Facilitation
Facilitation is the process of guiding and supporting a group to achieve their goals, learn effectively, or make decisions collaboratively. It involves creating a safe, inclusive, and structured environment where participants can contribute, reflect, and engage meaningfully.
As someone who loves to use storytelling during training, coaching and facilitation, I’m mindful of the story about the butterfly that needs to transform from its cocoon to become a creature of beauty. According to the story, a man tries to intervene and speed up this process only resulting in the butterfly being unable to mature naturally.
Having worked in community development, regeneration and several other roles, I have experience of various facilitation techniques:
Facilitation in Action Learning Sets
In Action Learning Sets, facilitation involves creating a safe and structured environment where participants bring real challenges and learn through questioning, reflection, and peer support. The facilitator ensures the process remains focused, respectful, and developmental.
Facilitation in Appreciative Inquiry
In Appreciative Inquiry, facilitation focuses on uncovering strengths, successes, and aspirations. The facilitator guides participants through a cycle of discovery, dreaming, designing, and delivering, helping them co-create positive change by building on what works well.
Facilitation in Forum Theatre
In Forum Theatre, facilitation supports participants to explore social issues through performance and dialogue. The facilitator (often called a ‘joker’) encourages audience interaction, helping people rehearse real-life actions and consider alternative perspectives.
Facilitation in Planning for Real
In Planning for Real, facilitation involves supporting communities to express their views using visual tools and models. The facilitator helps people identify priorities, propose solutions, and take ownership of local change through hands-on engagement.
Facilitation in World Café
In a World Café, facilitation creates a welcoming and conversational space where participants rotate between tables to explore key questions.
Examples of past and recent facilitation work include:
- Appreciative Inquiry events and liaison between care homes and local authorities on behalf of My Home Life – a UK-wide collaborative initiative aimed at promoting quality of life in care homes.
- Bringing together diverse stake-holder groups – e.g. local authority, NHS trusts, police and voluntary sector as part of Neighbourhood Renewal and community engagement.
- Co-facilitator with ‘Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today’ a reminiscence project for people with dementia and their carers, developed by Pam Schweitzer.
- Conference Workshops and masterclasses at Directory of Social Change (DSC) including charityfair, Managementfair and Charity Accountants Conference etc.
- Creative consultation workshops with youth groups
- Drama workshops (including the use of Forum Theatre with a group of people with mental health issues) to encourage social inclusion.
- Facilitating an annual review and planning day Arts In Care Homes
- Facilitating a series of Teambuilding and Teamwork sessions for European Roma Rights Centre, accompanied with one-to-one coaching for team leaders
- Facilitating a range of focus groups to evaluate services, future service planning and development and engaging with Experts By Experience in co-design and coproduction
- Sexual health and mental health programmes and sessions on self-management for those living with long-term medical conditions.
- Team-building away-days and strategic planning sessions for a number of grassroots community groups and larger charities
- Volunteering Masterclass (online) for Benefact Group for UK charities
- Workshops/events to engage hard-to-reach communities, including a week-long primary school project using photography and modelmaking.
- Workshops at the Alzheimer’s Show and UK Dementia Congress.
Book a Discovery Call today to explore how my Facilitation Service could help you or your organisation.
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