Small Group Scribe/Facilitators

Groups at Tables (all rights reserved)

At large group sessions, it may be a good idea to 'seed' small groups.  This involves having someone at each table with a good knowledge of the purpose of the session and the approach to be followed in small groups.

This person might be from the organising committee, or be someone else with appropriate capabilities.  This person needs to be able to:

• Communicate clearly and succinctly.
• Follow direction.
• Give direction confidently and without being domineering.
• Write legibly (if scribing).

As the facilitator, you need to give these people clear directions.  In addition to being aware of the purpose and process, I recently gave the following instructions:

• Check that people know each other.
• Ask if people are OK to speak; and ask them to get back to you later if there is anything they did not get a chance to talk about in the group.
• Ask people to speak up if they disagree.
• Remember that you are balancing accomplishing the task AND drawing people in (try not to do one at the expense of the other, but be flexible).
• Listen and guide the discussion and keep the focus on the task.
• Don’t venture an opinion unless no one else will.  Don’t write down an opinion of your own that no one else has endorsed.
• Don’t ask everyone to endorse everything.
• Signal me (Geoff) if the wheels are falling off the cart, or if you want some assistance.

I hope these directions are useful for you too.

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au