Process-Based Facilitation

Facilitator Roles Used in this Book

You may see several terms used related to the Facilitator: Facilitator, Process Facilitator, Process-Based Facilitator, Group Facilitator and Group Process Facilitator. These are often used interchangeably. They all mean roughly the same thing. This book is about facilitation for the person using facilitative methods. Our primary focus is the person that facilitates group events on a regular basis; the professional facilitator. Roles that use facilitative methods in various professions, such as Trainers, Consultants, Moderators, Negotiators, Mediators, Sales, Service Associates, are not specifically the focus of this work. Yet, the content of this book will help them immeasurably to improve their facilitation knowledge and skills.

About this Series

This is the first book in a series on Process-Based Facilitation. This book introduces the Process-Based Facilitation Model, the basic skills of facilitation, facilitation methods, facilitator’s styles, and facilitator evaluation methods and provides a hefty Basic Facilitation Toolkit. 

Process-Based Facilitation Toolkit: Over the past few decades we have learned a tremendous amount about a number of specialties. I have documented hundreds of "articles" while researching concepts and models and documented many, many techniques. So it is a natural expansion of our methods to provide a larger tool kit with many of the techniques used with those specialties. The Process-Based Facilitation ToolKit has all the tools and techniques of this, the first book, in case someone just wants the tools, plus many more concepts, models, and tools articles and many more techniques. What is really cool is that we keep finding new ones to add, either as annual upgrades or in a second edition. Of course these can also be used with any other facilitation methodology. 

Specialty Facilitation Books: Over the years we have noticed that most professional facilitators tend to specialize in certain areas. This is often necessary because the “specialty” requires special training or knowledge and experience developed over years. Because of this we tend to classify several types of facilitation work as Specialties. The remainder of this series will be devoted to specialty facilitation. These books will include: 

• Facilitation Styles: this is a topic often touched on by others but never really fully explored or written about, especially for group facilitators. This book will expand on the topic of Situational Facilitation Styles to help you uncover, understand and adapt your facilitation style.

• Problem-Solving: There are hundreds of models for problem solving focused on various communities and professions.  We will select 2 to 3 models and map the methods used for each problem solving approach.

• Strategy Planning: Like problem solving, Strategic Planning has many different models and approaches. We will select 2 to 4 models to map that offers the greatest variety covering the most needs.

and more

Introduction

In 1992, the author was involved in quality programs as a group facilitator and served as the Director of Strategic Planning for Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Undersea Systems Directorate, SEA 06. Eventually he served as the Director of Quality (SEA 00Q/09Q) for NAVSEA. This was an important period because, while in these roles, he attended, created, and delivered many facilitation and quality related courses. Still, he understood the basic mechanics of facilitation, but, never felt fully functional as a facilitator in the early years because none of the models presented truly explain facilitation, except as a series of skills that were used. However, he sensed it had the potential to be much more. Eventually, after leaving the Navy and starting a consulting/facilitation practice, in 1998 he and his co-author, Charles Markert, embarked on a complete review of the available facilitation literature that would eventually lead to the development a Process-Based Facilitation Model and their course titled: “Concepts and Practices of Group Facilitation.” 

As early as 1993 they began collecting information to create a content specific book that they labeled the Quality Advisors Handbook. Part of that material was a toolkit with 24 quality related tools and techniques. A few of the chapters in this book and the toolkit originated in that early material. 

In 2002 the author led a group of facilitators in the Washington DC area to seek certification with the International Association of Facilitators. During that assessment the lead assessor was intrigued with the planning worksheets and, more specifically, the format of the techniques. Following that certification event, Wayne dove into researching and writing articles in what he called the “Facilitator’s Body of Knowledge Research Project.” The project produced a significant number of concepts, models, tools, techniques, frameworks, and workshops. Much of the core information was found, in some form, online and were edited and adapted, including the transformation into a specific format. Some only hinted at the a method which he then set about figuring out how to do.