Ways You Can Be Effective In Dialogue Facilitation

By Nancy Moore


To be a great facilitator for discussion, you will have to help people deliberate freely through a defined process with the aim of getting great results. It will be up to you to make sure that everyone is a part of the discussion so that you arrive at your aimed outcome. If you hold any leadership position, you may find yourself leading such deliberations many times. These guidelines will give you a path to use to your dialogue facilitation.

You are the one controlling the air traffic but not flying the plane. This means that you will be there to provide direction and coordination for the people to get to the destination safely and comfortably. When there is a group formed, individuals will be moving at varying speeds and directions. You will be the one responsible for determining how everyone needs to contribute.

You have to set up a way that you want people to participate. Let the team bring out a suggestion for the norms and let everyone understand them before the discussion begins. If the people are not sure, you may bring up the rules yourself. Set up the people on how they will speak and also how to handle any misunderstandings.

The main focus should be on questions and not answers. Your work there will be to assist the group to advance the goals they have individually and also as a group. Though you may have extensive knowledge on the topic, you are there to help them move forward and not to convey the knowledge you have. When you are preparing, focus on the queries you will ask and not the answers you will give them.

Making sure you do not ask open questions will be important. The most critical thing is to make sure the people talk and bond with each other freely. Asking things like the best way to achieve a specific goal will help them discuss without going off the topic. However, you should not ask them questions that will make them give you a no or ayes answer.

Promote relationship-building. When different people are in a group, they will want to have a better relationship with everyone else. The best thing is to have questions that facilitate this. Look at where you have a chat and the aim of the talk to know the exact issues that will be suitable. You aim to find the ones that will lead the individuals to get to share something personal.

Preparation before the meeting will help you kick-start the conversation. However, not all groups will be waiting to be prompted to speak. Depending on the team some will wait before they begin the discussion and others will start straight away. However, it is always better to be ready whichever way it goes.

Invite the people to participate but do not force them into it. It is common to find individuals who speak out more often than others in any group. Unless the job requires it, you should not force those who are quieter to speak up. You should give everyone space to make their contributions at the right moment. This will be likely to lead to a more productive talk. Watch out for any body language that will let you know the quieter ones are ready to talk.




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