Facilitating Collaboration: Notes on Facilitation For Experienced Collaborators

by Brandon Klein, Dan Newman

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Combining nearly two decades of facilitating organizational transformations, workshops and meeting strategies for Fortune 100 companies, international governments and non-profit institutions, Brandon and Dan share the steps and critical approach to help you evolve from traditional facilitation to advanced collaboration. Learn directly from successful conversions at Google, (the start of Google Apps) the Arab League (22 country collaboration) as well as a regional non-profit (diversity & inclusion) and local school (classroom re-designs).

This book is not a toolkit or step by step guide, but rather you should already be an experienced collaborator and facilitator. You will learn directly The Facilitator's 6
Scoping
Understanding what the client wants. Scoping an event involves clarifying what outcomes the client is seeking, how these outcomes will be put to use to achieve broader objectives, what decisions have already been taken, and what topics will not be addressed. (see Chapter 3)

Working with Sponsors
Building a trusting relationship with the sponsors about content. Event sponsors will only trust an outside facilitator to shape critical work with a large team if he or she invests the time and care to understand the business issue at hand and the personal and political challenges faced by sponsors. (see Chapter 4)

Preparation
Assembling the elements – some tangible, most not – that need to be in place in order to deliver an event. Logistics and knowledge inputs account for the bulk of the tangible preparation. The intangibles consist of deep learning about the client’s issues and the elements from which possible solutions will be constructed. (see Chapter 5) Of course, preparation includes agenda design, which is addressed separately in the subsequent chapter.

Designing
The process of building an agenda. I intentionally choose event modules and order them to achieve specific intermediate outcomes and to create a narrative of the event. The focus is on the process of involving clients in the design process rather than on the design per se. (see Chapter 6)

Delivery
Guiding a group of participants through designed work towards a desired outcome. This is what people tend to think of when I say standing in front of a room full of people, moderating discussion, directing work, telling stories, listening, and generally waving my arms about in the hope of orchestrating the work of a group assembled for a common purpose. (see Chapter 7)

Value Capture
Helping sponsors employ event outcomes to achieve desired objectives. The critical period immediately following a facilitated event is as crucial as the event itself to helping the client achieve valuable results. (see Chapter 8)

Genres: Leadership

157 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 22, 2017

Reviews

[Nadja Petranovskaja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wunderbares, teilweise sehr persönliches Buch über Moderation. Adressiert an „experienced collaborators“ mit vielen Beispielen, inspirierenden Geschichten und einem klaren roten Faden zu einem Bild darüber, wie ich Collaboration gestalten und begleiten kann. Mit viel Liebe zu den Menschen in den Gruppen und überhaupt nicht belehrend. Auch in Englisch leicht verständlich.
Facilitating Collaboration: Notes on Facilitation For Experienced Collaborators

[Ryan Barretto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really a book for experienced facilitators, as mentioned in the foreward of the book.

Why? It contains the tips and tricks that you learn only by actually facilitating in that room. So many perspectives on things I would have normally not noticed. For eg. what is shared about the use of music in workshops actually made so much sense to me, as well as opened a few windows in my head.

This is definitely a must read for facilitators, and I will be revisiting this book quite often in times to come.