Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative (VTCLI)
Community Engagement Meeting Facilitator Selection Guide
This guide can assist you in selecting an external facilitator, if you choose to use one,
for your community engagement meeting(s).
1. Why do we need a meeting facilitator?
A meeting facilitator organizes the flow of the meeting by:
 Assuring that everyone has an equal chance to participate
 Taking steps to move discussions along if they get stuck or off track
 Supporting dominant participants to contribute less and passive participants to
contribute more
 Watching the clock to assure that all planned activities get completed
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using an external facilitator at
community engagement meetings?
There are many advantages to using an external meeting facilitator:
 First and foremost, it permits you and the other organizers to join in the meeting
as participants.
 External facilitators, especially those who are unknown to the group are viewed
as neutral, which is especially helpful when there are differences of opinion.
 Depending on the agreed upon scope of work, a facilitator can complete some
pre-and post-meeting activities, alleviating you from some of that burden.
 For whatever reasons, some participants believe that people outside of their own
community have greater expertise.
 External facilitators from well-known, external entities (e.g. university, private
foundation) are often viewed positively.
There are also disadvantages to using an external meeting facilitator:
 There may be a cost to hire a facilitator, depending on the scope of work and the
person you select.
 No matter how well you prepare the facilitator s/he will not have the same level of
information that you do about your community or the meeting participants. However,
this could be equally advantageous as noted above.
3. What are the job duties of a meeting facilitator?
You can build a job duties section for a job description by thinking about general
(typical) and specific (unique to the VTCLI project and your local community) duties.
To build the job duties section, check each item of interest to you and your colleagues.
Don’t forget to add in any duties that are unique to the VTCLI project and your local
community under “other”
Job Duties
As outline by meeting planners:
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Participate in discussions with meeting planners to learn about the VTCLI project
goals and expected outcomes, meeting participants and local community
Confirm facilitation approach and style with meeting planners. Use VTCLI toolkit
materials recommended by meeting planners
Complete pre-meeting activities assigned by meeting planners
Facilitate meeting(s)
Complete post meeting activities assigned by meeting planners (including written
report and recommendations)
Other
4. What qualifications should we look for when engaging a meeting facilitator?
You can build a qualifications section for a job description by thinking about general
(what all experienced facilitators should know) and specific (unique qualifications given
the VTCLI project and your local community) qualifications.
To build the qualifications section, check each item of interest to you and your
colleagues. Don’t forget to add in any duties that are unique to the VTCLI project and
your local community under “other”.
General Qualifications
 Excellent active listening, communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills
 Knowledge of problem solving and conflict resolution techniques and use of good
judgment in applying these techniques
 Excellent planning, organizational and time management skills
 Experience in facilitating strategic planning meetings with diverse community
members
 Ability to create a safe environment of mutual respect and understanding for all
participants
 Ability to be flexible and change course to meet the needs of meeting participants
 Other
Specific Qualifications
 Interest in community transportation services (experience a plus)
 Interest in serving veterans, military families and active duty service personnel
(experience a plus)
 Commitment to working with Veterans Transportation Community Living Initiative
meeting planners
 Commitment to using facilitation methods that meet the needs of the transportation
industry and military community
 Other
5. What steps can we take to recruit a community engagement meeting
facilitator? You can edit this communication to announce the meeting facilitator
position.
Date
Dear
The (COMMUNITY NAME) is interested in hiring an individual to facilitate a community
engagement meeting as part of our work on the Federal Transit Administration funded
VTCLI project. Thank you for disseminating the attached job description to those you
believe would be interested and qualified for this position. Interviews for the position will
be held in (MONTH) and we anticipate making the final selection in (MONTH). The
facilitator will meet with planning team members in (MONTH) and we expect that the
community engagement meeting will be held in (MONTH). Thank you for assisting us in
recruiting the right person for this important set of activities. A description of the VTCLI
program is also attached for your review.
Sincerely,
6. How can we identify individuals to interview for the position?
Your colleagues may be aware of qualified candidates to interview for the facilitator
position. This application can be used to Email the communication you created.
Enter the name of the person you would like to send the Email to:
Enter the person’s Email address:
Enter the Month, date and year that you will send the Email:
7. What questions should we ask in a meeting facilitator interview?
To create a list of interview questions, check each item of interest to you and your
colleagues. Don’t forget to add in additional questions under “other”.
Questions
1. Tell us about your experience in facilitating strategic planning or community
engagement meetings.
2. Give us an example of how you addressed a problem or conflict at a strategic
planning or community engagement meeting.
3. What types of tasks have you been responsible for prior to facilitating meetings? Do
you have an opinion of which of these activities should be handled by the facilitator
or the hosts?
4. What steps do you take to create a safe environment of mutual respect and
understanding for all participants?
5. What is your experience in transportation; as a customer, facilitator, etc.?
6. What is your experience with the military; as a veteran, family member, volunteer,
etc.
7. What have you done to accommodate participants who needed assistance to
participate?
8. Tell us about how you addressed meeting participants who were:
 Over enthusiastic
 Under enthusiastic
 Argumentative
9. Tell us why we should select you for this position?
10. Other
Candidate Name:
Interview Date:
Interviewer(s):
Question
1. Tell us about your experience in
facilitating strategic planning or
community engagement meetings.
2. Give us an example of how you
addressed a problem or conflict at a
strategic planning or community
engagement meeting.
3. What types of tasks have you been
responsible for prior to facilitating
meetings? Do you have an opinion of
which of these activities should be
handled by the facilitator or the hosts?
4. What steps do you take to create a
safe environment of mutual respect and
understanding for all participants?
5. What is your experience in
transportation; as a customer, facilitator,
etc.
6. What is your experience with the
military; as a veteran, family member,
volunteer, etc.
7. What have you done to
accommodate participants who needed
assistance to participate?
8. Tell us about how you addressed
meeting participants who were:
 Over enthusiastic
 Under enthusiastic
 Argumentative
9. Tell us why we should select you for
this position?
Score
1=Basic
response
2=competent
response
3=
extraordinary
response
Comments
10. Other
TOTAL