Facilitation Introduction

Defining Facilitation

Facilitation is the act of engaging participants in productive conversations to draw specific and meaningful conclusions. Important elements of this technique are to plan, guide, and manage a group of individuals to ensure objectives are met. Moreover, insightful thinking and active participation are driven by the facilitator using powerful questioning, moderated discussions, and enriching activities.

Role of the Facilitator

A critical behaviour of an effective facilitator is to uphold an impartial or neutral stance during the facilitation. The goal of the facilitator is to hold the group to agreed-upon guidelines and reach effective outcomes whilst minimizing tangential activities or discord.

It is important to present and maintain an impartial stance during facilitations. For this competency, practitioners must create a space of support for those engaged in the group environment and offer content in a non-educative or directive manner. An impartial stance can create a space that is non-judgemental, of holding psychological safety, and maintaining an equal voice for all participants.

Tips for Improving a Neutral Stance 

A number of techniques exist to aid a facilitator in recognizing preconceived thoughts, biases, or need for action, and give them the tools to reflect on those tendencies and exercise control over their ability to lead an effective facilitated discussion.  A few tips you may find helpful in maintaining a neutral stance in your facilitation practice include: 

1. Avoid sharing your perspective or thoughts; help others to express their views;
2. Focus on actively listening; encourage group interaction; and
3. Avoid positioning yourself as an expert; pose questions back to the group.