| |
How to Select a Meeting Facilitator
By Steve Kaye
Meeting facilitation is a complex activity. Thus, you want to make sure that you engage someone who knows how to help you get results. Here's what to look for.
1) Is the person a professional facilitator?
There is more to facilitation than watching people talk. Facilitation is a complex activity requiring a special blend of sophisticated skills. You want someone who can identify the real goals for your meeting, plan an agenda that produces a result, guide people to find their best answers, and maintain a working environment for a fair process. That is, you want someone who specializes in helping people hold effective meetings. One clue comes from asking if the candidate facilitator is a member of the International Association of Facilitators. Dedicated professionals belong to the associations that serve their discipline.
2) Has the person earned recognition as a facilitator?
The International Association of Facilitators grants the Certified Professional Facilitator designation based on a rigorous skill-based assessment. Candidates must pass 1) a lengthy written application describing their experience, 2) two oral exams conducted by certified examiners, and 3) a live demonstration of meeting facilitation where one of the examiners attempts to disrupt the meeting. You gain added assurance when you work with a CPF.
3) Does the person understand meetings?
That is, does the candidate know how to set up, plan, and conduct an effective meeting? Does he know how to keep a meeting on track? Does she know how to maintain a productive, safe environment that allows the participants to work at their creative best?
4) Does the person understand business?
You want a facilitator who understands the dynamics and challenges that occur in business. You want someone who can speak intelligently with your executives and staff. You want someone who has worked for a business and attended real business meetings.
5) Does the person work hard to understand the purpose of your meeting?
If you talk to someone who seems too quick to accept your project, be cautious. A skilled facilitator will ask many questions to understand what you want before agreeing to help you. This helps identify if your meeting fits the facilitator's expertise -- some types of meetings may not. And it determines the amount of effort required.
6) Does the person offer to help prepare an agenda?
The agenda is the blueprint for the meeting. Properly prepared, everything should work smoothly. A skilled facilitator will most likely spend more time preparing the agenda than facilitating the meeting.
7) Does the person offer to talk to the participants?
Such conversations are essential. They reveal the participants' expectations and private agendas. They gather background information. And they serve to enlist the participants' support for the meeting.
8) Does the person apply a variety of process tools?
Each meeting is different. And thus each meeting requires different process tools to obtain useful results. Some people use one process for everything - and while that can work in some cases, it is a significant limitation.
9) Does the person tell you about your role in the meeting?
Certainly you want directions on how to set up the room, what resources to obtain, and how to maximize the effectiveness of your participation.
About the Author
Steve Kaye helps leaders hold effective meetings. He is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator, author, and speaker. His meeting facilitation and leadership workshops create success for everyone. Call 714-528-1300 for details. Visit http://www.stevekaye.com for a free report.
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/31689.html
| If you wish to add the above article to your website or newsletters then please include the "Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/31689.html" as shown above and make it hyperlinked. |
| Some other articles by Steve Kaye | Why Olivia Refuses to Attend Meetings
Olivia Felini is a wonderful cat. She will do almost anything, except go to meetings. Here's why.
1) No one asks her to participate.
Olivia always comes prepared to be part of ...
How Bad Can a Meeting Be?
There are the winning entries from a bad meeting contest (condensed and sanitized to protect the participants)
1) Short, Expensive, and Useless.
First, ...
More Than One Type of Goal Leads to Success
Most people set goals. But they often set only one type of goal, and in so doing they set themselves up for failure.
Here is ...
The Secret to Effective Leadership
Treating people with respect wins trust and develops lasting relationships. Here's what to do.
1) Be on time. In fact, arrive early for appointments and meetings. Plan time milestones in ...
How to Survive in a Crazy World
Everything seems to go faster, leaving everyone feeling overworked, overloaded, and overwhelmed. Here's how to survive.
1) Know Your Purpose.
Know your vision, your goals, and your plans because these help you set ...
Conquer Your Fear of Speaking
Reduce your fear of speaking by taking the following steps.
1) Conduct Research.
Visit or call key participants to ask them what they expect from your ...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
