Southern Ontario Library Service

Facilitation Tips for Trustee Council Chairpersons

Role of the Trustee Council Chairperson:

acts as a facilitator, a catalyst to help the group function and accomplish its agenda more effectively
observes and moderates both the process and the content of the meeting
assures that all members participate
promotes maximum results in the allotted time

The art of facilitation combines the techniques of open communication (both giving and receiving information) with careful listening and observation, skillful direction, and common sense.

Phases of Facilitation

Understand the objective of the meeting

the purpose of the meeting and the specific agenda items to be covered

Develop awareness of potential pitfalls and how to deal with them

no response

watch for signs that people are not involved (heads down, doodling, side conversations)

ask for their opinion

encourage people to talk

ask someone who has not yet spoken - often, quieter members just need more encouragement

reinforce good questions: "That’s a good point/question." "Thank you - I forgot to mention that."

ask for amplification: "Can you tell us more about that?"

pose your questions in a different way

negativity and resistance

turn negativity and resistance into fruitful discussion by asking "How you would change this idea? "What you like about this idea?"

safeguard individuals and their ideas from attack by seeking agreement and deflecting the attack: "Have other group members experienced this as well?"

overly-talkative

shift discussion to another group member by directly asking someone else to comment on the issue

questions you can’t answer

never bluff but let the group know you will find out the answer

Focus your attitude and energy

be open and honest

remain neutral - your purpose is to assist others to express their ideas and opinions

remain calm and think your way through

maintain a sense of humour

if nervous, breathe deeply; for a dry mouth, bite the side of your tongue - it works!

Set the Stage

greet members warmly

ask members to wear name tags so you can refer to them by name

encourage all members to participate and express their points of view

ask new members to introduce themselves, tell where they’re from, and perhaps, the size of their library

observe and listen carefully to get a sense of the group

Keep discussion focused and on track

guide discussion by clarifying and summarizing ideas, pointing out progress, drawing attention to areas of agreement and disagreement

suggest alternate techniques or approaches if discussion gets bogged down - "Have you thought of...?" "What if you look at it this way?"

if issues come up that are important but not immediately relevant or worth discussion, but at a later time, use a "parking lot"

often just referring to the main point on the flip chart is a subtle way to keep group on track

you may have to stop someone to move on to the next person – try to do this politely, without hurting the person’s feelings. Developing ground rules for each Trustee Council may help this.

Lead by example

encourage cooperative behaviour by behaving in a way that is open, honest, respectful and non-partisan

Conclusion

often, conclusion results from being out of time

summarize the governance – related themes that had come out of the discussion

Ask the right questions in the right way (Adapted from T. Grellette, "Techniques for asking questions," United Way Child Care Board Development Project, Hamilton-Wentworth Region, 1993-5)

good questions should be challenging, clear, brief, relevant and emphasize major points

questions can be narrow (answerable with a one word answer) or broad (Let’s take a few minutes to consider what we’ve learned so far about recruitment and then I will ask someone to start off."

there are 4 basic types of questions

leading - To find the Trustee Kit on the website, would you go to the SOLS or OLBA home page floor?"

factual - "Where would you find the Trustee Kit?"

problem - "How would you improve the library’s profile in the community?"

attitudinal - "How do you feel about the changes to the Public Libraries Act ...?"