The document discusses the art of facilitation. It begins with an introduction activity where participants discuss the worst meeting they've ever been in. It then covers the benefits of collaborative group decision making. The bulk of the document focuses on the mindset and skills of an effective facilitator, including preparing for and planning meetings, as well as tools and processes for facilitating collaborative meetings. Key aspects covered include being neutral and helping the group process rather than content. The goal is for the facilitator to help improve how groups identify and solve problems and make decisions.

1. The
Art
of
Facilita/on
Nathaniel
Cadwell
Agile
Eastern
Europe
2012

2. Welcome!
Please
introduce
yourself
to
your
neighbor
and
discuss:
• What
is
the
worst
mee/ng
you’ve
ever
been
in
and
why?

3. Agenda
1. Worst
Mee/ng
Discussion
2. Introduc/on
3. The
Facilitators
Mindset
4. Planning
a
Collabora/ve
Mee/ng
5. Facilita/ng
a
Collabora/ve
Mee/ng
6. Conclusion

4. Why
collabora/on?

5. Benefits
of
group
decision
making:
1. BeRer
thinking
2. BeRer
“buy-­‐in”
3. BeRer
decisions
Facilitator’s
Guide
to
Par1cipatory
Decision
Making,
Sam
Kaner

6. Guernica,
Pablo
Picasso
-­‐
1937

7. Art
1.
skill
acquired
by
experience,
study,
or
observa8on
<the
art
of
making
friends>
2.
a
:
a
branch
of
learning:
(1)
:
one
of
the
humani/es
(2)
plural
:
liberal
arts
b:
archaic
:
learning,
scholarship
3.
an
occupa8on
requiring
knowledge
or
skill
<the
art
of
organ
building>
4.
a
:
the
conscious
use
of
skill
and
crea/ve
imagina/on
especially
in
the
produc/on
of
aesthe/c
objects;
also
:
works
so
produced
b
(1)
:
fine
arts
(2)
:
one
of
the
fine
arts
(3)
:
a
graphic
art
5.
a:
archaic
:
a
skillful
plan
b:
the
quality
or
state
of
being
ar`ul
6.
decora/ve
or
illustra/ve
elements
in
printed
maRer
Meriam
Webster
‘s
Dic/onary

8. Art
1.
skill
acquired
by
experience,
study,
or
observa/on
<the
art
of
making
friends>
3.
an
occupa/on
requiring
knowledge
or
skill
<the
art
of
organ
building>
Meriam
Webster
‘s
Dic/onary

9. Facilita/on
Group
facilita1on
is
a
process
in
which
a
person
whose
selec1on
is
acceptable
to
all
the
members
of
the
group,
who
is
substan1vely
neutral,
and
who
has
no
substan1ve
decision–making
authority
diagnoses
and
intervenes
to
help
a
group
improve
how
it
iden1fies
and
solves
problems
and
makes
decisions,
to
increase
the
group’s
effec1veness.
The
Skilled
Facilitator,
Roger
Schwarz

10. The
Facilitator’s
Mindset

11. Exercise:
Working
with
your
neighbors
in
pairs
or
groups
of
three,
define:
• 3
aRributes
of
a
good
facilitator
based
on
Schwarz’s
defini/on
of
group
facilita/on
and
your
own
discussion.
Group
facilita1on
is
a
process
in
which
a
person
whose
selec1on
is
acceptable
to
all
the
members
of
the
group,
who
is
substan1vely
neutral,
and
who
has
no
substan1ve
decision–making
authority
diagnoses
and
intervenes
to
help
a
group
improve
how
it
iden1fies
and
solves
problems
and
makes
decisions,
to
increase
the
group’s
effec1veness.
The
Skilled
Facilitator,
Roger
Schwarz

12. The
Facilitator’s
Mindset
• Neutral.
• Self-­‐Aware.
• Servant
to
the
group.
• Helps
with
the
collabora/ve
process,
not
the
content.

13. Planning
a
Collabora/ve
Mee/ng

14. Exercise:
Move
from
where
you
are
and
find
someone
to
work
with.
• You’ve
been
asked
to
facilitate
a
collabora/ve
requirements
gathering
mee/ng
for
a
project.
• In
pairs,
come
up
with
2
ques/ons
you
would
ask
yourself
or
stakeholders
as
you
prepare
for
the
mee/ng.

15. Planning
a
Collabora/ve
Mee/ng
• Why
are
we
geing
together?
• Is
this
a
collabora/ve
mee/ng?
• Who
is
coming
to
the
mee/ng?
• What
topics
are
we
covering
(agenda)?
• Do
we
have
enough
/me
to
cover
everything?
• What
kind
of
room
layout
do
we
need?
• Do
we
need
ground
rules?
• What
are
we
trying
to
decide
on?
• Who
do
I
need
to
communicate
all
of
this
to
the
group
prior
to
mee/ng?
• What
“homework”
do
I
need
to
request
before
mee/ng?

16. Facilita/ng
a
Collabora/ve
Mee/ng

17. Facilitator’s
Guide
to
Par1cipatory
Decision
Making,
Sam
Kaner

18. Steps
• Prepare
–
Provide
par/cipants
with
all
the
instruc/ons
and
materials
they
need
to
complete
their
work.
• Prompt
–
Deliver
a
concise,
clear
ques/on
that
s/mulates
the
informa/on
gathering.
• Gather
–
Guide
par/cipants
in
crea/ng
and
gathering
their
responses
through
the
par/cular
informa/on
gathering
process.
• Process
–
Lead
par/cipants
using
their
informa/on
to
formulate
ac/onable
decisions.
Collabora1on
Explained:
Facilita1on
Skills
for
SoJware
Project
Leaders,
Jean
Tabaka

19. Tools
/Processes
• There
are
many.
• Match
to
the
type
of
facilitated
mee/ng.
• Try.
Inspect.
Adapt.
• Vary
things
over
/me.

20. References
(Books)
• Facilitator’s
Guide
to
Par1cipatory
Decision
Making,
Sam
Kaner
• hRp://www.amazon.com/Facilitators-­‐Par/cipatory-­‐Decision-­‐Making-­‐Jossey-­‐
Bass-­‐Management/dp/0787982660/
• The
Art
of
Focused
Conversa1on:
100
Ways
to
Access
Group
Wisdom
in
the
Workplace,
R.
Brian
Stanfield
(editor)
• hRp://www.amazon.com/Art-­‐Focused-­‐Conversa/on-­‐Access-­‐Workplace/dp/
0865714169/
• Collabora1on
Explained:
Facilita1on
Skills
for
SoJware
Project
Leaders,
Jean
Tabaka
• hRp://www.amazon.com/Collabora/on-­‐Explained-­‐Facilita/on-­‐Soqware-­‐
Project/dp/0321268776/

21. References
(Training)
• Interna/onal
Associa/on
of
Facilitators
hRp://www.iafworld.org/index/ToolsResources/TrainingDirectory.aspx
• Ins/tute
of
Cultural
Affairs
hRp://www.top.ica-­‐usa.org/index.php?pr=coursestop
• Soqware
Team
Specific
See
me!

22. Conclusion

23. Exercise:
Discuss
the
following
ques/ons
with
your
neighbors:
• What’s
the
most
important
concept
you
learned
today?
• How
will
you
use
this
informa/on?

24. Celebra/on

25. Thank
You!
The
Art
of
Facilita/on
Nathaniel
Cadwell
Agile
Eastern
Europe
2012