Facilitation: Toolkit

To help you facilitate meetings, here is a basic toolkit of ideas and processes that have been tried and tested, and are simple to use.

Outcome Tools

Handsignals

Hand signals help the facilitator see emerging agreements and common ground. They’re a way of communicating without interrupting the flow of the meeting. Three simple signals are:

• Raise a hand or forefinger when you wish to contribute to the discussion. It helps to keep a speakers list (“stacking”) so that that facilitator can call on people in turn, especially useful in a large group.
• If what you have to say is directly relevant to a comment someone just made, raise both forefingers. The facilitator can then get you to speak before someone who wants to make a new or separate point. This is not a way to jump the queue, it should only be used when the point you want to make only makes sense in light of the current point.
• “Silent applause” - when you hear an opinion with which you agree wave your hands or fingers in the air (the higher you wave them the more you agree). This saves the group a lot of time, and lets the facilitator see that a majority of people are/are not sympathetic with a view.

Handsignals can take time to get used to, but are well worth cultivating.

Meeting groundrules

This is a set of basic rules about how the meeting should run, agreed by the group at the start of the meeting. The facilitator can refer to them if anyone starts breaking them. The groundrules could include things such as no interrupting or show respect for each other’s opinions. Groundrules must be owned by the group for them to be useful and can be revised at any time (using handsignals to check that the group are happy with additions or changes).

Using the group

Your key asset is the group you are working with:

• If you are ever stuck for how to move things on, ask the group.
• Never pretend you have the answer when you don’t, it’s vital you retain the trust of the group.
• Regularly find out how they’re feeling: whether they need a break, want the agenda modifying and are happy with the decisions being made (using handsignals).

Other meeting roles

You can separate some of the facilitator’s tasks off into separate roles, for support and to make your task easier! For example:

• Recorder/Notetaker takes down the key decisions and action points.
• A timekeeper keeps an eye on the clock and points out when the allotted time for an agenda item is running out.
• A doorkeeper meets and greets people on the way in, and checks they know the purpose and process of the meeting. Especially important for making new people feel welcome, and bringing latecomers up to speed without interrupting the meeting.
• Vibeswatcher watches the vibe of the meeting and suggests breaks or games as appropriate. This can help prevent conflict or boredom.
• Co-facilitator to help facilitate or step in if you want to join in a discussion.

Reframing

This is another key listening skill that helps show people that they have been listened to. It means listening carefully to what someone says, then repeating it back succinctly in your own words, to check that you have understood their point. It’s a useful tool for clarifying and moving forward discussion. Make sure you personalise your statements - “it sounds to me like what you’re saying is…” (this can be particularly when writing up people’s points as you can clarify what they mean before writing).

Participatory decision-making

Perhaps the ultimate group tool, participatory decision-making is a process that enshrines all the values of a well facilitated group. It enables you to reach decisions that the whole group can actively support.

Participation tools

Active agreement

This is a useful groundrule, in which everyone agrees to take an active part in making decisions. When the group is asked a question or has to make a decision, the facilitator must insist on active agreement. Silent applause, or lack of it, is one way of showing agreement.

Active listening (or “think and listens”)

This is a technique for developing ideas and boosting confidence. People pair up and speak to each other, uninterrupted, for anything from 30 seconds to 5 minutes depending on the issue being discussed. The listener then succinctly summarises the other person’s points to check they have understood before they swap roles. It’s important that the listener makes a real effort to listen, including keeping good eye contact and remaining attentive! Each pair can then feed back the opinions of their partners to the whole group.

Go-rounds

Everyone in turn round the circle is given the same time to speak uninterrupted and without comment or criticism.

Breaking into small groups

This can help those intimidated by larger groups speak up and have their views fed back to the rest of the group.

Brainstorming

People shout out ideas without fear of comment or criticism. All the ideas are written up, however wacky, so that you can then discuss and refine them. This is an excellent way to get the creative juices flowing. If you have time, some people prefer to write their ideas on Post-it notes and stick them to the flip chart (presenting their point to the rest of the group). This means that there is less opportunity for louder or more confident people to dominate than with shouting out.

Talking sticks/Matchsticks

These tools limit the number of times any one person can contribute to the discussion, which allows everyone an equal space to talk and be heard. They are useful for examining your group dynamic, or to address problems out in the open.

• Talking stick: An object is placed in the middle of the group. Speakers take the item from the centre, say their piece and return it to the middle. Only the person holding the object is permitted to speak. The next speaker takes the item and so on.
• Matchsticks: Everybody is given the same number of matches. Every time someone speaks, they have to throw a match into the centre of the group. When you have no matches left, you can’t add anything more to the discussion. A useful exercise to get people to consider their contributions to the group and cut out repetitive or meaningless additions to the discussion, as well as equalising the number of contributions.