tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423459432129414527.post7297056792287000038..comments2024-02-26T23:30:25.269-06:00Comments on Eric Lanke: Whose Job Is It to Be the Facilitator?Eric Lankehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02955772930132857028noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423459432129414527.post-84749055664722959712012-02-26T09:18:57.292-06:002012-02-26T09:18:57.292-06:00Fantastic, Jeffrey. By talking about the benefits ...Fantastic, Jeffrey. By talking about the benefits of facilitating up front, and getting people to buy in to the process, I'll bet not only did you have more people thinking about the process of decision-making, but you had more ownership over the decisions that were made. Right?Eric Lankehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02955772930132857028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423459432129414527.post-58216726131367580612012-02-25T13:27:32.723-06:002012-02-25T13:27:32.723-06:00I was just at a board meeting where I was the prim...I was just at a board meeting where I was the primary facilitator, but we also talked about each individual committing to acting in facilitative ways, briefly exploring how that might "show up" in the questions they posed, the way they shared observations, etc. Much to my delight, we had a lot of facilitating going on from those in the chairs at the board table.Jeffrey Cufaudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14552484936192602888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423459432129414527.post-44949637834309382992012-02-20T20:30:21.078-06:002012-02-20T20:30:21.078-06:00Thanks, Jeffrey, for reframing the question in a w...Thanks, Jeffrey, for reframing the question in a way that hadn't even occurred to me. I LOVE the idea of rotating facilitation duties around the group--whether it's a board or a group of staff. It not only helps develop everyone's skill, it more importantly puts the issue of facilitation squarely on the table for every one to discuss and understand.Eric Lankehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02955772930132857028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8423459432129414527.post-49793956689640320032012-02-20T08:11:11.260-06:002012-02-20T08:11:11.260-06:00Glad you're finding the series to be valuable ...Glad you're finding the series to be valuable Eric. I'm reminded that while we often think of the noun/title (facilitator), we can just as easily think of the function (facilitation). The function can be vested within an individual or dispersed on a rotating basis among a group of colleagues, both have their advantages and disadvantages. <br /><br />Two things I believe are critical regardless of which option is chosen: (1) whomever is providing facilitation needs to really know how to do it (and lots of volunteers, as well as staff, really don't); and (2) anyone in the conversation can still ask facilitative questions even if s/he isn't the designated facilitator. If the CGO has the skills, that individual can likely mitigate some of the challenges associated with being the facilitator so long as the facilitation is received as neutral and lacking the problematic agenda you note. If the CGO has an agenda/vested interest, the group is probably better served by someone else facilitating that discussion so the CGO is a participant advocating a perspective from around the table instead of at the head seat.Jeffrey Cufaudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14552484936192602888noreply@blogger.com