Facilitation skills training
We offer two day courses for 8-10 people and three day courses for 12 –14 people. In each case every participant has the opportunity to facilitate a twenty minute session and receive high quality feedback and live coaching from the tutor and other participants.
Typical content of the two day programme is given below. Additional content for the three day programme depends on the need of your organisation – it could cover such topics as influencing skills and belief change, more on creativity and decision making, or more on group dynamics and dealing with hidden agenda.
Typical content of two day programme
What is facilitation?
- What facilitation is and how it differs from other interventions
- Key facilitator skills – how do you match up?
- Planning the session – defining outcomes
- Designing your session – making the most of limited time
- Keeping the participants alert and engaged – the power of state
- Practical techniques for keeping the group in a resourceful state
Beginning and endings
- Four things you must do at the beginning of any session
- Building trust and rapport – why it matters and how to do it
- Techniques for keeping things on track
- Record keeping techniques
- Four things you must do to end your session on a positive note
Getting people involved
- Ten techniques for keeping people involved
- Six useful ways of structuring a session
- Facilitator tools – from process mapping to open space technology
- Techniques for enhancing creativity
- How to design sessions quickly
- When and how to be flexible – facilitation in the moment
Handling tricky situations
- Understanding group dynamics
- How to get quiet people engaged
- How to handle resistance – positive intention and other useful tools
- How to handle conflict within the group
- When to be challenging and how to do it with rapport
Style of training
The training is highly participative and engaging. In fact, the aim is to model good facilitation in the way the course is delivered. In this way participants get twice the value – as well as learning from the course content, they can see and learn from an experienced facilitator in action.
In addition, each participant has the opportunity to facilitate a twenty minute session and receive high quality feedback and live coaching from the tutor and other participants. These practical sessions take place throughout the two days.
What clients have said
"I just wanted to let you know that following the 3 day learning Facilitation Skills at King's College last July, I still feel that the workshop was hugely beneficial. Initially after the workshop, I facilitated a meeting and could see a huge difference in what I was doing before and what I was doing at this meeting. I don't think I have ever been on a training course where I have found my skills to be transferred to the workplace so effectively. I still find the skills very helpful four months on, and know they will be very useful for any other facilitation I do in the future."
Nigel Moss, Personnel Officer, Kings College London
"Brilliant! Larry is an outstanding facilitator who puts himself second and the group first. He challenged my beliefs about what I am capable of."
Caroline Holland, independent trainer
"Larry is a superb facilitator- the learning experience with him is incredibly diverse and rich and energising – seemingly effortless on his part - and yours."
Willson Hau, independent trainer
"Larry's professionalism was a delight, able and willing to flex with our different requests. The learning event was quite electric, despite the challenges of the venue. The participants got an enormous lot of learning, fun and camaraderie."
Ian Jenner, Training Manager, Robert McBride Ltd
"This was an immensely useful and practical programme. Larry's expertise and positive presentation style left a lasting impression on participants. Larry will certainly be carrying out more development work for us in the future."
Ian Cawthra, Training Manager, Stevenage Borough Council
"Your facilitation skills training was the best course I have ever attended!"
Alison Baird, Human Resources Manager, Motorola