FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are facilitators and what do they do?
Facilitators provide focus and direction through meeting processes, allowing the participants the ability to concentrate on the meeting content and topic discussions.
Facilitate Solutions associates assist with planning meetings or conferences and developing agendas; guide the decision-making, problem solving, and planning processes; coach participants in effective communication; and support the group to achieve their known goals.
What is the difference between facilitation and mediation?
Mediation is voluntary process of problem solving between two or more individuals in conflict. The mediator is neutral to the discussion and must adhere to defined processes and guidelines.
Facilitation is the art of bringing a group to an outcome by providing indirect or unobtrusive assistance or guidance. Facilitation can be with parties in conflict who represent themselves or others; groups committed to obtaining common goals or objectives; groups who work independent of each other whose outcomes are dependent on each other’s outcomes; a project work group; or any group of individuals who have a goal or objective to meet. The facilitator is neutral to discussion and uses various processes and tools to assist the group. Successful facilitators use mediation skills to enhance communication and problem solving.
We have a company employee who facilitates our meetings. Why hire an outside facilitator?
A facilitator who is not employed by the company is better able to remain neutral to topic discussion and provide group interventions without fear of potential repercussions with co-workers.
Facilitate Solutions’ professional facilitators are impartial process guides who are detached from decision outcomes. They are experienced in various group dynamics and communication styles and their primary focus is the success of the group as a whole in achieving their stated goals and objectives.
We're not sure whether to hold a meeting or to provide information through other channels.
It is important to determine the objective of the information sharing in order to determine the communication method.
Through collaboration with Facilitate Solutions, you will develop communication goals, decision points, alternate meeting methods, and information dissemination methods.
Our meetings are so disjointed and we end up getting so confused that we don't make any decisions.
Having established decision-making and problem-solving processes up front will assist in more effective decisions.
With assistance from our facilitators, your group will determine and develop those processes. Your group will then be able to follow the process towards making decisions as the facilitator provides focus and direction.
We come to meeting with the goal of making a decision or developing a plan, however it takes us most of the meeting to understand what the issue is.
Preparing and distributing pre-work is very effective in arriving at a meeting prepared.
Our facilitators will help you determine what groundwork is needed, who needs to do it, and when it needs to be accomplished. With some pre-meeting reading or research, your group will be more likely to achieve meeting objectives.
Our agenda keeps us on time, yet we are not sure what we have accomplished at the end of the meeting.
Agendas provide direction and guidance to the participants. Agenda setting is often complex and time consuming, balancing goals, available time, other priorities, and group dynamics.
Through collaboration with Facilitate Solutions, your agendas will be results-oriented and clearly state meeting objectives and topic goals that are measurable and attainable.
Our meetings neither start nor end on time.
Agendas, processes, and goals are only part of developing a successful meeting. Participants are more likely to be timely if they truly feel the use of their valuable time is being spent wisely.
Your group will find that meetings with Facilitate Solutions are focused and energetic, with simple yet effective processes that are designed to reach the group’s objective. When meeting time is more effective, participants know they can attend, participate, and go on to other priorities.