Facilitation
I have had the opportunity to facilitate a large number of retreats and meetings. Whatever the occasion, it is important to be clear about what the meeting/retreat goals are and that you have the proper amount of time to meet those goals. When hired to facilitate, I aim to ensure that the goals are clearly identified and that input has been sought from a variety of perspectives. This helps create realistic expectations and is tantamount to good group process. In order to further that goal, I typically request a role in helping design the day(s) or, at a very minimum, reviewing a draft of the agenda and providing input. For retreat planning, I typically recommend a retreat-planning group that is comprised of various levels of staff and management (4 – 7 people).
Staff retreats can be effective ways to build teams, relax, have fun, undertake a group discussion or analysis of an issue, plan strategically or address a specific challenge. One important planning objective, however is to identify what type of retreat you want to have and to communicate that to staff prior to the retreat day.
When proper retreat planning does not occur, staff retreats typically create two distinct dynamics. The first is the result of an overzealous agenda that tends to leave members with a feeling of incompletion or dissatisfaction. The second is a retreat that has good discussion, but not enough time for decision-making and follow through. After this type of retreat, people initially feel positive and, shortly thereafter, experience disappointment due to a lack of follow through.
As a facilitator, my goal is to help ensure that retreats steer clear of these dynamics and, instead are experienced as worthwhile endeavors that include specific follow up plans where needed.
I also have experience facilitating focus groups, which I’ve conducted in both English and Spanish.
Please feel free to contact me to discuss your facilitation needs.