Workshop Facilitation Techniques

Understanding Workshop Facilitation

A presentation by experts that encourages attendees to participate actively in order to gain actual practical experience, in solving befuddling work related problems, is known as a facilitated workshop. Facilitated workshops are helpful in managing changes that are integral to the existence of an organization. They encourage participation by breaking down barriers and helping the organization achieve its goals. Facilitated workshops help by motivating employees, manager and others, who have a stake in the process, to communicate and interact effectively with each other. Workshop facilitation is the responsibility of the team leader, manager or expert who plays the role of a facilitator. Team building workshops help foster a sense of belonging. The following workshop facilitation techniques are often used by facilitators in order to encourage group participation.

Workshop Facilitation Techniques

Identifying Objectives: This is the most important part of workshop facilitation. Workshop facilitation can yield the desired results provided the facilitator has a clear idea about the intended outcome of the workshop.

Being Flexible: It is necessary for the facilitator to be flexible regarding goals and schedules. Being overambitious or time conscious should be avoided in order to achieve the best results.

Playing Games: Games can liven the atmosphere and help people get comfortable with each other. Games fire up the urge to participate. An interesting game, that involves group participation, can be helpful in encouraging people to work with each other. For instance, a game like Pictionary, that involves interpreting what the other person intends to convey without resorting to verbal communication, can help people understand how different people think. It can be a great ice-breaker.

Solving Complex Problems Part by Part: A workshop facilitator helps people solve complex problems by breaking down the problem into smaller problem units. Each problem unit can then be assigned to different groups. Each group tackles its problem and arrives at the solution. Collectively, they solve the seemingly complicated problem.

Identifying Dormant Participants: This is a very important part of the facilitator's job. The facilitator identifies dormant participants and encourages them to participate actively. Encouraging them to voice their opinion, while not seeming patronizing, can be quite a challenge.

Using Visual Tools: Visual aids can also help people learn during facilitation. Just as a problem can be broken down into smaller units, one can simplify a problem by putting together smaller units. This is when visual tools can come in handy. Simple building blocks can help people build a problem and indicate offshoots or results of the problem. Flip charts are also good visual aids. Visualizing data can sometimes help figure out the solution.

Facilitating Limited People: If there are fewer people participating in a workshop, every one gets a chance to participate. Moreover, dormant participants can be easily identified and encouraged to take part in group activities. In order to ensure maximum participation, the facilitator should limit the number of participants to 10.

Workshop facilitator job description includes self awareness as a prerequisite for the job. Being friendly, open, non-judgmental and communicative, are also important qualities that a facilitator must possess. The above set of workshop facilitation techniques is not a comprehensive list. Workshop facilitator training will help the facilitator identify and develop useful facilitation techniques.