Description
You can learn how to facilitate group sessions if you like it
Good collaboration is a stimulus for job satisfaction and the achievement of goals and results in every organisation. But working together doesn’t happen by itself. As a professional, you combine your substantive expertise with other roles, such as project leader or advisor, and to successfully fulfil these roles you need a separate set of competencies. This certainly also applies to a role that has become increasingly important in recent years; that of facilitator; supervisor of (smaller or larger) groups. The importance of this role is due to the increasing size and complexity of programmes and projects. The first acquaintance with this role often gives the feeling of being on an expedition in an unknown country. What laws apply here, how do I navigate, how do I deal with people who suddenly react differently than I expect? How do I provide a clear program and how do I guide a group in such a way that they achieve their desired goals together, instead of ‘getting lost’?
This book was created in the practice of learning professional facilitators. Their experience and ten most important learning questions were the source of inspiration for this book.
The core of this book is formed by ‘the compass for the facilitator’, a handy thinking model that we have combined with practical tips. Even if you are in danger of getting lost, you know what to do to keep the group session on track.
In this second edition, we pay special attention to the rapid development that online organization of group meetings and collaboration in projects has undergone. Online facilitation leads to all kinds of new challenges, ‘high touch meets high tech’.
The Facilitator’s Compass is the practical handbook for the professional facilitator or developer of group sessions.
Job van den Berg is a leading professional at Strategy & Management Consultants of Royal HaskoningDHV. He has years of experience in facilitating large and small groups, at the intersection of administrative, political, and substantively complex projects. Anita Mulder is a trainer and (team) coach, developing learning paths for professionals is her passion. Job and Anita have been working together for twenty years, this book is the fruit of this collaboration.
