SOLUTIONS ENGINEERING & FACILITATING, INC. 

Every meeting of more than four or five people needs a leader who will keep an open and balanced conversational flow and protect individuals and their ideas from personal attack.

The Facilitator

The facilitator is a meeting chauffeur, a servant of the group. Neutral and non-evaluating, the facilitator is responsible for making sure the participants use the most effective methods for solving a problem or accomplishing their task in the shortest time. To avoid the the tendency of group members to go off in different directions  the facilitator gets the group to stick to a common subject and a common process at all times.

How The Facilitator Works

The facilitator holds the group back, offers a menu of possible ways of attacking the problem, and waits until there is agreement on one particular process. Then the facilitator helps keep the group on track until it has accomplished what it set out to do or wants to change direction. By getting all the group members to use the same tool at the same time on the same problem, the facilitator can transform a divergent group into a creative, coordinated group.

To make sure that all participants have an opportunity to participate, that everyone will be protected from personal attack, and that no one is allowed to dominate the meeting, the facilitator is empowered to act as a cop. When the group is working well together, the facilitator may not need to do much and lets group members speak spontaneously. When things become heated or bogged down, the facilitator steps in and becomes more forceful in his or her use of power to direct the meeting process, signaling who should speak next, cutting off aggressive behavior, and keeping the group to its agreed-upon task.

Our method is designed to accomplish tasks. It is not an encounter or sensitivity training. The facilitator remains neutral and oils the tracks for groups to work effectively in meetings to accomplish something. When a group is able to concentrate its creative energy, to work hard, and to accomplish a task in a positive and constructive fashion, group members feel better about themselves and each other.

This non-manipulation pact between the facilitator and the rest of the group is one of a set of social contracts that is distinctive about our style.  It creates a self-correcting system.

Copyright © 2006 Solutions Engineering & Facilitating, Inc.
Last modified: 05/23/06