Virtual Facilitation

1An Introduction to Facilitating Sessions

Let's begin by defining what we mean when we talk about facilitation. The word itself comes from the Latin word facilis, which means to make something easier or to move freely. This is the first of several ways of looking at facilitation, which are all interconnected. As well as making things easier and free flowing, facilitation can be described as the process of channeling the energy and communication of a group working on a particular matter to deliver a better outcome than if they were working on their own. At its core, it's about helping groups to do better. A facilitator is a person doing the facilitation.

Facilitation is a way to create ownership and impact by involving participants at the right level. The aim is to ensure that, in each session, we move forward with whatever tasks we're discussing. Virtual facilitation is very much built upon traditional facilitation. Many of the tools you would use in a physical meeting still apply – you simply need to transfer them to a virtual environment.

In this chapter we'll cover several models, including:

• The Five Levels of Involvement: When do you need to tell? When you need to sell? When do you need to test? When do you need to consult? When do you need to co-create?
• The Corner Flags model: Once you know the context of your meeting and how you want to involve people, you need to be very specific and transparent about what you will and won't discuss. You're defining what is inside the ...