Facilitators are an important part of team building. A facilitator is someone who assists a team of individuals to work together effectively, understand their shared goals, and then plan how best to attain those goals, during group discussions or meetings. The facilitator stays "neutral" in this process, meaning that they don't take a specific position on any issue, so all members of the team can feel free to voice their opinions. Below are a few examples of how facilitators may be utilized: o Clarifying. Sometimes when there are unclear areas of a training program, facilitators (like the teacher) can clarify them for the participants. This helps everyone stay on track, as everyone is working together to reach the same goal, just that they have more information available to reach it. o Conflict Resolution Facilitators. Often times, conflict resolution facilitators are located within the organization, and they serve as an intermediary between parties. This helps to defuse situations that may lead to more tension within the team. A facilitation expert is trained in conflict resolution techniques, which can help defuse any situation that would otherwise lead to more conflict within the team. o Coaching Facilitators. Coaching facilitators are a bit different than normal facilitators. These are the kind you usually see in training seminars or conferences, with their large white boards and clear plastic tables. While a coaching facilitator cannot dispense the full secrets of the trade, they can offer feedback on how to improve certain aspects of your approach, your tactics, or your results. They can also coach you on how to get others to agree with you, or how to build team spirit. o Training Facilitators. While facilitation experts do not dispense the secrets of the trade, facilitation training is designed to help you learn the tricks of the trade. There is a lot of theory behind the techniques of successful conflict resolution. However, training facilitation professionals will teach you how to apply those concepts into the real world. Facilitators will not necessarily give you the blue prints; rather, you will need to examine their strategies and tactics on your own. If you are looking for a conflict resolution facilitator, you should keep these things in mind. Make sure that the people you choose to hire are seasoned and experienced in conflict resolution. You do not want to entrust such important information and procedures to amateurs. Do some research on the potential facilitation training facilitators, read their portfolios and samples of their work. If you can find some independent reviews of the individuals or companies you are considering, it will be better than no reviews at all. Once you have found some potential conflict resolution facilitators, you will need to interview them. It is important to understand what the job is like, what their actual responsibilities are and whether or not they have the skills you require. Remember, there are three sides to every conflict: you, the client and the facilitator. The facilitator is there to facilitate; the client is there to take part in the process and either feel satisfied that the outcome has been achieved or move towards a positive solution. If you feel comfortable with any of the potential facilitators, you can hire them. You will need to pay them a fee of course, but you should always remember that facilitation is not free. You will also be required to provide periodic updated training to ensure that the skills you have learned are still fresh in your mind. Remember, it is always important to have good conflict resolution skills, as no matter how skilled you are at conflict resolution, if you don't have effective leadership skills, you will do yourself and your organisation no favours! So choose wisely. Web: https://paramounttraining.com.au/ https://speakerdeck.com/facilitate