The Peacemakers: Facilitation a craft of intuitiveness and ingenuity

To facilitate means “to make easy,” yet be not fooled nor mislead. As a group facilitator, you are a liaison between conflicting parties and such a task is not necessarily easy, per se, but, rather, you provide for an easier method of conflict resolution which breeds the seeds of open, honest, two-way communication, and therein, constructive problem solving, increased productivity, and internal cohesiveness during the group facilitation process.

Effective group facilitation requires skill and reflects inherent intuitiveness intertwined with ingenuity. Betsy Densmore, author of A Manual for Group Facilitators, puts it this way: “The group facilitator's job is to make it easier for the group to do its work. By providing non-directive leadership, the facilitator helps the group arrive at the understandings and decisions that are its task. In a consensus group the facilitator's focus is on the group and its work. The role is one of assistance and guidance, not of control”. In other words, a facilitator improves the ability of others to work well together for the specific purpose of maximizing the knowledge and understanding of all persons involved. With this, an effective group facilitator ought to have the ability to survey a situation, and without force, enable members of a conflicting party to arrive upon solutions to their problem(s) but would not have otherwise been able to do so without an unbiased, neutral person facilitating the process of resolution. Hence, the term group facilitator. That said an efficient group facilitator ought to have a strong skill-base that allows for them to perform the following:

• Accurately listening to, observing, and remembering/recording behavior and conversation.


• Asking questions that facilitate improvement of group process skills.


• Diagnosing and intervening when ineffective behaviors occur; keeping all parties involved focused on the task and/or issue at-hand.


• Providing honest feedback without creating defensive reactions; constructive-criticism, not singularized accusations or personal attacks.


• Accepting feedback without being defensive; being as open and receptive to feedback from the group members, as they are at giving feedback to the group members. (Reciprocal communication).


• Providing support, encouragement, and guidance. (Coaching).


• Demonstrating patience and consistency in behavior, communication, presentation, and method.


• Identifying when the group, collectively, has acted inconsistent or contrary with their initial established goals objectives, values and aforementioned “ground rules”.


• Assisting members of the group to, collectively, identify and analyze what methods are working (and which are not), thus helping them to recognize progress and achievement.


• Objectively evaluating the group, and individual group members, and “leading” accordingly.

In essence, a skilled facilitator possesses the ability to engage, inform, involve, and plan. While aforementioned seem simple enough, many managers and other leaders are reluctant to take the initiative to utilize group facilitation as a means of resolving workplace conflicts. It is far less awkward to sit in your office, crossing your fingers that inter-office relational issues will simply resolve themselves over time, than to consciously acknowledge the issue(s) and be proactive about soliciting the participation of involved parties through collaborative problem-solving. Nevertheless, the results of the latter are, on the long-term, far more productive and fruitful. “Mediating a conflict is challenging, but as a manager or supervisor, the role of a mediator comes with your territory,” says David Sibbet of Grove Consultants International. “Your willingness to appropriately intervene sets the stage for your own successes. You must craft a work environment that enables the success of the people who work there.”

With that, the inevitable question that follows is: “But how?” First and foremost, perhaps more important than technique and procedure, is that a competent facilitator have “helicopter thinking”—they can probe for information so as to identify the concerns of each party, while still stepping back and looking overhead; recognizing and appreciating the varied perspectives of each member of the group, and thus acting as a catalyst that allows each party to work together in arriving upon solutions to their own problems and hence, resolve the initial conflict. Barbara Gray, author of Collaborating: Finding Common Ground for Multiparty Problems, puts it this way: “The facilitator's role is to lead the group in drawing out answers, building a vision and developing plans that motivate everybody to achieve agreed upon goals [..] “The facilitator functions much like the conductor of a symphony, orchestrating and bringing forth the talents and contributions of others.” In a word, the facilitator is a communicator who utilizes both verbal and non-verbal methods of expression. Such methods of communication utilized in group facilitation are illustrated through the following model developed by Kevin G. Shollenberger, Ph.D., at the University of Hawaii at Manoa:

• Attending – Active listening involves both verbal and non-verbal behaviors that demonstrate you are listening and encourage another person to talk freely. This includes: appropriate eye contact, attentive body language, and using a vocal style that indicates interest.

• Open Invitation – By asking questions you can encourage someone to talk more freely. An open question one that allows the other person to elaborate on information of their choice. In contrast, closed questions emphasizes content and can often be answered in a few words such as “yes” or “no” whereas, open-ended questions allow others to divulge and share information. Thus, open-ended questions are preferred, for it allows you, as the facilitator, to follow the lead of the person to whom you are listening. Example: “Can you tell me more about the conflict with your room-mate?”

• Encouraging/Paraphrasing – You can clarify what someone is saying by using a verbal minimal encourage such as “Uh-huh”, “Really” or “Tell me more”. You can also clarify by paraphrasing what someone says in order to let him know what they have heard. Example: “You’re disappointed because we didn’t get to finish the discussion, correct?”

• Reflecting Feelings – It is often helpful to identify emotions that are expressed indirectly. This involves focusing more on the feeling than the content. Example: “It seems like you’re pretty angry over this…” Key emotions include: happiness, sadness, anger, or fear.

• Summarization – The purpose of summarization is to help another individual integrate behavior, thought, and feelings. Example: After you turned in the petition and it was rejected, you though you were treated unfairly and you’re afraid that you won’t get another change. Is that what you said?”

“Group facilitation,” says Shollenberger, “is designed to create a sense of connection within the entire group between group members as well as with the leader.” Given that, there are various methods of orchestrating and conducting group facilitation, depending on the nature of the problem and/or situation-at-hand. Widely used and accepted group facilitation formats is one developed by Kathleen Osta of the University of North Texas, who serves as a consultant for the Dallas Human Resource Management Association, Abbot Laboratories and the Boy Scouts of America. Osta suggests that group facilitation is consists of information exchange, brainstorming, clarifying issues, decision-making, and problem-solving, all of which are best achieved through the following action steps:

Focused Conversation
- Explore new decisions and solutions
- Capture the best thinking of a group
- Create a forum for managing conflict
- Conduct productive employee reviews
- Improve the caliber of group communication
Consensus Workshop
- Gather input efficiently for effective decision-making
- Integrate diverse ideas for breakthrough thinking
- Manage conflicting agendas to elicit new commitments
- Develop creative solutions to stubborn problems
Action Planning
- Visualize the end goal
- Analyze and examine the current situation
- Maximize involvement, contributions, collaboration, and communication
- Establish plan for benchmarking and rewarding progress

“To effectively lead the process,” says Osta, “you, as the group facilitator need to first be aware of your own capacity to make sense out of the complex dynamics that need to be managed whenever a group comes together to manage something.” Furthermore, she suggests that facilitators ensure participants: a) Use “I” statements (avoid accusations); b) Seek first to understand, before being understood; c) Listen first, than speak. In doing this, Osta says, a deeper understanding of the issues-at-hand, clarity of purpose and direction, and development and implementation of a mutually-agreed upon solution, will inevitably result. At times, she admits, that effective conflict resolution occasionally requires recruiting an “outside party”—someone who does not work directly within the company and its employees, so as to ensure objectivity. In such cases, Osta suggests turning to professional team training, executive leadership coaching, and third-party group facilitation sessions provided by experienced consulting firms that specialize in business management and executive coaching. “[it may be] necessary if you want to really resolve conflicts at work,” she says.

Summarily, facilitators are the peacemakers in the world checks and balances. They are masters of their craft. And as with any craft, group facilitators have honed in on a specific set of specialized training, tools, talents, and skills.

About the author:
Author Bio: Danielle White is a client account specialist for 10x Marketing and the Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness, the nations leading provider of executive leadership coaching, group facilitation, and team training for over 25 years.


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