Maximize your meeting outcomes
Every team faces challenging waters and places they haven’t navigated before. Just like the captains of large ships can benefit from having a guide, called a local “pilot,” join them when they enter a port of call or try to navigate unfamiliar water, team leaders can also benefit.
When your group needs to wrestle through a difficult, emotionally charged, or significant topic, and you are longing for a longer-lasting, stronger, or maximized outcome, it’s time to consider using an external facilitator. Why, you might ask? What is professional facilitation? What benefit would there be? Why not just do it myself?
What is professional facilitation?
“Facilitators fill an impartial role in helping groups become more effective. They set aside their personal opinions and support a group in making its own choices. Facilitators act as process guides and create a balance between ensuring individual participation and producing meaningful results.”
—International Association of Facilitators
The IAF description of facilitation is helpful, but let’s have some fun with this!
A professional facilitator is like a WhiteWater Rafting Guide.
When you want to go down a river where you expect some rapids, you want to use a guide. Whitewater rafting guides give you some training and preparation before you go down the river. But, they don’t just wave and send you off on your own. They go with you!
You choose the river you want to go down (the topic or decision you want to navigate together), and the guide helps by plotting the course. They are with you and giving you, in the moment, support through the dangerous spots in the river—the rapids.
When you get to the take-out point of the river, you’ll look back and realize you navigated something together as a team that was sometimes fun and peaceful and sometimes a bit treacherous. Your guide facilitated your ability to look back and see that you both arrived at your destination, had fun, and worked hard together.
What are the Indicators and Benefits?
So often, when there are significant or emotionally charged decisions to make, team leaders try to navigate them on their own. Too often, things unravel or dissolve shortly after. For everyday decisions, the team leader’s facilitation may be excellent, but for the big things, they may not yet have the skills or emotional neutrality to facilitate in a content-neutral and unattached manner. Below is a summary of two of our articles (coming out in 2023) that capture the indicators that outside facilitation might be needed and its benefits.
What are the Five Indicators that Outside Facilitation Could Benefit Your Team?
No one on the team can do it.
You’ve tried alone without success.
The topic is important or significant.
The topic is emotionally charged.
The group needs help staying focused.
Read the complete article by clicking here.
8 Benefits of Outside Facilitation For Your Meeting
Increased Quality
Full Participation of the Leader
Full Participation of Group Members
Reduced Bias
Variety that Increases New Thinking
Outside Encouragement
Increased, Ongoing Usefulness
Momentum
Read the complete article by clicking here.
Testimonials
“Katie is an excellent facilitator, adapting the program with what came up throughout the session. It felt like a really excellent start of a snowball, leaving us with shape and momentum to keep the process of growing together as a team going into the next season ahead.”
“Our budget was tight, so cost was a concern, but I’m so glad we did it. Our aim was to bring our group closer in unity, to hear one another, listen as we shared, and the session did just that! It was dynamic, with different components addressing key listening skills, which incorporated us moving around, visual aids . . . even dancing! ”
“We greatly benefited from the session with you! We were impressed with the way you brought our diverse team together in the exercises and activities, and how you were flexible to alter your program according to our felt needs on the spot!”
“We’d gone through so many trainings already. I was worried we wouldn’t learn anything new. Instead, this facilitation process was a very profitable use of our time. Katie was professional, yet personal, and safe. We were able to uncover solid next steps to take for heading where we want to go!”
“It was so helpful to have a caring, well-trained facilitator who wasn’t emotionally invested in outcomes to help us walk through this restructuring time. I felt supported and heard and gained skills in supporting and hearing from my colleagues as well.”
“To have an entire block of time, with no distractions, the sole purpose of which was to be led in something intentionally built for us was great. There were also a few practical takeaways which have helped us follow up the time together once our session was over.”
Pricing
Our pricing is based on the number of individuals, length of time, the content to be covered, and, thus, the number of facilitators needed.
Global, Regional, or Country Level Groups
Small groups needing only one facilitator:
$250/hour Non-profit or $375/hour Standard
Larger groups, higher complexity, or, otherwise, needing two facilitators:
$400/hour Non-profit or $600/hour Standard
Service or Field Level Groups
Small groups needing only one facilitator:
$125/hour Non-profit or $150/hour Standard
Larger groups, higher complexity, or, otherwise, needing two facilitators:
$200/hour Non-profit or $300/hour Standard
Meet your Guide: Katherine Reid
Supporting teams as they strengthen their communication and decision-making skills, while increasing their cohesiveness, is a passion of mine.
I’ve worked in North Africa since 1997 and have been a part of many both strong and challenged teams. I love to strengthen leaders and teams by facilitating their exploration of new horizons. I have a Masters in Organizational Psychology: Leadership Development and Coaching. I am a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and am an Endorsed Facilitator with the International Association of Facilitators (IAF).
As a facilitator, I bring hundreds of hours of training and experience to bear as I give your team bits of needed instruction, support, gentle guidance, safe boundaries, and encouragement as, together, we navigate the whitewaters ahead of you.
Supporting teams as they strengthen their communication and decision-making skills, while increasing their cohesiveness, is a passion of mine.
IAF Endorsed Facilitator — Katherine Reid