A Discussion About Facilitation Skills
|
Interview with Julia Apple-Smith, Manager of Employee Development at Sauer-Danfoss Ames, Iowa about Facilitation Skills:
Q: Would you tell me a little bit about the culture at Sauer-Danfoss?
Julia: About nine years ago, Dave Pfeifle, President and CEO had a vision for us to change our culture. We, at one time, were part of the Sundstrand Corporation, and as such, over time, had evolved into a company that was fairly autocratic and not very customer focused. It was not only Dave's vision for that to change, but it was also a time when our customers were beginning to let us know that if that was the way we were going to do business, they were going to need to find other companies to provide the same type of product that we provide. Dave's vision then became what is now known as Reaching for Excellence. It is not a program. It is our company's vision statement. It represents our philosophy of who we are. There was not a training program here at that time. Part of Dave's vision was to have a learning base to help promote and support that kind of cultural changes. It's really been an evolutionary process over the last eight or nine years. It is something that CMOE has played and integral part in.
Q: How did your relationship with CMOE begin?
Julia - One of the first things we did was to preview the Coaching Skills Workshop in California. We decided that it was a class that we wanted to bring in-house. That class and a Customer Awareness Class, that I created, were really the cornerstone classes for what now has become one of our core courses in the whole training program. As time evolved, we continued to build on that foundation of learning with other classes such as Teamwork I and Teamwork II and other types of learning. So there was a lot of internal training going on.
Q ? Can you tell me about how Facilitation Skills came about?
Julia ? About five years ago, I was getting feedback from team leaders, facilitators (supervisors), and when I sat in on meetings, it was clear that we were still struggling. We had structured ourselves into teams throughout the organization, but we struggled, when we got people together, to make those meetings as effective as possible. From (my) observation and from feedback, it was very clear that we needed to be doing some thing to build on the Coaching Skills training to give these people some skills on how to facilitate a group. Coaching, I think does a superior job of giving people skills for one-on-one coaching situations. You can even apply a lot of those skills to a group session, but we really wanted something that was more specific to facilitating groups. So a couple of managers went with me to Des Moines to preview a two-day class on Facilitation Skills, and we found that it was pretty typical of what is out there in the industry. We wanted more of what I would call the soft side or the behavioral side of group facilitation. In other words, when people were facilitating groups, they wanted to enhance involvement, help to focus the group without directing the group, how to help the group feel good about what they were doing and actually have fun with it, while helping the group be more effective and efficient.
Even as we started to develop this Facilitation Skills program with CMOE, we struggled. Early on, I remember getting on the phone with Steve Stowell to just talk out some of the issues because it was so different from anything either of us had seen in the consulting industry. Steve and I continued to struggle with how we should put this course together, and what it should look like, because for me, it is really on that soft side. It is not a skill. It's being able to use your intuition and read a group and read the dynamics in a group and know how to react to the flow of what is going on in a group, and pull people in or help to redirect other people if they are not contributing in a positive manner, again without controlling the group.
Q ? So is there just not a lot of material out there on Facilitation Skills?
Julia ? There is a lot of courses out there on Facilitation, but nothing like what CMOE has created. If you look at what is out there on the market they don't have the same focus that CMOE's course does. A lot of what we were seeing out there under the name of Facilitation Skills is really meeting management. There is a big difference. This is really more facilitating group interaction or 'high performance' facilitation.
Q ? What is the target audience for Facilitation Skills?
Julia ? The plan was that it would end up being for everybody. The original goal was to first give the skills to management, and then give it to all employees. When managers were first going through the course, the feedback we got was that it would be extremely useful for the team members to have the same skills. It would make facilitating the group so much easier if everyone understood what was going on in terms of task, climate, and behavior.
Q ? Can you see any improvement in your facilitators as a result of being committed to the Facilitation Skills Workshop?
Julia ? Absolutely! The people that were in the first class have definitely noticed an improvement in their facilitation skills. We haven't done any structured observations, but just from our ad hoc types of settings where they are leading the group and I am a part of the group, I have definitely seen an improvement. I think it plays out, not only in terms of a structured meeting, but also in how they go about doing their jobs on a day-to-day basis, because the principles that are taught in Facilitation Skills, as with Coaching, go beyond just the structured setting. Yes, I have seen a lot of improvement in those people, and it mainly has to do with their confidence level.
If you would like to learn more about CMOE's Facilitation Skills workshop titled Leading Groups to Solutions, please contact a CMOE Regional Manager at (801) 569-3444 or visit their website.
|
|
|
Give Your Audience Something To Talk About
There is an old saying: "The first thing to do when the audience goes to sleep is to prod the speaker." Most presentations are not intense enough. The average audience is lulled to sleep by droning monotony. A really energetic presenter can lose a pound or more in the course of an hour-long presentation, which gives some idea of the vigor which can and should go into it. If you are alive, alert, intense, enthusiastic, the audience cannot put their attention elsewhere.Direct participation by audience members is one of the best ways to keep their attention. When appropriately used, audience participation usually will focus the eyes and ears of almost every audience member on what's happening. You should always be alert to possibilities for letting people in your audiences do and say. ...(related: Presentation)
Facilitating Panel Discussions
A client recently called to say she was going to facilitate a panel for the next business meeting. She had never done so before and asked if I could coach her. After the session, she realized that there are some basic skills needed when facilitating a panel of speaker.To create a seamless and smooth panel discussion here are some tips every facilitator must know:Meet the panelists in advance: The meeting can be a phone call. Get a sense of their styles and message points. Decide how long each person will speak and in what order. Have them send an introductory paragraph.Consider logistics: Contact the meeting planner a...(related: Presentation)
Painless Presentations
Did the "Painless" part of the title get your attention?Speaking in front of a group ranks with death of a family member and loosing a job when it comes to the emotional toll it takes on some people.If you are one of those folks who look for any excuse not to give a presentation in a meeting, social club or your church take heart. You can learn to present with confidence and style. All it takes is following a few simple steps BEFORE you get up to speak.The first decision you need to make is determine what kind of presentation you are giving. Generally presentations will fall into one of six different forms.
The Who, What, Where And When Of Color In Your Documents
This article will help you to assess and maximise the impact your use of color in your documents and presentations will have on the readers. First of all you need to identify the following;
- who your readers are
- what your purpose is
- when to use color
- where to use color
The Presentation After The Presentation
Allowing the audience to ask questions after your presentation is an excellent way to reinforce your message and to continue to sell your ideas. In addition, because listeners can ask for clarification, audience members are less likely to leave your presentation with misconceptions about the concepts you delivered. Because of these benefits, the question and answer period is actually another presentation and vital to most speaking situations.Here are some suggestions to more effectively handle the...(related: Presentation)
Leaves Your Audience Hungry For More! -- Presentations That Get Results
Regardless, if your goal is to make a sale or educate. You don't want to fall prey to the mistakes that many presenters make -- loading us down with piles and piles of information and communication hodgepodge. Excellent presentations are designed to anchor in the key points that are relevant for influencing the listeners to take some kind of action.When you make a presentation to a committee, corporate board of directors or presenting an all day seminar, your aim is to accomplish two very i...(related: Presentation)
Speech In Business
The social skills of a small businessperson, franchisee, independent contractor or manager are all important. Speech...(related: Presentation)
Polishing Your Sales Presentation
Summer is here! It's time to bring out your summer attire, take a vacation and reflect upon your achievements thus far this year. Look back at the past few months of your sales production . . . are you on target for all your sales goals for 2005? Are you making the sales from all your sales presentations?You may be far ahead in some areas or behind in others. No matter what your sales production is today you certainly should have another look at what targets and goals you have developed in your game plan for 2005.Are you using your strengths to their fullest potential? To i...(related: Presentation)
Choosing A Company Shirt Vendor
Where can you choose a company shirt vendor? There are many catalogs out their with more than competent companies selling logo'ed attire for small, medium and large businesses. Online there are many great companies too which have low costs for shirts and then put on your logo and send them to you. Many small businesses wish to do business locally; is this a smart choice for a compa...(related: Presentation)
How To Prevent Presentation And Speaking Disasters
I just got back from my whirlwind speaking engagements and it occurred to me that you might be interested in these recent experiences (especially since speaking in the number one way to increase to raise your visibility and credibility in the industry). In a matter of two weeks, I spoke at two different conferences. Although the topic was the same the audience for each was different.In Florida I was the first speaker at the Prestige Products Conference. Boy, was I nervous.I was using a new and untested presentation and was the first guinea pig on...(related: Presentation)
If You Want Business - Throw A Seminar!
Why is throwing a seminar good for business?If you want to clean your house, you should throw a garage sale, and if you want to increase business, throw a seminar. A seminar is a way for you to contact many people all at once. It will pull in an audience that is interested in what you have to say. When you put on a seminar you generally go to mailing lists and contacts through organizations, plus past and present customers. The seminar will draw interest from the subject matter you are presenting. If you have a difficult time getting attendees, then perhaps a look at the topic is essential. No one will attend...(related: Presentation)
Audience Respect
One of the biggest mistakes most presenters make is in not considering or respecting their audience when preparing their talks. Showing respect means not boring them to tears with a data dump of information which is meaningless to them.1. Respect your audience. Make sure your talk is relevant to them, not just to you. Focus your talk on what benefits the audience and you will keep their interest.2. Do not memorize your presentation. It will sound like and feel like you are reading it from the cue cards in your mind.3. Never read a presentation, even if you are giving it in a language other than your mother tongue. No matter how well you have practiced the talk, you will come off stiff and boring. One except...(related: Presentation)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved. | Presentation