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     KEYZINE: An e-zine for LEADERS:
   ABOUT THE PEOPLE PART OF BUSINESS
             Volume 12, March 2002
    Publisher: © Key Associates, LLC, 2002
           http://www.mkkey.com

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This Issue is on "Facilitation"

Contents:

    
"Facilitation is the provision of opportunities,
resources, encouragement, and support for the 
group to achieve its aim, and to do this through 
enabling the group to take control and 
responsibility for the way it proceeds."
                                       -Trevor Bentley

"Facilitation is leading from the back of 
the room.  The job of the facilitator is to hold 
the space for the meeting to be successful."
                                          -M. K. Key
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WHAT'S HOT IN LEADERSHIP
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Incorporating FACILITATION SKILLS into
leadership training.

Making more decisions with the help of a team, 
therefore asking for assistance with 
GROUP PROCESS.

Use of social CONTRACTS as ways to agree
on roles and relationships.

Viewing DYSFUNCTIONAL BEHAVIORS 
within the context of a system--an uneven
participation process rather than a meeting
dominator.

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MAINTAINING YOURSELF AS A LEADER
***************************************
Leaders are held to a high standard when it 
comes to personal integrity.  To gauge integrity,
followers read consistency of word and deed, 
with the actions speaking louder than the words.
This applies to the keeping of promises, as well.

Some leaders get caught in promises that they
can't keep--but fail to acknowledge this openly.
The social contract needs a tune up.
What is required is to rework the agreement--
"I intended to do this, but for these reasons, 
I cannot.  Here is what I can do..."  And thus 
the preservation of integrity.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Can the team leader also be the facilitator?
This was the 70's model--leading, recording and
managing group process from the front of the 
room.  When the facilitator role was broken out,
at first people were instructed to sit back, take
notes and provide feedback at the end of the
meeting.  Now the role has been expanded to 
include so much assessment and intervention, 
and an active seat at the table, it is hard to 
imagine doing both jobs as one.

Is it okay to take notes during the meeting? 
A facilitator needs to observe at many levels 
and be prepared to provide feedback. It is hard 
to imagine keeping track with out taking notes.
But be sure to explain to the team that you are
writing things down and why.  Always seek their 
permission to use any kind of recording.

In your experience, what are the most powerful
facilitative interventions?
Two come to mind: 1) the innocent question. e.g.,
"What's going on here?" and 2) clarification of
"What are we trying to achieve?" and "What
method will get us there."  These are introductory
skills yet are often so helpful.  I might add a 
Process Check: "How do you feel about what 
we're doing right now?"

"I'm reluctant to jump right in to facilitate.  
Any suggestions?"
Of course, confidence comes with experience.
But even with my own practice, I start at the 
gentle end of the intervention continuum and 
move up as needed.  Here's my tickler list:

  • Non-intervention 
  • Silence
  • Nonverbal
  • Question to Clarify
  • Descriptive Feedback
  • Evaluative Feedback
  • Question to Move
  • Debrief
  • Reframe
  • Teach/Train
  • Share Your Idea
  • Make Suggestions
  • Guide
  • Mediate
  • Direct
  • Third Party Intervention

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EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
**************************************
Key Associates, LLC offers a two-day experiential
course in facilitation.  See
http://www.mkkey.com, click on Courses and 
proceed to THE ART OF FACILITATION.

For modeling of group and meeting facilitation,
contact Elizabeth Crook & Associates at 
www.elizabethcrook.com 

The Facilitation Factory is creating an online 
course in Facilitation.  Preview the first modules at 
http://www.facilitationfactory.com.

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OTHER USEFUL WEBSITES 
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http://www.facilitate.com provides your organization 
with a powerful set of conferencing tools. Your employees, 
clients and team members work together in the same 
room or join in from across the Internet to exchange ideas, 
solve problems and create new opportunities. 
All they need to participate is a standard web browser.

http://www.3m.com/meetingnetwork/
offers tools and ideas for the meeting facilitator.

Order supplies and publications for facilitators, 
http://www.pfeiffer.com.  Search for "The 2002 Annual"
and request a catalogue.

**************************************
ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS                              
************************************** 
 ASTD. How to Facilitate, Alexandria, VA: ASTD 
June, 1994.

Bentley, Trevor. Facilitation: Providing Opportunities 
for Learning. London: McGraw-Hill, 1994.

Bolton, R. People Skills. New York: Touchstone, 
1979.

Cohen, Herb. You Can Negotiate Anything. 
New York: Citadel Press, 1980.

Crum, Thomas F. The Magic of Conflict. NY: 
Simon & Schuster, 1987.

Doyle, M. and Straus, D. How to Make Meetings 
Work. New York: Jove Books, 1976.

Fisher, Roger, and Ury, William. Getting to Yes.
New York: Penguin Books, 1981.

Hart, Lois B. Thoughtless Facilitation: An 
Instructor’s Manual for Facilitation Training. 
Amherst, MA: Human Resource Development Press, 
1991.

Heider, John. The Tao of Leadership. Aldershot: 
Wildwood House, 1986.

Mayer, Richard J. Conflict Management: 
The Courage to Confront. Columbus: Battelle Press, 
1989.

Neuhauser, Peg C. Tribal Warfare in Organizations. 
New York: Harper & Row Press, 1988.

Parker, Glenn M. Cross-Functional Teams: 
Working with Allies, Enemies, and Other Strangers. 
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1984.

Pfiefer and Jones’ Annuals for Developing Human 
Resources (all years have good exercises for teams and facilitators).

Phillips, R.C. The Art of Managing Differences: Part I: 
Levels of Conflict. Presentation to the Michigan 
Construction User Council, October 20, 1987.

Reddy, W. Brendan. Intervention Skills. San Diego: 
Pfeiffer, 1994.

Rees, Fran. How to Lead Work Teams. San Diego: 
Pfeiffer, 1991.

Ross, M.B. Coping with Conflict: The 1982 Annual 
for Facilitators, Trainers, and Consultants. University 
Associates, 1982, pp. 135-139.

Ryan, Kathleen D., and Oestreich, Daniel K. Driving 
Fear Out of the Workplace. San Francisco: 
Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1991.

Schein, E.H. Process Consultation: Its Role in 
Organizational Development (Vol. 1, 2nd ed.) 
Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1988.

Scholtes, Peter. The Team Handbook. Madison, WI: 
Joiner Associates, Inc., 1988.

Schwarz, Roger M. The Skilled Facilitator: 
Practical Wisdom for Developing Effective Groups. 
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1994.

Senge, Peter M. The Fifth Discipline. New York: 
Doubleday, 1990.

Senge, Peter M. The Leader’s New Work: Building 
Learning Organizations. Sloan Management Review, 
Fall 1990, 7-23.

Van Gundy, Arthur. Idea Power. New York. 
AMACOM, 1992.

Varney, G. Building Productive Teams. San Francisco: 
Jossey-Bass, 1989, pp 40-41, 68-77.

Walton, Richard E. Managing Conflict: Interpersonal 
Dialogue and Third Party Roles. Massachusetts: 
Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1987.

Please check our Back Issues:

            Volume 1, April 2001-On Leadership

            Volume 2, May 2001- On Innovation

            Volume 3, June 2001-On Coaching

            Volume 4, July 2001-On Change

            Volume 5, August 2001 -On Spirit at Work

            Volume 6, September 2001 - On Stress 
            Reactions to Terrorism and Major Disasters

            Volume 7, October 2001 - On Mediating Conflict  

            Volume 8, November 2001 - On Keeping Customers 

            Volume 9 - A survey for subscribers

            Volume 10, January 2002 - On Meetings

            Volume 11, February 2001 - On Teams

Simply visit our website http://www.mkkey.com and 
click on "Subscribe to our Newsletter."

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Contact:

M. K. Key, Ph.D.
Psychologist
Key Associates, LLC
Nashville, Tennessee
(615) 255-0011, fax (615) 665-1622