Facilitation

While the term can have many meanings, facilitation is the art and craft of enabling individuals and groups to discuss issues and opportunities around a shared objective and develop agreed strategies for a common direction.

In addition to meetings, facilitation also includes enabling people to learn through transfer of knowledge and training in specific skills by a subject matter expert. The person skilled in facilitation is call a Facilitator. The method for creating agendas, conducting research, and facilitating sessions to deliver planned outputs and outcomes is referred to as the Facilitation Process.

The facilitation process uses a variety of frameworks, methods, techniques, and tools. Skilled facilitators use a combination of these tools along with several other methods that include managing group dynamics, managing the time and process, and leading the sessions to successful conclusions.

Some of these tools are general in nature and applicable to many...