Business Execution
Facilitation refers to the process of ensuring effectiveness and cooperation within groups. It entails designing tasks that are required for running a productive and an objective meeting.
It is important to use facilitation in groups that are made up of people who share similar goals but who have different background orientation. There are several facilitation techniques, which can lead to a productive meeting, and teamwork.
This paper explores two examples of facilitation techniques that I have used during my MBA program and as part of a team. The paper also examines the effectiveness, as well as, the lessons learnt from the use of the facilitation techniques.
Brainstorming Technique
The brainstorming technique requires individual generation of ideas and solutions by group or team members. This technique provides a more relaxed and an informal way of generating ideas and solving problems.
When using the brainstorming technique, the facilitator is required to begin the session by reviewing the topic of discussion. This ensures that every member of the team understands the issues to be tackled. The review process will also enable people to be aware of the type of results that they are required to generate.
Thereafter, the team members should be given a few minutes to brainstorm in silence without any form of interruption. Group members are then required to give their ideas, which the facilitator should write on a flipchart.
During the brainstorming session, criticism, or discussion of ideas should be avoided because the discussions are to be conducted afterwards.
Effectiveness of Brainstorming technique
Brainstorming encourages creativity because it gives team members the chance to generate individual ideas, which ensures originality. It also ensures that every member of the team participate in the generation of ideas.
This technique also provides a free environment that encourages participation and generates a lot of excitement among members. The technique also helps in the generation of better ideas and solutions because it enables team members to share their diverse experiences.
The Go-Round Technique
The go-round is a facilitation technique that gives every member of a team an equal opportunity to speak. The facilitator is required to pose short topics of discussion to members.
For example, members can be asked to mention their names, their positions, and departments. Therefore, in a go-round technique the facilitator is the one who gives directions on discussion topics.
Effectiveness of the Go-Round Technique
The technique provides an equal chance for members to participate. Consequently, it helps to prevent members from dominating the discussion. It also allows for the clarification of ideas there and then. Members of a team can criticize, reward, and disagree about a given idea, which is not relevant to the topic of discussion.
Lessons learnt from the Brainstorming and the Go-Round Techniques
Some of the lessons learnt from the use of the above-discussed techniques include. First, both the facilitation techniques encourage teamwork, which helps in making decisions, which are more effective.
Second, the free environment that is created by the brainstorming technique helps members to bond with one another and this enhances emotional life of members.
Third, working in a group helps in shaping our identities and self-esteem. However, it is challenging to control discussions especially in the go-round facilitation technique. Therefore, the facilitator should clearly stipulate the rules that all members should abide by.