1. Facilitation skills & Group based learning
Online health information access and use: Intensive national-level, health sector capacity development and training
Workshop 2
Facilitation skills & Group based learning
Elements of these slides are based on content from:
2000 Tips for Trainers and Staff Developers, Phil Race (2001), in particular chapter 3 (p ).
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2. Online health information access and use: Intensive national-level, health sector capacity development and training
Workshop 2
Learning objectives
Explain what facilitation is and when it is required
With particular reference to group learning activities
Explain the difference between teaching, training and facilitation
Review examples of how not to facilitate group learning
Review key characteristics of successful facilitation
Identify appropriate facilitation techniques to be applied in common circumstance
By the end of this unit, participants should be able to do or have done all of the above:
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3. Teaching, training and facilitating
What is the difference?
A good trainer = a learning facilitator
Trainees learn by doing
Trainees can learn a great deal from each other AND the trainer
Particularly important depending on what it is that is being learnt and how it is being approached
KSA: knowledge, skills, attitudes
Teachers tend to “deliver” information, experience and wisdom
Adult learning teachers should also be good trainers
We should all aim to be good facilitators and trainers

4. What do we mean by facilitation?
Successful facilitation is about enabling learning
A facilitator enables learning to take place by setting up the environment, structure and prompts for effective learning
They enable and facilitate the learning process

5. When is facilitation required?
Online health information access and use: Intensive national-level, health sector capacity development and training
Workshop 2
When is facilitation required?
When learning from others is required
When sharing experiences and ideas
When there is no simple “right” answer
When working in groups
Learning from groups, learning by doing = natural learning process
Learning appropriate solutions to challenges and problems
Ownership of solutions and answers = more likely to be retained outside of the training activity
Facilitation is required in many aspects of effective trainers, especially when working with non-student groups (although that does not mean that it is not a useful skill to have when working with students).
Facilitation is important because of adult learning principles. Working in groups can be an effective and powerful way of learning and should be considered as an important tool in the trainer’s toolkit.
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6. Video How to successfully facilitate group discussions…?
Questions to be considered as you watch:
What is being done well?
What is being done badly?

7. Group work… Break into small groups as directed
Read through the exercise hand out
Discuss the element of the case study allocated
Agree your recommendations for the appropriate facilitation characteristics required
Identify someone to feedback for your group

8. Successful facilitation
Key characteristics of successful facilitation
Reference of key points
More details included in:
2000 Tips for Trainers and Staff Developers, Phil Race (2001)

9. Group work: preparing participants
Help participants understand the benefits of working in groups
Think about the different ways of forming groups
Optimum group size and group dynamics
Structure initial group work carefully
Explain how groups can go wrong
Ensure suitable group work space

10. Forming groups
Dependent on the task, consider what makes the best group?
Provide clear instructions on forming groups
Random, skills based, geographical, like minded, balanced, considerations outside the task in hand
Be prepared for “herding cats”!

11. Group size Different sizes for different tasks Need to consider:
Pairs, couples, threes, fours+
Need to consider:
Time available
Desired outcomes
“Passenger” behaviour

12. Getting groups started
Ensure ownership of the task
Keep the beginning of the task short and simple
Don’t rely on oral briefing only, use printed briefing
Visit the groups in turn and check “correct” start
Clarify the task when asked
Break tasks into manageable elements
Try to control the amount of time groups spend on successive stages of each task

13. Group learning = learning by doing
Think of something that you know you do well
How did you get to be good at it?
Design learning by doing into group activities
Reading is not necessarily doing
Listening to experts is little to do with doing
Listening to each other has a lot to do with group learning
Allow time for sufficient practice
Make it okay to get things wrong

14. Poor facilitation – interaction 1
Ignoring non-participants
Allowing domineering people
Lack of preparation
Being too didactic or controlling
Poor interpersonal skills
Lack of cultural sensitivity

15. Poor facilitation – interaction 2
Favouritism
Talking too much
Intimidating participants
Being intimidated by participants
Putting participants down
Failing to invite equal contributions

16. Thank you Any questions?