Facilitation Skills Aims

1. Understand different types of learning styles & consideration in sessions

2. Explore the role of a facilitator – skills knowledge and values

3. Consider all the planning and activities needed for running sessions

Top Tips for facilitating

Remember intro and outro

Point out links

Allow the participants to find the knowledge

Pitch it right

Respond to group dynamics

Prepare – be organised

Know the objective: what’s the point?

Heads, Hearts and Hands of a good facilitator:

PRAGMATISTS

Physical/concrete outcomes

Functionality

New ideas that make things better

Efficiency

Sharing ideas / knowledge/ practices

Common sense / logical approach

Poorly structured

activities

“talking in circles” (not

getting to the point

/repetition/rambling)

Slow progress

Lack of action

ACTIVIST

See one, do one, teach one,

Interact first, theory later

Discussion activities

Things with an answer

Repetition (if we’re getting it

right)

Short activities

Team activities (good with teams)

Being told what to do

Theory without application / lots

of reading

Long sessions

Revisiting unsolved problems

Forced repetitive timetables

STRENGTH of an activist: open to change, willing to jump in, energetic, enthusiastic

BEFORE

Prepare materials resources – what to

bring

Have resources for people ready

Knowledge- what’s the session for?

Planning knowing the topic

Varied knowledge of discussion topic

research

Considering any possible barriers

Risks

Get input to see what to include

Timescale

How long will each activity take?

Have a plan of how the day / session

should go

Plan content

Consider whether the discussion will

have an AGENDA – and what ti will

be

Plan what you are going to do

Identify clear aims

Who’s involved? What will they need?

Any individual specific needs in the

group?

How long is the group’s collective

attention span? Age and ability of the

group

Make sure it’s age appropriate

Who is expected

What could possibly go wrong?

What sort of environment will work

best here?

Big/small groups etc.

Consider the space you will be using

Prepare the space – ensure it’ a good

learning environment

DURING

Empower everyone to speak

Maintain an enthusiastic and engaged

atomstphere e.g through games and

vaired media

Judge fun levels- and improve if low

Enough helpers

Group dynamic / atmosphere

Consider age/abilities

Judge whether it is appropriate or now

TIMEKEEPING

Keep calm

Keep reflecting

Make sure everyone feels heard

Check people are OK

Check that there is no one excluded

and if so find out why

How to encourage participation

When to take breaks and for how long?

Make sure the kids stay involved

Have prompts: visual, sounds, ideas

Know the aim and keep it in mind

Keep it relevant

Keep discussion focused and relevant

without interfering

Manage direction of conversation and

interest

Ask for feedback during and towards

end

Listening and answering questions

Maintain positive energy

AFTER

Tidy up

Clean up

Distribute any material out-comes

Action plan and communicate

afterwards

Think about ‘Even better if’ – how to

improve

Collate evaluation / feedback results

Summaries discussions made and areas

discussed

Valuation – did group get what they

achieved?

Use evaluation to help with future

sessions

Strengths and weaknesses

Was it fun?

Debrief with co-facilitators – how did

it go?

Feedback

What went well?

Reflect and RECORD

Gather feedback

Do any of the topics

discussed/activities need revisiting?

What would YOU change?

Make sure people have clear actions to

take away

Make sure everyone understands what

has been discussed

Ask the groups for an opinion

Debrief with participants – did they

enjoy it?