Participants learn how to create higher levels of involvement with their groups. With a Hands•On approach, students build confidence to facilitate stages of group process including idea generation and idea development. Multi-faceted process orientation helps facilitators stimulate innovative and interactive communication. The directed use of idea focusing promotes creative involvement, memorability and highly effective meetings.

Our practical approach covers a core thinking model, methods, tools and techniques to cultivate powerful facilitation skills. To include diverse thinking styles, participants learn how to integrate linear and holistic approaches. Focus Facilitation is a synthesis of skills weaving group process thinking and facilitation techniques. Our goal is to help participants run high impact sessions with ease, comfort and skill.

We utilize specific processes to examine where interactive facilitation skills can be effectively integrated. These include:

• Contracting for group driven outcomes

• Building effective agendas

• Utilizing visual opportunities for stimulating ideas

• Facilitating feedback and live discussion

• Anchoring key points/product benefits

• Mapping client issues

• Navigating concerns and conflict

• Techniques for gaining ongoing understanding and involvement

Participants learn confidence to utilize their unique strengths as they navigate group facilitation. We help participants to:

• Cultivate awareness of personal facilitative style

• Develop visual basis to support group discussion

• Understand core architecture of group process

• Stimulate interaction in facilitation

• Utilize a toolkit of techniques to promote effective dialogue

• Practice listening and feedback skills

• Structure sessions for memorability and clarity

• Facilitate group sessions in real time

Our foundational model serves as a compass to simplify and demystify facilitation basics. With three point focus, individuals can easily navigate the territory of group interaction. This performance triad ignites unique strengths of each individual, provides a structure of visual communication to support holistic understanding, and develops an awareness of group processes. As each facilitator employs the compass, they develop their own synthesis of techniques which are flexible and adaptable to diverse settings.

In order to achieve maximum effectiveness, each module must be addressed and assimilated. We recommend allowing a day for each module. If a shorter time is required, the suite of three modules is available in partial day formats, which are available sequentially or with time intervals in between the modules. Video feedback can be utilized to boost skill integration and verification. Follow up sessions are recommended to address live issues, learn additional methods, and to advance skill development.

Tapping into personal perspective allows each individual to find their ease and confidence with managing group process. Often overlooked in a compendium of skills, the individual awareness is the center for a fluid capable facilitator. Anchoring a centered awareness creates the internal space which characterizes a seasoned facilitator. Here we find the rooting for a balance of attentions: fluidity and structure; pacing and leading; spacious and directive.

This module ignites the authentic and unique strengths of each facilitator. The individual grows the awareness of a facilitator through understanding the impact of personally held beliefs. In exposing this, individuals learn to access a wider range of options in thought and action. The awareness of beliefs about the self can remove blinders arising from either "strengths" or "weaknesses". This is an active process for the facilitator to use all dimensions of knowing: mental, intuitive, kinesthetic, visual and auditory for a full spectrum of approach to access group wisdom.

• Overview of individual belief system architecture

• Accessing attitudes, feelings and belief structures

• Developing individual awareness

• Show individual talents and facilitate with what's natural to individual

• Identify skills to develop and acquire

• Cultivate intuitive knowing: breathing, body wisdom, inner direction

• Working with metaphors

Visual translation tools enhance holistic understanding of individual and group dynamics. Approximately 80% of the population are visual thinkers, yet meetings still continue to be run without the imperative of visual mapping. Visual translation is more than adding cute graphics to the side of a page. It is the underlying architecture of strategic thinking and when it is revealed, exposed and utilized, meetings become highly effective. Visual language improves problem solving and prompts opinion shifts. Opinions shift 17% more quickly with the persuasion of visual language and problem solving skills increase by 19% when graphics are present.

Interactive visuals are the creation of visual maps structuring and documenting group processes. Working with visual maps produces powerful results as the group mind opens up to an expanse where diverse opinions are woven into elegant solutions which encompass and transcend individual perspective.

To access this territory, facilitators learn the link between phases which groups go through and the visual architecture which supports and propels the group to effectiveness. This visual translation is applicable without "artistic ability" through the use of pre-drawn templates and application of layout principles.

Design of visual architecture of facilitation includes group involvement in creating maps, handouts for interaction and simple graphic vocabulary.

• Introduction to visual architecture

• Using visual templates

• Listening for key words

• Basic icon vocabulary

• Designing visual templates

• Managing visuals and process simultaneously

• Designing visual process agendas

• Facilitation labs

Facilitators learn to understand the process and purpose which fuels a group. They learn to read the signs and signals which are verbally and non-verbally expressed. Tracking the group, the facilitator learns how to harmonize and mirror situations. With equal ease, they practice modeling a dialectic approach. Each facilitator learns to utilize their natural strengths and stretch into new territory as they work with the stages of group dynamics.

Portraying the group process visually provides clearer understanding and promotes higher holistic involvement. Visuals widen the communication platform, releasing the individual knowledge to work as part of a collective whole. Mapping whole group thinking is essential for synthesizing new ideas, strategies, solutions which were previously not obvious. The map functions as a neutral third party, shifting conflictual and highly charged situations out of fixed positions.

Utilizing modalities which access different learning styles gives the facilitator an unlimited tool box of options. Participants design options to access group wisdom with auditory, kinesthetic and visual interventions. Balancing introspective and active styles ensures a comfort level for group members. The seamless integration of these interventions grows with practice, coaching and feedback.

• Overview of architecture of group process

• Recognizing indicators of stages

• Reading the group dynamics

• Facilitation lab with simulated defined roles

• Reading flow in the group

• Listening evaluation grid for self/group assessment

• Skill building sessions to stretch core skills

• Designing holistic interventions