Which term do you prefer for a person who guides a participatory planning process in a workshop?
Please fill the poll first.
Poll
Preference between Moderator or Facilitator
What are some differences between a Facilitator or a Moderator?
Cambridge Dictionaries tell us:
- A Facilitator is someone who helps a person or an organisation do something more easily or find the answer to a problem, by discussing things and suggesting ways of doing things.
- A Moderator is someone who tries to help other people come to an agreement.
We have the impression that both terms are quite synonymous and used for the same function and the differences are blurred. However, we found these two descriptions which demonstrate quite distinct differences.
Moderation:
In my view, moderation of meetings, events, networks and communities, focuses on keeping the information and communication flow clear and accessible to all who participate, at all times. In this sense, the moderator is at least in some ways an information manager. In an online environment, s/he monitors the communication flow, makes summaries and digests, approves participants’ requests and posts, and even maintains the online environment. The moderator is often quite invisible for those who participate in meetings, events and communities, but nevertheless indispensable!
Facilitation:
To the contrary, the facilitator of meetings, events, networks and communities is much more visible and active. S/he steers the communication flow and keeps it on track. In this way, facilitation focuses on including all participants in the discussion, even the ones who are less comfortable with speaking and contributing, ensuring all voices are heard and discussion is vibrant, interesting and useful to those who participate. The facilitator makes it clear to all when milestones as part of the meeting, event, or network/community activity, have been achieved and then moves on to the next milestone. Having good people skills, the facilitator enables a comfortable and inclusive environment of openness and trust for those who participate.
When to opt for moderation and when for facilitation? I would say you mostly need both in effective interplay. Understanding the differences though is important as each requires a different set of skills.
(These descriptions by Nadejda Loumbeva.)
And now what would you prefer?