Once, in a phone conversation with another facilitator, I asked him about the facilitation courses he taught. “I don’t teach any” he replied. “You can’t teach facilitation.”
There are few opinions I offer that are as definitive as this one. He’s wrong.
While some people are gifted with natural abilities that make it easier for them to facilitate, most of the facilitator’s job is nothing more than the application of skills. They include: Plan, lead, engage, structure, re-frame, encourage, direct, question, and many others.
Assuming you have the desire to facilitate and aren’t completely deficient in some core ability, I am confident I can help prepare you to succeed. If I didn’t believe that to be true, I would never have written Meeting Hero.
If you are ready to learn, I suggest you start now. It’s a simple matter of knowledge, practice, feedback, and more practice. Find a good teacher, be a good student, and soon you’ll be leading your organization’s toughest meetings like a pro.