Facilitation Skills

Effective facilitators are flexible, and follow principles, not rules. They improvise. They can direct or request, be firm or soft, serious or light, focus on tasks or on relationships. They have abundant knowledge about processes and groups. They are effortlessly competent with many facilitation moves. They also know they have more to learn and are continuing learners.

While facilitation is not more important than the hats of presenting, consulting or coaching, facilitation is the primary agent in adult group development that supports student learning. Student performance increases substantially in schools with collaborative work cultures that focus continuously on improving instructional practices in light of student performance data. Facilitation of stakeholder thinking, problem solving and planning is the norm in work units making a difference in student learning. In the most effectively adaptive systems all players wear the facilitation hat because collaboration occurs in small groups and large assemblies, in coffee conversations and councils, in talks with peers and talks with parents. Facilitation provides the focusing, directing and organizing features necessary to produce results for students from these conversations.

Participants will learn how to:

conduct productive and efficient group processes within clear decision-making guidelines
keep processes focused without sidetracking to peripheral issues
intervene to maintain clarity about who and where a group is in a decision-making process
make distinctions between when and how to apply their own content expertise and process expertise
develop a group's capacity for dialogue, discussion and use of seven norms of collaboration
enlarge and refine personal maps for helping schools develop themselves as adaptive organizations
modify groups' capacity for self development
lead intensive conversations about standards, benchmarks and accountability without being attacked by group members
serve effectively as a facilitator and recorder of group deliberations

	Home About Adaptive Schools Adaptive Schools Leadership Seminars Adaptive Schools Foundation Seminar Cognitive Coaching^SM Enhancing Presentation Effectiveness Facilitation Skills The Skillful Consultant: Getting Your Expertise Used Future Training Events Adaptive Schools Foundation Training Dates Advanced Seminar Presentation, Facilitation, Consulting, & Polarity Management Seminar Dates Adaptive Schools Trainers' Forum Adaptive Schools Trainers' Meeting Becoming a Trainer Resources & Products Publications & Products Inventories: Seven Norms of Collaboration & Effective Meetings Bibliography Readings "Skill Builder" Archive Recommended Web Sites Contacting Us	Facilitation Skills Effective facilitators are flexible, and follow principles, not rules. They improvise. They can direct or request, be firm or soft, serious or light, focus on tasks or on relationships. They have abundant knowledge about processes and groups. They are effortlessly competent with many facilitation moves. They also know they have more to learn and are continuing learners. While facilitation is not more important than the hats of presenting, consulting or coaching, facilitation is the primary agent in adult group development that supports student learning. Student performance increases substantially in schools with collaborative work cultures that focus continuously on improving instructional practices in light of student performance data. Facilitation of stakeholder thinking, problem solving and planning is the norm in work units making a difference in student learning. In the most effectively adaptive systems all players wear the facilitation hat because collaboration occurs in small groups and large assemblies, in coffee conversations and councils, in talks with peers and talks with parents. Facilitation provides the focusing, directing and organizing features necessary to produce results for students from these conversations. Participants will learn how to: conduct productive and efficient group processes within clear decision-making guidelines keep processes focused without sidetracking to peripheral issues intervene to maintain clarity about who and where a group is in a decision-making process make distinctions between when and how to apply their own content expertise and process expertise develop a group's capacity for dialogue, discussion and use of seven norms of collaboration enlarge and refine personal maps for helping schools develop themselves as adaptive organizations modify groups' capacity for self development lead intensive conversations about standards, benchmarks and accountability without being attacked by group members serve effectively as a facilitator and recorder of group deliberations
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