Articles & White Papers
Client Success Story: Training that Keeps on Giving
Deborah Crawford on The Effective Facilitator
"I've been exposed to a variety of training sessions covering numerous topics for over 25 years. So when my employer announced we were going through an organizational change that required every key employee to attend facilitation training, I hoped to pick up a little new knowledge and that would be it. Boy was I mistaken! In past training sessions, I'd taken away useful tips here and there; but when I completed The Effective Facilitator course I literally walked away with more skills than I ever imagined! It's the first time in all my years of training that I actually walked away from the training with a skill that I could use successfully and immediately."
Deborah Crawford is the former Director of Health at United Way of Central Ohio. At the time of her facilitation training, she was expected to facilitate and plan for a "Vision Council", a group of area representatives and experts from various sectors of the community formed to have a positive impact.
"The councils involved a lot of group decision making, problem solving and priority setting," Debbie commented when asked to give an example of critical issues her company was facing at the time. She understood that excellent facilitation skills both in large and small groups were an essential ingredient to the success of the councils.
"It was clear Michael Wilkinson and the people who designed the facilitation course had studied how adults learn. I truly felt it and left there with solid skills under my belt using techniques that included videotaping, critiquing, and repetitive recall exercises. And, they actually made the learning fun!"
What specific topics made a strong impact, we asked?
"One component of the course that really resonated for me was the power of the pen - the power that a facilitator can use or misuse in a meeting. Since the training, it's easy to spot negative facilitation practices. The Effective Facilitator has kept me very aware of the best practices for successful facilitation, which is pivotal in my profession. Even though I took the class a while ago, I refer back to my course book and notes often. The techniques don't only apply to extensive facilitation projects either; they can be utilized in simple meetings with great results. I have been told repeatedly that my meetings are very productive in comparison to many meetings that don't seem to be well thought out."
She's right. Today Deborah is an independent consultant, facilitating meetings on a regular basis. One of her clients, Susan Tilgner, Health Commissioner of the Franklin County Board of Health, often utilizes Deborah's facilitation skills.
"She's been a tremendous asset to me and the Franklin County Health Department. What I like about her style is that it isn't about what she needs or wants; rather, she focuses on the group process. Her all-inclusive pre-planning methodology is structured and thorough, not at all vague. When we're done, everyone leaves the table knowing what the product outcome of that session is going to be. She performs in a manner that keeps the process on track-with participants not minding that she's making us stay on track!"
"It's facilitation by design," Deborah commented. "I remember Michael Wilkinson, our course facilitator, telling us that many facilitators don't understand they need to spend more time planning a session than actually conducting it. It's the first time it ever occurred to me that the time spent planning a meeting is just as vital as the actual meeting itself. I found it pays off enormously because most people don't really think of it that way."
"My focus is on effective meeting planning and the facilitation of those meetings. I spend a lot of time figuring out what the meeting sponsor wants-something emphasized in the course. It sounds like a given: make sure you understand what the sponsor wants, but it's not unusual for a sponsor to be unclear regarding what key results they expect from the session. If the sponsor isn't clear, then there needs to be discussion around why the meeting is taking place, what we're going to have accomplished in the end, then arrive at consensus on what that is. I've learned if the sponsor and the facilitator aren't clear on what the meeting outcome is supposed to be, the meeting is kind of doomed and as a facilitator you're dead in the water. So as a facilitator, it's up to me to hone down the process and meeting outcomes. I look at it as building blocks; if it's a multi meeting process, what do we have to get out of each meeting in order to achieve the end result for the process that is desired?"
For Deborah that's not only critically important for her clients well-being, but as an independent consultant she takes care to make certain the expectations are clear and clients don't come back saying the facilitator didn't meet the intended goals.
Now that's facilitation by design.
About the Author
Deborah Crawford is an Independent Consultant and owner of Deborah A. Crawford Consulting in Columbus, Ohio. Facilitation is one of her specialties as well as planning, program evaluation, grant research and writing. You can reach Deborah at crawford@columbus.rr.com.
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