The Facilitator's Toolkit 2nd ed.

Citation

(2004), "The Facilitator's Toolkit 2nd ed.", Education + Training, Vol. 46 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2004.00446bae.003

The Facilitator's Toolkit 2nd ed.

Training resources

The Facilitator's Toolkit (2nd ed.)

M. Havergal and J. EdmonstoneGower2003ISBN 0566085658£89.95

When handling any kind of project or change, the hardest task is often keeping everyone focused, motivated and contributing. Facilitation is important to anyone working with an individual, group, team or even an entire organization. The Facilitator's Toolkit provides the tools needed to ensure a successful outcome.

Part One furnishes a general overview of what facilitation is – and, perhaps as importantly, what it is not. It helps facilitators to recognize the symptoms of team-working problems, diagnose the patterns underlying those problems and intervene successfully in team processes without influencing the outcomes.

Part Two constitutes the core of the manual, with 98 tools to choose from and apply. The section's introduction explains the way in which the tools are organized so that, before launching into the tools themselves, readers can choose the best tool for the job in hand. The tools for diagnosis and evaluation include strategic-thinking tools, problem-exploration tools and so-called "clarity" tools. The tools to manage people include tools for managing both participants and other facilitators, as well as tools for planning and deciding. The section on tools for managing conflict includes particularly useful preparations that can be made for a conflict-handling workshop, plus tools to help the facilitator to cope with problems and sabotage.

Part Three of the manual gives general advice on planning workshops and then provides several case studies to illustrate how different tools can be applied and adapted to meet different situations.

Part Four helps facilitators to reflect on, and learn from, their experiences. There are also tools to help to review a workshop from the participants' viewpoint.

The manual is clear, concise and accessible to experienced facilitators as well as to the novice who suddenly finds himself or herself in a facilitator's role and does not know where to turn for guidance. It is action-focused and adaptable. If it is your ambition to have forward planning that draws on the active participation of all stakeholders, make difficult decisions quickly and fairly, or reflect objectively on past performance, this manual can probably help.