Course overview:  The training course is designed for people whose role involves chairing meetings, managing a project, heading up a working group, managing a department or for those who simply want to increase their team communication skills.

Facilitation is the skill, and art of understanding the group process and using communication to effectively guide the group process.

Course objectives: By the end delegates will be able to: Understand the benefits and applications of group communication & facilitation in the workplace, identify the core skills required for effective facilitation, use questions & listening effectively, be able to differentiate between content & process communication, understanding group dynamics, stimulate group discussion and develop their facilitation & communication skills through experiential exercises.

Who should attend:
Anyone who attends or leads a variety of meetings, inlcuding team/project meetings and working groups and wishes to become more effective at guiding people to solve problems and make decisions.

Duration: 1 day

Course Content

Introductions

Aims & Objectives

What is facilitation & when are Facilitators needed?

• The cycle of group development
• Diagnosing the development of a group
• Dealing with group conflict
• Dealing with individual behaviour
• Group size and participation

Meeting Skills

• Chairing meetings
• Managing communications
• Ensuring one person speaks at a time
• Managing debates
• Handling arguments
• Picking up on body language
• Including quiter members
• Controlling more vocal members
• Ensuring key points are heard
• Creating group participation
• Verbal & non-verbal messages
• Active Listening
• Feedback skills

Facilitator Skills

• Rapport Building
• Establishing and retaining control
• Staying ahead
• Importance of feedback
• Communications style
• Increasing personal impact and creditability
• Maximising verbal and visual communications skills
• Tools & Techniques

Experiential Exercises & Feedback