Active Facilitation - how to get more from your team, ensure effective participation and generate greater buy-in
Ranked #5,662 in Business, #119,542 overall
Working together - what's the problem?
Empowerment; buy-in; creativity; inclusion. These are great themes that we all aspire to in our every day work. When they are in play there is nothing that cannot be achieved. And yet getting a team or group to focus on an issue or create a solution can be problematic. When great results are called for it may be best to seek outside help.
Professional facilitation is often the answer.
Why is professional facilitation so effective? You may have thought facilitation was just about running meetings. It is actually about giving a group the tools and leadership to help them focus on a specific goal.
Key to the approach is the introduction of new ways to share information, analyse problems and visualise solutions. Mapping is a great tool in this context - to see practical examples and discussion on this topic visit Peace of Mind.
An organisation has within it all the expertise and answers it needs - by taking care of the unfamiliar processes and by setting a framework in which people can contribute freely, a professional facilitator will help an organisation tap these resources.
Learn more about what I do at my website.
Resources for Facilitated Workshops and Meetings
Wide range of source books together under one banner
- Facilitation and Mapping Bookstore
- There are many inspirational books available on how to plan and deliver really great meetings and workshops. The range covered extends from simple meeting planning through sophisticated facilitation methods and on to graphic facilitation and recording. Also included are mind maps and visual mapping.
The best available are brought together under a single banner here - follow the link.
Coming soon - recommended books!
If you have a book to recommend why not drop me a line and I'll add it to the repository.
Graphic Facilitation
Visual Enhancements to Meetings and Workshops
- Meeting Magic
- A UK based company of graphic facilitators and are partners with The Grove.
- The Grove
- If you've been to a meeting or workshop where visual imagery was featured, the chances are you may have seen grpahics based on those developed by the The Grove Consultants International.
- Mapping Inner Space
- Visual note taking relies on paring down thoughts to key words and pictures. This introduction to this technique illustrates how relationships among various concepts are highlighted and more information can be recorded on a page. This helpful tool can be used for personal self-expression, curriculum planning, group processes, and as a teaching strategy in daily lessons. Beginners are introduced to stroke-by-stroke exercises in drawing simple iconic figures that can be incorporated into one's mindscapes.
- Beyond Words
- Milly Sonneman has been able to show in concise, clear terms and through visual example, how easy it is to draw basic images for illustrating anything. An excellent resource for trainers, presenters and anyone designing flip charts or other graphic materials to aid in communicating a message.
Now available: Power Tips & Strategies for Mind Mapping Software Second Edition
- Power Tips & Strategies for Mind Mapping Software Second Edition
- I'm pleased to report that Power Tips & Strategies Second Edition is now available for purchase. Author Chuck Frey has consulted users and experts to capture their best practices, tips and strategies. The e-book contains interviews with leading experts and more than 20 case histories.
You will find my Visual CV included on page 83. - Visual CV
- No more boring CVs - Mind Manager makes it possible to visualise your skills and achievements.
Read This Book
Understand why your work is so hard - and get it done anyway
Don't procrastinate any longer - read this book!
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Amazon Price: $9.32 (as of 12/02/2009) 
Visual Mapping
Combining mapping with facilitation
One feature of my job as a facilitator is to help people visualise the subject we are dealing with. Mapping is an obvious tool to use. I created this visual map in preparation for a workshop and used the map from the start to help the group better engage with the subject, making it more memorable in the process.(with acknowledgements to Nancy Margulies, author of "Mapping Inner Space")
Peace of Mind - latest postings from my blog
Examples, ideas and news about mapping and facilitation
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byPeace of Mind
Selected Postings from My Mind Mapping Blog
- Brainstorming with Mind Maps
- Using the team mapping method described by Jamie Nast in her book "Idea Mapping", helps overcome some of the drawbacks of traditional brainstorming.
- Project Definition and Planning - Workshop Outline
- The purpose of initial meetings with my clients is to establish their needs and a possible approach to meetings and workshops.
- Visual Facilitation - a workshop example
- Step-by-step from individual ideas to group consensus
- From Hand Drawn Mind Map to Project Plan
- A real life demonstration of the use of mind mapping and mind mapping software in project planning.
- Visual CV
- No more boring CVs - Mind Manager makes it possible to visualise your skills and achievements.
Facilitation
Explore the art of facilitation
The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource for Consultants, Facilitators, Managers, Trainers, and Coaches
Amazon Price: $33.60 (as of 12/03/2009)
The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation: Best Practices from the Leading Organization in Facilitation (J-B International Association of Facilitators)
Amazon Price: $68.00 (as of 12/03/2009)
Dealing with Difficult People: How to Deal with Nasty Customers, Demanding Bosses and Annoying Co-workers
Amazon Price: (as of 12/03/2009)
A Survival Guide for Working with Humans: Dealing with Whiners, Back-Stabbers, Know-It-Alls, and Other Difficult People
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 12/03/2009)
More on Facilitation and Mapping
- Elstar - facilitating effective business outcomes
- Elstar help teams develop better solutions to business problems - we can help you make fast and effective progress on specific issues and challenges.
- Peace of Mind
- A blog to share hands-on experience of mind mapping as it is used in the real world. Topics include business applications, tools for group facilitation and sample maps. Also included are discussions and links with other professional mappers and software providers.
- Idea Mapping Success - Learn how to Idea Map
- Jamie Nast is the author of "Idea Mapping" published by John Wiley & Sons. Jamie has trained over 15,000 people world-wide to be more creative, more productive and better learners.
- Idea Mapping
- Jamie Nast's idea mapping blog. Frequently updated with real-life examples of mapping. A great source of encouragement and ideas.
- SenseSmart
- ©Nusa Maal, 2001.
- The Center for Graphic Facilitation
- IMAGES + IDEAS + METHODS + TOOLS = VISUAL LEARNING.
- Alphachimp Tour: Graphic Facilitation
- Graphic facilitation: Capturing your team's ideas, as they emerge, in a fun and ... It's called graphic facilitation, and it's growing in popularity as a ...
- International Association of Facilitators (IAF)
- The International Association of Facilitators (IAF) is a global body which certifies professional facilitators. It has approximately 1,500 members in over 63 countries.
- The Mindjet Blog » Upcoming Webinar: “Innovate using MindManager Pro 7 both in and out of the Classroom”
- The official blog of the Mindjet Corporation, the makers of MindManager® productivity software. Conversations about information visualization, business information mapping, and the future of collaboration.
Mind Mapping
In all its forms - mind, idea and visual
Idea Mapping: How to Access Your Hidden Brain Power, Learn Faster, Remember More, and Achieve Success in Business
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 12/03/2009)
Use Both Sides of Your Brain: New Mind-Mapping Techniques, Third Edition (Plume)
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 12/03/2009)
Mapping Inner Space: Learning and Teaching Visual Mapping
Amazon Price: (as of 12/03/2009)
How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day
Amazon Price: $11.56 (as of 12/03/2009)
Beyond Words: A Guide to Drawing Out Ideas for People Who Work with Groups
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 12/03/2009)
New Guestbook
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Reply
- Jo Bradshaw Jo Bradshaw Aug 19, 2007 @ 4:54 pm
- Hi, really interesting lens, I am curious to find out more about mind mapping after spending time developing a website for a client who's a facilitator [www.planaproject.co.uk] and I love the idea of a visual CV as I'm a pictures personal and don't really think linearly! Will check out some links!
by Steve Rothwell
I am passionate about helping businesses and public organisations address their own challenges. Having worked as a business consultant, project...
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