10 Sins of The Facilitator;
1. Chooses which comments made by the team are worthy of being documented.
2. Interprets or modifies the words spoken and records the “spin” on the input rather than documenting what is actually said.
3. Has a bias towards one tool or technique, or creates the impression of a bias towards an idea or a team member.
4. Permits digressions without interventions
5. Permits ground rules to be broken with out intervention.
6. Speaks emotionally charged words, or allows another member of the team to do so.
7. Allows distrust and disrespect to occur between facilitator and the team, or between team members.
8. Fails to create a sense of purpose regarding the teams goals or objectives.
9. Ignores timekeeping or underestimates the amount of time needed to get the agenda item accomplished.
10. Does the work for the team.
Your Turn;
Which of the above have you been guilty of? What have you done to avoid committing these sins of facilitation?
We have all been guilty of one or more of these. Facilitation is a skill that takes knowledge, practice and patience. Contact Mike and join the Train-The-Trainer workshop to master your facilitation skills.
Referenced:
- Six Sigma Team Dynamics; The Elusive Key to Project Success; Eckes, George;Wiley: 2003
michael cardus is create-learning
image by dingler1109
Letting things slide during initiatives is something I will do discreetly (my Rabbi said “in love, you need to be a little deaf and a little blind,” I’ll settle for just a little blind when facilitating).
I HATE when a facilitator validates some statements or “corrects” them when repeating them for the group to hear. I know it’s supposed to look like they are parroting back to confirm understanding, but it never comes out that way to me.
A lot of this has to do with building a solid group culture, framing and hitting those goals and objectives from the get-go, and trusting your instincts enough to follow and act on them when you see or hear things that are inconducive.
Great post Michael!
Lindsay, great points and as I am responding I am thinking of what you wrote and the “10 Sins” and trying not to commit any of them!
The trusting your instincts part is vital. Remember that the only way you gain competence to have this Skilled Knowledge (that is sometimes called instinct) is through learning, practicing, and continuous feedback and improvement. We both know that anyone can read how to lead an experiential activity, the ones that are great make it mean something more.
Thanks Mike – Great post,
I really like #5 – it is a great point and one in which I see facilitators flounder with all the time. A great example is when a facilitator or group leader is explaining the rules of an activity or process…then the activity begins and somewhere in the process rules are broken or things come up which cause confusion, creating or general disregard for the “rules.” This may also happen when pre established rules or values are chosen by the group and then broken some time during the group daily interaction.
I suggest taking two easy steps in order to prevent or correct this from happening.
#1. Help the group clearly understand the role of the facilitator or leader from the outset of the day. The facilitator reserves the right to “manipulate, change or morph the rules to help bring about a desired result within an activity.” For example, if a group is doing some type of traversing activity using carpet squares or other supplies, the facilitator may need to give an unforeseen circumstance or institute a new rule based on the group’s performance.
#2. Perfect the value contract process from the outset. I am working on a new blog post about this topic…coming soon! A group needs to fully understand and how they will be working together throughout the day. The simplest way to come to this understanding is to ask the group, “what is necessary for this group to work well together and to accomplish out goals.” Once these things are established, concretize them for the group in a creative contract.
Avi. wow. thank you for sharing!