“Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand.” – Chinese proverb
The secret of facilitation is engagement. Most leaders and consultants could come up with fantastic solutions without the involvement of the team that will be asked to implement the solution.
Let’s call these 100% solutions.
The problem is that 100% solutions developed by a few are rarely fully implemented. Why? Because the team tasked with implementing the solution was not engaged in creating the solution.
Instead of 100% solutions created by a few and rarely implemented, leaders should set their sights on 85% solutions that get implemented. That is the secret of facilitation.
Stop insisting on a 100% solution. Instead, let your team create a solution that gets done. The team might come up with something much better than you could have ever imagined (there are the ones with firsthand knowledge …) or they might come up with something less perfect. Be OK with less perfect.
Your team will be excited that you engaged their minds and not just their hands. They will make sure their solution gets implemented.
I hope I’ve convinced you to seek a facilitated solution from your team. Now, how do you do it? Here are the top tips I’ve gathered through the years of facilitating groups.
1. Hire a Facilitator: I know. Sounds a little self-serving and it is. The fact is a leader can't stay neutral throughout the facilitation. In fact, the leader must be engaged in the process. The team needs their wisdom and guidance. Leadership needs to participate, not facilitate.
2. Leaders Speak Last: During facilitation, leaders must speak last and vote last. Leaders need to give input when asked and ask good questions, but let the team create the solution. Once a leader speaks the entire team will naturally drift to the same conclusion as the leader. Trust me. It happens every time.
3. Agree on the Outcome First: Every great meeting starts with a great purpose. Get agreement from everyone on a clearly defined outcome for the day. You may not make it to the destination, but you will be much closer than when you started.4. Think Independently, Discuss Openly: When seeking input from the group, always ask and give time to think privately before the discussion begins. Ask them to document their ideas on sticky notes. You can then make sure everyone contributes from what they wrote down. This helps avoid group-think and draws great ideas from the quieter people in the room. Use the same tactic for voting on ideas. Have everyone write their votes down independently before putting their votes on the board.5. Respect the Power of the Pen: The facilitator’s role is to help a group create an exciting solution to a problem or a path to reach a goal. The facilitator holds the pen, takes the notes and asks the questions. The facilitator does everything possible to create a great environment that leads to excellent solutions. Facilitators do not consult unless directly asked for their opinion. They must stay neutral and respect the “power of the pen” by clearly documenting what was meant when a participant spoke. What the facilitator writes is not always what the participant said. A good facilitator asks clarifying questions to ensure what they document matches what the participant wanted to say. 6. Plan: The better a facilitator plans, the better the day will go. A good facilitator knows how long discussions will last based on the topic and the size of the group. She constantly watches the clock and keeps the group on time.7. Listen to the Quiet Ones: In a typical meeting format, the introverts are rarely heard from, but often have the best ideas. A great facilitator creates a safe environment for everyone to be heard and pulls the best ideas from everyone.8. End on High Note: Even if you didn’t get to the desired outcome of the meeting, you are a lot closer after the meeting than you were when you walked in. Congratulate everyone on their outstanding efforts and inputs. Leave with an action plan and deadlines to finish the work.“We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves.” – Galileo GalileiWe love helping leaders build great businesses. If you’d like to learn more you can check out our free resources at
www.valuesdrivenresults.com/resource-library/ or give us a call at (229) 244-1559. We’d love to help you in any way we can.
Curt Fowler is president of Fowler & Company and director at Fowler, Holley, Rambo & Stalvey. He is dedicated to helping leaders build great organizations and better lives for themselves and the people they lead.Curt is a syndicated business writer, keynote speaker, and business advisor. He has an MBA in strategy and entrepreneurship from the Kellogg School, is a CPA and a pretty good guy as defined by his wife and four children.
