To facilitate is to make an action or a process easier. As part of every knowledge management initiative, "facilitation" refers to the processes that support the exchange of ideas and information, or which enable discussions between different people so as to capture ideas, draw specific lessons, or encourage the adoption of these lessons. When talking about "facilitation" we frequently think of a workshop, but the role of a facilitator is not limited to that. There are many tools and techniques that a facilitator can use. This section outlines a few of them - why they are useful and when they can be used. They are organized into four groups.
GETTING STARTED
The organization of every event starts with a tentative programme or outline, responding to the purpose and the specific objectives. It is also important to think of those who are going to join, and to think of the person or persons who are going to facilitate the meeting. Once the list of participants is complete, it is necessary to arrange flights or transport facilities for all of them - and then they may need to introduce themselves to each other.
ICEBREAKERS
Icebreakers are useful at event or workshops where there is a lack of participation from the audience. Icebreakers are ideal when you want to avoid to make your audience feel "passive". When used correctly, icebreakers can also energize the group, highlight participants’ particular strengths and subtly introduce themes to be explored later in the event.
INTERACTING / EXCHANGING / SHARING INFORMATION
The best meetings or events are those where participants are actively participating: discussing with each other, sharing ideas and information, sharing opinions, and coming to joint conclusions. In many cases, this happens spontaneously; in others it only works if a facilitator plays a very active role. Different tools or techniques can help her have positive results.
EVALUATING YOUR EVENT
Did we reach our objectives? Were participants satisfied, and will they be willing to join and contribute again in the future? Ex-post evaluations are relatively simple: some of them can take place at the end of every session or at the end of the event, inviting participants to share their opinions and to rank or qualify a specific session or part of the event.