Cynthia and Jean April 27, 2015 The Clearwater Counties facilitation Cynthia and JT will welcome the group and each give a 45-second background on the experience they bring to the day. Cynthia and Jean April 27, 2015 The Clearwater Counties

This little light of yours! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L0T2K_Rsww

Opening Round Name Organization/ Agency Facilitation Experience Level 1_______________2_______________3_______________4_______________5 Little to None My Fair Share Expert Level Name Organization/ Agency Facilitation Experience Level What will make this a successful day for you? Where do you need to use facilitation? What is your greatest strength or facilitator quality? What is your greatest challenge or area you want to improve? How do you want others to describe the meetings you facilitate? Cynthia

Ground rules for today Here’s what we want: The cell phone thing- take it outside! Assume good will Ask questions We’re all in this together Let’s help each other make this a fun and energizing day of learning Feeling negative? Let’s talk about it instead of you checking out on us. Cynthia

What do you want???? Cynthia Ground rules for today

What have you experienced? Recall an example of experiencing good facilitation and poor facilitation. Share in small groups (5-7 minutes). Identify the best example of each with associated characteristics and share with large group. Large Group Recorder – Record characteristics/ actions associated with good and poor facilitation. Cynthia

Self-awareness assessment Jt will get something from ACL

Find your like groups. Here are the people who may approach things like you and who can be supportive AND These other groups are people who approach things differently than you who might stretch you in some different directions.

Group Dynamics Forming Adjourning Storming JT Performing Norming

The facilitator’s role Support the voice of the person with disabilities Cope with uncertainty Use power of credibility to help address issues Be calm in times of emotion Support and counsel others Be understandable Mobilise energy Surface difficult issues and help others to do so Take themselves less seriously Empathize JT

What is a facilitator? Literally means: ‘making things easy’ A person who helps a group or team to: Achieve results in interactive events By using a range of skills and methods To bring the best out in people as they work together Focus on the process of how JT

Paradigm Shift for Facilitators Keys to Effective Facilitation Paradigm Shift for Facilitators Instead of: Try this: Talking about the person. Thinking about having the answers. Searching for agreement. Speeding up to get the end. Focus on individual thinking. Support the urge to compete. Expecting perfection. The person’s voice is front and center. Think about having the questions. Search for input. Slowing down to savor the journey. Benefit from collective thinking. Engage and collaborate. Embrace uncertainty and trust the process. JT © 2010 NCAA Student-Athlete Affairs

Great facilitation What does it look like?

What are the elements of great facilitation? Supporting the person to lead the meeting to the best of their ability; Listening; Asking probe questions; Managing the room; Managing the meeting; Handling conflict; and Respecting cultural dynamics. JT

Good Facilitation Also Requires Some Deep Digging! Digging Principle 1: ASK WHY? Is it what the person desires or what they think is the “right answer” Digging Principle 2 : ASK WHY? Does it make sense? Match PCP tools? Do they match . . . This may become confusing for the person during meeting. S0 . . . . Principle 3: FIND OUT WHY! Best to “EXPERIENCE LIFE WITH THE PERSON” as directed by the Person! Learn so much more when your interactions occur places other than over a desk or around a table! Cynthia

Some ideas from Seneca STIR that may help. The Co-Pilots “The people who will be most impacted by your great skills of facilitation!” Some ideas from Seneca STIR that may help.

Organizing for an effective meeting The meeting Organizing for an effective meeting JT

Outcomes of a good meeting Meeting Outcomes Share Information Advance the Thinking Improve Communication / Dynamics Build Community Build Capacity Make Decisions Obtain Input JT

Preparation is crucial! JT

Preparation is crucial! Purpose Why are we holding the session? What are the key objectives? Product What do we want to have produced once we are done? How will we know we are successful? Participants Who needs to be involved? What are their perspectives? Probable Issues What are the concerns that will likely arise? What are the “gotchas” that could prevent us from creating the product and achieving the purpose? Process What steps should we take during the meeting to achieve the purpose, given the desired product, the participants, and the probable issues we face? JT

Having an agenda can really help Overall goal for the meeting Specific objectives and correlating outcomes for this meeting/session that must be met Who must attend? Roles? What pre-work or information will participants need? What type of opener is needed to foster comfort? What amount of time for discussion is needed? What decisions must be made? What is the potential resistance/ issues? Where? Who? Are there any special norms that need to be established? How will you know you it was successful? JT

Designing an effective agenda What topics do you need to address? Topics For each topic, what outcome do you want to see? Outcomes What activity(ies) will best support the group to achieve each desired outcome? Processes JT

The meeting: beginning, middle and end Room set-up is critical. Ensure seating fits group needs. Post materials. Greet members and engage with them as much as possible as it helps encourage future participation. Personal connection… Introductions, roles, objectives, agenda, process, ask for comments, ground rules, solicit reports/actions from previous, start process and discussion, explain clearly During Ensure that all members participate, manage conflict, keep group focused, keep a positive tone, keep track of discussion , intervene as needed, help members adhere to ground rules, maintain energy level, move through agenda/ discussion/ process The 3 P’s of Process Checking: check Pace, check on the Process and take the group Pulse Periodically summarize the ideas that have developed Eye contact. Ending Ensure objectives were met, decisions made, and action steps/commitments for member ownership are in place (with names and dates). Summarize objectives, decisions and action items. Conduct a written evaluation of session and solicit verbal feedback Ensure all recorded notes (flipcharts) are in hands of right person to transcribe. Determine follow-up date/time/actions. Thank participants/ leadership. Make sure they understand and celebrate accomplishments. JT

Managing the room Take cues from the person who the meeting is about; Model appropriate behavior; Ensure involvement; Enable understanding; Keep a task-related focus; Push for action outcomes; Manage time; Ensure that a record is created. JT

Managing the meeting Decide in advance with the person what the shared responsibilities of managing the meeting will look like Start on time Welcome, thank everyone Make introductions Review agenda, objectives, and ground rules Encourage participation Stick to the agenda Seek commitments Bring closure to each item Summarize results and follow-ups Thank the participants Close the meeting JT

Managing the meeting: Use your OARS! Open-ended questioning Affirming Reflective listening Summarizing JT

The 10 Commandments of Effective Listening Stop talking Put people at ease Show you want to listen Remove distractions Empathize- put yourself in the other person’s shoes Have patience Hold your temper Don’t argue or criticize Ask questions STOP TALKING Cynthia

Using Questions Questions of clarification What do you mean by _______? Let me see if I understand you; do you mean _______ or _______? Could you give me an example? Could you explain that further? Questions that probe assumptions You seem to be assuming _______. Do I understand you correctly? All of your reasoning depends on the idea that _______. Questions that probe reasons and evidence Why do you think that is true? What are your reasons for saying that? What led you to that belief? JT

Handling conflict Recognize these??? The person is marginalized Individual domination Intimidation Tension Someone expressing doubts Side conversations Cynthia

When People are Engaged When People are Not Engaged Early Warning Signs… When People are Engaged When People are Not Engaged Involvement in discussion Low involvement in discussion Words of encouragement Complaints, objections Laughs, smiles, head nods Frowns, head shakes, nothing Bodies leaning and legs crossed, toward the center of the room Bodies leaning and legs crossed away from the center of the room Look for: Participants who are not speaking. Participants who complain or object publicly to the group or privately to a neighbor in side conversations. Participants whose outward expressions seem to indicate that they are not buying in. Participants whose body language seems to indicate uneasiness. Changes in communication patterns and dynamics. Cynthia

STIR SPIRAL MODEL FOR PROBLEM SOLVING… Cynthia and Seneca STIR

Strategies for handling conflict Timing matters…deal with the situation as soon as you recognize it and timing works: identify points of agreement; reformulate contributions to highlight common ideas; encourage people to build on others’ ideas; test consensus for relevance/motivation; consider if a break would help. Avoid public corrections, getting angry or emotional and losing objectivity or neutrality. Cynthia

Handling conflict: dealing with the difficult person Invite the resistor to express their rationale for resistance while you listen: Tell me why you feel this way. What happened last time? Help me understand the facts of the situation. After concerns have been acknowledged, ask questions to prompt the resistor to suggest solutions to barriers: What would make you change your mind? What assurance will eliminate your concerns? What supports will enable you to continue? Cynthia

Now you try it: large group exercise …a few scenarios LET’S LEARN FROM EACH OTHER! Cynthia

Respecting cultural dynamics …a few stories from our personal experience… Variable language skills; Recognition of cultural differences without reinforcing stereotypes; Different cultural norms about politeness and communication style; Awareness of perceived status differences between cultures; Loyalty towards one’s own cultural group. JT with opening stories by Cynthia and JT

Regional Dessert Favorites!

Setting the cultural tone a brief story about the shredded chicken sandwich We appreciate & enjoy cultural diversity; We accept that our own perceptions are influenced by our own upbringing/culture; We empathize with another’s view; We are open-minded and we don’t stereotype people who are different than us; We openly discuss how our different cultural backgrounds may be influencing an issue. JT

Setting the cultural tone (a little more) We recognize and accept that physical contact differs across cultures; We recognise that language is a barrier and make allowances without being patronising; We always double-check understanding; We plan our communication to eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive; We communicate in a clear, direct, honest and open way. JT

A few suggestions for facilitating change Change is happening everyday. Each one of you is a change agent. Be a change agent, not a change target. Cynthia

Empathy: The overarching facilitation principle and it’s especially useful in supporting change Creates environment conducive to change, instills sense of safety, of being understood and accepted, and reduces defensiveness. Sets the tone within which the entire communication occurs. Without it, other components may sound like mechanical techniques Cynthia

Empathy: what it looks like Open Nonjudgmental Reflective Understand the speaker’s frame of reference Acceptance and affirmation No “authoritative/expert” tone Listen to both what the person says and to what the person means Check out assumptions Cynthia

Warning signs that empathy has left the building Challenging Shaming Warning Finger-wagging Labeling Confronting Moralizing Being sarcastic Giving unwanted advice Playing expert Cynthia

Using Empathic Reframing to Overcome Negativity Perceived Problem Reframed Problem Them Us Problem Opportunity Our goal is unachievable. We need to break out goal down into realistic steps. They won’t buy it. We need to identify the value for them. We don’t have enough resources. We can use the resources we have better. Let’s identify waste. We need to gather more input. Let’s take a critical look at the input we are already The people working on it are doing a terrible job. The people working on it may not have the time to do a quality job We don’t have enough money. We haven’t figured out how to find new sources of money. The group just can’t get along. The group hasn’t made a commitment to work through the issues they have. We don’t have any power in this system/ community. We haven’t found our leverage points in the system/ community. We don’t have enough time to do all these things. We need to decide what to do now and what to do later…prioritize actions. Cynthia

Non-facilitator Response Question Type and Purpose The Perception Non-facilitator Response You don’t think what was said is correct. I don’t think that is correct. You don’t believe everyone understands what is said, but you think you do. Let me explain to everyone what he is saying. You don’t understand what is said and are not sure anyone else does. I don’t understand your comment. A potentially suitable solution has been overlooked. I think we should… The point does not appear to be relevant to the current discussion. That point is irrelevant. Let’s move on. The group has stalled. Let’s move on to the next topic. Facilitator Response Question Type and Purpose JT and Cynthia

Non-facilitator Response Question Type and Purpose The Perception Non-facilitator Response You don’t think what was said is correct. I don’t think that is correct. You don’t believe everyone understands what is said, but you think you do. Let me explain to everyone what he is saying. You don’t understand what is said and are not sure anyone else does. I don’t understand your comment. A potentially suitable solution has been overlooked. I think we should… The point does not appear to be relevant to the current discussion. That point is irrelevant. Let’s move on. The group has stalled. Let’s move on to the next topic. Facilitator Response Question Type and Purpose Why is that important? Direct Probe to Challenge It sounds like what you’re saying is…Is that right? Playback Question to clarify what you believe you know Is that important because…? Indirect Probe to provide a way for the participant to clarify Are there solutions in the area of…? Leading Question to seek other solutions That’s a good point. Can we put that on the Issues list so we won’t forget it, and then get back to…..? Redirection Question to get the conversation back on track When have covered (a), (b), (c),…What else might we do to improve the hiring process? Prompt Question to help keep the group moving JT and Cynthia

Closing round: JT and Cynthia One word describing what you learned today and how you will use it. OK, that’s two words!