FACILITATED WORKSHOPS - WHAT ARE THEY & WHY USE THEM ?

It has become clear to many in business that to create a competitive and high performance organisation, a key component lies in enabling an environment that fosters an empowered, committed, accountable and creative workforce.

Facilitated workshops are a very powerful tool in enabling this environment, and addressing situations with more speed, energy and due diligence.

Facilitated workshops can be used at any time in a variety of situations and projects – in fact , anywhere that collaborative thought and / or action are required in service of an end goal.

To the casual observer, a facilitated workshop may appear to be a sophisticated version of   “running and managing an effective agenda”…with a few energisers thrown in.Participants openly explore ideas, facts and issues and make decisions together. This is something managers hope might occur naturally in “normal” meeting, but often find it to be an elusive and frustrating task.

A facilitated workshop uses a mix of science and art, mechanical/process technique and psychological tools that surfaces & addresses the unspoken, work the individual minds & group dynamic to maximum ability – all in service of unlocking the greater potential in the room. Much like the swan gliding, whilst paddling hard  - It may seem effortless, but there’s a lot going on out of sight, and the results can be pretty impressive!

A Facilitators tool bag may consist of  multiple methods and techniques from disciplines such as Business Management, Organisational Psychology, Group Dynamics, Process Engineering, TQM, Project Management, Change Management, Team Effectiveness, Leadership Development, Coaching and many more. 

This enables design/choice of the most effective workshop structure prior to fit individual needs, and also the ability to respond and flex during the workshop according to needs of the moment.

Facilitators do not need to be experts in your subject or organisation. Some would even argue that if they were, they might adopt the same “blind spots” as the participants and therefore not draw out previously unchallenged themes. 

A SUMMARY OF THE BENEFITS -  

Using a skilled and experienced facilitator is not only beneficial to work the groups agenda itself – It also allows the “owner” of the issue to become an active participant and contributor to the room, without added pressure of having to juggle between getting involved in content, and managing the group process.

Good facilitators will not just focus on the issue at hand, but also the systemic nature of the underpinning environment and culture. In partnership with you, they tailor and run an intervention that enables you to benefit on 2 levels. 

Primary level benefits (issue/topic focussed) -

• Creative Solutions / step change improvements
• Elapsed time and man effort is less
• Issues raised and dealt with, conflicts often resolved
• Clarity of direction improved, Ambiguities less likely,
• Confidence levels of participants and sponsors are higher,
• Consensus not compromise,Clear ownership by business,
• Enthusiasm and commitment

Secondary level benefits (organisational, long term or underpinning) -

• Learning by Osmosis,
• Dealing with change,
• Leader / Sponsor skills development,
• Team building and cross functional collaboration,
• Re-usable workshop tools and techniques,
• Behaviour / mind shifts that improve working climate & capability,