Facilitation (Face-to-Face and On-Line)
Written by Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD | Applies to nonprofits and for-profits unless noted
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Categories of information include
Learning About Facilitation
Facilitating in Face-to-Face Groups
Facilitating On-Line Groups (virtual communities)
Related Library Links
Facilitation Library
National Organizations That Include Focus on Facilitation
On-Line Discussion Groups

Learning About Facilitation
What is Facilitation?
Very simply put, facilitation is helping a group to accomplish its goals. There are a wide range of perspectives about the ideal nature and values of facilitation, much as there are a wide range of perspectives about the ideal nature and values of leadership. For example, some facilitators may believe that facilitation should always be highly democratic in nature and that anything other than democratic is not facilitation at all. Others may believe that facilitation can be quite directive, particularly depending on the particular stage of development of the group.

Whatever one's beliefs about the best nature of facilitation, the practice usually is best carried out by someone who has strong knowledge and skills regarding group dynamics and processes -- these are often referred to as process skills. Effective facilitation might also involve strong knowledge and skills about the particular topic or content that the group is addressing in order to reach its goals -- these are often referred to as content skills. The argument about how much "process versus content" skills are required by facilitators in certain applications is a very constructive argument that has gone on for years.

How Can I Learn About Facilitation?
When gaining an introduction to facilitation, the reader might best be served to:
1. Read articles referenced from the section Group Dynamics
2. Then read articles referenced from the section "Some Basic Guidelines and Principles About Facilitation"
3. Then refine your knowledge about various types of groups by reading articles referenced from the section Related Library Links.
4. You can deepen and enrich your learning by reflecting on your facilitation experiences, including by sharing feedback with other facilitators. Consider joining any of the National Organizations That Include Focus on Facilitation
5. Also consider joining an on-line discussion group, such as GRP-FACL,
TeamNeT, The Electronic Discussion on Group Facilitation: Process Expertise for Group Effectiveness or IAF Group Facilitation Moderated Discussion Group.
6. Ultimately, the best way to really learn facilitation is to facilitate -- start simple, but start. Regularly reflect on your experiences as you grow and learn. ,

Facilitating in Face-to-Face Groups
Some Basic Guidelines and Principles About Facilitation
The Role of the Facilitator (article) (scan down the screen until you come to this title)
A Facilitator's Training Manual (from the STOP AIDS project) -- Chapter 3 about facilitation
Facilitator Competencies
Secrets of Successful Facilitators
Facilitation Concepts: Intimacy in communication

Various Tips, Tools and Techniques
Facilitate.com Facilitation Tips
Tips for Facilitators -- many articles
Managers as Facilitators
Facilitator's Toolbox
Transformational Dialogues

Facilitating On-Line Discussions
On-Line Commercial Communities (comprehensive)
Facilitating and Hosting a Virtual Community
On-Line Community Toolkit
Facilitator Competencies
Internet Resources From the Electronic Discussion on Group Facilitation
Resources for Moderators and Facilitators of Online Discussion Groups
On-Line Conferencing Guidelines
Resources for Volunteer Moderators and Facilitators of Online Discussion Groups
Finding On-Line Newsgroups
Discussion Group About On-Line Facilitation
Facilitating and Hosting a Virtual Community
The Art of Hosting Good Conversations Online
Hosting On-Line Conferences
The Technography Center
many on-line resources about on-line facilitation

Also see
On-Line Board Meetings

Also see these on-line discussion groups about on-line facilitation
Town Talk
E-Conf List
List Moderators.Com
List-Managers Mailing List

Related Library Links
Committees
Communications (Face-to-Face)
Conflict Management
Dialoguing
Focus Groups
Group Dynamics
Group Learning
Group Performance Management
Group Skills
Ice Breakers and Warmup Activities
Interpersonal Skills
Meeting Management
Negotiating
On-Line News (on-line sources to read the news/media)
On-Line Newsgroups (finding, using, etc.)
On-Line Newsletters (free, on-line)
Open Space Technology
Problem Solving and Decision Making
Self-Directed and Self-managed Teams
Team Building
Valuing Diversity
Virtual Teams

National Organizations That Include Focus on Facilitation
3M Meeting Network
American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) listings of organizations
International Association of Facilitators
International Society for Performance Improvement
Institute for Cultural Affairs -- World-Wide
Institute for Cultural Affairs USA and the Technology of Participation (ToP)
Midwest Facilitators' Network
Minnesota Organization Development Network
National OD Network
Project Management Institute (PMI)
Regional facilitation networks
Regional OD Networks
Society for Human Resource Management

On-Line Discussion Groups
Discussion Group About On-Line Facilitation
Internet Resources From the Electronic Discussion on Group Facilitation
Liszt: HRNET
Interesting Listservs and their usage
List of HR Newsgroups and On-Line Discussion Groups
HR Systems Forum
Global HR Forum
Liszt: TRDEV-L
Management Archive - GRP-FACL
TeamNeT
The Electronic Discussion on Group Facilitation: Process Expertise for Group Effectiveness
IAF Group Facilitation Moderated Discussion Group