How to Be a Facilitator: facilitation tools

Showing posts with label facilitation tools. Show all posts

Learner-Centred Learning - Facilitating Self-paced Workshops

For many years I have been delivering two predominantly self-paced workshops. They are a one-day Time Management & Microsoft Outlook™ workshop, and a two-day Intermediate Microsoft Project™ workshop. They have been very well received.

The main benefits I see in running these as 'self-paced' are that people can work at their own speed; and as the facilitator, I can assist people individually or in pairs if they get stuck or have a specific question. Working at your own speed means if you are quick you can get out early, or talk through the application of the learning with the facilitator or other quick learners. When working by yourself, it is easier to 'do over' any activities that did not make sense or did not come out right, without asking other people to wait, putting extra pressure on the learner.

In both of these workshops I work hard to make sure that everyone is comfortable with the approach, and I try to find a balance between self-paced and facilitator-led time. I tend to ask for everyone's attention at intervals to explain complex and/or important topics that they are working through.

Some other things I do include:

For the two-day program I set a target for the end of Day 1 early in the day, so that everyone is at least half-way through the content before they stop for the day. Sometimes I have to be a bit flexible to accommodate different learners. This is also something that can be done coming up to a long break like lunchtime.
Once people have started PC-based activities, only ask for their extended attention just before or just after a logical breaking point. For example, I might go through 10 to 15 slides with the whole group just before lunchtime.
Let people have a long self-paced session when there are big tasks to do, so they have a sense of making progress. Jumping frequently between self-paced and facilitator-led modes can be quite disconcerting.
I try not to ask for the whole group's attention after they settle back into self-paced content after lunch. This means I ask for their attention early in the day when they are more likely to be able to concentrate on what I am saying. Also, if people leave early as they finish, they do not miss out.
Rather than adding in extra tasks like filling out a progress checklist, I mainly keep an eye on the page numbers of all of the participants, so I can see how they are progressing relative to each other.
If someone is struggling, I give them more attention. If relevant, I may also suggest that they skip some content. For example, not many organisations use the financial tracking functions of MS Project, so many people can skip this content. Similarly, if someone is struggling with using folders and contact groups in Microsoft Outlook, they are unlikely to be comfortable setting up rules.
Make sure that there is sufficient time and opportunity for people to participate in discussion as part of the facilitator-led portions of the workshop.
Put the list of topics or some other advance organiser onto the screen while people are working.

Gary Tennant of Teamwork Consulting in Melbourne has been a mentor to me in the discipline of instructional design. He does self-paced, competency-based training in Dr Robert F Mager's Criterion Referenced Instruction. In his sessions:

He makes sure that people are comfortable and ready by clearly explaining the approach.
He lets them know how they should be progressing and where they are relative to others in the class.
He ensures that they have adequately completed early content before introducing more advanced content.

Another simple technique Gary uses is to have a flipchart next to his work area. People who are ready to have one-on-one time with him, to ask a question or get assessed for a competency, can write their name up, resulting in a simple queue in order of readiness. This not only assists people in progressing in an orderly way, it also puts them in charge of their learning, rather than making that Gary's sole responsibility.

If you are facilitating partially or fully self-paced training, think about how you can assist participants in being comfortable and give them ownership of their learning.

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au

The Grand Gesture Using NLP

When I was writing the post 'Which Space is Right For You?', I recalled some neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) techniques I was taught years ago while doing training in coaching with supervisors at BHP Steel at Port Kembla.

One technique that stuck in my mind is that you can imbue an object with meaning (that is, make it the symbol of something), and then do something to the object to symbolise action.

For example, if you want to communicate that we are going to be totally rewriting an out-of-date work procedure, bring a copy of the old procedure, wave it around while describing it, then throw it in a rubbish bin. Although you could retrieve it from the bin, or even just reprint it, this gives a very clear message that the old procedure is gone.

Another example that I use when delegating tasks (no, not a facilitation example, but still a useful illustration) is to write some notes about the task on a piece of paper. Not in my notebook with my ongoing personal notes, but on a piece of stray A4 paper. When I feel that I have adequately introduced the task, I push the piece of paper across the desk to the other person. If they 'accept it' by picking it up or simply touching it, the task has been 'handed over'. If they glance at it but do not touch it, there is probably some reluctance to take on the task. This means I need to do some more influencing, or maybe review whether to give the task to them at all. I may even reach over and take the page back, and keep it or hold it for a while before offering it again.

I recall a story from couple of decades ago at the Baillieu Library at Melbourne University during a change project involving digitising records. Andrea Phillips described the sense of exhilaration that came from burning some of the old wooden filing cabinets. This may be a bit extreme for your purposes, but stomping on a work procedure can certainly wake your participants up.

Think about objects with meaning in your facilitation space, and how you might bring them alive.

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au

Product Review: My (New, Replacement) Kensington Wireless Presenter

I noticed that my earlier post extolling the virtues of the Kensington Wireless Presenter has been overtaken by more recent events. Nearly 12 months ago my trusty pointer disappeared. I am pretty sure I left it lying around, and without a forwarding address it did not turn up again. I replaced it post haste at my local Officeworks.

The replacement is an updated version of my former device. I have gone for a shiny, larger model which includes a slot for a micro SD card and a green laser.

This device cost a little more, but (if it is possible) is more comfortable than the one it replaced. Again, I have a tool that is sufficiently hefty to be comfortable, without sacrificing usability and portability. For more details on my shape preference, you might read the earlier post.

I had a micro SD card lying around giving me 4Gb of space. The big benefit of the memory is that when borrowing a laptop or PC, I do not need two USB slots (one for a USB stick and the other for the dongle on the wireless presenter.) I have found USB to be flakey at times, but so far I have not had a PC or laptop reject either the wireless presenter or the memory. Not only has the memory been useful for PowerPoint files, as there is so much space, I have also been able to put video files on it when I have needed them in sessions.

Kensington Wireless Presenter, Case & USB Dongle
(all rights reserved)

The green laser is apparently a lot brighter than a red laser. Apparently they can be seen on an LCD display, which are becoming more common. I hardly use it, but love that the colour is bright and unusual.

For those of you who are concerned, I have put my phone number on a sticky label in the case, in order to assist it in finding its way home in future.

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au

Plus-Delta - A Worked Example

During August there was a great discussion in the LinkedIn group 'Professional Facilitators Network' comparing the use of Plus-Delta and Start-Stop-Continue, and introducing a number of other facilitation tools.

In the discussion I mentioned a recent half-day session during which participants in small groups used a range of problem solving tools - 6 thinking hats, the creative whack pack, affinity diagram, forced analogy, etc. The participants had half an hour using a tool; then about 10 minutes using Plus-Delta in a discussion about whether and how they would use the tool back at work.

When we all came back together to pool our learning, to commence we used the Roman gladiator method - as I read out the name of each tool, participants who had used the tool were asked to give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down. All methods got an overwhelming thumbs up, tempered by a strong recognition that we must be aware of the stage that the problem solving process has reached.

(Earlier in the session we had talked about the 'stages' of fanning, exploring and focussing. (For more information of the Fan - Explore - Focus Model click here.)

Plus | Delta on the Forced Analogy Method

Here is Plus | Delta feedback about the Forced Analogy Method (during which I sat in on an excellent discussion about how a real business problem is like a flea/flea infestation/flea eradication):

Plus +

Good for "fanning"
Common themes emerge
Useful for thinking about the needs of others
Identify context and conditions
Idea raised that would not have been otherwise thought about

Delta

Recognise in instructions that this is a divergent thinking method
Need a formal process to cull and catalogue ideas generated
Need to be clear on next steps - the process to make a decision

The last couple of deltas are not so much about 'Forced Analogy', as they are about how we transition from divergent to convergent thinking as we progress through fanning, exploring and focussing.

All the best using Plus | Delta to review processes and tools.

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au

The Parable of the Plates

# I sat two plates on the bench. (One for me, and one for my wife.)

# I then retrieved two pieces of bread from the freezer, which I could not separate.

# I put the two pieces of bread in the microwave to unfreeze them so they could be separated.

# I fetched butter, Vegemite and honey.

# I looked at the bench. There was only one plate. I looked again. There was still only one plate.

# I went to the drawer and took out another plate.

# I heard the microwave bing, and removed the bread.

# I separated the two pieces of bread and put them in the toaster.

# I looked at the bench. There were now three plates.

# I looked around for the practical joker. There was only me and my three plates.

Yes, this actually happened as described. Yes, it took me a few moments to figure out that the second plate (and ultimately the third plate) had been in the microwave holding the frozen, stuck slices of bread.

What lessons can the facilitator draw from this parable?

((((Elevator Music))))

I'm going to have a turn at this. The lessons I identified are:

(This is an old teachers' trick.) Don't turn your back on the group, even if they appear catatonic.
What appears to be magic is likely to have a plausible explanation.
Do not try to do too many things at once.
Use a minimum of resources.
Pay more attention to what is going on around you.
Never facilitate when you have just woken up.
Learn to laugh at yourself.
Have a bowl of cereal instead.

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au

Activities to Encourage Empathy - How Well Do We Know Each Other?

In the excellent book A Whole New Mind Dan Pink writes about an interesting activity which he calls "A Day in the Life". I have not used this approach, but I hope to soon.

The activity is for working with an intact group in which people seem to lack insight into the work situation of their colleagues. I think this will be particularly valuable if some of the colleagues work off-site or are quite introverted or isolated for other reasons.

The approach (with minor tweaking) is:

Have each participant take a piece of Butchers' Paper and fold it in half twice (to make four equal-sized quadrants).
Ask them to write their name on the top of the sheet, and to label each quadrant: My Highs, My Lows, My Frustrations and My Rewards.
These 'posters' are blue-tacked around the walls.
Everyone circulates around the room, writing what they think are the answers for their colleagues (not themselves).
Then each person in turn stands in front of their poster and responds to their colleagues entries and explains what their workday is really like.

If you've tried this approach, or a similar one, please add a comment about your experience.

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au

Product Review: My Awesome Kensington Wireless Presenter

(Updated - see link at the bottom of this post.)

I thought it might be time to write about a tool I use weekly, and sometimes daily. For those of you familiar with Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts comic strip, it is my Linus blanket. I find it comfortable to use and (with charged batteries) reliable. It is familiar, robust and satisfyingly chunky.

It is a presentation remote or wireless presenter. It is made by Kensington, and must be getting 'long in the tooth', as the model I have is no longer on sale in Australia. Unusually for tech gadgets, the form factor has been retained, and its functionality extended. (In my experience much of the tech I love goes off the market a little before my old one wears out. Yes Microsoft, I am talking about that sleek black laser mouse I could never find again. I haven't forgotten.) The updated version is a Wireless Presenter with Red Laser & Memory (the link is to the Australian Kensington site). It is like mine except that, as the name indicates, the 'usb dongle' with the wireless smarts also has 1Gb of memory to store your presentation files.

Kensington Wireless Presenter & USB Dongle
(all rights reserved)

There are four buttons on the remote. This may seem lean when compared with the alternatives on the market, but is more than sufficient to me. In fact, I mainly use two buttons - the right (advance slide) button and the left (go back a slide) button. These two simple buttons allow me to wander untethered by my keyboard or mouse. I can roam around the room, and advance and retreat slides at will.

The other two buttons are effectively redundant. I so seldom use the 'blank screen' button that I could as easily press the 'b' key on the keyboard; and I am reluctant to use the laser pointer, as the pointer wanders around the screen, making me look nervous (even if I'm not). I should note that the laser pointer is good for entertaining cats, but I chose to buy a cheaper laser pointer for this purpose, so I would be able to find this one when I need it.

The 'usb dongle' provides the wireless signal. It is stored inside the base of the unit. This storage solution also saves my batteries by disabling the device while it is stored. It does pop itself out at times, but this is unusual.

I mostly use it with PowerPoint. The response is quick, although not quite instantaneous. I might be able to place the blame for this on my laptop, rather than the wireless presenter. I have also used it with Prezi, and it was effective with Prezi too.

Many competing devices are sleeker and/or lighter than this gadget. However, I find the weight of the Kensington wireless presenter reassuring and comfortable (hence the Linus blanket comment earlier); and I find the shape very comfortable, with my thumb easily moving to the correct button. Lighter wireless presenters often feel flimsy, and I do not find the 'pen style' form-factor as comfortable in my hand. I have also had trouble finding the correct button on some pen-shaped devices.

I have not been able to figure out the exact age of this gizmo, but it's about 5 1/2 years. The symbols on the buttons are showing no wear at all (not even the predominantly used 'slide advance' button); and the case is still clean. I am pretty sure I've only used two sets of batteries in that time, and I am confident that I have advanced slides more than 5,000 times.

If you are interested in other reviews of wireless presenters, here are a couple that I think are well-written and balanced:
Julie at The Gadgeteer on Kensington's green laser wireless presenter. (Spoiler alert: Julie has loaned this differently shaped wireless presenter to a colleague who likes it enough to keep using it.)
TopTenReviews's roundup of wireless presenter reviews. (This one was great, as it told me that the led on the usb dongle changes from green to red when the batteries are going flat - I didn't know that before seeking out this review. Interestingly, they see the 4 buttons as too few buttons.)
Tobias Winkler at Notebook Check on the Logitech Wireless Presenter R400. (Which comes across as a viable alternative.)

I love this gadget. It is well-made, durable and above all comfortable to use.

UPDATE: Maybe I should correct this - I loved this gadget. And now it has been replaced, due to loss. To read about my new wireless presenter click here.

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au

The Dictionary Method

Difficulty: Not really.
Audience: People wanting to think laterally about a problem or opportunity.
Suggested Time: 5 to 20 minutes.

The Dictionary Method involves identifying a random word, and attempting to see how the word can help to better understand or address a specific challenge or opportunity. Then identifying another random word and doing it again. This is repeated a few times, taking notes all the while.

Many of the people who have used this method have been surprised by the results. For example, people who participated in the Facilitation 101 workshop found this one of the most useful approaches attempted at the workshop. When used and compared with the Six Thinking Hats and the Creative Whack Pack, a few groups have found the Dictionary Method easier and more likely to generate useful ideas.

One group was dealing with a challenging upcoming project for which a knowledge of government guidelines will be necessary. The words they found included machete, animal spirit, romance, thalidomide and remount. All were found to have links to the project - some comical and others serious.

Some people have not been impressed with the technique - the words have not been useful in furthering their understanding and thinking laterally. This seems to be more likely to happen if the group feels the need to reject a number of words early in the process.

You might like to try it. You (literally) never know what might eventuate.

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Agree on the challenge/opportunity.
2. Open the dictionary to a random page.
3. Without looking directly at the page, point a finger at a word.
4. Read out the word and (if necessary) it’s definition
5. Try to figure out what the word could tell you about your challenge/opportunity.
6. Give some time to ponder, but if there is nothing, move on to another word.
7. Finish by identifying highlights of the discussion.

See Things from Another Perspective

Difficulty: Not very.
Audience: People who are stuck and may be seeing their problem from one or a limited number of perspectives.
Suggested Time: 5 to 10 minutes.

If you are in a hurry or short on resources, it is good to have a quick technique up your sleeve. This is useful if people have a problem that seems intractable, or to deflect potential conflict, or even as an ice-breaker. This approach encourages the important value of 'empathy', while being a useful method for solving problems.

The approach is to ask people to see something from the perspective of someone else. Here are a few ideas to get your started:

How would you see the situation/act if you were a twitcher?
Or a 'roadie' with a rock band?
Or a telecommunications engineer?
Or a sculptor?
Or a scout leader?
Or your Mum?
Or a script writer?
Or a sheriff in the wild west?
Or your grade 4 teacher?

This approach relies on some imagination, and often works well when people are in small groups, so they can pool their ideas.

If you have some other 'perspectives', please add a Comment.

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au

The Forced Analogy Method

Difficulty: Not particularly.
Audience: People looking for a new perspective on a challenge or opportunity.
Suggested Time: 5-20 minutes.

Forced Analogy is a method of encouraging people to see a problem differently. The method involves comparing and contrasting a problem or a product or a service or a situation with something completely different.

A Forced Analogy process I use with undergraduate students is to encourage the students to think of a mobile phone as a boat, and then as a tree. I ask them what ideas a phone manufacturer like Nokia could draw from these analogies.

The boat analogy has resulted in:

How can we waterproof the phone?
Could we use timber in the construction? Or fibreglass?
The white iPhone may be more nautical than the black one.
Would the phone float or sink if it was waterproof?
How can we learn to compact things? (A small boat's galley is like a shrunken kitchen.)

The tree analogy has resulted in:

Again, the potential to construct in timber.
Could the phone network be drawn as a tree? What represents the roots hidden underground?
Tree branches are irregular for easy grasping or gripping.
Could phones be organic?
Can photosynthesis replace or supplement battery power?
Trees are often suited to their environment. (Unfinished idea...)
Trees like to grow together. (Unfinished idea...)

Give it a try. What if your problem, or your product, was a tree? Or a fence? Or a piece of legislation? Or an artificial limb? Or a house in disarray?
(I'd love you to tell me about some ideas you identified in the Comments.)

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au

The Bootcamp Bootleg (Stanford Design School)

Cover of the d.school Bootcamp Bootleg

Stanford Design School has developed a great tool for designers that is also of value to creative and innovative facilitators (and people facilitating creative and innovative processes). The free PDF is full of tried and true methods to encourage people to identify and refine ideas.

Some methods from the Bootcamp Bootleg

Some of the methods are:

Extreme Users - people whose needs and solutions are amplified by their situation. Can the layout of a car's dashboard be improved by examining the dashboard in a jumbo jet or a nascar?
Saturate and Group - plaster your immediate environment in cues about your project, using Sticky Notes or even miniature models; then group like-with-like.
Bodystorming - move beyond discussing, sketching and imagining, and set up a situation and act out the situation in a range of ways. (I am yet to get one of my groups to try out this technique - I find it intriguing.)
Wizard of Oz Prototyping - I'm not giving this one away. Go and find it and see for yourself what this is about, but first use your imagination: What could this be?
User Capture Grid - this is a method of collecting feedback along the way or at the end - a useful technique for every facilitator.

As well as providing detailed instructions for each method, the PDF provides some excellent general advice on how to facilitate sessions, including: "show don't tell" and "embrace experimentation".

I encourage participants in a couple of workshops to explore these techniques for their own purposes.

You can download the current (2010) version here.

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au

The Creative Whack Pack Revisited

I have previously posted about Roger von Oech's Creative Whack Pack (including providing directions for using the cards). The Creative Whack Pack is a set of cards with advice on how to be creative. I thought I would return to this tool, given that the cards have been used in some of my recent innovation and facilitation workshops.

To recap, there are four types of cards: ones with blue writing are the explorer cards which are used to understand the problem; the orange ones (artist cards) and green ones (judge cards) are used to create new ideas and review new ideas (respectively); and the red warrior cards give advice for implementing ideas. Each card tells a story and encourages you to ask some questions about your situation, your problem and/or your potential solutions. For an example click here to see a card at Roger von Oech's website.

At these workshops, responses to this creative method varied. Everyone enjoyed reading the cards and discussing them. Some people felt that the cards assisted them in addressing their opportunity or challenge; others felt that the cards were reliant on a longer lead time and other events to succeed.

One group using the cards were able to see their problem from some different perspectives. They identified and gave consideration to some stakeholders that may be able to assist in overcoming a significant challenge. They were also led by the cards to see some new ways to overcome barriers to implementation of their solution. They felt that the cards were very useful.

Another group expressed reservations. An example that they used to explain these is a card which suggests that dreams can assist in finding creative solutions. They felt that this did not help with their problem 'here and now'.

A problem which I expected was that some groups were distracted from dealing with their problem by the excitement of reading the cards. This is overcome as people become familiar with the cards; but is common for groups when they are introduced to the cards for the first time.

I love the cards, and have enjoyed using the recently released iPhone app as a prompt for seeing things differently.

If you want to get the cards, you can order them through Amazon and other outlets. Click here to go to iTunes if you are interested in the iPhone and iPad app. You can also read Roger's blog here.

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au

Facilitating a Session on How to Facilitate

Thanks to the great people involved in Communities of Practice at CQUniversity Australia, I was recently asked to deliver a two-part session on 'how to facilitate'. I called this Facilitation 101 - Theory and Prac.

The session was targeted at CoPs Champions - the people responsible for facilitating the work of the Communities of Practice. The theory went for half a day, and we covered:

The Facilitator's Role - including self-examination and discussions about confrontation, nurturing and some 'do not's.
Facilitation Skills - covering personal, interpersonal (c/o Covey) and process skills; stressing the challenge of 'being in the moment' while being the person responsible for the process.
The Facilitation Process - which was a modified problem solving process.
Facilitation Tools - in which we discussed, and used, tools for convergent and divergent thinking.

The 'prac' involved everyone coming back the next day for another half day. Each participant facilitated a 25 minute session using one of the tools from the course materials - brainstorming; Forced Analogy/the dictionary method; von Oech's Creative Whack Pack; the affinity diagram method; flowcharting; the nominal group technique; or De Bono’s six thinking hats. I also made special mention of the tools in the Stanford d.school Bootcamp Bootleg and IDEO's Human Centered Design Toolkit.

The whole thing was an absolute blast. Thank-you Dr Peter Reaburn for giving me this opportunity!

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au

Roger von Oech's Creative Whack Pack

I have been using Roger von Oech's Creative Whack Pack with various groups for years. (Actually, it is my wife's copy - I believe that she was given it at an Andersen Consulting seminar more than 15 years ago.) The cards never fail to excite people's imagination. Participants are enticed into reading more cards and the stories they contain. I often have to remind participants that they have been given the cards to solve a problem.

There are four types of cards - the Explorer (understanding the problem), Artist (creating new ideas), Judge (choosing or refining existing ideas) and Warrior (implementing solutions).

To be most effective, it is important to know what the problem is you are seeking to address, and what stage you are at with the problem, so you can read the cards of the appropriate type. It is not very useful to read Explorer cards if you are seeking ideas on how to convince people of the value of your idea. In that case you need the Judge or Warrior cards.

Below I have included the instructions I give to make good use of the Creative Whack Pack.

In preparing this post I saw that there is an iPhone app of the Creative Whack Pack called Be Creative (click here). I just purchased it, and asked it to hit me with a card. The card is called "Listen to Your Dreams". It talks about the influence of dreams on some scientists I am not familiar with, and on the books of Robert Louis Stevenson, including Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The 'card' even describes some example dream situations in case I cannot recall my own dreams.

Click here to go to Roger von Oech's website. He has other creative thinking tools, and he provides a link to the Creative Whack Pack at Amazon.com.

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Discuss a decision that must be made in terms of ‘what has to be decided’ and ‘why’.
(Someone should write down what has to be decided and why.)
2. Ensure that everyone agrees with this short decision definition.
3. Split into pairs (and one group of three if you have an odd number).
4. Each pair takes three cards and places them face down on the table without looking at them.
5. Taking it in turns, a person reads out a card.
6. Discuss how the card applies to your decision. Take notes if you like.
Note: You might find that some cards are not relevant.
7. When you have finished with that card, the next person reads out a card.
8. Keep repeating until all cards have been discussed.
9. Get back together as a whole group.
10.Write a list of alternatives you have as ‘decision options’.
The key to this process is being able to look at a problem from a number of different perspectives. This can be challenging, and you may find the process a bit alien.