BALLYBEEN WOMENS CENTRE

3. FACILITATING PEER
WORKSHOPS
 WORKSHOP 1- EFFECTIVE FACILITATION AND COMMUNICATION

 OUTCOME 1- Understand how to use effective communication skills to

engage with young people in group sessions.

 OUTCOME 2- Understand key elements of effective facilitation skills with

young people.
  UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS WITH YOUNG PEOPLE.

How we as facilitators communicate with young people is key to building relationships and to
having a positive impact.
Every day we communicate with family, friends, teachers and even strangers, but only a small
percentage of what we communicate during each of these conversations is verbal.
Research shows that the majority of what we express is actually through nonverbal communication.
Things like body movements and posture, facial expressions, eye contact, hand gestures and tone of
voice all contribute to how we communicate and understand each other. Often, we are unaware of
this non-verbal communication because these actions are built into how we converse as humans.
There have been a number of studies on nonverbal communication and most experts agree that 
70 to 93 percent of all communication is nonverbal
Discuss- WHAT WAYS DO WE COMMUNICATE?

Verbally/ Non verbally

 Non verbal communication
Since experts suggests that  70 to 93 percent of all communication is nonverbal it is important as a facilitator to
be able to recognise and respond to these.

Non verbal communication styles include,

ACTIVITY 3.1.1- NON VERBAL EXPRESSIONS- worksheet
3.1.2 ACTIVITY- 4 OR MORE GAME
Top Tips for Positive Body Language

Respect peoples personal space

 you don’t want people to feel uncomfortable during sessions.
Use appropriate eye contact
 too much can be intimidating, the right amount shows you're interested – remember to spread
this across your group
Demonstrate “open” body language
 for example don’t cross your arms
Observe other peoples body language and copy it.
 This will help to improve rapport, we relate best to those who are like us.
Show that you are listening
 Keep your body still and your head turned towards the other person. Avoid playing with objects,
looking out the window, drumming your fingers or generally appearing distracted by other things.
The way in which a Peer Educator delivers knowledge and information to young people is very
important. Information should be clear and easy to understand and Peer Educators need to show
enthusiasm and appear confident in approaching the group.
A facilitator who communicates well with young people will:
 Recognise when to ask questions or share personal
experiences and when to listen
 Ask open-ended questions that allow more information to
be shared and can allow an individual to discover his/her
own inner wisdom.
 Listen to others with careful attention to the content and
emotion being communicated.
 Show young people they understand what they are saying
and support their feelings and experiences.
 BECOMING A BETTER LISTENER
There are five key active listening techniques you can use to help you become a better listener:
 
1. Pay Attention. Give the speaker your undivided attention, and acknowledge the message

2. Show That You're Listening

3. Provide Feedback/Reflect back what the person is saying

4. Defer Judgment

5. Respond Appropriately
 Do not interrupt, offer advice, or give suggestions. Do not bring up similar feelings and problems
from your own experience. Leave out your personal emotions, disagreements, opinions, and other
feedback (unless you are asked for it).
 
 Ask open-ended questions. Ask for clarification but be polite and respectful. For example, ask “Can
you say more about that?” or “What did you mean when you said…?”
3.1.3 ACTIVITY- ACTIVE LISTENING worksheet
 REACTIVE LISTENING VS REFLECTIVE LISTENING

Reactive Listeners…
…allow their own thoughts, feelings or opinions about what is being said to take over the
conversation.
…are more concerned with what they want to say than with what the other person is telling
them.
…focus on their own reactions rather than on the feelings and needs of the person speaking
 
Reflective Listeners…
…concentrate on the feelings, opinions and concerns that are being expressed by the other
person.
…avoid interrupting the other person to comment on what he or she is saying.
…focus on what the speaker is saying in order to understand it, instead of whether or not
they agree with or like what they are hearing.
 
Tips for Reflective Listeners
 
1. Pay attention to physical surroundings. • Eliminate noisy distractions from a loud TV, radio or stereo. • Find a place
where other people won’t interrupt.
2. Use a listening “posture.” • Face the speaker so you can make eye contact. • Lean forward but don’t get so close to
make the other person uncomfortable. • Smile and look friendly!
3. Prompt the speaker to keep talking. • Use a warm and pleasant tone of voice. • Nod to let the person know you’re
listening. • Say encouraging things like “Mm-hmmm,” “Uh huh,” “Right,” “I see,” etc.
4. Remember that you’re not a judge. • Resist the urge to criticise or object to what you’re hearing. • Avoid arguing
with the other person if you disagree with him or her. • Resist the temptation to give advice.
5. Focus on what you’re hearing. • Try to understand the other person’s point of view. • Concentrate on the key ideas. •
Pay attention to feelings that are being expressed.
6. Use restatement to be sure you heard what was intended. • Wait for a natural break in the conversation. • Repeat
what you think you heard and ask if that’s what the speaker meant.
 
Note: You can say things like: “As I understand it, you are saying that . . . . Is that what you intended?” “What I think
you said was . . . . Is that right?” “Let me see if I have this right . . . . Is that what you said?”
ACTIVITY 3.1.4 – HOW DO I RATE AS A LISTENER worksheet
3.1.5 ACTIVITY- LISTENING TO UNDERSTAND
Follow-up Discussion
  What was it like to be the speaker, knowing you were being listened to carefully?
 What was it like as a listener knowing you were being observed, and that you were
going to have to restate what you heard?
 What was it like being the observer?
 What was the hardest part of this exercise?
 
Listening is hard work!!!!
 it’s not easy being a good listener. It takes concentration and
practice to try understanding what the other person is really
saying—especially when you might not agree with him or her.
But it’s worth the effort because when all is said and done,
listening is one of the greatest gifts you can give to another
person.
“Effective communication requires good facilitation
skills…”
Chanda Gurung Goodrich
DISCUSS- WHAT DO WE MEAN BY FACILITATION?
 EFFECTIVE FACILITATION
A facilitator is a person whose role it is to guide people through a process to an effective result. This process could be a
meeting, a brainstorming session, training and development, a planning session, team building, conflict resolution, or any
situation involving a group of people where there are desired outcomes, goals or targets.
A facilitator is not a teacher, trainer or lecturer. Instead, they are there to help encourage everyone in the group to listen
and contribute. A facilitators role is to empower others. Anyone can be a facilitator; it just takes practice, patience and a
willingness to learn.

INGRID BENS DEFINES A FACILITATOR AS;

“ONE WHO CONTRIBUTES STRUCTURE AND PROCESSES TO INTERACTIONS SO GROUPS ARE ABLE TO FUNCTION
EFFECTIVELY AND MAKE HIGH QUALITY DECISIONS. A HELPER AND ENABLER WHOSE GOAL IS TO SUPPORT
OTHERS AS THEY ACHIEVE EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE.”

 
A facilitator/ youth worker who communicates well with young people will:
 Recognise when to ask questions or share personal experiences and when to
listen
 Ask open-ended questions that allow more information to be shared and can
allow an individual to discover his/her own inner wisdom.
 Listen to others with careful attention to the content and emotion being
communicated.
 Show young people they understand what they are saying and support their
feelings and experiences.

In planning a Group Session remember:

 Effective communication takes planning and preparation.
 Have a desired aim/objective of what you want to achieve in the session
 Plan the main points that you want to get across.
 Have a clear idea of how you will get the message across i.e. have a plan of
activities that you can use.
DISCUSS- WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AS A FACILITATOR DURING A
SESSION?
 Your Role-
 Your role as a facilitator is to help the group progress towards its aim. You may have decided this aim
yourself or it may be in relation to a specific event. For example if you are asked to do a session with Year 8
around risk awareness, your aim is to make the group more aware of risk by the end of session. However, the
way in which you choose to get there is up to you.
 
 As the facilitator you should aim to..
Make a plan for your session in advance and be prepared to change this depending on the group you are
working with.
Keep the group (young people) focused on the task.
Encourage everyone to take part in the activities.
Listen and contribute to others.
Recap and go over activities and ideas that come up to make sure everyone understands.
Make sure everyone is safe and respected- it is important that everyone is comfortable and can be
themselves in the group.
Allow young people space to discuss things that are important to them.
You should never feel that you as a Peer Educator need to know all the answers. It is OK not to know
everything. There is nothing wrong with saying, “I’m not sure but I’ll try and find out and get back to you.”
That is much better than providing a young person with false information.
 TOP TIPS FOR FACILITATION-

 Remember your role

Sometimes things go wrong. Remembering what you are there to do can
help keep you on track
  Follow the pace of the group
If they need more time on a certain activity be flexible
  Remain as neutral as possible
Encourage the group to have an opinion, treat each member of the group
equally
  Know your own strengths and weaknesses
Reflect on your own thoughts, feelings and triggers after the session so that
they do not interfere with the facilitation process.
  Look after yourself
You know yourself best, do whatever you need to do before and after a
session to make yourself feel relaxed and comfortable.
  Speak clearly, slowly and engage
If you sound bored, chances are your group will be too!
 
DISCUSS- AS A FACILITATOR WHAT FACTORS DO
YOU THINK YOU WOULD NEED TO CONSIDER
WHEN PLANNING A GROUP SESSION?
 FACTORS TO CONSIDER
 

 What is your aim?

Be clear about your aims throughout planning and delivery. This will help you
to focus the activities and games to meet the needs of the young people and
avoid you getting side-tracked.
Be open to change. Sometimes changes within the group i.e. attendance,
abilities, concentration, mean that the session needs to adjusted. Have back up
activities just in case.

 Who is the session for?

When planning your session always keep your audience in mind. Be mindful of
the numbers in attendance, age and maturity of attendees and gender.
Try to plan activities that are relevant to your group. This will help young
people to engage and therefore meet the aim of your session.
 Plan

Planning activities in advance is essential. This will give your session more
structure again though this is not to say that this cannot be adapted.
Being prepared, arriving early to set up and having all your materials at hand will
have a huge impact on the running of the session. Being unprepared will mean
you are more likely to panic and young people will not get out of the session what
they need.

 Evaluate

At the end of a session always try to get some type of feedback. This could be
something as simple as asking what did you like the best. Or what did you like
least?
Session plan sheets will have a weekly evaluation related to outcomes that should
be filled in as soon after a session as possible. Christmas and Easter evaluations
will also be carried out as an information-gathering tool that will make End of
Year evaluations easier and more precise.
 Session structure-

When facilitating, the structure of a session is extremely important. The

effectiveness of structure within group work depends on the ability of the
facilitator to be aware of, and to respond to the needs of the group.
A basic structure of a session would typically include a range of icebreakers/
energisers, brainstorms, discussions, reflective exercises etc.
It is important to have a variety of learning techniques within a session as each
individual responds to learning in a different way, one young person may prefer
discussion based learning while another may like more activity based.
Here are a list of some methods of learning that can be used during youth work
sessions. There is also a list of different needs scenarios that you will need to plan
for during programmes.

 
    
ICEBREKERS ENERGISERS
 
   
DISCUSSIONS QUIZZES
 
   
BRAINSTORMING WORKSHEETS
 
   
ROLE PLAYS ACTIVITIES
 
   
GAMES ARTS AND CRAFTS
 
   
COLLAGING EVALUATIONS
 
Activity- 3.2.1
METHODS OF FACILITATION- SCENARIOS WORKSHEET
 REFLECTIVE DISCUSSION-

HOW DOES COMMUNICATION IMPACT EFFECTIVE FACILITATION?