The meeting facilitator is the one person whose job it is to lead a group of people towards a common goal. They do so by guiding conversations, focusing on what’s important, and keeping the group on track. This career can be highly rewarding, but it requires a lot of specific skills and experience to get it right.
Having the ability to think on your feet, respond to queries and questions, and be flexible with the agenda are all hallmarks of an effective meeting facilitator. These abilities take practice, but will help you crush any meeting in your path.
Active listening
Good listening skills are a key part of being an effective meeting facilitator. This is because it allows you to understand and connect with the needs of everyone in the room. It’s also a vital skill for getting to the root of any issues that may arise.
A good meeting facilitator can use this skill to draw out quiet members of the group and encourage them to speak up. They also keep a watchful eye for those who are speaking too much and try to find ways to balance out the power dynamics in the room.
Ground Rules
Providing guidelines and expectations for how the group should behave is another important role of the meeting facilitator. Establishing ground rules helps the team establish a safe space for collaboration and avoids stifling creative ideas. These guidelines can be as simple as asking people to speak up only when they have something to say or a clear answer, or to stay on topic if the discussion is moving too quickly.
Maintaining a positive attitude
A meeting facilitator can help the group overcome any negative feelings or lingering fears that might be causing conflict in the room. They can also help a team get motivated and remind them of their chances at achieving success.
They can also provide an uplifting tone to the meeting and encourage participants to think outside the box. This is especially helpful when the meeting is tackling a difficult subject.
Facilitators need to be able to establish a clear objective for the meeting and have a plan in place to reach that goal. If the objective is unclear, the meeting will lack direction and will likely end up wasting valuable time.
The facilitator should work closely with the group leader to establish ground rules for the meeting that can be used as a reference point during the discussion. These ground rules can include a code of conduct, which outlines appropriate behaviors and is often written on a whiteboard or sticky note.
A great facilitator is able to ask questions that engage the group, as well as listen to the concerns of the attendees without trying to influence their views or ideas. They can then use these insights to help the group create connections and synthesize them into a solution.
A meeting facilitator is an essential part of any successful team. They play a crucial role in ensuring that meetings are productive and that all team members feel valued.