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Facilitation

What does it mean?

Professional facilitators work with groups of people to assist them make decisions or achieve objectives more easily

A facilitator can advise on the best process to achieve the goal of a meeting or workshop. There are many models to choose from. Some have names and set processes like Future Search, World Cafe, Open Space and Appreciative Inquiry. Others rely on the knowledge of the facilitator to design the process.

How does it happen?

Facilitation requires a set of diverse skills and processes. At the meeting, and in the moment, the facilitator provides a range of skills from time keeping and maintaining the focus on the topic through to working with people with strongly held viewpoints and high levels of emotion.

Most importantly, through using these processes and skills, facilitators are providing a space where all participants feel they can be involved in the discussion.

Facilitation is an evolving skill

Learning from experience and ongoing reflection are an invaluable part of what it means to be a professional facilitator. Here’s what Kimbra White has to say:

“It can be embarrassing at times to look back at one's past practices. I used to ask the most important questions first, keep people in one group as much as possible as I wanted to be part of the conversation (all about me) and assume that everyone would talk openly if I invited their views.”

“Oh, the things that we learn along the way. I thank Bob Dick for teaching me about good process and that good outcomes rely on the relationships built early in the workshop or meeting. I thank Glen Ochre for opening my eyes to the impact of rank in silencing people within a group and the knowledge and skills of how to create safe spaces for people to speak within a group.”

THORNE Partners

Kimbra White of THORNE Partners is a skilled facilitator who can both design the process or agenda to meet your goals for the meeting and will lead and manage the group on the day. She is experienced in facilitating community engagement events, strategy meetings and meetings to make decisions. She works with community groups, project teams and boards of directors.