A facilitator responsible for delivering a strategic plan at the end of the process is different than a facilitator delivering a strategic planning process. I once was part of a process where the facilitator spent the first 3 hours of a one day retreat doing art therapy as a team-building exercise and at the end of the day, we failed to create the forward-thinking plan that was the core task of the day.
Who pays for that lost time and energy? It depends. Was the facilitator hired to deliver a product or hired to simply run a good meeting? Often facilitation contracts are not clear enough about the deliverables and the consequences of failing to deliver. So in negotiating with facilitators concreteness of expectations is an important and critical discussion and often paying for the deliverable is a better strategy than paying a facilitator by the hour.
Assessing Depth of Tools : Fourth on the list of principles is assessing the degree to which the facilitator is willing to customize and tailor the process. I have seen more than one facilitator in my experience, take a single hammer out of his or her toolbox and apply that hammer equally to every facilitation assignment. Assessing References : The fifth principle is about reference checking. I have done reference checking on facilitators before and my experience is few, very few, references will give critical analysis.
The reference check invariably is positive. Why else would they be a reference? Get specific. I love the wealth of information you shared here. This blog was written quite awhile ago, but hopefully the tips are still useful to you. Feel free to ask more questions as your business launches. This was helpful, Barbara. Thank you! I too am starting a new facilitation business and costing is, as you point out, held close to the chest.
Exciting to have folks like you offering resources like this. Thanks for all of these tips, Barbara! Helping me out to start a new facilitation business. Do you post your fees on your website so potential clients can see or do you send along a pdf. Excellent info — — -thank you! I work for a large co and we charge extra for onsite facilitation, sometimes client will push back and now Im armed with fuel that our rates are in line actually less some times than market. Q: How much do you charge?
But…here are some things to consider that would add to this amount: Is the client asking the facilitator to travel a significant distance? Is the group larger than 20? As soon as you get a group that is larger than 25, you are adding levels of complexity and the facilitator must put a lot of thought into the processes and chosen activities to make sure that everyone can fully participate.
I typically charge times more than my basic daily rate when the numbers are between participants. This allows me to pay co-facilitators and includes often up to 10 pre-meetings with both the client and co-facilitator team. Part of your job as a facilitator involves checking in with your group on progress and process.
Think about how often they might need a break. Maybe you originally planned on taking a break in 30 minutes, but the group needs it now—so give it to them! In this role, I am neutral to the content that the group comes up with and I focus on how to get insights from them for the session goal.
Be mindful about what your role is in each session—are you a neutral party there to facilitate the process or are you actively invested in the outcome? Then adjust your participation to fit!
Like most things worth doing, becoming an effective facilitator takes practice. The good thing is that all of these skills are totally learnable—you just have to get out there and try them out! With your expert-level facilitation, all those different learning styles and personalities can come together to produce awesome outcomes.
Are you a hands-on learner? Come hang out with us at Facilitation Fundamentals to learn and practice these tools in person!
In her research, she focused on studying optimal learning environments, program evaluation, transfer of training, positive youth development and productive organizations. I find the post very specific and easy to understand, especially for those who would like to enhance more the skills need being an effective facilitator.
Thank you so much! Great, fun and compact way of capturing essential skills required for effective facilitation Well said! Thank you. This was a fascinating and useful article. For nearly all of my 21 year career in the production of live entertainment, I have been put in type-A leadership roles despite my type-B personality, leading teams of anywhere between 5 to 30 people to successfully create the physical environments seen on and offstage.
In my experience as a Small Groups Pastor, I have found that 1 is the most important yet least done. March So you want to start a facilitation business? Keeping clients It is easier to keep existing clients than find new ones.
Here are 5 easy ways: Make sure you produce the document for every client and put your contact information on every page of the document Leave your business card with more than one person in the organization Get their permission to add their name to your newsletterlist Send them helpful links and articles relevant to their business Call them yearly to see how their plan or decision is going.
Most importantly, do a very good job each time. Give them more than they expect. Really learn what they need and help them get it. Pricing Ask trusted colleagues what they are charging hourly and by-the-job. The higher rates include: Contracting Preparation Facilitation for the day Handouts or documentation Follow up meeting The higher rates tend to be charged by people who have been in the market years, are known and respected, and have some unique market edge.
Gaining continuous confidence in tools and concepts I cannot overstate the importance of on-going learning in the art and science of facilitation.
Filing It is very helpful to have professional help both in setting up your files and maintaining their effectiveness. I set up my paper and e-filing this way: First level folder: name of the client organisation.
0コメント