I run other people’s meetings. That makes me a facilitator for hire.
Let’s suppose you were wondering if you should hire me to facilitate your next off-site planning session. You’ve never worked with a facilitator before. It would be reasonable for you to ask what’s included in the service. For me it breaks down into before, during, and after the meeting.
BEFORE
This is all about understanding your needs and refining the meeting’s objectives. What specifically will be delivered as a result of the meeting, and why does it matter?
Once we’ve agreed on that, the next step is for me develop a facilitation plan that I think will give the group its best chance for achieving its goals. I might also collect some feedback on the meeting plan.
I’ll help you think through who to invite and how to make sure they come prepared. This includes creating an agenda you can distribute prior to the meeting.
We’ll also talk about the space and how to set it up so that it supports our efforts.
DURING
Once the meeting is underway, my most important role is to help the group make steady progress toward its goal which mostly involves following the plan.
Of course, problems inevitably crop up and it’s my job to help the group navigate through them.
I balance the participation, keep things safe, and refocus the group when someone is heading off on a tangent. I help everyone follow a meeting participant’s code of conduct.
AFTER
As part of my service, I deliver a written summary of the group’s work, documenting decisions and plans.
I also work with you to debrief the meeting and develop strategies to convert the meeting discussions into concrete actions and ultimately better results.
Watch the Video
To some it up, this video created by the International Institute for Facilitation and Change (IIFAC) does a nice job of describing the role. Stylistically, I’d likely to run a slightly different meeting than is implied in the video, but it certainly gets the main idea right.