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Facilitative Skills for Collaborative Leaders

Facilitative Skills for Collaborative Leaders

Donna Ching, Ph.D.
September 22nd - 23rd, 2014

Facilitative Skills for Collaborative Leaders was two full days of exploring the philosophy, psychology and science of facilitation with Donna Ching.  We were given tools and templates to generate agendas, promote collaborative meetings, and organize the group’s memory.  We then practiced techniques for focusing group members on the tasks needed to develop the solutions they came together to find.  

We role-played to practice the language of an artful facilitator as we tried to “legitimize early and often” every person in the group.  This is the most important role of a facilitator.  Groups, especially ones not inclined to work together, need to have every person feel a part of the solution.  If someone doesn’t feel their voice is part of the solution there will mostly like not be a lasting one.

The two day training ended with a mock town meeting to resolve a real life situation.  We took on personas, and played our parts.  We also took turns as facilitator and group memory recorder.  It was very challenging, but entertaining and enlightening.   I had a few takeaways:  

  • Sometimes you have to act the part.
  • Trust the group to find the answer they need
  • Keep your on your Facilitator Hat and don’t lead the group with your knowledge
  • When recording, do just that and check with the speaker for accuracy
  • Collaborative decision making takes time. Be patient.

So lets bring it back home.  KSDL works collaboratively on most projects.  Good communication and skills such as Active Listening and knowing how to move a group from objectives to processes to results are fundamental to the way KSDL does business.  The skills provided during this training can help make anyone a more effective member or lead of a project.  It will undoubtedly also help as KSDL participates in collaborations with groups and organizations outside of Kemehameha Schools.  It is at these times effective facilitation and collaboration are needed.  They help us discover our common goals and reach them in a professional way encouraging these organizations to work with KSDL and and the greater KS community in the future.

I can easily recommend taking advantage of this or similar trainings about facilitation techniques.  At some point we all engage in collective brainstorming, planning and decision making.  It may be at work or it may be with your ‘ohana, but solving problems together is a pillar of pilina.

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