What is a Facilitator?

A facilitator is a person whose role is to assist a group increase its effectiveness by intervening to help that group identify and solve problems, improve performance, set direction and make decisions. A facilitator by definition should be neutral, acceptable to all parties, hold no decision-making authority relative to the group and has no vested interest in the outcome save for wanting it to be a successful one.

A facilitator will generally lead a group through a pre-determined process designed to assist them gain insights and understanding, challenge and extend conventional thinking/wisdom and reach consensus, confidence and action. A facilitator will, through consultation, preparatory interviews and research, get a handle on the make-up of the group, their strengths and weaknesses, industry and company specific information and the focus of the process and the outcomes sought from the process. The facilitator will then set a program and strategy to lead the group through an effective process.

A facilitator may well be a knowledge leader in a specific field (e.g. competitive business strategies) and a mature experienced person but the facilitator need not be an industry expert. Often, groups seek a facilitator who they see as an industry expert so that the facilitator may understand how their industry works. More often than not such a person only reinforces the group think and does nothing to challenge and extend the thinking as the facilitator’s experiences are the same as everyone else in the group. Seek a facilitator who can appreciate the uniqueness of your company’s position and the industry in which it works and who is capable of asking ‘why’  rather than accepting the answer ‘because it always has been’.

A facilitator should be able to win the confidence of your group and lead them forward through a process that not only draws out the best but draws out more than what the group has to offer (including the facilitator) so that the best possible solutions and actions are achieved.

To enquire about facilitation of your workshop, please contact me Facilitation Enquiry with particulars of your workshop.