Tips for Facilitators Are you an effective facilitator? Do you hope to be? Regardless of your facilitation specialisation or aspirations, here are a few tips to keep your meetings on track. 1. Be mindful of your body language Part of your job as facilitator is to encourage group activity and to protect group members so that all members of the meeting feel free to share their thoughts. It’s vital you remain neutral—or, at the very least, retain the appearance of impartiality. Be mindful of your body language, don’t nod or frown, unintentionally showing approval or disagreement, which could inhibit group participation. 2. Use your presence As the facilitator and group leader, you have the ability to subtly influence the tone of the meeting and the general mood of your attendees. If you’re honest and trustworthy, your group is likely to be too. If you’re manipulative or deceitful, expect your group to pick up on it and project it back at you. 3. Talk to the group, not to individuals It’s important to remember that you’re there to service the group, not individual participants. Not only are side conversations distracting, they can shut other participants down if group members “have a history” that you’re unaware of. Your task is to encourage group participation and consensus. Everything should be discussed in the open, where all members can reflect and respond.   We offer a terrific workshop “Focus on Facilitation™” that will help you walk into any meeting, with any group of people and help them be more effective. Click here for more information. Holst is Dr Edward de Bono’s partner in Europe.  Find out more about Dr de Bono and his tools here.  ]]>