This highly participative 2‐day intensive training course focuses on developing the essential skills required for group facilitation in the workplace setting. The course focuses on all the process of group facilitation essential for today’s fast paced and ever changing workplace.

A facilitator is someone who uses knowledge of group processes to formulate and deliver the needed structure for meeting interactions to be effective. A facilitator focuses on effective processes (meeting dynamics) allowing the participants to focus on the content or the substance of their work together.

This seminar will enable the participants to:

Facilitate and host meetings so that the real issues are reached quickly and fairly
Apply smart neutrality to focus all the different views in the room and organise them into a
coherent whole
Understand the context and dynamics from which specific issues arise – particularly in the oil
& gas sector
Develop skills in practical communication that opens up the possibility for change

Objectives

By the end of the programme, participants will:

Learn about key competencies and tools of facilitation
Describe the main factors of group dynamics
Understand how to stimulate group participation and positively handle conflict
Know about the design of meetings for maximum knowledge transfer
Learn to deal with difficult participants of all types
Receive valuable coaching and feedback on own communication style

Training Methodology

Dynamic presentations support each of the topics together with interactive trainer lead sessions of discussion. There will also be numerous practical sessions where participants have the opportunity to participate and experience topics taught. Case studies, DVD’s, small group work, exercises and coaching will be used to facilitate learning.

Who Should Attend?

All staff who need to facilitate meetings and events

Course Outline

Day 1 – Key Competencies and Tools of Facilitation

Group facilitation techniques and methods
Role of facilitator versus leader
An analysis of poor meetings
Running effective meetings
How to choose the appropriate meeting role: Chair (Leader), Administrator, Facilitator and Participant
Active listening, clarifying, questioning to manage meeting behaviour and contributions
Your facilitators' toolbox
- Icebreakers
- Seatingdynamicsand‘bodylanguage’ o Venueandset‐up
Cross cultural communication and meetings
Assessing your personal communication style

Day 2 – Understanding Group Dynamics, Conflict & Decision Making

Group dynamics
Stages of group development
Decision making techniques
- Brainstorming o PMI
- Sixthinkinghats o Gridanalysis
- Nominalgrouptechnique o Delphi
- Force‐fieldanalysis
Reaching Consensus
Avoiding Groupthink ‐ avoiding fatal flaws in group decision‐making
Handling group conflict
Working with difficult people
Evaluating facilitation

Facilitation Skills Training Course (£1450 total for this 2-day course for a group of 4-10 participants)