By Nancy Moore


Being an effective facilitator for a chat will mean that you are taking people through a process with outcomes that are clearly defined. It will also require you to encourage the individuals to participate to get meaningful results. If you are a leader, you are likely going to find yourself with the role of being a facilitator. Here are the principles to help you be successful in your dialogue facilitation.

Keep in mind you are not the pilot, but the controller of air traffic. Therefore, your role is to offer guidance and control over the chat to ensure you attain the set goals. Anytime a group of people comes together, and they will not be moving at a similar pace. Therefore, it will be up to you to establish the contribution that everyone should make.

Come up with group norms. Ensure the group you are controlling takes time to discuss and establish the grand rules for how they will work together. It may be possible for these rules to be offered in advance. However, in most cases, it may be up to you to come up with these norms. It will be critical to deciding the person who will speak next, and the way conflict will be handled.

Put your concentration on asking questions instead of giving the answers. The chief reason of being there is assisting each to get to their personal goals and the team goals. Even when you have information on the topic being discussed, you should not directly tell them the details you know. Lead them on how they can move ahead. Prepare a list of queries to ask but not answers to provide.

Have a list of open-ended questions. You will know you are doing the right thing when you are helping them to converse and strengthen their ties. One way of making this possible is by having the queries that are open-ended. If a question requires one word answers, then avoid asking it.

Promote relationship-building. When different people are in a group, they will want to have a better relationship with everyone else. The best thing is to have questions that facilitate this. Look at where you have a chat and the aim of the talk to know the exact issues that will be suitable. You aim to find the ones that will lead the individuals to get to share something personal.

Be prepared with a starting point for the conversation. You may find groups that do not require to be prompted to begin talking. However, others will wait to be directed by the facilitator. Ensure you have something prepared that may aid in starting the conversation off.

Though it is good to encourage everyone to say something, avoid forcing anyone to it. You are sure to come across others who will talk less than the rest. Unless the job mandates them to keep speaking up, avoid forcing anyone to say something. Everyone should be free to say what they have in mind when it is appropriate. This is what will lead to a productive chat. Be on the lookout for the quiet ones and notice any body language showing they want to say something.




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