KASL WESTON COUNTY EXTENSION REPORT BILL TAYLOR 9/13/11 THE ART OF FACILITATION (Part 5)

The next item in our series on meeting facilitation is information gathering. Gathering pertinent and correct information before and during the session or process is vital to a valid end product. A number of techniques can be used to gather necessary and accurate information.

Asking Questions Ask questions that help the participants visualize an end point and what it took to get there. Start questions with words like: Think about, Imagine, If, or Consider Then use two or three phrases to extend the image so they can see the answer. Finally, follow up with a direct question. For example, if you want to know what participants feel makes them productive, use a process like this: Think about the project you have been on when you have felt the most productive. Think about the things you were doing, the relationships of the project team, the support from the organization and/or community. Lets build the list: what helps you be productive when working on a project?

Reacting Questions You can guide group dynamics by using various questions in reaction to input or comment from the group:

Direct probe Why is that important? Indirect probe Is the reason thats important because? Redirection Thats a good point. Can we put that on the issues parking board? Playback It sounds like what you are saying isIs that right? Leading question Are there solutions in the area of? Prompt question What else? Tag question Thats important, isnt it? Float an idea What about? What are the benefits?

Float Ideas If you feel the group is missing something important, you may want to float an idea past them. It is always better if they own the idea themselves, rather than you directly providing it. However, you may feel like asking, What about? to give them the option of taking it or rejecting it. If they accept the idea, ask a directly probing question about it, such as, What sorts of data are required to support that idea? If they respond to the probe, they now own the idea.

List Details Make lists of details, alternatives, data, pros & cons about ideas suggested, usually on the flip charts for all to see. This process gathers lower levels of information about more general topics.

Brainstorming

With listing, we are looking for quality statements; with brainstorming we want quantity. We sort the ideas later for the good, the bad, and the ugly, but, for right now, we want to get just as many ideas down on the chart as possible, thinking inside and outside the box, generating as much creativity as possible. When brainstorming: 1) set the objective clearly before starting; 2) set a time limit; 3) prohibit judgment of any type on an idea; 4) encourage creativity; 5) keep the pace moving; 6) go for quantity; 7) always follow the brainstorming session with some type of prioritization or grouping of the responses to come up with the best ideas.

Grouping Items The idea is to take a list of items from a listing or brainstorming session and group them into like categories. Arrange all the brainstorm lists near the front of the room and let the participants know the objective of the grouping process to better analyze the benefits of the key alternatives. Ask the participants to define the category for each item in turn on the list, seeking to consolidate them down to three to eight categories. Write the categories chosen on a chart, listing the items underneath. When finished, review the groups to determine if further consolidation is possible.

Prioritize If you need to determine the most important items, arrange them where all can see them and then use a round-robin technique to ask each person which is the most important and place a mark by that item. Alternatively, you can have them write anonymously the most important item on a slip of paper, or you can give each person an allotted number of sticky dots to place

by their preferred alternatives. Following the poll, each person can provide a lobbying statement of a minute or two to support the alternative they think should be at the top of the list.

Bill Taylor Weston County Extension Office The University of Wyoming is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.