As a Certified Professional Facilitator and Leadership Retreat Guru, I am typically the person leading the program, so it’s a rare and special opportunity when I get to be a participant. I had one of those experiences last year, when I attended an event with the National Speakers Association. Mark Hunter was our incredible facilitator.

In this February series on facilitation, I am going to provide details regarding what can make you a better facilitator. Even if you already feel accomplished, I believe these tips will take your facilitation up a notch.

I will be covering:

• Facilitation basics

• The work that needs to be done before the meeting

• The cost of your meeting and why it matters

• How to help when the meetings you attend are not as productive as you would like

• How to facilitate well virtually

• How to handle an overly talkative person

• How to engage participants who sit back and are not involved in the meeting

For starters, make note of what’s going on in your meetings. If you are experiencing something you don’t like, let me know what you have tried, I may have some additional suggestions!