GROW: Resources for Growing the Green Party

Facilitation

The following copyrighted material was exerpted (with permission) from: A Guide for Facilitators by Beatrice Briggs and David Lillie (incorporating material previously written by Beatrice Briggs and Shari Leyshon)

Role of the Facilitator

Guiding Principles

The French word for facilitator is animateur: one who brings in the spirit.

The facilitator is an impartial guide to the process. In order to be effective in this role, the facilitator must not express a bias or opinion about the content and must not participate in the discussion as a participant.

If you are a member of the group you're facilitating , you must relinquish the role of facilitator whenever you:

are the sponsor of an agenda item
have a large stake in the outcome of the discussion
have a known bias about the subject under discussion
have a personal history which prevents you from remaining clear and present during the discussion.

Ask someone else to take over as facilitator and physically change places. Make the transition very clear.

The Leader, Boss, Administrator, CEO (person in power) etc. is never the facilitator.

"To facilitate" means "to make easy." The facilitator does whatever possible to make the group's task easier.

A good facilitator can save a group fifty percent of its time. A poor one can cost it as much.

The facilitator is a "servant-leader," serving the group by providing leadership regarding the group's decision-making process.

The facilitator serves at the will of the group. The group can choose to have a new facilitator at any time.

Only serve groups those whose projects and direction you believe in and support. You must want the group to succeed.

Before facilitating alone or as a co-facilitator, beginning facilitators should apprentice with an experienced facilitator, if possible.

The "buddy system," in which two beginners pair up to support each other's learning, is another good way to get started. In this system, one person facilitates the entire meeting and the other assists as needed (by scribing, hanging easel pages on the wall, etc.). The next time, they switch roles.

In co-facilitation, only one person should facilitate at a time. The other provides support, assistance, and occasional advice, but does not interfere or argue with the facilitator. At appropriate times, they switch roles. Other arrangements can be made ahead of time, with each facilitator taking on certain roles for special purposes, but generally it is important for only one person at a time to be "holding the space" and keeping the focus.

In all such "team" facilitation, leave time before the facilitation to prepare for the meeting and define roles. Leave time after the facilitation to evaluate.

Responsibilities

Thinks about the needs of the group as a whole

Participates in pre-meeting information gathering and agenda planning

Prepares the meeting location; brings necessary equipment (markers, etc)

Solicits volunteers to fill other roles in the process

Creates an atmosphere of trust and safety

Equalizes participation

Ensures that the agenda contract is honored

Keeps the energy of the group focused and on task

Exposes conflict and suggests processes for resolving it

Collects agreements; tests for consensus

Brings closure

Orchestrates appropriate follow-up activities

Qualities of a Good Facilitator

Values the principles of consensus

Loves the group being facilitated

Strong communication skills, including concise, articulate speech and ability to listen well

Good memory

Logical: can identify parts of a whole and move forward logically

Intuitive: able to make non-logical connections

Emotional balance

Physical stamina

Humor

Patience and flexibility

Personal warmth

Positive attitude

Comfortable with conflict

Committed to improving his/her facilitation skills Serving as a facilitator can be a path of personal growth, revealing areas where inner work is needed and providing a way to measure your development.

Facilitation Taboos

As you observe the facilitation process with a more critical eye, you will accumulate your own list of behaviors to avoid. Meanwhile, here are some things a facilitator should never do:

Block

Offer an opinion or sponsor an item without stepping out of the role

Speak sarcastically or trivialize what is going on in the group

Assume that a group will not agree

Tell a group that it is "hard to facilitate"

Insist that the group follow a particular course

Abandon the group A facilitator who behaves in ways which violate the trust of the group, insults the intelligence or integrity of the participants or otherwise step outside the bounds of the role, should be challenged by the group.

Facilitators who are unable or unwilling to modify their behavior should be replaced.

Starting the Meeting

General Principles

To the extent that it is within your control, begin on time.

At the beginning of the meeting, ask the group's permission to facilitate. This formalizes the relationship and authorizes you to do what the role entails.

Let the group know if you are new to facilitating. Ask for help and feedback . This candor puts others at ease.

1. Opening Ceremony

2. Introductions

3. Clarifying the Decision-Making Process

Who Decides? If necessary, review the decision-making process to be used by the group. This step is essential if it is a new group, there are many new members or the group is using a new process. Here are some things to clarify:

Does everyone present have equal decision-making power?

In consensus, there are no proxies (people carrying votes for others not in attendance).

Are some people present only as visitors or observers? May they speak?

If using consensus, is everyone clear on what it means to block, stand aside or give consent?

In large groups, members may need cards or other indicators in order to identify themselves or tests for consensus.

4. Reviewing the Ground Rules

This step is necessary if the group is new, you are new to the group and/or the group is experimenting with new meeting processes. Here are some possible basic agreements which work well for most groups

1. Begin and end on time.
2. Use a facilitator.
3. One speaker at a time.
4. Speak only for yourself.
5. No put-downs. (Criticism of actions or words is appropriate, attacking a person's character is not.)
6. No blaming. (Focus on fixing the problem for the future, not finding fault.)
7. No interrupting (except by the facilitator in service of the meeting process).
8. Everyone participates.
9. Confidentially (when appropriate).
10. Silence = assent. (If you do not say anything, it means you agree.)

Other agreements used by some groups

1. Alternate men and women speakers.
2. No one may speak twice on a subject until everyone who wants to speak for the first time has had a turn.
3. Each speaker who is physically able must stand to speak. (This is especially useful in large groups, or in groups where individuals tend to sit back in their seats and expound at length.)
4. Order of speakers is (1) people from other countries (2) people of color (3) young people (under 20 years old) (4) women (5) men. This is the reverse of the order in which people tend to speak out in our culture.
5. Listen with respect.
6. Express yourself clearly and honestly.
7. Learn from each other.
8. Work toward a solution.
9. All are treated with respect and as equals.
10. No verbal attacks.
11. While brainstorming: all ideas welcome. No discussion or criticism, clarification only.
12. We agree to disagree.
13. Stick to time limits.

5. "Proposed Agenda" Review

Rationale

Gives people ownership of the agenda

Allows participants to relax, knowing that time is allotted for their issues

Clarifying whether issues are being introduced, discussed, or decided; prevents "chasing rabbits" (i.e., getting sidetracked) and crisis management

Creates a contract among group members

Gives an overview of the meeting content

Technique

Be sure that the written agenda is labeled "Proposed Agenda."

Say "This is the agenda that has been prepared for your consideration."

Explain who created the proposed agenda (to diffuse possible worries about hidden "power elite").

Make sure group understands which items are for Introduction, Discussion or Decision, who the sponsor is, and how much time is allotted for each item.

Negotiate any revisions.

Make sure ending time is clearly noted and understood.

When agenda is finalized, cross off "proposed" and state with vigor, "Good, this is our Agenda for this meeting."

Moving Through the Agenda

Basic Steps

There are five basic steps which the facilitator must take with regard to each agenda item to help the group stay focused.

State the name of the item, whether it is for introduction, discussion or decision and how much time is allotted for it.

Turn the floor over to the sponsor of the item.

Facilitate the ensuing discussion (See "Kinds of Agenda Items" below).

Reach closure. (See "Kinds of Agenda Items" below)

Check off the item on the written agenda and move on to the next.

Kinds of Agenda Items

Each of the three kinds of agenda items, Introduction, Discussion or Decision, requires slightly different handling by the facilitator.

Introduction (first time this proposal has been made)

Entertain only questions to clarify the content of the proposal, no discussion of its merits.

Ask "Does anyone have any factual questions about this proposal?"

Item should not take more than 5 minutes of agenda time.

Discussion (previously introduced)

First ask for discussion of the broad principles behind the idea. Further clarify what is being proposed. Is this something the group is interested in? Does it fit the group's mission? If there is general agreement that this is an appropriate subject for the group's consideration, move on to the next step. Don't allow discussion of the details of the proposal until you have agreement on the general idea. For example, a group might begin discussing whether to have beer at a picnic before it has decided to have the picnic.

Next ask for concerns about the proposal. Conduct a brainstorm or other process to identify all the concerns before you discuss any of the concerns in depth. Finally discuss and try to resolve each concern.

Collect agreements as they come along. Point out any unresolved concerns and help the group figure out how to deal with them (send to committee, schedule another meeting, etc).

Decision (previously approved for discussion and discussion complete)

Test for consensus, saying, "My sense of the meeting is that we have agreed to....(state the proposal)" If this meets with a chorus of "no's" then consensus has not been reached. Keep working. If all seem to agree with you, proceed with the formal test of consensus.

"Are there any blocks?" If there are, ask the person to explain the reason for the block. If possible, try to resolve the concern. If the person does not remove his or her block, the decision does not go forward at this time. Record the name of the blocker and the reason for the block in the minutes. Treat the blocker with respect. (This might be a good time to call for a break to release the tension/emotions that blocks can cause.) If no blocks, proceed.

Ask "Are there any stand asides?" If there are, the names should be entered in the minutes. If there are more than one or two stand asides, the group has not reached consensus. More work is needed.

If there are no blocks and not too many stand asides, say "We haveconsensus."

If any last minute changes have been made to the proposal, ask the minute taker to repeat the decision.

Some groups feel that it is not appropriate to celebrate consensus (with cheers, clapping, etc) , as if some difficult task has just been achieved- or as if the group has failed if consensus is not reached. Making decision's can be hard work and a sense of relief or accomplishment is natural. If the group has no prohibition against it, join in the applause!

Avoiding Participant Overload

Announcements

Rationale: People always have announcements, so schedule a place for them. Otherwise, they will slip into the agenda where you least expect them. Builds community. Lets people find out what others are involved in.

Technique: Set time limit of 30-60 seconds per announcement and enforce it fairly. Announcements take longer in Spanish!

Announcements about meeting arrangements, meals, special events must be given priority. If announcements are getting out of hand, take only announcements that are written down to be read later by one person.

Breaks

Rationale: Speeds up the process. People will return more refreshed and focused. Gives people time to take care of their side business, make phone calls, go to the bathroom, etc. without disturbing the meeting Gives facilitator time to work with individual members of the groups Provides relief after an intense part of the meeting or when atmosphere gets stale

Technique: NEVER keep a group sitting for more than 90 minutes! Instruct group in "raised hand technique" as a way to reconvene. (Raise your hand, when others see you, they raise their hands until everyone gets the message.) Plan extra time for re-grouping -- a scheduled 10 minute break often requires 15 minutes before you can be working again.

During the Meeting

Facilitator's Conduct

1. Physical Presence

It is best to stand to the side or sit during a content presentation. Afterwards, step forward to resume the facilitator's role.
Too much movement by a facilitator is distracting. Do not pace around or walk randomly. If you move, know where you are going and why. (See section on "Body language" below)
Never point at a person. Signal with open hand, palm up.
Language
Avoid polarizing language. (Instead of "We have an opposing point of view," say "That is another point of view." or instead of "Person X and Person Y disagree" say "There are several opinions here." )
Avoid judgements like: "That's a good/bad idea," say "That's one idea. Any others?"
Purge "but" from your vocabulary. Substitute "and."
Do not refer to something as "So-and-so's idea." This will make it harder for that person to change his/her mind later.
Remember that most of what is said at meetings is repetition. There are usually only 4-5 main points. Listen for them and identify them for the group.
Non-verbal Awareness
80-90% of a facilitator's attention is on the non-verbal level (watching body language, energy shifts, etc). Only 10-20% is used to listen to words.
Throughout the meeting, visually "sweep" the room to monitor the group's energy.
Develop "snake eyes," the ability to see past the verbiage or conflict to the underlying issues and identify them for the group.
Impartiality
Be even-handed or you will get called on it.
Know whether you are right-eyed or left-eyed, as this the direction in which you will visually "sweep" the room.
Warn those sitting on your non-dominant side, on the floor, in shadows or glare or at the edge of your peripheral vision that you may have rouble seeing them. Ask the group for help in noticing when these people want to speak.
If you make a mistake, apologize and carry on.
If you do not know everyone's name, do not use anyone's name. People will think you are favoring your friends.
To call on someone whose name you do not know, signal them , saying, "Yes, friend/sir/madam?" - or whatever neutral term is appropriate.

2. Staying on Track

Stacking

Stacking is a useful technique for establishing the order in which people will speak.
Do not put more people in a stack than you can keep track of (5 is usually the maximum.)
If you leave someone out of a stack by mistake or fail to see them raising their hand, and they complain, apologize and put them in the stack - near the top if possible.
Irrelevant Issues
Do not let the group be lured be lured into "chasing rabbits" (getting distracted by side issues) or "cross-town buses" (discussions which take the group away from the agenda).
Write them on a sheet marked "Parking Lot" or "Burning Issues List" and consider them for discussion at a future time.
Icebergs
Items that take much longer than the time allotted can destroy an agenda. When it becomes clear that you have hit an iceberg, ask the group whether it wants to extend the time, send it to a committee or continue the discussion at a future meeting. If the group's choice is to continue, clarify where the additional time will come from (another agenda item, extend the meeting time or add another meeting time or other creative choice)

3. Saving the Group's Time

Straw polls

ask "All those who are generally in favor of this proposal, please raise your hands," and count them.
Then ask for those who are generally opposed and count them.
If no one is in favor or no one is opposed, then you may be able to quickly bring the matter to closure by testing for consensus or seeing if the sponsor wants to withdraw the proposal. Straw polls must NEVER be treated as a decision, the decision must be reached within the consensus process.
If you have a large minority or nearly 50-50, you know there is a lot of work yet to be done. Rather than doing all the work in the meeting, you may be able to move the issue to a committee for further work, or use a new technique to focus the group on what the remaining issues are.
When There Seems to be Consensus but People Keep Repeating Themselves
Ask if anyone wishes to speak against the proposal, if not, move to a test for consensus
If there is no proposal, ask if anyone would like to make one -- you may need to assist them in the wording
Asking questions
A facilitator does not give answers, but rather continuously asks questions intended to
Equalize participation ("Are we hearing from everyone?")
Elicit wisdom ("Are there any other ideas?)
Clarify the group's situation ("Are we ready to move on?")
Sometimes it is useful to ask an intentionally naive question ("Are you saying that we should cancel the annual picinic?") in order to help the speaker clarify his/her pointof view for the group. Do not ask questions like: "Who agrees with this proposal?" Instead, ask questions like: "How can we make this proposal better?" or "Is there anyone who cannot work with/live with this proposal?"

Dealing With Common Problems

Supporting the Shy

At a certain point in the discussion, take comments only from those who have not yet spoken on the topic.

Over-interpret the body language of the shy. (Yes? Did you want to speak?)

If someone is struggling to express themselves, help them out.

Build up their contribution by repeating it, writing it down, etc. so they will feel encouraged to speak again.

Silencing the Verbose

Every group has talkative members. As facilitator, you must not allow a few people to dominate the conversation. Here are some strategies for limiting their "air time."

Preventative:

Remind the group of the "Everyone participates" ground rule.

Set time limits (one minute, two minutes, etc) for speaking and enforce them. Enlist the help of the time keeper for this task.

Give every participant an equal quantity of beans. Every time a person speaks, he/she forfeits a bean. When a person runs out of beans, he/she can no longer speak.

Preemptory:

Use the facilitator's prerogative to limit comments to those who have not yet spoken on the issue.

lnterruption

When the long-winded speaker takes a breath, jump in and say one of these phrases:

Can you summarize?

Your time is up. Please finish.

Thank you, I think we have your point.

Body Language

Your physical presence can be a powerful tool.

Take a step or two toward the person to signal that the time is up.

If the person continues talking, walk closer.

If more subtle measures fail, gently but firmly put your hand on the speaker's shoulder. This is guaranteed to work!

Personal Contact

Speak to the overly talkative during the break. Ask for their cooperation. ("Your contributions are valuable and we need to let others have time to speak. Please limit your comments.")

Handling "Experts"

Acknowledge the input of lawyers and other "experts" as information, not as the final word on the subject. Do not let them disempower the group. ("Thank you for that information. Are there any other comments?")

When Participation Lags

Keep visually sweeping the room, to catch people signalling to speak.

Conduct a "go-around," in which each person is given an opportunity to speaks. (Remind the group that they can say "So-an-so speaks my mind" to avoid repetition.)

Ask "Are we hearing from everyone?"

Conduct a brainstorm.

Let the conversation flow freely for a while, without using a stack.

Take a stretch break. Play a game.

Stressful Situations

When You Don't Know What to Do Next

If you need time to collect your thoughts, look down at your hands. Take a minute to breathe. Then continue.

If you are confused by what is going on, ask for the group's help ("I am having trouble getting clear on this?" or "Where are we?")

Call for a 15-minute break. Get help from those others in figuring out what to do next.

Side Conversations

If one or two individuals are having a private conversation, are interrupting or otherwise distracting the group, here are some options:

Give them the "evil eyebrow" or change the tone of your voice to let them know you have noticed them.

"Excuse me, so and so has the floor. Please stop talking."

"We agreed at the beginning of the meeting there would be no interrupting. Please wait your turn to speak."

"We need your attention to be with us."

"If you have side business to conduct, please wait until the break, or else do it outside."

Go stand near the offending parties. This usually quiets them for a while.

When Everyone Is Talking At Once, try these steps (use only as many as necessary)

Raise your hand for silence

Ask the group to quiet down

Ask everyone to take three deep breaths

Call for a break

When Emotions Come Up

It is not necessary to "rescue" someone just because they are crying.

Know who in the group has counseling skills or other "people skills" for dealing with the seriously upset.

If necessary, call for a break. Ask one or two people to support the upset person.

Some people are very susceptible to the emotional energy in a room and react very emotionally. Taking them outside gives them a chance to clear themselves -- and keeps them from becoming a target for the group.

Crying Babies

NEVER compete with a crying baby. Humans are incapable of concentrating when a child is crying. Call for a break.

Similarly, never compete with a security alarm or other loud noise that goes on for a long time. Break until the noise stops.

Verbal Attacks

The group must be protected from racist or judgmental participants. One approach is to get the group to ratify a strong stand against such behavior. Say, "One of my jobs here today is to make sure that this is a safe environment for everyone. Am I right in thinking that that remark is hurtful to some people here? [Nods from the group.] Then I am going to ask that those words not be used here again." The quicker the action and the firmer the voice, the more likely the success of the technique.

Take a break and speak privately with the offender and/or offended.

Establish an "ouch" rule at the beginning of the session, which allows anyone who is offended by another speaker to shout "ouch!", thereby alerting other and the facilitator that the environment is not safe at that moment for everyone.

If Your Facilitation Is Publicly Challenged

Ask the group, "Does anyone else share this concern?" If the answer is yes, slow down and find out more details about the difficulty. If you cannot resolve them and most people in the group agree with the complaint, offer to step down. ("I have no investment in facilitating this meeting. Would someone else like to take over?"). Be careful not to let a few people make a "power play" to remove the facilitator because they are not getting their way.

At the End of the Meeting

Next Steps

Any items which have not been completely resolved or planned should be noted and people/committees be found to work on them after the meeting. This is especially important if meetings do not occur often. Possible steps needed might be:

Plan the next meeting

Implement a proposal that was approved

Write a letter or other document to carry out a proposal

Carry out research needed for the next phase

Rewrite a proposal that wasn't approved but wasn't totally rejected

Next Meeting

For groups which are on-going, always set the time, date and place of the next meeting before the close of the current one. Put this on the agenda or you may forget!

Always have someone in the current meeting collect agenda items for the next meeting as they come up

In may be useful to have a large sheet of paper on the wall to collect items that get bumped from this meeting to the next or for proposals that are raised from the floor, so that people know their items won't be forgotten or passed over.

Evaluation/Reflection

Always one of the last items on the agenda. People will be anxious to leave, but do not skip this step!

A constructive way to capture information essential to the group's self-education.

Failure to do an evaluation during the meetings leaves the participants no option but to complain to each other privately in the parking lot - where the information will do the group no good.

Encourages acknowledgement of successes.

Ends the meeting on a strong note, empowers people and helps bring them back.

Thanks

Closing

Cleanup

After the Meeting

Facilitating large groups and/or long meetings requires extended focus and concentration which can be very exhausting. For this and other reasons it is recommended that facilitators work in pairs or teams and trade off periodically. Even with this additional resource, you will usually need to "debrief" -- talk over how it went with a friendly listener -- and wind down from the intense focus and level of activity during the meeting. Quiet walks in a natural setting, a nice meal, or other relaxing entertainment are highly recommended.

If other facilitators are present, arrange to spend some time together talking about what went well and what could be improved with regard to the meeting process. Take notes to review later after you've had some time to recover your energy.

If at all possible, DON'T plan another meeting or event that requires your attention for at least a day after the meeting, and DON'T drive until after you've had some time to wind down.

If you are trained in Co-counseling, this is a wonderful time to have a session.