The Foundation

Question 1

Which facilitative roles are there?

Answer 1

• • Facilitator
• • Facilitative Consultant
• • Facilitative Coach
• • Facilitative trainer
• • Facilitative Mediator
• • Facilitative Leader

Question 2

What is the purpose of a Facilitator?

Answer 2

Help group use effective process to make decisions and increase its effectiveness

Question 3

What is the purpose of a Facilitative Consultant?

Answer 3

Provide expert advice on client’s issues

Question 4

What is the purpose of a Facilitative Coach?

Answer 4

Help an individual, group or team achieve goals and increase effectiveness

Question 5

What is the purpose of a Facilitative Trainer?

Answer 5

Help people develop knowledge and skills

Question 6

What is the purpose of a Facilitative Mediator?

Answer 6

Help two or more people resolve a dispute

Question 7

What is the purpose of a Facilitative Leader?

Answer 7

Influence a group to achieve goals and increase its effectiveness

Question 8

Which facilitative roles are also group members?

Answer 8

The facilitative leader, and possibly the facilitative coach and the facilitative trainer

Question 9

Which facilitative roles are involved in content decision making?

Answer 9

The facilitative leader, and possibly the facilitatie consultant and the facilitative trainer

Question 10

What is the relationship of a Facilitator to the group and the content?

Answer 10

A Facilitator is not a group member. He is neutral to the content under discussion, and he is not involved in Content Decision Making.

Question 11

What is the relationship of a facilitative consultant to the group and the content?

Answer 11

He is not a memer of the group. He is the expert on the content, and may be involved wiht the Content Decision Making

Question 12

What is the relationship of a facilitative coach to the group and the content?

Answer 12

He might be member of the group, and he may be involved with the content. However, since he is coaching, he is not involved in the content decision making.

Question 13

What is the relationship of a facilitative trainer to the group and the content?

Answer 13

The facilitative trainer can be part of the group. He is the content expert, and may be involved in content decision making.

Question 14

What is the relationship of a facilitative mediatorto the group and the content?

Answer 14

He is not part of the group, neutral to the content and not involved in the content decision making.

Question 15

What is the relationship of a facilitative leader to the group and the content?

Answer 15

He is a group member, involved in the content and in the content decision making.

Question 16

What are defining traits of a facilitator?

Answer 16

• Not a member of the group
• Content neutral (but not when the process is the content)
• No decision making authority or input
• Acceptable to all members of the group
• Diagnoses and intervenes in a group
• Improves the process

Question 17

What is Content vs Process?

Answer 17

Process refers to how a group works together. It includes how members identify and solve problems, make decisions and handle conflicts. Content refers to the topic a group is discussing.

Question 18

How should you switch between facilitative roles?

Answer 18

The switch must be explicit, as it is part of the contract with the client.

1) Identify the role you want to switch to.
2) Explicitly describe to the group the role you want to switch to and explain your reasoning
3) Seek agreement with the group to fill the new role
4) Fill the role
5) When you need to switch again, return to Step 1.

Question 19

What is the facilitator’s responsibility for the group’s results?

Answer 19

They are related, but not the same. A group can successful because of or despite of the facilitator, and it can fail because of or despite of the facilitator.

Question 20

What is a mindset?

Answer 20

A mindset is the core set of values and assumptions that drive a behaviour. That behaviour, in turn, leads to specific results.

Question 21

What are the values of the unilateral control mindset?

Answer 21

• Win, don’t lose
• Be right
• Act rational
• Minimize expression of negative feelings

Question 22

What are the behaviors caused by the unilateral control mindset?

Answer 22

• State my views without asking for other’s views or vice versa
• Withhold relevant information
• Speak in general terms and don’t agree on what important words mean
• Keep my reasoning private, don’t ask others about their reasoning
• Focus on positions, not interests
• Act on untested assumptions and inferences as if they were true
• Control the conversation
• Avoid, ease into or save face on difficult situations

Question 23

What are the results of the unilateral control mindset in relation to performance?

Answer 23

• Lower-quality decisions
• LEss innovation
• Longer implementation time
• Increased costs

Question 24

What are the results of the unilateral control mindset in relation to working relationships?

Answer 24

Lower commitment

• Decreased trust
• Reduced learning
• Greater defensiveness
• Unproductive conflict
• Inapproriate dependence on others

Question 25

What are the results of the unilateral control mindset in relation to individual satisfaction?

Answer 25

• Reduced motivation
• Limited development opportunities
• Increased stress

Question 26

What are the assumptions of the unilateral control mindset?

Answer 26

• I understand the situation, those who disagree don’t
• I am right, those who disagree are wrong
• I have pure motives, those who disagree have questionable motives
• My feelings and behaviour are justified
• I am not contributing to the problem

Question 27

What is the Give Up Control Approach?

Answer 27

A form of unilateral control, where someone appears to genuinely gives up control, but the desired outcome is already predefined.

Question 28

How does the unilateral control approach reinforce itself?

Answer 28

The frustrating results caused by this approach reinforce the desire and need to control the situation even more, maybe even justifying this mindset.