Facilitation theory in point form

Carl Rogers and others developed the theory of facilitative learning. The basic premise is that learning will occur by the educator acting as a facilitator, that is by establishing an atmosphere in which learners feel comfortable to consider new ideas and are not threatened by external factors.

Other characteristics of this theory include:

• a belief that human beings have a natural eagerness to learn,


• there is some resistance to, and unpleasant consequences of, giving up what is currently held to be true,


• the most significant learning involves changing one's concept of oneself.
  

Facilitative teachers are:

• less protective of their constructs and beliefs than other teachers,


• more able to listen to learners, especially to their feelings,


• inclined to pay as much attention to their relationship with learners as to the content of the course,


• apt to accept feedback, both positive and negative and to use it as constructive insight into themselves and their behaviour.
  

Learners:

• are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning,


• provide much of the input for the learning which occurs through their insights and experiences,


• are encouraged to consider that the most valuable evaluation is self-evaluation and that learning needs to focus on factors that contribute to solving significant problems or achieving significant results.

What Constitutes Facilitator Competency?

FACILITATION SKILLS COMPETENCY - a proposed model

As a professional team of facilitators in a business that demands the application of our facilitation skills daily, we often dialogue around what makes a facilitator "competent." This is such a hot topic that we have in fact developed our own competency profile which we teach to, in our Master Facilitator Certification program. For more information on that program or our model, please contact me at dean@actraining.com.

In the meantime, take a look at this competency profile for a facilitator we found online - do you like it? Any gaps?

ANALYTICAL & CONCEPTUAL
· Ability to think on your feet
· Good memory
· Ability tosummarise/interpret/reflect
· Ability to organise and presentthoughts clearly
· Ability to generate options
· Quick and appropriate action andreaction
· Creativity

GROUP DYNAMICS
· Good understanding of groupdynamics
· Ability to cope with ambiguity
· Ability to “pave the way and stand out of the way”
· Neutrality and objectivity
· Ability to stimulate discussion
· Group problem solving skills
· Ability to handle criticism
· Ability to synergise and obtain cooperation

COMMUNICATION & DELIVERY
· Listen until you understand
· Effective use of verbal and nonverbal communication skills
· Do not fear the void of silence
· Know how to speak the “internal language”
· Use of visual and other aids

SELF-MANAGEMENT
· Flexibility
· Ability to work under stress and handle crisis situations
· Ability to maintain an agenda and adhere to a timetable
· Stress management skills
· Time management skills

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS
· Enjoy working with people
· Sense of humour
· Patience
· Tactfulness
· Be a team player
· Good perception

TECHNICAL
· Clear understanding of the Control Risk Self-Assessment process
· Content knowledge of the specific topic and industry
· Proficiency with certain technology

There are many arguments for what are "essential" facilitator competencies - The model above is but one. tell us what you think makes a facilitator competent.

There is a good article on the whole issue of facilitator competence at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3954/is_200001/ai_n8882373

So what do you REALLY think about getting feedback?

How do you feel about receiving feedback as a facilitator? Do you welcome it, or do you cringe?

Effective facilitators often understand the value of coaching and feedback, both giving and receiving, when it is done with care. But we are also used to it being given without so much care so have developed the skills to deflect the feedback we don’t agree with or appreciate. But, sometimes we need another point of view to understand how our skills and behaviors are really perceived by others. If we are willing to accept all forms of feedback, it can guide us to better performance. Those who are willing to accept feedback also become better at giving it. Truly a win-win situation.

So why do some of us get so nervous about feedback? Because we tend to worry more about negative messages than to expect positive ones. In fact, feedback can (and should!) be used to recognize success as much as improve performance. It can generate new ideas. What about ‘negative’ feedback? Most people who have received negative feedback eventually realize it is not so scary after all, and often very helpful.

Here are some tips for receiving facilitation feedback:

o Trust in the good intentions of the person giving you feedback. Even if they are not yet skilled in the process, they are making an effort to help you succeed by sharing their perspective. Remember, you always have the right to accept it or reject it – just make the decision AFTER considering it.

o Recognize that it’s normal to feel nervous. Many people are uncomfortable hearing things about themselves, whether positive or negative.

o Focus only on listening. Breathe. Pay attention to the full message, verbal and non-verbal.

o Take time to absorb feedback before you respond. Don’t dismiss it or react defensively. Use what you hear as a starting point for more conversation, if necessary.

o Make sure you understand. The feedback process requires effort from the receiver as well as the giver, so ask for clarification and examples if you need to. By the end of the conversation, both parties should be satisfied with the result.

o Be honest. If it’s really not the right time, or if you feel overwhelmed, say so. Be prepared to come back and start again later.

o Ask for feedback. Requesting a coaching session when you feel ready, can make it more comfortable for you.

o Look toward the future. Feedback can help you grow. If you choose not to accept feedback, not to change, will your current path take you where you want to go?

Need more training on how to receive feedback as a trainer? Our Master Facilitator Certification program can help you learn to hear better! For more information, vists us at www.actraining.com or contact us at 604.521.5473 or events@actraining.com.<

Fall Certification Schedule - Vancouver

As children return to school this time of year, so do Facilitators. Below is our fall 2008 Master Faciliatator Certification schedule.

To register contact 604.521.5473 or email to admin@actraining.com

Master Facilitator Level 1

10/3/08 - 10/5/08
Fri-Sun 6pm-9pm/9am-4pm

New Westminster

Master Facilitator Level 2

11/21/08 -11/23/08
Fri-Sun 6pm-9pm/9am-4pm

New Westminster

Master Facilitator Level 3

12/19/08 - 12/21/08
Fri-Sun 6pm-9pm/9am-4pm

New Westminster

On the Lot

How does a car salesman hook a new customer? -by being a keen observer of social norms and human nature. How does a Master Facilitator ensure learning and transfer? – by being a keen observer of social norms and human nature. Have we become car salesmen?

No, they have become us! The skills of human dynamics and persuasion have long been a part of the “oldest profession” ( no, not THAT one - I mean teaching!)

The problem is, according to a Gallup poll, 95 percent of us believe car salesmen have low ethical standards. Twice as many people trust lawyers as car salesmen. That doesn’t bode well for skill sets that are shared by facilitators. What are they doing wrong and we are doing right? What can we learn from their amazing persuasive skills while maintaining the ethics of OUR profession?

Car Sales and Facilitation – the same or different?

Robert V. Levine, a California State University at Fresno psychologist, spent weeks as a car salesman while writing his book The Power of Persuasion. Here's some of what he's gleaned about car salesmen (in italics) and my comments on how we can improve the image of those skill sets in our classrooms…

The Low-Ball

Salesmen often lure customers by quoting an impossibly low price over the phone. When the customer arrives, the "low-baller" excuses himself—to the bathroom, a phone call or family emergency—leaving a second salesperson to explain that the first had misquoted the price. The key is that once on the lot, the likelihood of that person buying increases by 30%.

In our classrooms, we often “jazz” up our course titles to enhance their appeal – a good idea that gets our reluctant learners in the door – where we differ from the example above, is that we still have to deliver. Once we get a learner into a classroom, we become responsible for their safety in the learning process – we MUST deliver on the advertised “price”..

Common Ties

Successful salesmen try to latch onto anything they have in common with the buyer, such as a link to the buyer's job or college.

As a facilitator, we need to stop espousing our credentials and emphasizing just how different we are from the learner – here is where we learn from the car salesman that we need to actively seek commalities and build our relationship based on those, not our resume!

Sensing the Vibe

If attempts at a personal connection have failed, smart salespeople bump the customer to a colleague. If there's a sale, they'll split the commission.

We know that emotion and engagement are key to adult learning, if we can’t build a personal bridge to our learners, we need to make sure that the emotion and engagement comes from somewhere. We cant just bump the learner to a colleague (although there is something to be said about the value of teaching in duos), but we can change our instructional style in the moment and help those learners make other connections to facilitate their learning, even if its from within the classroom or with their classmates.

Never Let Them Say No

A major tenet of auto sales: Never ask a customer a question that can be answered with a "no." It stops the sales pitch in its tracks. Instead of asking if a customer is interested in a particular model, a savvy salesman might ask, "Do you prefer the economic four-cylinder or the power of the six-cylinder?"

Ditto.

Stall and Then Stall Some More

A good salesman will eat up as much time as possible, rattling off safety features and crisscrossing the car lot. As the minutes tick by, many buyers feel guilty about walking away. Not only would they have wasted the salesperson's time, but they may regret having wasted their own time.

For our learners, bring them into the material early on by focusing on practical, useable tips that they can immediately apply and gain personal benefit from. If you get your learners engaged within 20 minutes, they will not “drop out” later – wither mentally or physically as they will feel they have invested a lot already.

The Key Swap

Giving the customer the keys mentally prepares the buyer for the sale. A dealership may even "lend" the car for a weekend. Buyers rarely give the car back. Alternatively, a dealer may try to get you to hand him your keys, hoping you'll feel you've already traded in the old car.

Give your learners the key. Instead of spending the whole class talking about what they “should do", “when” – get them active and behind the wheel of the new information or skills early on and then test drive – even if it means breaking training into several short sessions where they try out new learning back on the job between classes – these “test drives” helps them feel “safe behind the wheel;” when it is time to walk off the lot with their accumulated new learning.

Point of No Return

If a customer agrees to a test drive, salesmen know they've probably sold the car. By then the customers have spent so long on the car lot that they tell themselves that if they don't go through with the purchase, they'll have to go through the process all over again.

If your learners agree to give you their time and attention and you get them actively engaged in trying our new ways of doing things (the “test” drive) and they have both successes and failures where they get to try again – research shows they will attempt to apply at least 30% (and up to 90%) of what they have learned when back on the job.

Buy the car but remember the salesman

If we learn and apply the skills of appropriate persuasion with the single intent of helping our learners become more effective at work, they will “buy the car”. If we do it without leaving any fingerprints, they may just come back for a second vehicle.

Here’s a real life story from a new car buyer after the salesman made his price offer…

I told him, “This isn’t fair. I’ve spent all this time getting ready for a big fight, and you’re asking for less than my worst offer would have been.” And what he told me was that he makes a lot of his money off of repeat buyers like me, and that while he doesn’t intend to lose money on the deal, he wants to reward that kind of loyalty with the best deal he can make. And I believe him.
(Afterwards I looked at a bunch of sites where people list how much they spent on their new car, and I got a better deal than any of them.)

So here’s my advice: if you’re buying a Honda, go to Brown’s Honda City and ask for Ken King. Actually, you might want to call ahead and schedule a test drive - he gets that many repeat customers. He’s fair, he’s low pressure, and he’ll make you wish you’d never shopped anywhere else.

Here’s a real life story from an adult learner in a leadership class.

I told my boss what I told you - “This isn’t fair. I came in here prepared for a fight – I was sure you were going to try to tell me I had to be a different person to be a good leader. But you’re telling me I am fine the way I am and just have to find my strengths in leadership?” and then I told him what you said – that I owned the learning not you and your job was to make sure I got to be the best I could be – and not a cookie cutter version of a “theory of leadership”.

(Afterwards, I looked at a bunch of sites on leadership where people talk about the traits and characteristics of good leaders – and some of mine where on there – and I got a better deal on figuring it out tan any of them. You made me do the work but it was worth it.)So my advice to my colleagues is, if you want corporate training that makes sense and where you actually learn something, take a course from Janet Dean – she’s’ fair, makes you work hard but is low pressure, and you will wish you never took any course from anyone else.”

So what do you REALLY think?

How do you feel about receiving feedback as a facilitator? Do you welcome it, or do you cringe?

Effective facilitators often understand the value of coaching and feedback, both giving and receiving, when it is done with care. But we are also used to it being given without so much care so have developed the skills to deflect the feedback we don’t agree with or appreciate. But, sometimes we need another point of view to understand how our skills and behaviors are really perceived by others. If we are willing to accept all forms of feedback, it can guide us to better performance. Those who are willing to accept feedback also become better at giving it. Truly a win-win situation.

So why do some of us get so nervous about feedback? Because we tend to worry more about negative messages than to expect positive ones. In fact, feedback can (and should!) be used to recognize success as much as improve performance. It can generate new ideas. What about ‘negative’ feedback? Most people who have received negative feedback eventually realize it is not so scary after all, and often very helpful.

Here are some tips for receiving facilitation feedback:

o Trust in the good intentions of the person giving you feedback. Even if they are not yet skilled in the process, they are making an effort to help you succeed by sharing their perspective. Remember, you always have the right to accept it or reject it – just make the decision AFTER considering it.

o Recognize that it’s normal to feel nervous. Many people are uncomfortable hearing things about themselves, whether positive or negative.

o Focus only on listening. Breathe. Pay attention to the full message, verbal and non-verbal.

o Take time to absorb feedback before you respond. Don’t dismiss it or react defensively. Use what you hear as a starting point for more conversation, if necessary.

o Make sure you understand. The feedback process requires effort from the receiver as well as the giver, so ask for clarification and examples if you need to. By the end of the conversation, both parties should be satisfied with the result.

o Be honest. If it’s really not the right time, or if you feel overwhelmed, say so. Be prepared to come back and start again later.

o Ask for feedback. Requesting a coaching session when you feel ready, can make it more comfortable for you.

o Look toward the future. Feedback can help you grow. If you choose not to accept feedback, not to change, will your current path take you where you want to go?

How we do it differently!

Advance Corporate Training Ltd. (ACT) is a brain-based learning specialist - our logo represents the six key secrets to ensuring learning takes hold in the learner and can transfer back to the workplace. Here are the six secrets and why engaging each one of them encourages higher learning levels.

Personal Relevance
(Association Cortex)
When we associate learning with what we already know, we are more open to a new idea. Info that supports our existing knowledge is better retained and transferred on-the-job.

Kinesthetic Learning
(Motor Cortex)
When we are engaged physically while learning, our brain operates more efficiently and we are better able to apply learned skills consistently.

Emotion & Engagement
(Somatosensory Cortex)
Emotion is often missing in many adult learning environments. When we emotionally connect to the material we learn more and deeper. ACT designs all its courses to engage this cortex.

Auditory Learning
(Auditory Cortex)
When we listen and speak we deepen our understanding. This cortex needs time to engage, so the start of all conversations should be “losable” data.

Visual Learning
(Visual Cortex)
We all need to have visual stimulation to be energized by learning. If we visualize our changed performance, we are more able to achieve it.

Broca's Area
Our ability to communicate clearly and to understand complex concepts is controlled here. Without learning that engages this area of the brain, we know but we don't understand and can't share our knowledge. True learning occurs after we achieve understanding, and performance change can not occur without understanding. This area was identified in 1861 by Pierre Paul Broca to be the “seat of articulation”.

Why Facilitation?

Why not training, teaching, coaching or instructing?

I have been an aggressive advocate of facilitation in adult education ever since I was in a very poorly led class at a University on teaching adults. We were literally told not to ask questions, not to "try to reinvent the wheel" and to just do essays on what was in the textbooks - we were also told not to challenge the professor as he was close to retirement and had already put up with it for too long! Imagine!

Interestingly enough, many of my classmates were fine with these guidelines as they then clearly knew expectations and knew what they had to do to get top marks -they were right, it made it easy to succeed if success was based on good grades.

but.... I was one of those annoying students who actually wanted to learn something practical and relevant to my world. This wasn't working for me and when I challenged the status quo - the teacher's and institution's response turned me off from expecting my learning to take place at University....so much so that I became a "difficult student" .

On the flip side, I happened to take another course where the teacher set us up for success the moment we walked through the door, and let us know that he trusted that all we knew from life was real and relevant to his class and that an open-mind was all we needed - not a textbook and not obedience to his ideals. He was still controlling, discipline driven, challenging and worked us hard - but for me it was worth it as every day after class I could walk away with at least one thing relevant to me. He FACILITATED my learning.... and my motivation for more.

That experience sold me - and I have been an advocate of facilitated training ever since. Not just fun activities in class, not just a pleasant environment, not just high energy classes but truly facilitated learning - where the answers and the content come into the class with the learners and is not invested in the trainer in the front of the room or the material we are teaching from.

We ask all our trainers at Advance Corporate Training to master facilitation - and we offer to the class our skills in bringing them out and freeing them to try things in new ways... we don't want to be experts because the learners already are... our job is to create change , not impart wisdom.

I am a facilitator....

I am change....

Here are some definitions of facilitation from the web... what do you think?

Definitions of facilitation on the Web:

A process of decision-making guided by a facilitator who insures that all affected individuals and groups are involved in a meaningful way ...www.nymir.org/zoning/Glossary.html

Involves the use of techniques to improve the flow of information. https://acc.dau.mil/GetAttachment.aspx

The condition of having something made easier. (Like a catalyst in that facilitation makes easy a previously difficult activity with little or no extra energy expended on the part of the group participants.) www.mgrush.com/content/view/70/33/

The promotion or hastening of any natural process; the reverse of inhibition.www.mercksource.com/pp/us/cns/cns_hl_dorlands.jspzQzpgzEzzSzppdocszSzuszSzcommonzSzdorlandszSzdorlandzSzdmd_f_01zPzhtm

Coordinating rather than leading an exercise so that all group members are encouraged to participate in the discussion or activity.www.evaluateit.org/glossary/

Helping others think through what they want and organise themselves to achieve it.www.scottishmediation.org.uk/smn/fxcseven/pgz/six.htm

Facilitation in business, organizational development (OD) and in consensus decision-making refers to the process of designing and running a successful meeting. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facilitation (business)

Does Your Training Make the Grade?

Presentation slides from a well received presentation to the local chapter of CSTD.

Welcome to ACT Online!

We believe in helping others learn, change and grow through self-discovery and experiential learning. To this end we would like to encourage you to visit our blog regularly, comment on our postings and let us know how we can help meet your learning needs.

This “Mastery Facilitation” blog will focus on tips, tricks and success strategies for becoming a Masterful Facilitator.

Your author is ACT Ltd. President Janet Dean – a long term professional in BC’s training community. Janet is a renowned speaker, author and international consultant. Her insights have been gained through 18 years in training – but she’s no old fuddy duddy!

Her insights on the brain in learning, changing multi-generational social dynamics and modern motivation ensure her posts are up to date and on the money.

Janet welcomes your comments on her postings and is happy to answer your questions.

You’ll hear from me next quarter, when I check back in with an administrative update.

Learn!