Advanced Facilitation Skills

Course Overview

As facilitation becomes more widely known and practised, so expectations increase about the competence of the facilitator. This 2-day practical course aims to provide an opportunity for facilitators to explore a range of tools and techniques, gainfeedback in practice sessions and build increased confidence in dealing with challenging situations.

Audience

Those who have had some experience of facilitation and wish to extend their knowledge and skills.

Skills Gained

By the end of the course you will be able to:

• explore more tools and techniques in facilitation
• practise a range of situations and receive feedback
• gain greater insight into your behaviour as a facilitator
• use facilitation skills in challenging situations
• use a tool to evaluate the group climate.

Course Outline

DAY 1

Introduction

• icebreakers
• contracting
• facilitation models
• exercise: measuring the climate

Personal skills development

• rapport-building
• clearing
• dealing with manipulation
• practice sessions

More tools and tactics

• modes of thinking
• planning tools (Gantt, network, timelines)
• exercise: facilitating a meeting to create synergy
• climate analysis

Relationship-building

• transactional analysis

Team development

• models and strategies
• exercise: team commandments

Overnight

There will be a selection of questionnaires available to participants to complete overnight. These are designed to help facilitators reflect on their style of facilitation.

DAY 2

Review of Day 1

Exercises on core skills

Review of inventories

• exercise: paired coaching

Dealing with barriers to agreement

• provocation and other catalytic techniques

Conflict in groups and ways to deal with it

• exercises to practise in tough situations
• video feedback

Action planning