Facilitation Excellence: Top 11 Tips for Team

Building Facilitators

1. Ask these 2 important questions:

I.What are your team’s biggest issues at work?     
II.What specific outcomes would you love to see happen at the
end of the day?
2.  Have more activities than you will need.  A good facilitator always plans
ahead by bringing and planning more team building activities than necessary as
back-up, in case the day goes really quickly.
3.  Go propless.  When traveling, one never knows when luggage might get lost. 
A wise facilitator always relies on several propless activities just in case.
4.  Be invisible.  A good team building facilitator asks good questions and steps
back --- allowing the participants to engage, interact, and communicate.   It’s their
day; let them learn by doing and speaking up.
5.  Lead by example.  A good facilitator is aware of his or her actions when
things do not go according to plan or in between the activities.
6.  Put EGOS in the back pocket.  A good facilitator allows the group to lead
and proceed at their rate and on their agenda.  Letting go of one’s agenda to meet
the needs of the group is a terrific facilitator strength.
7.  Pause.  Allowing participants to pause often gives them time to process, think,
and anchor their learnings.  Few facilitators do this.  Pause, pause, pause.
8.  De-brief.  Allowing the participants to process their actions, behavior, and
responses after each activity is precisely when the learning takes place.
9.  Be punctual.  Start on time, allow breaks, end on time.  Period.
10. Nurture spontaneity.  The best moments and the most teachable moments are
usually the unplanned moments.  Enjoy, appreciate, and honor them.
11. Laugh often.  Participants learn best when having FUN!