FACILITATION PRESENTATION John T. Beaver, MBA

FACILITATION Definition - To make things easier, to smooth the progress of and to assist in making things happen. Facilitation is not about forcibly moving things forward. Facilitation is about allowing and creating an environment where things can move forward.

Presentation or Facilitation?

Good facilitators see and hear not only the obvious, but are tuned in to what else might be going on that isn't quite so apparent. They are skilled in interpreting the difficulties, resolving conflict, cutting through time wasting and diversionary tactics, and develop new practices that will work.

Presentation Facilitation

Whenever groups of people get together, two things are usually true: Everyone sees the world differently, no matter how similar their points of view may be. Everyone thinks their view is the right one.

What is the outcome of facilitation? When there is a spirit of cooperation and a willingness to arrive at a mutually agreed outcome, disparate points of view can work together, and people go away satisfied that their point of view has been taken into consideration and utilized in some way.

Sometimes a facilitator acts as a translator. Not only reflecting back what they've heard, but also interpreting it in a way that other people can understand. A good facilitator gets practiced in understanding the differing nuances, jargon and meanings in what various people are saying and being able to explain that difference to others. A useful phrase is "So what you're saying is…."

Roles of a Facilitator •Knowledge Expert •Instructor •Entertainer •Coordinator •Technician •Motivator •Questioner •Moderator

The Presentation that is Facilitated •Create with your objectives in mind •Remember it is the process that matters •Use multiple mediums Flip charts White Boards PowerPoint Demonstrations •“So what?”-factor

“So what’s the Solution?” HOW it’s done: The model forms a wheel. You start at the Bottom (the trust building phase) You start with the question that brings the group together, and ask them, “So what’s the Solution?” The Facilitator must listen carefully and capture EVERYTHING. Start HERE

Opening a Session Only one chance to make a first impression! Law of Primacy: People remember most what they hear first Welcome attendees Introduce the topics/agenda Show your enthusiasm/passion for subject matter Attendees remember most the first 10 minutes and the last 10 minutes of a presentation

Getting Participation •Smile and nod •Show genuine interest in your audience •Listen, Listen, Listen •Pause •Make eye contact •Ask questions and ask for personal examples •Solicit feedback and thoughts on a topic 45 minutes maximum time sitting 90 minutes maximum between breaks

Asking Questions Ask open ended questions Ask follow-up questions Include wait time Do not answer your own question Design time for questions, not just at the end

Answering Questions Repeat the question for clarification Answer concisely Make eye contact with the questioner and the audience Verify that you have answered the question

Practice - Energizing Delivery Physical Body Language Eye Contact Facial expression Use of Space Can Everyone See You? Movement / gestures Eye contact: focus on one person until you can clearly see the color of their eyes, then move on to another person Use of Space: Come into the depth of the room to get closer to your audience. And make sure you work both sides of the room. You don’t want to stay stationary all the time. At the same time, you don’t want to pace to the point where it’s like they’re watching a tennis match. Remember, the slides inform your audience but you persuade them

Energizing Delivery - Tips Stay Focused On The Customer Be Enthusiastic Use Conversational Style Use Notes As Needed Adapt to Situation Here are some additional tips on energizing your delivery. We’ll be giving you this entire presentation at the end of the day so you’ll have these tips with you.

Plan to connect with your audience and keep them engaged throughout your presentation. Prepare using a framework that allows you to make powerful, customer focused presentations every time. Present so that your audience retains the information and moves the sale forward. Review key points from presentation. Ask for any final questions Pass out the handouts (this entire presentation) to the group. Lead a discussion: Let’s discuss this presentation in particular What was OUR single sales objective for this workshop? Was our presentation informative, persuasive or both? What actions do we want you to take from this presentation? What actions do we want your RBMs to take from this presentation? Was the most pertinent content of this presentation in the slides or in our discussions with you? Did have an introduction? Did we have audience participation? How about a conclusion? So let me put you guys on the spot here, out of the two of us that presented, for the time period that we did present, who was more energized? Why? State the reasoning between our two styles

Importance of Closing •The last impression of the class is long-lasting •Law of Recency: People remember best what they hear last. Review the content Answer questions and items left on “Parking Lot” •Again, attendees remember most the first 10 minutes and the last 10 minutes of a presentation •Smile and Thank them for coming!