If you have chaired a meeting in which the objective was to impart information to the participants then you needed presentation skills. If you have chaired a meeting in which the objective was to engage with the participants, encourage their input, discuss options and agree a consensus then you needed facilitation skills.

It is possible that there was a time when the manager or executive's role was simply to tell employees what to do. However, modern leadership, employee engagement and the necessity to use your resources to the fullest often require you to work with your people and create the way forward together. This tends to be much more difficult than just issuing instructions but ? let's think positive ? it can be much more productive, satisfying and even fun.

So what is facilitation? Facilitation is: helping things along, ensuring clarity (of aims, of procedure, of results), asking the right question at the right time, having the group?s interests at heart, challenging the status quo, keeping things on track, hanging back when you?re not needed and stepping in when you are. As a 'facilitator' you are there to (literally) make things easier.

Here is a framework for effective facilitation:

1. BEFORE: What is the objective or aim of the meeting/session? If there is more than one issue, decide how you will structure the time. Consider the possible different views and needs of the participants. Prepare a few key questions to ask them. Do the participants need to do any preparation? What about the environment: room, seating, tea/coffee, visual aids, etc?

2. DURING: Clarify the aim or objectives. Explain your role. Establish a few ground rules to ensure people feel able to contribute. Use this four-stage model for discussion: identify an issue; pass the issue to the group for debate; summarise the contributions; gain agreement on the way forward (you may need to go back and forth a little in order to fully explore a complex issue!) Encourage everybody to take part. Don't take sides; but do manage any conflict constructively. Keep an eye on the clock and move things on if people become stuck or start going around in circles. If there are any action points, make sure that they are allocated to specific people and have deadlines attached.

3. AFTER: Review the process; did you achieve the objectives? Ensure that someone (not necessarily you) is collating and distributing a summary of the outcomes and any agreed action points. Was there anything you could have done differently or better?

Sometimes a sign of the most successful facilitation is that your role has gone unnoticed. As Lao Tzu wrote, ?The highest type of leader is one of whose existence the people are barely aware.? In such a case the group of participants may feel that they have achieved the results themselves. Which they have; but you know that you have made it easier for them to do so.

Article Directory : http://www.articlecube.com