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Facilitation Skills  

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Group Facilitation Strategies[1]

Group Facilitation -- Key Terms

Two Types of Facilitators

 

Group Facilitation: Key Terms

 

Group Facilitation is a process in which a person who is acceptable to all members of the group, substantively neutral, and has no decision-making authority, intervenes to help a group improve the way it identifies and solves problems and makes decisions, in order to increase the group's effectiveness. The facilitator's main task is to help the group increase its effectiveness by improving its process.

Facilitation can be divided into two types:

  • In basic facilitation , the group seeks only to solve a substantive problem.
  • In developmental facilitation , the group seeks to permanently improve its process while solving a substantive problem.

 

Basic and Developmental Facilitation

 

Characteristic

 

Basic Facilitation

Development

Facilitation

Group objective

Solve a substantive problem

Solve a substantive problem while

learning to improve its process

Facilitator role
  • Help groups temporarily
  • improve its process
  • Take primary responsibility for. managing the group's process
  • Help group permanently improve its process
  • Share responsibility for
  • managing the group's process

Outcome for group

Dependence on facilitator for solving future problems

Reduced dependence on facilitator

solving future problems

When to use

  • Limited time
  • Temporary group
  • Frequent turnover of members
  • Little or no control over process
  • Adequate time
  • Long-term group
  • Stable membership
  • Control over process including
  • decision making

Tools for Teaching

navigation

 

2. Teaching and Presentation Skills

3. Tips for Programs

 

Two Types of Facilitators

While a facilitator is traditionally viewed as a neutral third party that helps the group increase its effectiveness by improving its process, anyone can use facilitation skills to become a facilitative leader.


Differences between Facilitators and Facilitative Leaders

 

Characteristic

Facilitator

Facilitative Leader

Group membership

Third party

Leader of group

Involvement in substantive issues

Substantively neutral

Deeply involved in substantive

Issues

Use of expertise

Process expert

Content and process expert

Decision-making authority

No

Yes

 

[1] Adapted with permission from Soil and Water Conservation District Outreach: A Handbook for Program Development, Implementation and Evaluation . Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Soil and Water Conservation, 2003.