How to facilitate a meeting
What Is a Facilitator?
More than a fancy buzzword for "chairperson," a facilitator is the person who leads or guides the meeting. They make sure that all goes smoothly, that everyone has a chance to speak, that timelines and procedures are followed and that, if possible, everybody leaves the room satisfied. Sounds like a tough job! It can be.
A good facilitator is confident but sensitive. They are able to read people's expressions, emotions and body language to help guide the meeting in a positive direction. They are also able to politely interrupt if someone is going over time, going off topic or otherwise changing the course of the meeting. Facilitation is a skill that can be developed with practice. Here are some suggestions to help you get started.
Three Things Every Facilitator Needs:
- An Agenda: put items that need decisions made at the top and items that need group discussion at the bottom. This will ensure your important decisions get made!
- A watch
- A friendly smile, an open mind and a willingness to ask for help from the group
Before You Start the Meeting:
Explain How You Operate: Are you going to keep a Speaker's List and write down the names and order of people that have something to say? Do you expect to contribute to the discussion, or merely guide it? Explain to the group what you see as your role and how you expect to conduct the meeting.
Check For Ground Rules: Ask the group if there are any ground rules that they want to implement before starting. Do you want to limit the amount of time one person can speak or follow a certain process?
Review the Agenda: Before you begin, review the agenda with the group and get their feedback. Does anyone have anything to add? Does the order look right? Add any additional topics in where they fit best - don't just tack them onto the bottom.
In Your Quest to Become A Great Facilitator,
DO:
- Help each person feel heard
- Listen for common ground and reflect is back to the group, as often as necessary
- Personally welcome new people
- Help set up/clean up the meeting room
- Encourage everyone (especially new people) to speak up and participate
- Recommend ways to resolve differences
- Ensure that decisions, the names of people responsible for their implementation, and deadlines are openly acknowledged and written down
- Be positive and upbeat throughout the meeting - and end on a positive note!
- Dominate the discussion
- Direct the content of the meeting - you're only there to make sure that the process goes smoothly, not direct thoughts and ideas.
- Make decisions for the group. Instead, once a decision is made, check verbally that everyone agrees before proceeding.
- Bring up issues not relevant to the current issue being discussed
- Dwell on past problems
- Insist that people support your idea
- Use acronyms, or heavily technical or legalistic language
- Assume that everyone is familiar with certain historical events or background information
- Be dismissive of questions, no matter how basic
The Many Hats of the Facilitator
Summarizer and Integrator
- Reflect back what you hear verbally and visually (Often people's body language will give away what they're really thinking)
- Weave together diverse points
- State clearly any agreements for the record
Vibewatcher
- Calls for breaks when the group needs them
- Is aware of body language to detect the real "feeling" in the room
Process Guarder
- Helps the group follow any ground rules or process rules that have been set out
- Uses the clearly-defined process (how you're going to hold the meeting, make decisions, etc) to focus on the content (the ideas and decisions that the meeting is making)
Timekeeper
- Keeps an eye on the clock
- Warns group well before any deadlines ("we have ten minutes left to discuss this point")
Keeper of the Speaker's List
- Keeps track of whose turn it is to speak
Scribe
- Writes up information in front large enough for everyone to read it
Physical Preparation
- Checks out ahead of time the seating, lighting, temperature and airflow in the meeting room
- Ensures that proper supplies are on-hand: things like markers, tape and chart paper
Meeting's Aren't Everyone's "Idea Zone"
It's easy for people with strong personalities to drown out others during a meeting. Some people need time to reflect on what they've heard - or absorb information better by reading the minutes of a meetings - and may have more to say after a meeting. Try not to express frustration at receiving feedback "after the fact." The problem may actually have more to do with how you run your meetings. After al, not everyone has the same way of learning or interacting with others. Try to take these varying needs and styles into account. You group can only benefit!
Sample Agenda:
Main Street High School Amnesty Club Meeting Monday, December 10, 2001
- Introductions/Icebreaker Activity 5 minutes
- Review Agenda (Add or subtract items if needed.) 5 minutes
- Review and approve minutes from last meeting 10 minutes
- This will introduce new or absent members to you group's work, and ensure that you are all "on the same page" to start the meeting.
- Reports on current events. 20 minutes
- Have a representative outline preparations for future events or review a recently-finished event.
- New Event/Action Planning 20 minutes
- Letter-Writing Action 30 minutes
- Time Set for Next Meeting
This information sheet was compiled with the assistance of Sharmila Setaram, Fieldworker with Amnesty International Canada.