Tools For Facilitation

What's in your toolkit?

One size does not fit all when it comes to facilitation, especially when facilitating strategic planning for organizations run and organized primarily by volunteers with a wide variety of experiences and expertise. A flexible facilitator will use many tools to create a framework to inspire innovation.

One strategy is to help the participants involved in the strategic planning sessions look for ways to strengthen the assets of the organization and then use those strengths and assets to create opportunities - there are so many great and fun methods of eliciting that information and once the ideas are on the table or the boards...the planning group has a place from which to launch and move forward. For more info on how to use this tool follow this link: Looking at Strengths and Opportunities

Word clouds are a great way of identifying
key concepts, or strengths of an organization

I like using a chart that looks at strengths and opportunities as a means of identifying gaps in services and assets that can be used to fill those gaps. This is just one of the many tools facilitators can use in strategic planning - what's in your toolkit? Or what exercise have you participated in that created an ah-ha moment?

TIP: Looking for the strengths of an organization to be shared in a visual manner? Ask members of your organization to share words that describe how they perceive or feel about the organization and then put those words into a word cloud. Super easy and fun and the words with the most repetition are sized proportionately.

Build Your Capacity to Lead Effective and Productive Meetings

A few tools to help keep your
 meeting on-time

A new article has been added to the series - see below...

Want to know how to run a meeting efficiently?
Do you want your meetings to be more productive?
Tired of the same people always hijacking the company meeting?
Interested in strategies for delegating in meetings?

I am writing a series of guides related to facilitation for those who  volunteer or get volunteered to facilitate a meeting or group: Are you

• a volunteer board chair;
• small group leader;
• leading your organization's strategic planning?

Send in your questions or dilemmas and let's develop strategies for you to build facilitation capacity. Looking forward to getting your questions. Your can send them to me in a variety of ways: use the e-mail link on the left, post them in the comments section below or send them to me via LinkedIn or Twitter @KathyStutzman - you pick the medium and let's get your questions answered.

To follow the facilitation series visit: Kathy Stutzman Facilitation Hubs

Dealing with Participants who are Overwhelmed in Meetings
Crafting an Agenda for Successful Meetings

A new article has been added to the series:

Re-framing threats and weaknesses into opportunities

Facilitation Dilemma - Over-talkers...Strategies for Responding...

I'm listening...

I am currently working on a series of articles on tips and strategies for facilitators and would love to get feedback and ideas from you. Whether you are a trained facilitator, or have been in a group where a facilitator used a skill or tool to create a change in the dynamics - I would love to know. I am interested in hearing it all - the good, the bad and the ugly so that we can all learn to connect more effectively and cooperatively.So the facilitation/group dilemma of the week is: "over-talkers" or long-talkers...you know, the people who believe that they know it all and want to share, and share, and share...

• How have you or have you observed a facilitator effectively put a stop, or halt the person who is prolifically sharing?
• What was effective about the intervention?
• what did you appreciate or not appreciate about how the intervention was carried out?

I have a special thank you gift to the person who submits the most interesting/new strategy for effectively working with over-talkers in groups. Please submit your comment by August 30th to be eligible for the thank you gift. You may submit your comment by:

• adding your comment below: www.KathyStutzman.blogspot.com 
• sending me an e-mail at kastutzm@smig.net
• messaging me on Facebook at: kathy.stutzman.9@facebook.com
• or on Twitter: @KathyStutzman

Be certain to include "Over-talkers" in your subject heading or text and to be included in the contest for the thank you gift, leave your name and contact information

If you want to follow the discussion, please subscribe to this blog and you will get up-to-the-minute updates.