It is impossible to be part of an organization today and not attend meetings. Staff meetings, project meetings, planning and coordinating meetings--they all take time. There has been a growing realization that we have to pay attention to the process elements of meetings, if we want them to be effective. With its focus on asking rather than telling, and listening to build consensus, facilitation is the new leadership ideal, the core competency everybody needs. Managers and supervisors are often asked to facilitate rather than instruct or manage their meetings and training sessions. This two-day workshop has been created to make core facilitation skills better understood and readily available for your organization. It represents materials and ideas that have been tested and refined over twenty years of active facilitation in all types of settings.

• Course Overview
  
• Definitions
  
• What is a Facilitator?
  
• Types of Groups
  
• Content and Process
  
• Group Norms
  
• Types of Thinking
  
• Controversial Issues
  
• Listening Skills
  
• Asking Questions
  
• Non-Verbal Messages
  
• Listening for Common Ground
  
• Common Facilitation Techniques
  
• Effective Feedback
  
• Facilitating an Open Discussion
  
• Managing Divergent Perspectives
  
• The Language of Facilitation
  
• Case Study: City Council Agendas
  
• Dealing with Difficult Dynamics
  
• Interventions
  
• Sustainable Agreements
  
• Stages of Team Development
  
• Analysis Tools