Effective Group Facilitation in Education

How to Energize Meetings and Manage Difficult Groups
John F. Eller - Virginia Tech University, USA
Effective Group Facilitation in Education
March 2004 | 224 pages | Corwin
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ISBN: 9781506318462
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ISBN: 9781412904612
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Description

Practical pointers for maximizing meetings and motivating team members!

At their worst, meetings can waste time, lack focus, foster a combative spirit, or be just plain boring. At their best, meetings can be a positive, dynamic experience that nurtures individual strengths while inspiring teamwork to successfully accomplish an established task. The fate of a meeting lies in the skill of the facilitator, and this easy-to-use guide has all the tips and tools necessary to make you shine in this challenging role.

Anyone charged with navigating a group of people toward a desired objective will benefit from this book's indispensable features, which include:

  • Templates for easy implementation at every stage of the facilitation process
  • Straightforward tactics for managing difficult participants and emotionally charged situations
  • Realistic examples to help you avoid pitfalls
  • Surefire methods for delegating in a meaningful and respectful manner

From pre-meeting preparation, to the meeting's critical first few minutes, to its conclusion and beyond, this manual provides step-by-step guidance for the entire facilitation process. It is packed with proven do's and don'ts based on psychological principles, research, real-life experience, and field-tested best practices. The user-friendly strategies focus on such key areas as team building, brainstorming, motivating, overcoming problematic situations, reaching goals, and assessing results.

Contents

Preface

Preface

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Author

  • 1. What am I Getting Into?
  • Why do We Get People Together to Meet?
  • When Do We Use Teams?
  • The Impact of a Facilitator on the Effectiveness of a Group
  • The Unique Position of a Group Facilitator
  • Internal Versus External Facilitators
  • Characteristics of Effective Facilitators
  • Your Mission as a Facilitator
  • Summary
  • 2. Get Ready, Get Set...
  • The Importance of Planning to a Successful Session
  • Factors to Take Into Consideration When Planning Meetings
  • Breaking the Meeting Tasks Into Parts
  • Planning for the Effective Delivery of Directions
  • Summary
  • 3. Go
  • Setting the Proper Tone for a Meeting
  • The Use of Music
  • Foundation-Setting Activities
  • Good News
  • The Use of Framing
  • Active Learning Strategies
  • Watching Team Member Behaviors During the Start of a Meeting
  • Opening the Session
  • Setting Norms and Ground Rules
  • Summary
  • 4. Connecting All Members of the Team
  • Interdependence/Community and Its Importance to Team Operation
  • Community
  • Team Building
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Conflict and Chaos
  • Protecting Team Members During the Decision-Making Process
  • Protecting Team Members When Announcing the Results of Their Decisions
  • Keeping Uninvolved Stakeholder Groups Informed About Decision Progress
  • Summary
  • 5. Reaching Peak Performance: Connecting Their Minds
  • The Need to Minimize/Maximize Energy
  • Diagnosing Group Energy
  • Working/Processing Combinations
  • Grouping and Regrouping Strategies
  • Other Group Processing Strategies
  • Summary
  • 6. Working the Brain
  • Brainstorming Techniques
  • Brainstorming Strategies and Ideas
  • Summary
  • 7. Reaching the Goal
  • The Problem with Goals
  • Typical Issues Inhibiting Goal Implementation Success and Facilitator Implications
  • Other Important Considerations for Success in the Goal Process
  • Summary
  • 8. Putting On Your Oxygen Mask
  • Important Factors for Facilitators to Track
  • Importance of Self-Protection
  • Understanding Your Role as the Group Facilitator
  • Use of Positive Presuppositions
  • Gesturing
  • Use of Charts, Papers and Other Visuals to Deflect Anger
  • Use of Positioning in the Room
  • Developing an Exit Plan
  • Reflect Emotions/Content Back to the Group
  • Summary
  • 9. Transforming a Difficult Group
  • What is a Difficult Group?
  • Problem People
  • Identification Strategies
  • Starting a Session
  • Music and Difficult Groups
  • Foundation-Setting Activities
  • Framing
  • Use of an Agenda
  • Summary
  • References
  • Index

Description

Practical pointers for maximizing meetings and motivating team members!

At their worst, meetings can waste time, lack focus, foster a combative spirit, or be just plain boring. At their best, meetings can be a positive, dynamic experience that nurtures individual strengths while inspiring teamwork to successfully accomplish an established task. The fate of a meeting lies in the skill of the facilitator, and this easy-to-use guide has all the tips and tools necessary to make you shine in this challenging role.

Anyone charged with navigating a group of people toward a desired objective will benefit from this book's indispensable features, which include:

  • Templates for easy implementation at every stage of the facilitation process
  • Straightforward tactics for managing difficult participants and emotionally charged situations
  • Realistic examples to help you avoid pitfalls
  • Surefire methods for delegating in a meaningful and respectful manner

From pre-meeting preparation, to the meeting's critical first few minutes, to its conclusion and beyond, this manual provides step-by-step guidance for the entire facilitation process. It is packed with proven do's and don'ts based on psychological principles, research, real-life experience, and field-tested best practices. The user-friendly strategies focus on such key areas as team building, brainstorming, motivating, overcoming problematic situations, reaching goals, and assessing results.

Contents

Preface

Preface

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Author

  • 1. What am I Getting Into?
  • Why do We Get People Together to Meet?
  • When Do We Use Teams?
  • The Impact of a Facilitator on the Effectiveness of a Group
  • The Unique Position of a Group Facilitator
  • Internal Versus External Facilitators
  • Characteristics of Effective Facilitators
  • Your Mission as a Facilitator
  • Summary
  • 2. Get Ready, Get Set...
  • The Importance of Planning to a Successful Session
  • Factors to Take Into Consideration When Planning Meetings
  • Breaking the Meeting Tasks Into Parts
  • Planning for the Effective Delivery of Directions
  • Summary
  • 3. Go
  • Setting the Proper Tone for a Meeting
  • The Use of Music
  • Foundation-Setting Activities
  • Good News
  • The Use of Framing
  • Active Learning Strategies
  • Watching Team Member Behaviors During the Start of a Meeting
  • Opening the Session
  • Setting Norms and Ground Rules
  • Summary
  • 4. Connecting All Members of the Team
  • Interdependence/Community and Its Importance to Team Operation
  • Community
  • Team Building
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Conflict and Chaos
  • Protecting Team Members During the Decision-Making Process
  • Protecting Team Members When Announcing the Results of Their Decisions
  • Keeping Uninvolved Stakeholder Groups Informed About Decision Progress
  • Summary
  • 5. Reaching Peak Performance: Connecting Their Minds
  • The Need to Minimize/Maximize Energy
  • Diagnosing Group Energy
  • Working/Processing Combinations
  • Grouping and Regrouping Strategies
  • Other Group Processing Strategies
  • Summary
  • 6. Working the Brain
  • Brainstorming Techniques
  • Brainstorming Strategies and Ideas
  • Summary
  • 7. Reaching the Goal
  • The Problem with Goals
  • Typical Issues Inhibiting Goal Implementation Success and Facilitator Implications
  • Other Important Considerations for Success in the Goal Process
  • Summary
  • 8. Putting On Your Oxygen Mask
  • Important Factors for Facilitators to Track
  • Importance of Self-Protection
  • Understanding Your Role as the Group Facilitator
  • Use of Positive Presuppositions
  • Gesturing
  • Use of Charts, Papers and Other Visuals to Deflect Anger
  • Use of Positioning in the Room
  • Developing an Exit Plan
  • Reflect Emotions/Content Back to the Group
  • Summary
  • 9. Transforming a Difficult Group
  • What is a Difficult Group?
  • Problem People
  • Identification Strategies
  • Starting a Session
  • Music and Difficult Groups
  • Foundation-Setting Activities
  • Framing
  • Use of an Agenda
  • Summary
  • References
  • Index
SAGE Publishing Logo

Effective Group Facilitation in Education

How to Energize Meetings and Manage Difficult Groups


March 2004 | 224 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Hardcover 27/02/2023 9781412904612 $90.95
Paperback 27/02/2023 9781412904629 $40.95
Lifetime 27/02/2023 9781506318462 $37.00

Practical pointers for maximizing meetings and motivating team members!

At their worst, meetings can waste time, lack focus, foster a combative spirit, or be just plain boring. At their best, meetings can be a positive, dynamic experience that nurtures individual strengths while inspiring teamwork to successfully accomplish an established task. The fate of a meeting lies in the skill of the facilitator, and this easy-to-use guide has all the tips and tools necessary to make you shine in this challenging role.

Anyone charged with navigating a group of people toward a desired objective will benefit from this book's indispensable features, which include:

  • Templates for easy implementation at every stage of the facilitation process
  • Straightforward tactics for managing difficult participants and emotionally charged situations
  • Realistic examples to help you avoid pitfalls
  • Surefire methods for delegating in a meaningful and respectful manner

From pre-meeting preparation, to the meeting's critical first few minutes, to its conclusion and beyond, this manual provides step-by-step guidance for the entire facilitation process. It is packed with proven do's and don'ts based on psychological principles, research, real-life experience, and field-tested best practices. The user-friendly strategies focus on such key areas as team building, brainstorming, motivating, overcoming problematic situations, reaching goals, and assessing results.


Table Of Contents:

  • Preface
  • Acknowledgments
  • About the Author
  • 1. What am I Getting Into?
  • Why do We Get People Together to Meet?
  • When Do We Use Teams?
  • The Impact of a Facilitator on the Effectiveness of a Group
  • The Unique Position of a Group Facilitator
  • Internal Versus External Facilitators
  • Characteristics of Effective Facilitators
  • Your Mission as a Facilitator
  • Summary
  • 2. Get Ready, Get Set...
  • The Importance of Planning to a Successful Session
  • Factors to Take Into Consideration When Planning Meetings
  • Breaking the Meeting Tasks Into Parts
  • Planning for the Effective Delivery of Directions
  • Summary
  • 3. Go
  • Setting the Proper Tone for a Meeting
  • The Use of Music
  • Foundation-Setting Activities
  • Good News
  • The Use of Framing
  • Active Learning Strategies
  • Watching Team Member Behaviors During the Start of a Meeting
  • Opening the Session
  • Setting Norms and Ground Rules
  • Summary
  • 4. Connecting All Members of the Team
  • Interdependence/Community and Its Importance to Team Operation
  • Community
  • Team Building
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Conflict and Chaos
  • Protecting Team Members During the Decision-Making Process
  • Protecting Team Members When Announcing the Results of Their Decisions
  • Keeping Uninvolved Stakeholder Groups Informed About Decision Progress
  • Summary
  • 5. Reaching Peak Performance: Connecting Their Minds
  • The Need to Minimize/Maximize Energy
  • Diagnosing Group Energy
  • Working/Processing Combinations
  • Grouping and Regrouping Strategies
  • Other Group Processing Strategies
  • Summary
  • 6. Working the Brain
  • Brainstorming Techniques
  • Brainstorming Strategies and Ideas
  • Summary
  • 7. Reaching the Goal
  • The Problem with Goals
  • Typical Issues Inhibiting Goal Implementation Success and Facilitator Implications
  • Other Important Considerations for Success in the Goal Process
  • Summary
  • 8. Putting On Your Oxygen Mask
  • Important Factors for Facilitators to Track
  • Importance of Self-Protection
  • Understanding Your Role as the Group Facilitator
  • Use of Positive Presuppositions
  • Gesturing
  • Use of Charts, Papers and Other Visuals to Deflect Anger
  • Use of Positioning in the Room
  • Developing an Exit Plan
  • Reflect Emotions/Content Back to the Group
  • Summary
  • 9. Transforming a Difficult Group
  • What is a Difficult Group?
  • Problem People
  • Identification Strategies
  • Starting a Session
  • Music and Difficult Groups
  • Foundation-Setting Activities
  • Framing
  • Use of an Agenda
  • Summary
  • References
  • Index

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