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A Checklist for a Good Facilitation
April 6, 2008 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Project Management Best Practices
A Checklist for a Good Facilitation
By Phil de Kock
General guidelines:
- Preparation is ” Nine tenths” of the law;
- Ensure that your agenda only accommodate 50 percent for presentations and formal consideration of documents. The other 50 percent of the time should be to accommodate discussion and group dynamic - thus, 50 percent content, and 50 % people process;
- Link discussion and input back to the agenda- show progress;
- Listen and consider process suggestions from the group - after all it is their process;
As facilitator ask yourself:
- What knowledge do I have ?;
- What is my mindset in preparing ?;
- What reference materials are to be consulted? (Local and National)
- Are there previous workshop agendas/outputs or research findings?
- What literature/documents should I research ?;
- What videos and other resource materials etc might be consulted;
- What materials are already available within the organization ?;
- Which local ‘experts’ might be usefully consulted?.
In terms of target population consider the following:
- Has a needs analysis already been done ?;
- Can you visit some delegates/trainees in their workplace to get a better feel for their mindsets and needs ?;
- What about their customers/clients ? Is research required ?;
- Is there a need to workshop and agree the agenda up front.
Choose your delegates based on the following considerations:
- Willingness;
- Equal number of participant groupings;
- Ideally 15 to 20;
- Project sponsor;
- Clients and/or potential clients or suppliers ;
- Potential customers;
- Known adversaries of the subject;
- Officials controlling service delivery and budgets;
- Employees/members;
- Stakeholders;
- Control-power-influence.
In terms of venue selection consider:
- Adequate meeting spaces;
- Adequate and comfortable lodging for non-locals;
- Good meals;
- Refreshments;
- Equipment, e.g. tables and chairs;
- Free time activities and recreation;
- Avoid interruptions and distractions - retreat setting;
- Comfortable situation for participants;
- Accessibility.
Note: Acknowledgement to Pieter Bouwer (he might never read this but it includes some of his ideas).
Phil de Kock is an organization and management consultant with a career span of more than 20 years in several disciplines, including finance and admin, quality, project management as well as human and organization development.
His career development from a very junior level as a finance cashier to managing partner of a medium sized consulting firm is backed by sound growth and development at an academic level. Philip consequently has obtained a masters degree in people and organization development and is currently reading for his PhD. He is the co author of several publications and received awards for his post graduate academic achievements.
In addition to being visiting lecturer in project management he also trained more than 250 students in the relevant discipline during 2006/7. In addition, he published about and presented public courses dealing with ROI of Training, HR Scorecards, and Metrics as well as Job and Competency Profiling.
He consulted to various companies, including Namdeb (De Beers Namibia), Deb Marine, Anglo Base Metals (Skorpion Zinc) as well as public sector organization such as the Health Professions and Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Council. His most recent work include lecturing on project management, leadership and Human Resources Management at the institutions that include the Centre for Learning, Training and Development (WITS University), Varsity College (ADVTECH Group Ltd) and Global Business School.
Phil runs a professional project management blog: Project Management For The Rest of Us.
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