And in connection with the other discussion on the difference between a COACH and a FACILITATOR one of the interesting challenges is to change a ‘consultant’ (= coach?) into a ‘moderator’ or ‘facilitator’.
Most consultants have been trained as ‘experts’ in a specific topic and all their life they have been trying to demonstrate that they are successful products of their education. The consultant role – of ‘having to know a solution’ – is a clear proponent of that process. So, they are supposed to know and to give advice…. and that is what they do … and they actually prefer not to hear when they were actually wrong …
In the facilitation role you should demonstrate actually the total opposite! Even though you may think to know you are not supposed to show! Actually, you have to create a second nature to ask and show interest in an honest way. And very often you will be surprised that reality is different from what you thought! The more you facilitate the more humble you become!
For some this is a very difficult and fundamental change in their way of relating to people and situations. Suddenly it is not you that is important and is to shine but the individual participants in the group! And all of them equally, even though you may not even feel close to some …
Some of you may have experienced that the consultant role may trigger e.g. arrogance, tension, resistance and defensive attitude, while the facilitation role does trigger mutual interest, affection, bonding, collaboration and commitment.
For those of you who have experienced this change could you share your experience in applying this facilitation role and how tricky the ‘consultant trap’ is?
And for sure we believe that this skill would also be very useful as management style in projects or even commercial companies to motivate stakeholders, workers, and employees? Some argue on whether participatory management is preferred over ‘dictatorial’ management?
Check for upcoming Facilitation Training :
http://projectsforchange.eu/course-calendar/
Comments
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Liator, Vergaderator. faciliteert, kataliseert, begeleidt veranderen. Auteur “Faciliteren als Tweede Beroep”
Facilitation is not a real profession, it is surreal 🙂 Hi Erik, this is one of the reasons I’ve called the title of my book “Facilitation as a Second Calling” (or Profession). In group facilitation, the expertise resides in the group. Facilitators have a kind of meta-expertise: the expertise to unleash expertise. So yes, it is a profession (as opposed to hobby) and no, it is not a profession. In the letter case I would call my self “amateur”, meaning “lover of”.
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Senior Consultant at SIPU International
Erik, in many ways facilitation is an art – the art of drawing out people’s thoughts and ideas, the art of posing questions, the art, even, of provoking useful discussion. There are some people who seem to be naturally good at this, others (like myself) need to learn the art. I know well what you refer to as the problem of being a subject matter expert and at the same time a facilitator. I prefer to facilitate processes in which I know little, so that my own expertise doesn’t interfere too much.
The benefit for me is that I learn so much from the discussions.
The difficulty I experience, and which I suspect many facilitators experience, is the extent to which one should/may/can ask leading questions so that the group arrives at the conclusion YOU (as the facilitator cum subject matter specialist) want. Even where the facilitator is not an expert in the subject discussed, there must have been some discussion with the conveners on what kind of results are expected. No doubt I should attend your course.
The artists I know have been both professionals and hobbyists.
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Rural Development Specialist / Projects Team Leader
Hi Erik! Facilitation is now my profession. The more I think I know – as coach/technical expertise – the more I discover the vastness of real-life’s variables pointing out that I actually don’t know (as much I though or ought to know).
With facilitation I think of a process aiming at delivering lasting results. Aiming at bringing the various brains (participants in a group of planners, designers, community leaders, etc..) together and through a process facilitate the participants to focus and gradually you see that they themselves start pointing their noses in the same direction in finding the right solution or come to a common agreement to do what is supposed to be done – whether this is the planning and design of a large project, construction work, reorganization of a company or simply a discussion of how, what and where we should have our next summer’s company picknick.
It’s a process and an art, as Tim already pointed out, of understanding human nature. The group of planners (for instance), generally come from different socio-economic, socio-cultural, socio-political and professional backgrounds and each starting with their own individual expectations, motives and interests: what’s in for me (how can or do I benefit personnaly?) is very common. “What’s in for my career or for my pocket (x% ‘share in the profit’ from contractors?), and each one comes with her or his bagage: e.g. social and cultural limitations. “Don’t question the senior person (senior in age) even if he/she is wrong”, inferior/superior feelings/attitude to others “he has a PhD I only have a masters degree”; I’m from this tribe and she is from…, etc.).
Key words in facilitation as I see it are: (i) Understanding people, especially the group you’r dealing with; (ii) understand possible individual motives and personal expectations; (iii) understanding of potential individual bagages (real or imaginative personal limitations); (iv) A process to achieve a common goal/result, and (v) indeed be creative – think and be able to act out of the box.
There are institutions, projects, companies who pay me for doing this – hence, this turned my hobby into a profession I much enjoy. 😉
Teacher on Training Courses at TIA Formazione Internazionale & others
At the cost of seeming rhetorical, I believe that ‘FACILITATION’, for me, is more a way of life than a simple hobby; but it’s also a real profession, if you think that, always in my daily experience, in each kind of work I challenge, my approach can’t regardless of “facilitation approach”.
Sorry to can not participate next training!! -
Managing Director at GOAL – Global Options and Linkages
I simply talk about “The Art of Facilitation” – there are no recipes; everything is context dependent – that is on the people who are there, their mood / state of mind; knowledge experience skills etc; and their behaviour / actions…. and of course your own mood, knowledge etc… Also, it can be incredibly exhausting at the end of a day! But it’s tremendous fun :-))
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Hello Erik, thanks for the contribution. I would have liked to see the programme of the course you’re promoting to see what competences are you training. I think that, although there are basic once for facilitation (some of which could be drawn from coaching), plus actually having clarity on the destination, the most important one is experience. As Alexandre said, facilitation is context dependent. So I see it more like a good street musician: you play without sheet music and matching the rhythm of the audience.
In addition, I share some questions I think could be useful for the group to evaluate the facilitation 1) Did “we” get to the result at time? 2) Did the process enriched and informed the discussion (new angles, blind spots, etc)? 3) Do “we” own the result? Have “we” grown as a group?
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Adviseur MIRT-MER bij Rijkswaterstaat
Hi,
Nice question!
I used to be a biologist and thus an expert. I have been trained as facilitator and onze of the leading principles was” do not interfere with the content”
It toke me some years to grow into facilitation before i tried to facilitate a session with biologists.I see a facilitator as a profession and I highly agree with Jan: unleashing the expertise in the group, or even broader “unleashing the power in the group”.
I think understanding group dynamics is important and how individuals interact in groups, i don’t need to understand all Indivudual motives or bagages as Bert states.
One does need a process to g`et to a predefined result and one does need a common ground to play on, i.e. The rule to postpone judgement. This creates the space for the group to unleash.
To accept whatever there is in a group and to overcome barriers with the group demands a open, questioning and focussed attitude. So it is more of an art or lifestyle…
Ab Van der Hulst CMC
board member at IAF Netherlands
Here´s my comment posted earlier on the IAF platform:
Erik – I don´t think it is fair to position facilitating somewhere on the continuum ranging from ´hobby´ through ´professionalism´. Neither to equate ´consultant´ with ´coach´. The latter is referring to different skill sets for which you no doubt have developed an excellent training course to become a moderator.
Towards the former, I agree with many others in viewing facilitating as an art, and in addition, mastering this art requires (mostly) more than modesty in the position of a facilitator.
As prof. Thijs Homan, my teacher and likely to be the key-note of the Dutch IAF congress in June, points out – it is the facilitators role to create the conditions e.g. potential space for ´play´ and experiments for the group in which the participants are safe, without being rapped over the knuckles by an ´expert´. And, yes, in mastering this art of intervening requires professionalism, like real chefs kook with principles, not with recipes. In my opinion this has little to do with hobbyism.
Tim Greenhow
Senior Consultant at SIPU International
Ab, I wonder if I should object to your implied put-down of “hobbyism” that implies that people do not put quality effort into their hobbies – i.e. the things they most enjoy doing. ;-). Since they often put their whole heart and soul into it they may excel and have greater impact than a low-grade “professional.” (We have to admit that there are good and not so good professionals!)
I remember the days when professional sportsmen were not allowed to participate in the Olympics. Certainly then amateurs (hobbyists) were not considered inferior – simply motivated by something other than money.
Otherwise I general agree with your comment. People who enjoy their art can provide professional class results. Often they put more into it because they love doing it. Which only brings up the question of what constitutes a “professional?” – one that makes his/her living by it? one who has some formal/paper qualification (including all those who with the smallest margin ‘passed’ the course)? I’m not sure that either word has anything directly to do with quality.
Eric Hoogland
Hotel business and organic gardener
I think most has been said, maybe not always entirely in the way that I agree (e.g. what should be understood by predefined conclusion/result), but two things I have been missing: 1. conflict management as part f the role of the facilitator; 2. (partly) if your in the subject (“expert”), the difficulty to leave the ownership at the group, I mean not to “know better”, as was pointed out that facilitators learn a lot when they forget somehow about their possible expertise on the subject (a little guidance is allowed??????)
Johannes de Zeeuw
Asset Valorization & intermediary services presso DWM Vastgoed BV
Thx Erik, good to see this facilitation for facilitators.
To me it’s art, technique and vision
Erik Kijne
Senior moderator & trainer at PCM Group, Project Coaches & Moderators
A moderator should be able to bring together dispersed perceptions. This skill will enabled the facilitator to effectively manage sensitive and difficult discussions and build friendly and supportive relationships with people from a wide range of backgrounds, origins and hierarchical levels.
In contrast with the traditional (‘wise’) expert role, I see and have always seen the role of facilitators in development as primarily facilitating local stake- and knowledge holders working towards reaching a common understanding on situational analysis and possible locally acceptable approaches. As a negotiator in many complex environments a moderator should manage to bring consensus and peace among the often-opposing partners.
Key words of a moderator could be a: a stimulator and facilitator, reliable, result focused, professional, friendly, committed, inspiring, quick thinker, system analyst, team player, sympathetic, entertaining, creative, joyful, dedicated, flexible, motivating, humorous, gender sensitive and authentic.
Dealing with people in an unbiased way is one of the key performance requirements for moderators in order to be able to really communicate with and be respected by all type of participants. Actually equal perception of ‘other’ persons needs to be one of the core competencies of a facilitator (and an effective trainer). Only through respect, truth and honesty one gets closer to people through which you enable them to learn and accept.
A facilitator should place high emphasis on (quality) knowledge sharing and constant learning in life. With an open mind a moderator should use questions as an instrument to create transparency and clarity among people involved. A facilitator should restrain her / himself as much as possible in expressing opinions. Possibly the sometimes even blunt questioning may trigger thinking on issues and situations that would otherwise not be challenged and discussed.
Characteristics of a moderator
A moderator …..
• assures equal participation of all participants
• is a good listener and observer
• is punctual (good time manager)
• is trust worthy: says what (s)he does and does what (s)he says
• is flexible (adapts the GOPP tool to circumstances in the workshop in respect of the methodology and in respect of the programme)
• has confidence in participants and takes them seriously
• maintains neutrality and independence
• does not interfere in the content
The question is can you learn how to facilitate or moderate or should you be born to be one? I think it helps when you are pretty extrovert, enjoy life, eager to learn and do not suffer from a too big ‘not-good-enough’ button and then you can learn a lot of acting! You must enjoy the chaos and stress.
Katia Van Belle
Owner, Propellor – Changing Projects: training & coaching
Erik, you asked for sharing some personal experience… My journey was actually quite the opposite. I never wanted to be a consultant, because I have always felt like I don’t know enough to judge a situation and tell what is the best solution. Life is so complex, and simple recipies are good sources of inspiration, but always need translation to the context.
So facilitating was my natural path. Over the years however, I have come to a point where I feel that I can give some good advice. Because by now, I have seen and witnessed so many situations. So I tell groups stories of what happens at other places, I offer frameworks and common language, and I sometimes even give my opinion of what seems like a good route to me.
I see how this combination of both positions (mostly facilitator, combined with a tiny bit of consulting) is more powerful than sticking to the facilitator role solely. But – and I think that is crucial – I always offer the advice as a story, an option, an idea – never as the single best solution