Guidelines for the Facilitators workign with different types of groups...

Hi friends....

The below write up is for the professionals working with the different kinds of groups and federations. It happens so that we generally find it difficult to facilitate the groups. Sometimes consciously or unconsciously we start blaming the group and people from the community for less or no progress in their status. But, the fact is that very often we as professionals do not reflect on our style of facilitation and do not try alternative routes to deal with such situations.
This write up is a result of a lot of collection done by me from internet from different sources and is combined with my experiences from the field and similar experiences of other colleagues from the sector.

This might be a helpful document for the facilitators and for the coordinators and managers of the development projects who are workign with different kinds of group:

Guidelines for the Group Facilitators

Facilitating Groups (Different situations and guidelines)
A group cannot automatically function effectively, it needs to be facilitated. Facilitation can be described as a conscious process of assisting a group to successfully achieve its task while functioning as a group. Facilitation can be performed by members themselves, or with the help of an outsider.
In order to facilitate, it is important to understand what is it that needs to be facilitated. We need to facilitate:

1. The effective performance of task and maintenance functions
2. The processes like participation, communication, decision making and leadership
3. The effective resolution of issues like inclusion, influence and intimacy
4. The smooth transition of the group from one stage to another
5. The accomplishment of the task
   
   To facilitate effectively the facilitator needs to (I) understand what is happening within the group
   be aware of his/her own personality and how s/he comes across
   and know how to facilitate
   DIAGNOSING A GROUP
   The process of finding out what is going on in a group may be called diagnosing. It is an essential skill of a facilitator. He can only proceed further to help remove the problem once s/he is able to diagnose what it is that is going wrong. Diagnosis involves understanding the causes after looking for clues within the group (eg. Communication pattern, unconscious acts) and outside the group (eg. History of past relationship between members). Some examples follow to illustrate the point.
   
   Problem:
   Every one does not participate or show interest and a few remain silent.
   Possible causes:
   The goal or task is not relevant for everyone
   Some members are insecure
   some members are dominating on the basis of caste, class, education or sex.
   Problem:
   Subgroups occur within the group and they get involved in their own conflicts
   Possible causes:
   members of the subgroups are loyal to some outside group of conflicting interests
   existence of hidden agenda
   Problem:
   People stick their conflicting points of view, stalling progress or decision-making
   Possible causes:
   existence of differing value systems which are more important than the task of the group
   existence of differences/conflicts between individuals which were there before the existence of the group
   Problem:
   Some members ignore or disregard contributions from other members
   Possible causes:
   members are insensitive to others, needs
   members are too full of their own self importance
   Problem:
   The group is not able to make a decision, or even if a decision is made members are not willing to implement it
   Possible causes:
   Group lacks adequate information, skills and know how to solve the problem
   the decision is threatening to members
   fear of failure
   (Note: The list of possible causes is by no means complete and is given to provoke further thought)
   AN APPROPRIATE INTERVENTION
   Having diagnosed the possible causes of the problem, the facilitator needs to decide upon how s/he will help the group go forward. This conscious act is called facilitating.
   Simple means of facilitating include :
   encouraging
   bringing the conversation to the point
   mediating and peace keeping
   maintaining order
   requesting
   But then in some cases, these alone are not enough. It is then that the facilitator needs to look deeper and understand clearly the unconscious processes and the levels of awareness within the members of the group, and the group as a whole. Depending upon the facilitator’s grasp of the situation, different styles of facilitation can be used.
   

SKILLS OF A FACILITATOR

Listening :
The ability to listen carefully and creatively; picking out both positive aspects and problems, difficulties and tensions.
Observation :
The ability to see what is happening; to understand non-verbal clues, to monitor the group’s work objectively.
Sensitivity / empathy:
the ability to pick up implicit messages; to see problems through the eyes of the members; to understand their feelings, ideas and values, to focus on structures and roles rather than personalities or competence.
Diagnosing :
the ability to define the problem to synthesize diverse data and form a working hypothesis to choose intervention and action
Supporting / encouraging :
- the ability to provide verbal and nonverbal indicators of encouragement, affirmation, appreciation and caring – to assist in a joint search for solutions
Challenging :
The ability to confront, to disagree, to stop a process without being rude.
Openness :
The ability to invite dialogue, to receive feedback, and to be prepared to examine ones’s own attitudes values and ideas and to change them, if necessary.
Modeling :
The ability to include oneself as a model in the group. Responding spontaneously, without being idealistic, or posing as an expert

OBSERVING LEADERSHIP PROCESS IN GROUPS
1.Which members are high on influence? That is, when they talk, do others listen?
2.Which members are low on influence?
3.Do you see any rivalry in the group? Is there a struggle for leadership?
4.Who are the members trying to assume leadership? Do they rely on coercion, expertise, formal authority, personal qualities?
5.How is the designated leader behaving? Is the style autocratic, democratic or lassez-faire?
6.How are people reacting to the leadership?

OBSERVING DECISION-MAKING PROCESS IN THE GROUP:
Does anyone make any contributions which do not receive any kind of response or recognition? What effect does this have on the member?
Does any one make a decision and carry it out without checking with other group members? For example, he decides on the topic to be discussed and immediately begins to talk about it. What effect does this have on other group members?
Who supports other member’s suggestions or decisions? Does this support result in the two members deciding the topic or activity for the group? How does this affect other group members?
Is there any evidence of a majority pushing a decision through over other members objections? Do they call for a vote?
Is there any attempt to get all members participating in a decision? What effect does this seem to have on the group?
Is the decision made by consensus? Are differences fully explored? Is there unanimity or full agreement?

OBSERVING COMMUNICATION IN THE GROUP
Who talks? For how long? How often?
How are silent people treated?
Who talks to whom? To the group as a whole or to some people in the group?
Who talks after whom> Is it for encouraging or for challenging?
Who interrupts whom? Are some people interrupted all the time?
Do the members listen to each other?
What non-verbal messages are being transmitted?

TO ENSURE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN GROUPS THE POINT NEED TO BE KEPT IN MIND IS TO ANSWER A QUESTION: Are we listening?
Guidelines for Effective Listening
1.Concentrate on hearing – we think about 4 times faster than the other person can speak, so our thoughts tend to stray.
2.We must listen with an open mind – we often stop listening when we hear some key words – “red flags” – which touch our personal biases or preferences.
3.Pay attention and try to understand what is being said – listen beyond the words, try to understand the feelings, the emotions, what is being implied. Be alert to the various non-verbal messages.
4.Do not predict what the speaker is trying to say – do not jump to conclusion and stop listening, find out for sure whether what you think is true or not.
5.Do not pretend to have understood when you have not – clarify your doubts, requests the speaker to re-explain, ask relevant questions.
6.Do not become defensive and do not argue or interrupt – when the speaker challenges some of our favourite ideas our immediate reaction is to either stop listening or to interrupt and argue.
To ensure that we are listening attentively we should from time to time restate, repeat and summarize what we think is being said

PARTICIPATION IN THE GROUPS

Factors which affect member’s participation
The content or task of the group – is it of interest, importance and relevance
The physical atmosphere – is it comfortable physically, socially and psychologically
The psychological atmosphere – is it accepting, non-threatening
Members’ personal preoccupations – are there any distracting thoughts on their mind?
The level of interaction and discussions – is adequate information provided for everyone to understand? – is it at a level everyone understands?
Familiarity between group members – do members know each other from before

OBSERVING PARTICIPATION IN GROUP:

How much talking is done by the leader, how much is done by the others?
To whom are questions usually addressed – the group as a whole or to particular members?
Do members appear interested, bored, apathetic or self-conscious?
Are patrings and subgroups taking place and are they discussing issues other than those addressing the group task?
Are quiet members being encouraged to speak?

Hope this is useful.....

Ziya