Detailed Agenda of The Skilled Facilitator Intensive Workshop

Day 1

• Introductions, Workshop Overview, And Working Together

The workshop begins with you, your co-participants and instructors introducing yourselves, sharing your expectations for the workshop, reviewing (and modifying if necessary) the fit between your expectations and the workshop design, and reaching agreements on how we will work together in the workshop.

• What Makes Work Groups Effective

In this section, you'll learn three criteria for assessing whether a group is effective and learn the elements necessary for developing effective group process, group structure, and maintaining a supportive organizational context. You'll practice using the group effectiveness model to diagnose strengths and weaknesses of groups you have worked with.

• Facilitative Skills in Action

In this section an instructor role plays a facilitator working with a group (role played by a few workshop members) trying to solve a problem. You'll observe the role play and identify and discuss specific behaviors of the facilitator and the principles underlying them.

• What is The Skilled Facilitator Approach: Facilitative Roles and Core Values

Here you'll explore the key elements of The Skilled Facilitator Approach:

• Operating from a set of core values and ground rules;
• Thinking and acting systemically;
• Increasing group member responsibility and reducing unnecessary dependence; and
• Creating conditions for mutual learning

You'll explore the five core values (transparency, curiosity, accountability, informed choice and compassion) that underlie The Skilled Facilitator Approach. You'll learn how the roles of facilitator, facilitative leader, facilitative consultant, facilitative coach and facilitative trainer are similar and different, and when it is appropriate to serve each of the roles. Through practice exercises, you'll learn to identify and deal with situations in which groups ask you to act inconsistently with your role.

• Understanding Your Mindset

Mindset is a term that includes the values and beliefs that guide peoples' behavior, especially in difficult situations. Through an exercise, we help you see how your mindset may lead you to create the very situations you are trying to avoid--mistrust, defensive behavior, poor problem solving, and limited group learning. To do this, you'll write a case study (known as a left-hand column case) of a difficult conversation you've had, in which you include the thoughts and feelings you had during the conversation. We'll analyze your case study prior to the workshop, give you written feedback on it, and you'll explore it using exercises. 

• Using Ground Rules to Develop Effective Groups

Here we discuss and practice using the ground rules that stem from the core values and that lead to effective Facilitative Leader behavior and group behavior. The ground rules include: state views and ask genuine questions; share all relevant information; use specific examples; explain your reasoning and intent; test assumptions and inferences; and discuss undiscussable issues. Through discussion and exercises using your own left-hand-column cases, you and your co-participants will learn why, when, and how to use each of the ground rules, and how they lead to effective group behavior. 

• Self-Critique

At the end of each day we conduct a self-critique to get feedback about the day. We discuss what went well and what to improve.

Day 2

• Using Ground Rules to Develop Effective Groups

(continued from day 1). 

• Analyzing Theory-in-Use

In this section we continue to explore how your minset affects your facilitative skills. Using a left-hand column case from the class, you'll identify places in the case where the case writer has acted consistently or inconsistently with the core values and ground rules of the Skilled Facilitator approach, and identify the consequences. At key places in the case, you'll practice redesigning the case to create more effective behavior. 

• Diagnosing Behavior in Groups

You'll learn to identify functional and dysfunctional behavior using the group effectiveness model, core values, and ground rules. You'll also learn a simple six-step diagnosis-intervention cycle to guide your diagnosis and intervention. By watching a videotape of a group in action, you'll begin developing your diagnostic skills. 

• Self-Critique

Day 3

• Intervening in Groups

You'll learn how to intervene in a group to improve its process, including what to say, how to say it, when to say it, who to say it to, and why. You'll practice designing interventions, and get real-time feedback from us and your co-participants.

• Facilitation Practice

In small groups, you'll spend 1.5 days practicing all of your facilitation skills using realistic role-plays, including ones you have developed. We'll provide specific feedback after each role play and you and your co-participants will receive an audio recording of your role plays and feedback.

• Self-Critique

Day 4

• Facilitation Practice

(Continued from day 3).

• Self-Critique

Day 5

• Contracting with Groups

Here you'll learn how to develop an agreement with a group about whether and how they will work together. You'll learn the stages of contracting, including who needs to be involved in each stage, and the decisions that need to be made at each stage. You'll conduct role plays to practice contracting.

• Facilitating in Your Own Organization

You'll learn strategies and specific techniques to address the special challenges you face when facilitating groups in your own organization, including dealing with power and hierarchies, and reaching an agreement with your boss about how facilitation requests will be handled.

• Integrating the Skilled Facilitator Approach with other Approaches

You'll identify how The Skilled Facilitator Approach reinforces, complements, or conflicts with other management approaches and training programs currently used in your organization. You will also consider what changes, if any, are needed to create more consistency among these management approaches and training programs.

• Continuing Your Learning

Becoming a skilled facilitator, facilitative consultant, or facilitative trainer takes more than a week. During this session we discuss ways that you can continue to develop your knowledge and skills when you return to your organization. You'll develop an individual plan for transferring your skills back to your workplace and for continuing your learning after the workshop. We give you materials and information to support you in introducing this new approach to others.

• Workshop Evaluation

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