Be An Excellent Facilitator: Before You Start

Groups can be rough. Okay, okay, not really – all of them can be supremely useful. But when things go bad, and frequently they do, groups can be counterproductive and actually work against the very things they were designed to do. After teaching folks how to successfully facilitate these types of gatherings for the last decade, I’m writing some tips, concerns, and considerations for being an EXCELLENT facilitator.

This is written out of love and respect for all the youth, friends, colleagues, and clients who have ever sat through a sucky group event and wanted to do it differently. If you are really committed to being an excellent facilitator, read on. If you’re not, well, good luck. Oh, and one way or the other let me know what you think in the comment section. Thanks!

Before You Start

Before you start down the road of becoming a better facilitator, think about these questions:

Who were the best facilitators you’ve ever experienced? The worst? What made them that way?
What is your goal for being an excellent facilitator- productivity, interaction, fun? Do you think you can facilitate all those at once?
What assumptions do you have about facilitation?
Why do you really want to learn more about excellent facilitation?

After thinking about all this you are ready to begin learning more about being an excellent facilitator- but not before then!

Take a little while and really consider those questions, and then read on…