda. Specifically, you must be as detailed as possible in creating it. Facilitators must concisely attribute a title to each section, a longer description underneath of it, the name of the person responsible for it, the time of activity (announcement, decision, discussion item), and the time allotted. This may seem like a burdensome task for facilitators, but your group will thank you for being clear in your intentions. During your meeting, it is important to take minutes. Minutes should be based on content and not done as stenographer. Most likely, every word and action will not be important; however, it is important to accurately reflect the key moments from the facilitation process. Be clear and organized in structuring minutes, making them as readable as possible for group members. Agendas usually come with reports, but it is important to be brief in your reports. Most groups do not have time to read through lengthy documents, and it is best to incorporate either an executive summary (one to two page outline of the major elements in the report) or an options memo (lays out the problem or issue, the alternative responses, and a recommendation). By incorporating these two components, members of the group will stay engaged and better understand the content of the meeting.

Setting the Tone and Creating the Environment
In planning a good meeting process, a facilitator focuses on:


 * Climate and Environment
 * Logistics and Room Arrangements
 * Ground Rules

Climate and Environment

There are many factors that impact how safe and comfortable people feel about interacting with each other and participating. The environment and general "climate" of a meeting or planning session sets an important tone for participation. For example, key questions you would ask yourself as a facilitator include:


 * Is the location a familiar place, one where people feel comfortable?
 * Is the meeting site accessible to everyone? If not, have you provided for transportation or escorts to help people get to the site?
 * Is the space the right size? Too large? Too small?

Logistics and Room Arrangements

How people sit, whether they are hungry, and whether they can hear you can make or break your planning process. Some things to consider are:


 * Chair arrangements: Having chairs in a circle or around a table encourages discussion, equality, and familiarity. Speaker's podiums and lecture style seating can be intimidating and too formal.
 * Places to hang newsprint: You may be using a lot of newsprint or other board space during your meeting. Can you use tape without damaging the walls? Is an easel available? Is there enough space so that you can keep important material visible instead of removing it?
 * Sign-In sheet: Is there a table for folks to use?
 * Refreshments: If you are having refreshments, who is bringing them? Can you set things up so folks can get food without disrupting the meeting? And who is cleaning up afterwards?
 * Microphones and audio visual equipment: Do you need a microphone? Video cameras? Can someone set up and test the equipment before you start?
 * To build a safe as well as comfortable environment, a good facilitator has a few more points to consider: How do you protect folks who are worried their ideas will be attacked or mocked? **How do you hold back the big talkers who tend to dominate conversation while still making them feel good about their participation?

Ground Rules

Most meetings have some kind of operating rules. Some groups use Robert's Rules of Order (parliamentary procedure) to run their meetings while others have rules they have adopted over time. When you want the participation to flow and for folks to really feel invested in following the rules, the best way to go is to have the group develop them as one of the first steps in the process. This builds a sense of power in the participants and a much greater sense of investment in following the rules.

Common ground rules are:


 * One person speaks at a time.
 * Raise your hand if you have something to say.
 * Listen to what other people are saying.
 * No mocking or attacking other people's ideas.
 * Be on time coming back from breaks (if it is a long meeting).
 * Respect each other.

A process to develop ground rules is:


 * Begin by telling folks that you want to set up some ground rules that everyone will follow as we go through our meeting. Put a blank sheet of newsprint on the wall with the heading "Ground Rules."
 * Ask for any suggestions from the group. If no one says anything, start by putting one up yourself.
 * Write any suggestions up on the newsprint. It is usually most effective to "check-in" with the whole group before you write up an idea. Once you have gotten five or six good rules up, check to see if anyone else has other suggestions.
 * When you are finished, ask the group if they agree with these ground rules and are willing to follow them.

Facilitation with Different Groups and Theory Approaches
Feminist

Gender, specifically the status and experiences of women needs to be a factor in the identification and solution of problems and in the processes employed. With this in mind, feminist principles within facilitation include consensus decision making and delegation or rotation of tasks. Structures such as collectives or “flattened” hierarchies are put into place to support such cooperative processes. There is also an emphasis on inclusivity and diversity as well as an expressed importance of the "process" as well as the "product."

Feminist work is typically “conducted democratically; emphasiz(ing) both outcomes and processes; empowerment-based; consultative and egalitarian” and utilizing praxis as a way to “facilitate a method of inquiry that rests upon action, reflection and future action.”

Youth

Within a facilitation setting, Youth should be considered participants rather than recipients in the learning process. This should involve “opportunities for shared decision-making, planning and program implementation.” Engaging youth in meaningful roles as leaders in meetings and groups provides opportunities for leadership and instills a sense of civic responsibility.

Some tips for working with youth include:


 * Establishing a youth leadership structure - Nominating and electing youth to leadership roles as officers of the organization provides experience in formal leadership roles. Additionally, youth serving as officers increases their self-confidence and further invests them in the organization.
 * Creating a sense of community and an enjoyable space - Include icebreakers and team builders to incorporate elements of fun and familiarize youth with each other. If adults are participating in the meeting, encourage them to participate in the activities as well. This equalizes youth and adults, and establishes shared respect for both parties.
 * Foster learning - Plan educational programs, demonstrations or activities. Invite experts, guest speakers or suggest meeting attendees share relevant information that they may be knowledgeable about through demonstrations. It can be difficult to instill the importance of attending the meeting when business is always the only focus. Provide opportunities for attendees to enhance their skill level or expertise.
 * Involve youth in the planning process - Meet with leadership advance of the meeting to prepare. Always involve youth in the agenda writing process and resist the temptation to simply hand an agenda over to youth. Involving youth in the process assures that they understand the topics to be discussed and are invested in discussion to follow.
 * Follow-up - Appoint a youth member to follow-up with any individuals who have volunteered to work on something before the next meeting. Committees that forget to meet only stall the work of the entire group. Also, assure that presenters or guest speakers are well prepared for their presentation date.
 * Use a fair system for decision making - Make sure all group members’ voices are heard. This may involve pausing a meeting to assure that decisions are being made with consideration to all points of view. In a mixed meeting with both youth and adults, taking time to hear youth opinions and concerns is especially important. Adults may too quickly voice their opinions and discourage youth from speaking up.
 * Celebrate successes - Appropriate recognition reinforces successes and provides affirmation for individuals working on a project.

Tips adapted from, (http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/ten_tips_for_running_effective_meetings_with_youth)

Multicultural

Values of facilitation include "participation, equity, empowerment, having a voice and a right to speak out." However, individuals "need to be aware that these values may be counter-cultural, inappropriate, or even dangerous in some cultural contexts."

Facilitators within a multicultural group setting "need to work with and learn from local facilitators and cultural advisers about their successes, innovations and traditional processes." Individuals cannot assume that their methods are "better than those that already exist."

Individuals should be careful not to fall into promoting cultural essentialism wherein, practitioners assume that every individual's experience is the same if he/she identifies or is part of a particular culture. Basically, where individual experience is reduced to something "essential" about that culture rather than something unique to that particular individual.

Prior to entering into a facilitation experience within a multicultural setting, facilitators need to do the following:


 * Preparation research: client types and contexts, knowing your own culture and the participants' cultural values and background, and facilitation values;
 * A generic cultural competencies framework: language, cultural windows, negotiations, integrity and ethics, marketing
 * What to take with you if working oversees
 * Arrival strategies: watching, getting to know 'the others', questioning
 * Incorporation of local facilitation techniques and cultural interpreters
 * Diversity checklist for workshop design
 * Getting to know and contracting with local facilitators and local counterparts
 * Planning workshop: openings and endings
 * Endings and evaluation.

Prior to entering into any facilitation, it is crucial to understand your own positionality and, of course, to be continually practicing critical consciousness.

Adventure-Based

The adventure-based approach to facilitation is built upon these beliefs: safety, challenge, belonging, freedom and empowerment, trust, enjoyment, and effective communication. This approach invites clients to take actions during a session and utilize material that arises "in the moment, at the point of performance, to address and move toward treatment goals."

Adventure therapy can:
 * Assess and capitalize on a group member's individual strengths and perceived or real limitations.
 * Provide appropriately challenging experiences in a group context that are integrated with well-accepted psychotherapy methods.
 * Combine all of this into an experience that values, honors, and recognizes how a sense of belonging aids the change process.

The adventure therapy approach usually falls into two categories of intervention: preventive (which seeks to delay the onset of psychological problems), or treatment (focuses on alleviating symptoms, changing behaviors, or developing coping strategies).

The facilitator’s role in the change process is very important, as they are trained to diagnose problems and are intentional in their prescription of activities and challenges. Adventure therapists seek or support positive change and growth in their client's thinking, feeling, and acting. Two important frameworks in the adventure-based approach are CHANGES and GRABBS.

The CHANGES model stands for: Context; Hypothesizing; Action that is Novel; Generating Information; Evaluation; and Solutions. This approach is typically used in a more “macro” level, directing therapists toward an overall solution for client goals and functional change. CHANGES can be viewed in divisions of time, the first two stages occurring before treatment, the next two during treatment, and the final two after treatment. While they are illustrated in a certain order, the process possesses fluidity, as each step is interconnected with the other steps. Further, they each “feed” into the systematic understanding of the client issue and contribute to a more accurate assessment.

The GRABBS model stands for: Goals; Readiness; Affect; Behavior; Body; and Stage. It is best used as a way to relate and deepen the understanding of the CHANGES model.

The environment is also an important part of this approach. It is typically viewed as beneficial in three ways:
 * Autonomy (through nondirective inquiry and reflection)
 * Competence (through provision of activity, demonstrated skill acquisition, and other factors)
 * Relatedness (through relationships with self, peers, therapists, and leaders)

Each of these factors play a role in group development and dynamics. Most theorists claim that “the belief and confidence in the power and support of the group process reinforced by the adventure therapy therapist, and through careful explanation of the group’s ability to facilitate change, is a powerful factor that makes groups inherently effective” (Gass & Gillis, 1995, p. 77).

Insider/Outsider Status and Positionality
It is important to be aware that communities are not monolithic. Whether the focus is by “turf, issue, or identity, there may be significant heterogeneity along the dimensions which are not the particular concentration for organizing, including race, ethnicity, gender, class, age, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability.” Realistically, “community workers cannot share the same characteristics with everyone in the group along each of these dimensions.” So even “insiders” will be different from those with whom they work in many important ways, and perhaps “outsiders” will find some points of commonality.

Within the context of insider/outsider facilitation, it is important to develop a distinction between roles: leader and organizer (or community worker). The leader is the one guiding the group and is out in front of followers, illustrating the “way for action.” It is their primary role to help the group “achieve its goal by being the head of the pack.” The community worker acts to “get other people to take the lead.” Typically, this involves motivating, recruiting, and encouraging members to become engrossed in the group process. This organizer helps people “create collective visions and goals, as well as an effective organizational structure through which to achieve them.” Similarly, “the outsider, like any stranger, must begin by engaging in a process of typification (Schutz, 1967), understanding social phenomena by creating types or labels to interpret people and their actions. Over time, as she or he becomes more familiar with the community, these initial simple types become inadequate to explain social reality and the outsider is forced to reassess and retypify based on new information." “Each can make errors of assumption about communities where they work - outsiders from ignorance and insiders from arrogance.” Furthermore, “both can create dependency by doing too much for the community and failing to build a strong enough power base with a solid core of leadership. Insiders and outsiders each have reasons why they may impose their own goals and agendas on the community. Neither is immune from acting like an expert. Self awareness of one’s strengths, weaknesses, attitudes, and tendencies will be key for both.” There exists little material on this subject, due in part to the “traditional operative assumption” that a community organizer will be an outsider (Delgado, 1997). Despite this dearth of scholarly research, the need for both insiders and outsiders in groups is critical. Each bring “assets and liabilities” to community work, and each should know how to “capitalize on their strengths while avoiding potential problems.”

Facilitation within Different Settings
Therapy

"Within group therapy, there are process goals and outcome goals. Process goals refer to goals that are related to the group process. For example, process goals can be to help members improve their comfort level in the group, to increase openness in the group, and to learn to confront members in a more productive manner.

Outcome goals on the other hand are goals that affect the behavior changes in the member’s life such as obtaining employment, improving interpersonal relationships and successfully addressing whatever issues that the member presented with for group therapy. Therapy groups that focus primarily on the members concerns are usually more beneficial than those that focus on the interactions of the group members. However, for the more robust effectiveness of any group therapy, the therapist should focus on both process and outcome goals."

Within a therapeutic context, the power differential is more readily recognizable due to the fact that the people present within the meeting are clients and the facilitator is a therapist or counselor. It's important that a facilitator within this context recognizes his/her own privilege.

Organizational

Facilitation within an organizational setting is typically focused on the success of the group. As within a therapeutic process, there is also a power differential present within an organization context due to the reality that the facilitator has "control" of the process. However, typically within an organizational setting, all group members have some power over the process. Group facilitation in an organizational setting also includes process and product goals, however, in broad terms, is a process of engaging and orchestrating a successful meeting. It is used typically to achieve a variety of goals.

Additional Resources

 * Group Facilitation http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/MENG/MECD/topics.html
 * What is a Group Facilitator? http://www.exedes.com/articles/What-is-a-group-facilitator.htm
 * Hyde, C. (2005). Feminist community practice. 350-371. In M. Weil. The Handbook of Community Practice, Sage: New York. ISBN 978-076192-177-6
 * Weil, M., Gamble, D., & Williams, E. (1998). Women, communities and development. In McDonough, Netting, Nichols-Casebolt (edsw) The Role of Gender in Practice Knowledge: Claiming half the Human Experience (241-285). Garland: New York. ISBN 978-0-81532-228-3

Category:Meetings Category:Organizational theory

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