The Art & Science of Facilitation: How to Lead Effective Collaboration with Agile Teams

Description

Have you ever felt unsure how to help a team that was spinning in circles? Or wanted to flee a room with a high-conflict group? If you lead teams of any size, chances are you have been a facilitator at some point. But what does it mean to be a facilitator? While sticky notes, dot voting, and gathering people around a whiteboard are all helpful activities, they can only take us so far. The Art & Science of Facilitation is your guide to moving your team further forward using the groundbreaking Five Guiding Principles of the Facilitation Stance. You will learn to lead teams toward effective collaboration by inviting different points of view (even when it creates conflict), remaining unbiased in high-stakes meetings, understanding what the group needs, and navigating difficult interpersonal dynamics. This book is for anyone ready to lead with self-awareness and group insight, and to help their teams work more efficiently and effectively in a truly collaborative environment. "Every voice in an organization matters, and Marsha shows us how to hear each one." - Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen, authors of Difficult Conversations and Thanks for the FeedbackMarsha Acker is a professional facilitator, executive, and team coach. The founder and CEO of Team Catapult, she uses systems thinking, structural dynamics, dialogue, and agility to help teams collaborate and align with clarity, purpose, and vision. Praise For The Art & Science of Facilitation Introduction Agile facilitation Facilitation is both an art and a science Letting go of the hero Don’t run down the road—get in the car! This is a book about how to be—not what to do The Agile Team Facilitation Stance: Five guiding principles A Brief Call to Action: for New Facilitators Facilitation vs. Team Coaching? What am I doing and why does it matter? Striking the balance Chapter 1: Maintaining Neutrality Building trust within the group Hold the process, not the content Field maintenance What we believe matters Starting the Practice Conclusion Chapter 2: Standing in the Storm A storm on the horizon The lightning rod Finding your feet Starting the Practice Conclusion Chapter 3: Honoring the Wisdom of the Group Leadership and facilitation: why breakdown happens Creating a space for everyone in the group Words of caution Starting the Practice Conclusion Chapter 4: Holding the Group's Agenda The three group agendas Hold the group’s agenda, not your own How to really listen for the emergent agenda Go slow to go fast Watch out for collusion and individual agendas Starting the Practice Conclusion Chapter 5: Upholding the Agile Mindset What does it mean to facilitate while upholding the agile mindset? The agile mindset ≠ tools and practices Agile adaptability Starting the Practice Conclusion Chapter 6: Developing and Mastering Your Facilitation Stance Lesson 1: Work with a co-facilitator Lesson 2: Start a journaling practice and ask yourself the tough questions Lesson 3: Change “roles” in order to share your opinions and perspectives Lesson 4: Work with a supervisor Lesson 5: Intervene to break patterns Lesson 6: Articulate what’s happening in the group Lesson 7: Develop your model for facilitation Conclusion Conclusion: Beyond Facilitation Recommended Reading About the Author Acknowledgements