The Practical Guide to Facilitation : A Self-Study Resource - John Farrell

Effective facilitation is the key to making groups and teams work--and the role of facilitator has quickly emerged as an important new role in business, complimenting the roles of both the leader and the manager. But being a good manager or leader does not necessarily make one a good facilitator. In fact, many of the assumptions and behaviors of facilitators are in stark contrast to those of managers and leaders. Effective facilitation takes a new set of skills, knowledge, and abilities, often posing a difficult challenge for those who must fulfill all three roles.

In their first book, the bestselling Managers As Facilitators, John Farrell and Richard Weaver presented a powerful, easy-to-understand model of facilitation that focused on getting work done. This new volume, The Practical Guide to Facilitation, is a hands-on companion to the first, helping people to quickly apply the theory and methods outlined in Managers As Facilitators, and more. This new resource provides clear guidance for teaching yourself the art and science of facilitation so that you can apply it to your own work situations.

This unique guide enables people to thoroughly learn the role of facilitator at their own pace. Versatile enough to be used not only in an independent study program, but also as part of a traditional classroom training program, The Practical Guide to Facilitation provides pragmatic, hands-on opportunities for users to learn the role of facilitator in their work settings. These useful exercises provide the reader with opportunities to learn through observation and introspection, practice the skills acquired, assess ones own progress, and plan for improvement.

Specifically structured to help users retain what they have read, this resource goes beyond merely informing the reader to actually making a difference in a persons day-to-day work. With The Practical Guide to Facilitation, Farrell and Weaver have created a powerful combination of easy-to-follow material and easy-to-use exercises that significantly advances the field of facilitation.

John D. Farrell is an author, consultant, professional facilitator, and keynote speaker with an extended background in strategic planning and management. His clients have included AT&T, The Biological Process Technology Institute of the University of Minnesota, Pillsbury Company, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Richard G. Weaver is an internationally recognized consultant, facilitator, speaker, trainer and executive coach with an extensive background in the dynamics of organizational change. He has performed significant facilitation work with such clients as AMOCO Production Company, AT&T, Saturn Corporation, and Chrysler Corporation.