Professional Facilitation
Leading meetings and committees to success!
Goals of Workshop
 How to prepare for professional
meetings
 Facilitating effective committee
meetings
 Discuss empowering language that
can be used during meetings
Working with Committees
What to do before a meeting
1.Clarify purpose and goals
2.Create an agenda
3.Make room arrangements
4.Schedule the meeting
1.Initial meeting 2 weeks in advance
2.Reminder week of meeting
5.Post and send out agenda
6.Circulate supporting information in
advance
Logistics! Logistics!
 Determine the meeting
time/location
 How many will attend?
 What time/day works for most
individuals involved?
 What do you need to do to
reserve the space?
 Creating the agenda

What needs to be discussed?
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What decisions need to be
made?
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What needs to be delegated?
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What tasks need to be
completed?
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What does the team/committee
need to be informed about?
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What is coming up?
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What needs to be followed up
on?
Working with Committees
What to do during a meeting
1.Start on time
2.Distribute and Review Agenda
3.Keep Discussion Focused
4.Encourage participation
5.Help Group come to decisions
6.Summarize decisions
7.Agree on action plan
8.Delegate responsibilities
9.Draft agenda for next meeting
Working with Committees
What to do After a meeting
1.Reserve next meeting space
2.Distribute minutes to committee
1. Key points
2. Who is responsible for what follow-up action & by when
3.Archive meeting documents
4.Complete assigned tasks
5. Send meeting reminder to committee
Adding the Effective into
Meetings
 Think about a meeting that
you’ve been to lately that you
consider to have been effective
 How do effective team
meetings contribute to
collaboration?
 Individually, list as many
ideas as you can about
factors that contribute to
effective team meetings.
 In pairs of triads, talk about
your ideas and identity five
ideas that you and your
partner consider most
important to effective team
meetings.
Tips for Leading Effective
Meetings
 Good structure
 Defines when and how groups will come together to do their
work
 Good process
 Communication and related strategies that help groups
organize their work.
 Good leadership/facilitation
 Promote relationship building and participation
 Accomplish team’s tasks
Strong Structures
 Decide on regular meeting times
 Decide how meeting will be conducted (use of
agendas and roles)
 How will decisions be made? (consensus,
democratic)
 Identify group norms and purpose
 What would group norms be?
 Talk about how members will communicate
between meetings.
Productive Process
 Use roles and share them when possible
 Facilitator, timekeeper, recorder
 Facilitators role can be and should be shared to create a sense
of equal value.
 Find ways to develop trust and a sense of shared
responsibility
 Pay attention to the use of good communication skills
 Allow time for the group to say what they are doing well and
what can be improved.
 Use of Agendas and timelines
 Come up with partial agenda and ask for input and additional
items
 If there’s too much to do, prioritize and stick to your timelines
Problem-Solving Activity
 Think about some times when meetings have not
been effective (please do not be specific)
“What happened and why you saw this as
a challenge.”
 Group Members: Drawing on your own experiences
as well as today’s discussion, generate alternatives
to the situations described.
Leadership & Facilitation
 Balance the task and relationship aspects of collaboration
 Focus both on getting tasks done and developing good
relationships
 Read the energy of the group and adapt as necessary
 Use humor-wisely
 Use your role to develop a sense of equity among members
 Encourage participation
 Remind members that participation is listening and talking
 When necessary, step in to help resolve conflict and/or to help
in doing so.
 Use your role as a way to identity when decisions are being
made
 Not the difference between “discussion time” and “deciding
time.”
Any
Questions?
Common Meeting
Problems
 Dominant Participants
 Silent Participants
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Round robin
Name plates
Allow individual brainstorm time
Small groups
Discuss in private
Emphasize importance of everyone contributing
Common Meeting
Problems
 Can’t Make decisions
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
Why does this happen?
What are solutions?

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Create actionable agenda with clear expectations
Use prioritize tools
Ask for alternatives
Go back to the purpose
 Finishing on time
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Why does this happen?
What are solutions?
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Timekeeper
Place topics that require more discussion at the very beginning
Start meeting on time
End meeting on time
The art of facilitation

Paraphrase
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Check for Meaning
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Check your understanding of a participant’s statement or ask the participant clarify what he or
she is saying.
EX: Are you saying that this plan is not realistic? I’m not sure that I understand exactly what
you mean.”
Give positive feedback


Paraphrase what a participant has said so that he or she feels understood and provide a concise
summary of statement for participants
EX: So, what you’re saying is that we need to talk with AS before determining our program
date?
Compliment an interesting or insightful comment. EX: That’s a good point. I’m glad that you brought
that to our attention.”
Expand

Elaborate on a participants contribution to the discussion with examples, or suggest a new way to view the
problem.
Basic Principles
 How would you define the role of the facilitator of a
meeting?
“Facilitator accepts responsibility to help the group
accomplish a common task by moving through the
agenda in the time available and to make the necessary
decisions and plans for implementation.”
 Facilitator doesn’t make decisions for the group but
suggests way to help the group move forward. Its
important that each member understands they play an
important role
 Your commitment is to the group not the individual
The art of facilitation

Increase the Pace
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Devil’s Advocate
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Disagree (gently) with a participants comments to stimulate further discussion
EX: I can see where you are coming from, but I’m not sure what you are describing is always
the case. What do you think students from AS Gov would view this problem?
Relieve Tension

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Energize the discussion by quickening the pace, using humor, or, if necessary, prodding the
group for more contributions.
EX: Ok so I know we are all tired so for the next 2 minutes I want you to throw out as many
programming ideas you can on the topic of Cesar Chavez. Ready go!
Mediate differences of opinion between participants and relieve any tensions that may be brewing.
Consolidate

Pull together ideas, showing their relationship to each other.
The art of facilitation
 Change the process
 Alter the method of obtaining participation or by having the
group evaluate ideas that have been presented.
 EX: “Let’s break into smaller groups and see if you can come up
with some ideas”
 Summarize
 Summarize (and record) the major views of the group.