The qualities of a great offsite facilitator are many and varied.
When you are looking for a great facilitator, here’s some things you may want to take into account.
The methodologies used by a great offsite facilitator
gets a clear outcome and brief from the client then runs the off-site interactively and iteratively
does a needs analysis to ensure they have workplace related all stories and events, they understand the difficult and easy personalities in the team, and they know what internal issues are happening behind the scenes
deviates from the off site script to get to the outcome when necessary
understands trends in training, facilitation and and organisational development
The personal qualities and style of a great offsite facilitator
energetic and enthusiastic when required
able to stop and listen when necessary
bring stories and ability to improvise when needed
uses a variety of techniques from many disciplines including training, negotiation, business coaching, facilitation, theatre, comedy, whatever else they have done in their life
a broader experience than just facilitation.
The background and experience of a great off-site facilitator
knows enough about your operational issues to link any thing done at the offsite – the real world of operation
has the experience to control the room when things get hairy, when they get boring, and when business as usual goes on
experience in finding solutions to operational problems in a number of contexts
a good cultural fit for your organisation*
* There is some debate about whether you need a facilitator who has worked in your industry. Certainly your facilitator needs to understand your business and your business outcomes in general. It is important to think that sometimes an out-of-the-box choice means your facilitator will ask naive questions which your team may never have asked themselves. There is also the possibility that working in a different industry will bring new ideas to your industry.
Cindy Tonkin has all of these qualities. Contact Cindy to book your next offsite.
