Tips for Facilitating Groups or Meetings

Facilitator/Leader’s Role

Establish and adhere to a time line
Be a neutral person for the group
Listen and clarify issues within the group:
Listen twice as much as you talk-your role is to engage and direct the people not to tell or talk
Solicit input from everyone
Discourage domineering or judgmental behavior
Keep the discussion flowing and on focus
Offer your input at the end/at the beginning only if the group is struggling
Monitor Role
Helps facilitator by reminding of time lines
Signals the group when ground rules are violated-ground rules are posted
Reminding the facilitator when everyone has not had input
Is a second set of eyes and ears to insure the meeting flows well

Tips for Facilitating
Arrive early to set up room and materials, post the agenda and to greet people.
Always have writing boards/markers. A lap top computer helps.
Start session on time with introductions, purpose of session, agenda review and clarifying your role.
Set or review ground rules or code of conduct with the group plus the mechanism to monitor
To start a discussion, write a question(s) on a board and ask the group in pairs to respond.
Use small group discussions (3-7 people) to get everyone participating.
Use structured Brainstorming to gather a lot of information quickly: go around room asking for each person’s brief ideas which are recorded
Use consensus building to get everyone’s agreement on a decision, outcome. Consensus is “we can live with this”, not necessarily “we all agree”
Have group members write prior to verbal discussion: post-it notes, 3x5 cards, on posted paper pads.
Use video tape(s) as a tool to get group focused
To manage the long-winded or domineering members, refer to ground rules or ask them to summarize in ten words or less.
To involve the silent members, use small groups or pairings.
To get everyone’s input, pose the question then move “round robin” around the room asking for each person’s input in 20 words (or 1 minute each).