Facilitator Practices

							         Facilitator practices to follow                              Facilitator practices to avoid
Do:                                                          Don’t:
     carefully assess the needs of the members                 ignore what the group thinks or feels

     probe sensitively into people’s feelings                  avoid checking participants’ concerns

     create an open and trusting atmosphere                    fail to listen carefully to what is being said

     help people understand why they are there                 lose track of key ideas

     view yourself as serving the group’s needs                take poor note of what is being said

     make members the centre of attention                      try to be the centre of attention

     speak in simple and direct language                       get defensive

     work hard to stay neutral                                 get into personality battles

     display energy and appropriate levels of                  put people down
      assertiveness
                                                                avoid or ignore conflict
     champion ideas that you don’t personally favour
                                                                let a few people or the leader dominate
     treat all participants as equals
                                                                forget to check how the meeting is going
     stay flexible ready to change direction if necessary
                                                                be overly passive on process
     listen to fully understand
                                                                push ahead on an irrelevant agenda
     make notes that reflect what participants mean
                                                                have an alternative approach
     periodically summarize related ideas
                                                                let discussions get badly sidetracked
     know how to use a wide range of protocols
                                                                let discussions ramble without proper closure
     make sure every session ends with clear steps for
      the next meeting                                          ignore when to stop

     insure that participants feel ownership for what has      be insensitive to cultural diversity issues
      been achieved
                                                                use inappropriate humour
 end on a positive and optimistic note


    Adapted from Bens. (2005). Facilitating with Ease!: Core Skills for Facilitators, Team Leaders and Members, Managers,
                            Consultants, and Trainers, with CD, New and Revised Edition. Sarasota, Florida: Jossey-Bass.