Facilitating A Strategy Workshop
Being able to guide a team of people forward in an effective discussion to craft strategy is no simple task. There are many challenges and traps to be recognised. And while most obstacles will hopefully be managed and avoided, there will be some that you must push through on to achieve the necessary outcomes. Select your facilitators carefully.
Active Knowledge Question:
On what basis do you select someone to facilitate a strategy workshop?
There certainly is an art to facilitating, which reflects the ability to guide a team of people through a process to land at a consensus point. A consensus point which will guide and enable action throughout that team, and in the case of business strategy, the entire business unit.
It is an art as every team, and every journey is different, and the dynamics of each group you take on this journey will vary, including the way they respond to each other and you.
It is a process as you must have rules and steps that you will follow almost without exception. ‘Process is your friend’ is a great expression to abide by. Process allows you to manage interactions and ensure you cover all relevant points in your journey to consensus.
And it is the ‘why’ of the process and not the ‘how’ that is most important. You can’t just follow a set of instructions. You must understand why they are relevant, and that will allow you to explain them if questioned and vary them as necessary.
Facilitating is not just being a scribe and copying down what various people say. You may well the use whiteboards, flip charts and pens to capture thoughts and ideas, but as the journey progresses, they serve as the roadmap to consensus.
Great facilitation requires that you have a presence in the room …
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All the best in the success of your business,
Richard Shrapnel
