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What are some effective Meeting Facilitation skills?
Home » Management » Meeting Facilitation » What are some effective Meeting Facilitation skills?Effective facilitators know the dynamics of group process and are skilled in using techniques for keeping the group task-focused, encouraging creative thinking, building consensus and keeping all group members involved. A critical skill is the ability to create and maintain a safe, open and supportive environment for all group members. Another skill is being able to recognize and deal with disruptive behaviors.
Skilled facilitators should always be "issue neutral" during a meeting. They should never advocate a point of view, regardless of their expertise and opinions on a given subject. Listening and observation skills are essential. They need to be listening and watching for fine distinction, content, body language, other feedback and anything else that impacts the group. They are always aware of a meeting on two levels simultaneously: content (what is being discussed or decided) and process (how the group is functioning).
The best facilitators blend assertiveness with tact and discipline with humor. They need to know how to effectively intervene when the meeting is veering off the subject or otherwise not moving toward accomplishing its purpose. Two additional ingredients are vital. The first is a mindset that: believes in the wisdom of the participants, demonstrates patience and conveys a nonjudgmental demeanor. In general, a good facilitator is supportive, respectful, and has enough extra energy to carry a group through the longest of meetings. The second ingredient is experience. A facilitator becomes better with time having had valuable opportunities to integrate the theory of process models, skills, and methods with practical experience.
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