Notes on facilitation skills and techniques (see pages 62 and 75)
The basic principles of facilitation are:- Focus on the situation, issue, or behaviour, not on the person.
- Maintain the self-confidence and self-esteem of others.
- Maintain constructive relationships.
- Take the initiative to make things better.
- Lead by example.
Establishing a comfortable learning environment:- Ground ruleshelp encourage the development of positive group behaviours.
- Show interestin what participants have to say, the experiences they bring, and the issues they face.
Do this by maintaining eye contact, smiling, moving towards participants and nodding your head. - Listen for the emotion behind the wordsas well as the message. Respond to both.
- Respond to non-verbal cues: Fidgeting, avoiding eye contact, sighing, pulling on a sweater, or leaving
the room are cues that participants are uncomfortable with something (e.g. the room temperature).
Address these approprately so they don’t interrupt the learning environment. - Use humour appropriatelyand not as your main style of communication.
- Generate participant interest in a topic by making it relevant to their experience and organsiation.
- Resist the temptation to lecture; encourage participants to do at least 60% of the talking.
- Ask open-ended questionsthat can’t be answered with just a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. If there is no response to
a question after an adequate time, rephrase it or ask you question again. - Use polling techniques(for example, a show of hands to answer a question) to bring out otherwise
quiet people or equalise overly talkativeparticipants. - Get participants into situations where they have to network: Get participants to talk to each other
rather than have them interact only with you. - Defer to the groupinstead of answering questions yourself, get the group to answer.
- Provide examples, but be aware of maintaining confidentiality if sharing an example based on
someone else’s experience.
Give clear and concise instructions:- Use simple sentencesand keep your delivery straight forward and uncomplicated.
- Give step-by-step instructionsto help ensure positive results.
- Make smooth linksor connections between one learning activity or idea and another.
- Speak clearlyand audibly and project your voice a little beyond your participants to be heard and
understood. - Use visual aids effectivelyto enhance understanding and learning. Be careful to not over-do the visual
aids so as to distract from the participants’ learning. - Check for understandingand clarify points. Allow participants the chance to ask questions; get them
to summarise. - Refer to the ground rules.
- Use reflecting statementsthat paraphrase points.
- Ask others for opinionsto focus attention away from an one participant.
- Summarise main points and move on.
(^344) Appendix 2, Further Infomation Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children