Chapter 5: Group Facilitation

group facilitation

helping a collection of people communicate more effectively

-use listening, questioning, and focusing skills to promote positive interaction and pre-empt barriers to effective communication

types of groups

task, psychoeducational, counseling and therapeutic

task groups

designed to plan and implement specific jobs or undertakings (committees)

psychoeducational groups

designed to foster cognitive, affective, or behavioral skills through the use of structured activities

counseling groups

help people deal with common living problems through the use of support, problem solving and skill building

psychotherapy groups

help clients remediate psychosocial problems through the use of therapeutic techniques such as exploring unconscious psychological processes, dysfunctional relationships and deep rooted fears

group stages

forming, norming, storming, performing and adjourning

forming

when groups are forming, facilitators must decide who to bring into the group and how to structure it

-seating theater style tends to formalize discussion and make the audience passive, whereas a circle opens up dialogue and invites participation from everyone

norming stage

members may have unclear expectations about the goals of the group and expectations of them as group members

storming phase

members have moved past the honeymoon stage and are more willing to express conflict directly

adjourning stage

members prepare for the end of the group as it was originally constructed

-some terminate because they have completed their task, others because they are time limited, they have run out of money or other resources or the group is not able to achieve its goals

group challenges

-different agendas

-no focus

-domination

-interruptions

-silence

-lost attention

-difficulty listening to others

-others put on defensive

-not saying what they think

-confusion about decisions

different agendas

it is important that everyone be prepared ahead of time with the goals for the meeting, who will be attending, who will be facilitating the process, roles of various participants, and what materials or information they will need to bring

no focus

facilitator needs to keep the party focused on the agenda

-should not jump from issue to issue

-punctuation emphasizes transitions from topic to topic

-topic separation can be enhanced by making conscious changes in time and environment

domination

certain people might dominate discussion

-might be due to individual or cultural differences

-to ensure that everyone is able to participate fairly, facilitator can use empowerment and power balancing strategies

interruptions

switching topics, speaking over another person, making noises, or behaving in a distracting manner

-use focusing skills

-challenge is how to deal effectively with interruption without putting the person who interrupted on the defensive

silence

-difficult to assess in some participants

-some assume that silence means a person is agreeing with what is being said

-sharing information is vital to group facilitation, address any issues related to silence

rules for silence

-all participants given opportunity to speak

-everyone’s needs and interests are important to the group and its decisions

-diverse opinions are valued and respected

-if anyone has difficulty speaking to the group, they can discuss alternatives with facilitator

-although participation is encouraged, no one will be forced to speak

-group will not assume silence equals agreement

lost attention

may lose attention if content is not interesting enough, process is long or dull, outside distractions or short attention span

-if agenda is agreed on and facilitator keeps discussion focused, content should be interesting to participants

-if participants seem disinterested, ask directly if this is the case, agenda may need renegotiating to focus on what matters

-keep meetings less than 90 minutes

-use a variety of formats for communication

difficulty listening to others

-one of the most common causes of conflict is miscommunication

-means that group members have difficulty listening to one another

-people involved in destructive conflict tend to focus on their own needs and agenda

-facilitator can foster mutual recognition by helping group members listen to one another

others put on defensive

-insults, insinuations, and direct attacks can cause this, such remarks are unintended

-everyone speaks to each other with respect

-if you feel slighted or harassed by another person, state how you feel and ask the other what was intended

-act in good faith and take responsibility for what they say

not saying what they think

-one of the most difficult issues to assess is whether participants are saying what they think

-might self censor themselves to avert conflict, fit in or look good

-might be conflict avoiders, accommodators or naturally shy

-ensure the environment for discussion is safe for everyone

confusion about decisions

-make decisions by general consensus, vote, or determination of the group’s leader

-needs to know exactly what decisions have been reached

approaches to facilitation

-debate

-dialogue

-problem solving

-identity based facilitation

debate

forum for discussion where conflicting parties advocate for particular positions

-in a formal debate, facilitator guides participants through a particular sequence of presentations

dialogue

-designed to build understanding, cooperation and positive relationships

-encouraged to speak as individuals, from their own personal experience

-encourages broad participation, individuals speak on their own behalf rather than through designated leaders

problem solving

facilitator guides group members through a series of phases designed to help members analyze and resolve the issues confronting them

-preparation, orientation, issue definition, exploring interests and needs, negotiation and problem solving, finalizing an agreement, follow up

identity

designed for identity based conflict

-in contrast to conflict based on miscommunication or division of limited resources, identity based conflict is rooted in the ways that conflicting groups view themselves and the other group