Susan@FrameworksForAgreement.com

 

FACILITATION

• Consensus Building Processes • Interst-based Bargaining (IBB) • Task forces • Teams and Team-building • Working groups • Strategic and Long Range Planning

We provide facilitation processes for groups of all sizes creating a safe place for difficult conversations and decision making.  We also conduct long range planning and team-building retreats which enable organizations to create specific plans for future programs, reorganize office structures, and restore working relationships.

Too many people spend too much time in unproductive meetings. When the true cost of a meeting is understood - in time taken from other tasks, in the salaries and wages of people in the room - productive meetings are a wise investment in the use of valuable human resources.  

Facilitation Services typically include:

• Assessment through interviews and surveys of stakeholders
• Meeting design and agenda development in conjunction with meeting organizers.
• Managing meeting communications, using mediation skills and techniques to resolve difficult issues and build consensus
• Establishing clarity in decision making, development of implementation strategy

Working Groups

Facilitation of Working Groups

Working groups frequently develop challenges in working together.  Misunderstanding, mistrust, and miscommunication make working together difficult.  An impartial facilitator can be essential in providing a safe place for a difficult conversation that resolves differences.  The facilitator provides the group with tools to understand better their problems and conflicts, and to find solutions and reach agreements.  These tools include:

·              Initial Assessment of Workplace Issues 

Assessment includes interviews with relevant personnel to make a preliminary identification of the sources of conflict and the history of conflict resolution attempts.  An understanding of working relationships and levels of trust that effect communication are also explored in this assessment. 

·            A carefully designed and monitored agenda.

                   Prior to the meeting, the facilitator interviews group leaders and members to develop a clear picture of the issues facing the group.  Based on these discussions, a draft agenda is developed for review by key participants before that meeting.

C      An external discussion leader.

                   This frees energy of managers and staff from running the meeting to allow everyone present to participate fully in the substance of the discussion.

C      Control of communication.

                   The facilitator's communication skills and tools ensure that everyone's voice will be heard and understood, that emotions are expressed without getting out of control, and that no one individual dominates the discussion.

C      A clear decision-making process.

                   Often decisions made by managers are doomed to failure because those who must implement the decisions disagree with decisions that have been made, or resent being left out of the decision-making process.  This facilitation model operates on a consensus approach:  not that everyone present enthusiastically endorses all decisions, but that each is willing to support proposed solutions.

C      A written summary of decisions.

                   During the meeting, the facilitator writes down the important ideas, suggestions, and decisions, so that everyone can see what is being discussed.  This is an aid to communication during the meeting and provides a written reminder after the meeting of the agreements that were made.

C      A timeline for action.

                   The facilitation process concludes with a written timeline that specifies individuals responsible for seeing that tasks are completed.  The office will later refer to this timeline to monitor progress and to identify further changes and adjustments.

·         Follow-up.

                   Without adequate follow-up, the time and energy invested in such an effort will be wasted.  The process of changing the ways people work together and communicate with each other require attention over several months.  Further, appropriate follow-up allows trouble spots to be identified and corrected, and needed adjustments to be made.  Generally a one-half day follow-up retreat will be scheduled three to six months after the initial meeting to assess, monitor, adjust, and extend agreements made at the first session. 

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