A Facilitator does much more
than just help people.
Find out what here.

This page explains what a facilitator is and does in helping people to help themselves (i.e. self help); raise their awareness; and in encouraging personal goals and proactive change.

What is facilitation and why do I need it?

To facilitate is defined as, "make easy or easier", and that sounds just grand.

So that's what he or she does - makes things easy.

He or she helps people, right?

Well, not exactly.

There's a risk that helping people or making things easier might NOT support self help self improvement.

Why not?

If someone is helped directly (e.g. has it done for them), or has things made easy for them, what happens the next time that person has a problem or something difficult to do?

Impossible to predict, but the risk is that the person comes a-calling again to have things made easy again.

And, if this cycle keeps re-occurring, the person might develop a dependency relationship rather than learning how to deal with things for themselves.

So, what DOES he or she actually do?

He or she:

helps people - to help themselves

and it's the last bit that is the key to success and that avoids the risk of dependency.

In practice, this involves helping people on two levels:

1. a four step process of:

* diagnosis - i.e. jointly identifying opportunities for change

* design - i.e. jointly plan what needs to be done, and how

* delivery - i.e. take the actions that were planned, achieve the personal goals, and learn

* development - i.e. gather feedback on results and go back to diagnosis etc., if needed.

2. specific behaviours that help people take ownership and develop their independence and competence.

For example, a Facilitator will:

* listen, ask questions and summarise frequently (and make extensive use of nonverbal communication skills)

* help someone get into the right frame of mind and encourage self motivation (this also applies to motivation in the workplace)

* encourage self awareness and support a no blame - no failure mindset

* encourage whole brain thinking and stimulate differences (e.g. use right brain decision making sometimes)

* ensure high support (e.g. encouragement) AND high challenge (e.g. questioning everything, searching for other, better choices)

* take a macro view - i.e. focus on future and guards against reversion to "business as usual" habits

* encourage frequent feedback and double loop learning (including the use of a learning log)

* think, and communicate in terms of possibilities (rather than limitations)

* differentiate between "ends" and "means" (e.g. in facilitating conflict resolution situations)

* ensure stickability.

How does this relate to self improvement?

There are two probabilities here:

1. ask someone to be your Facilitator as you pursue your personal goals and raised awareness from change.

If you do this, choose carefully and discuss the above with your Facilitator (or mentor if you are involved in a mentoring process)

2. do it yourself.

As the term, "self help" suggests, your self is helping your self.

Just as you may have to be your own coach, you may have to supply your own facilitation.

If you study the above, raise your awareness and motivation, have clear personal goals and embrace change, your self help self improvement will succeed.

A Facilitator does more than help people.
He or she helps people to help themselves.
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