Group Facilitation
Group Facilitation
It’s a tricky word “facilitation” –so let’s define it: The act of helping other people to deal with a process or reach an agreement or solution without getting directly involved in the process (Cambridge English Dictionary)
Alison is frequently asked by leaders to be a facilitator in their business and provide independent support. Perhaps a team are in conflict of some kind, maybe two people are at loggerheads with each other, or a senior leader is struggling with a direct report. On the other hand it may be that the team need to brainstorm some new business ideas or work through a business planning agenda without getting distracted or derailed.
Tensions in teams and between individuals impact performance and productivity, sometimes consciously but often unconsciously. The employee who is passively disengaged can quickly become actively disengaged if issues are not addressed and solutions found. This can affect a leader’s overall team morale as well as productivity.
Benefits
Whatever your need, Alison can provide for you:
- A full diagnosis of what is really going on prior to any intervention and agreement across parties
- A group process to follow
- A safe and trusting discussion environment with agreed parameters and expectations
- An independent voice to offer challenge, ask the hard question and play devil’s advocate
- A skilled observer who can give feedback and enable the team dynamics to move forward
- An opportunity for the leader to join in and come from a place of level playing field
- An accelerated group or partnership process that ends in resolution, results and actions
Solutions
Alison has always had an uncanny knack of picking up the dynamics of a team and its relationships, a natural strength which has been honed through years of experience with leaders and teams. Alison has a safe and productive way of sharing observations and feedback with others. She is not afraid to challenge and through clever and careful questioning can often get to what really matters to people so progress can be made.
Alison is also skilled in enabling others to step up and have the hard conversation they are avoiding at work, and in life. She helps them with confidence and competence in giving feedback and asking for what they want.
Contact Alison to talk about your team’s needs and how she may be able to support you
“The University of Canterbury, MBA programme contracted Alison to facilitate a workshop to form the Canterbury MBA Graduate Association. Alison did an exceptional job facilitating and probing the group to think laterally when developing the Association. Attendees praised Alison’s facilitation methods and the workshop outputs which became the foundation of the Canterbury MBA Graduate Association. I have no hesitation in contracting Alison again.”
David Shearer,
Director - Executive Development Programmes and the MBA
University of Canterbury
“Alison is a trusted and capable referral partner to Bishop Associates Recruitment. I have worked with Alison for almost a decade and she is one of the first people I think about when my clients ask me to refer a consultant for team development work. Alison is professional yet down to earth, agile yet structured and whilst empathetic is not afraid to have challenging conversations. Reputation is important in the Christchurch market and the great and consistent feedback I get on Alison’s services is a constant reassurance that she goes the extra mile to meet the needs of her clients – I then get to bask in the reflected glory associated with making a good referral…!”
Rob Bishop,Owner
Bishop Associates
