Facilitated Effectiveness

Facilitation is the sustaining of opportunities, resources, encouragement and support for the group to succeed in achieving its objectives, and to do this through enabling the group to take control and responsibility for the way they proceed. The facilitating leader is a facilitator with a vision. The use of facilitation finally answers the question of how to motivate people. The answer is not about motivation. It is rather about inspiration. To produce or arouse a strong feeling is the only direct path to quality, effectiveness, health, profitability and personal well being. I have never been successful in generating high sustainable levels of motivation as a leader. Create authentic environments that reach into individuals and free what is best about them. We who are living in environments that inspire have virtually been able to do away with regulatory quality checks, abolish watch dog forms and reporting mechanisms, and focus on doing the job right.

Listening

Understanding that comes with listening in an open and quiet way equips the facilitator with an awareness of the feelings and emotions that are the core to what is being said. It gives the leader grounding for the choices being made regarding group process. The facilitated leader puts her agenda on hold until she has complete understanding of the other. This understanding requires knowing the individual and knowing the group. The danger here is asking questions under the guise of understanding when in reality the question is being asked as a way of advocating for the questioners position.
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Questioning

Authentic inquiry is the key to this competency. The facilitator inquires in order to learn. Facilitator’s knowledge is enhanced for information to make choices. Skill requires the sense of actuality and lack of falsehood. The facilitator is truly questioning from a yearn to know perspective. The atmosphere is felt to be safe because the exercise is one of acceptance leading to

understanding. The facilitator has continuous awareness as the realities of approval (you must shape your behaviors, beliefs and contributions to support what I the leader require of you) constantly work their way in.
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Communicating

Thoughts feelings and ideas are communicated clearly and in relation to what is of importance to the group. This complex communication is only accomplished through understanding. Understanding has two components. The first is to be understood. This requires a mature and authentic person to speak from personal experience and a personal feeling base. The use of "I" statements, even though this is almost cliché today, is the surest starting point. The understanding created through being authentic, listening and questioning give the facilitator freedom. Freedom to be genuine without concern for imposing on the group or individuals beliefs and culture. Liberty to shape decisions grounded in the whole system.
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Adapting

Changing conditions are the celebrated pattern for our environment. When the facilitator is aware of how things are changing choices are freely made to adapt actions accordingly. The freedom to change ones mind is always preserved by the facilitator. In fact the facilitating leader habitually employs tools that cause a mind change. Adaptation is a skill you build to act as a barometer. When a time comes that adapting isn't happening this is a warning of stagnation, group think and lazy facilitation. The best adaptation environment is facilitated by being proficient in the tools developed by Dr. Edward Bebono.
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Reviewing