The profession of facilitator has become very popular in recent years. If your organization is looking to innovate increase sales and profitability and establish a culture focused on performance and results then the skills of a facilitator are essential.
According to a recent study by the World Economic Forum critical thinking and problem-solving abilities are fundamental skills to acquire and highly valued by companies.
This makes sense: with the need to innovate more quickly collaboration co-creation and creative problem-solving are essential steps to help teams find the best solutions.
Studies have shown that bringing together people from different backgrounds and perspectives leads to more creativity and innovation.
Facilitating collaborative workshops will not only allow for the practical application of these various skills but also enable teams to engage in a true collective intelligence process. Facilitation inevitably leads to a better work environment.
By mastering these skills you will clearly stand out from other co-workers and make a difference for companies with this new way of collaborating.
What is workshop facilitation?
Facilitation is a process that helps a group achieve a clearly identified goal, define a problem to be solved or reflect on the development of a new functionality.
This methodology is often used to transform a problem into a challenge or opportunity to improve user experience (platform interface business tool…). A facilitator whether internal or external will set a framework for guiding a group and structuring discussions with specific and sequenced exercises.
The facilitator will encourage everyone to participate and allow each expert to speak up. They will capture rephrase and organize the ideas generated during the session and ensure that everyone is aligned through group cohesion.
Facilitation is still very underutilized in businesses at present. However it is a process that could gain momentum in the years to come.
What skills do you need to become a facilitator?
The facilitator prepares organizes structures and leads the workshop by providing a conducive working environment for sharing knowledge.
The facilitator will guide the participants towards the solution but on one hand, it is not their role to solve the problem on behalf of the group.
On the other hand he will be responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the workshop and will need to:
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Be attentive and show humility
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Guide the group with kindness
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Provide clear instructions on the workshop plan
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Ensure that the group is moving toward the goal
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Ensure that everyone participates actively
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Manage the time allocated for each exercise
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Facilitate the discussion by asking relevant questions to elevate the debate
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Ensure that the agenda is followed
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Make sure that participants stay focused during the meeting
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Define the next steps and actions to be taken
To be a good facilitator, some may think, we should:
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Be extraverted
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Have expertise on the subject
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Always find the solution to the problem.
These are just preconceived ideas, the best facilitators are sometimes the most introverted.
The role of a facilitator once again is to set a framework for work to encourage participants to co-create and reflect together.
They will rather guide the group towards the objective to be achieved.