Facilitating Group Discussions 101
Can we do this ourselves?
Yes, you can! Facilitating the creation of a strategic plan on your own can seem intimidating, but fear not! This guide will equip you and your team with some best practices for facilitating productive group discussions, which are the foundation for a solid strategic plan.
Overview of the facilitation process:
When you're working through building a strategic plan, the process is important, so we'd like to introduce you to the flow of a planning session.
Step 1 - Focus on one component of the plan at a time, include a clear definition, and maybe provide an example from another organization or ask the participants to find examples they like. (You can find a reference guide for each component and its definition here.)
Step 2 - Break into small groups to answer a few specific questions - this is the perfect time to use a digital or paper flipchart!
Step 3 - Regroup as a whole to review the data or ideas generated. Ask the group if there are answers that are similar to one another and gather the like ideas into themes. Use this data to draft a statement, title a priority, or draft a goal.
That’s it! Those are the basic three steps you'll put on repeat as you work through your plan.
Sample questions you might want to use during the process:
Vision:
What is our desired future?
If we jumped 50 years into the future, what would be proud of?
If you were giving an award acceptance speech on behalf of your organization, what would you say?
Mission:
What do we do?
For whom do we do it?
What makes us unique?
What sets us apart?
Values:
What are some values we should consider?
What do we hold as important to us?
Priority Areas:
What are some big ideas we want to focus on?
What are our organization's biggest priorities right now?
What are the most important things we need to focus on?
Outcomes:
What do we want to accomplish during the duration of this plan?
Look ahead four years from now, what will we be proud to have achieved?
Why do we want to do that? (this one can be repeated until getting to a deep enough level to have a goal accomplished)
Major Initiatives:
What needs to be done by our organization to achieve those outcomes?
How might we go about achieving those outcomes?
What needs to happen at each step of the process?
Other facilitation tips:
Facilitation takes practice! Don't be afraid to just dive in.
Put together a plan for each session. Note how much time you have for the conversation and map it out. Start from the end time and work backward.
You may find it helpful to have someone assigned to be the timekeeper. This person can participate in the conversation, but they also keep an eye on the time and provide reminders to the group. You, or the facilitator, may want to check in with the timekeeper throughout the session as well.
Set yourself up for success and take time to prepare. Note how many people will be participating, which flipcharts you will need, and how many markers and sticky notes you may need. Gather all of that in the room ahead of time!
Now that you know the components of the plan and have some tips for facilitating the conversation, you’re ready! We have more tips and strategic planning information coming your way as we get ready to launch our Strategic Plan Development Program.