Put simply, facilitation helps a group find their own answers to a problem or opportunity … and can make all the difference for success!

Facilitation helps an organization:

- Fight the tendency to solve a problem by creating a new one.

- Prevent group think from taking hold and skewering communication.

- Remove barriers that prevent creativity from flowing.

- Provide an organised approach to the high-expectation meetings. A facilitator is someone who understands how to guide a group toward a particular solution. A facilitator is there to ensure that problems get solved, not just discussed, no matter how many opinions are thrown at them.

Here are a few tips for senior executives who are searching for ways to grow their businesses in new, more effective ways:

- Show respect for the time, when you convene your meeting, know whom you are inviting and what the goal is.

- Be clear and concise. If people are requesting other people to join the meeting via phone, be clear and abide by your request.

- Do your homework, gather the necessary information regarding topics of the meeting and share it with the group ahead of time, to set the stage for what is to come and to prime the group’s intuition.

- Be prepared, do a point-by-point to-do list or agenda at the end of the meeting. Ask yourself what went right and what didn’t. What worked well? What can be improved in the next meeting?

- Be flexible – sessions don’t always run smoothly, but it’s important to keep things light, positive and moving forward. Be flexible and responsive to feedback.

- Follow up – ensure all attendees have received any information and updates that were requested.

- Offer a chance for both individual and group participation – a problem shared is a problem halved.

Facilitation gives each person a voice and turns an audience into a team. If your facilitation session is not a discussion, it’s a missed opportunity, sharing thoughts, ideas, passion in a collaborative way leads to the hidden gems of answers.