The role of the meeting facilitator

A VERSATILE ROLE

The main function of the facilitator is to ensure the smooth running of a meeting and to achieve the desired objectives. A versatile person, she is able to take on several roles at the same time.

The facilitator moderates the meeting to keep participants awake and focused. Also a mediator, he ensures communication between all stakeholders. To put them at ease and for the event to take place in the best conditions, he also plays the role of architect. He is responsible for setting up the meeting room, preparing the table, adjusting the brightness of the room, deciding the place of each participant, etc.

For optimal exchanges , the arrangement of furniture must be well thought out. The setting should be conducive to participant interaction. For a truly successful meeting, the facilitator must use his imagination, whether in terms of the decor of the room or in terms of the established discussions.

Among other things, the facilitator is a leader, a coach, a mentor or an assistant. In short, having this person on board leads to more efficient, more lively, more enjoyable, more productive and better organized meetings.

THE QUALITIES OF THE FACILITATOR?

It is important to emphasize that the theme of the meeting that the facilitator organizes is not decided by the latter, and does not result from his reflections. As a result, he must respect the position of the Project Manager who is behind it, while knowing how to remain impartial, withdrawn from any debates.

He must remain imperturbable and be as neutral as possible, not taking the side of any participant in the meeting. On the contrary, the facilitator must be a connector: it is the point of connection between all the participants. He enlightens and shares everyone’s ideas and proposals, in order to create harmony between employees.

All of this requires the facilitator to be responsive, quick-witted and a sharp listener. He is there to reinforce what is said during the meeting and try to highlight what is not said, so that everyone can have the opportunity to express themselves.

EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES

To carry out his task, the facilitator must implement well-studied approaches. During the meeting, he invites everyone to participate with enthusiasm, while taking care not to monopolize the floor.

The fact of asking questions , of asking the opinion of each person on the various subjects on the agenda, is enough to make the participants interact. So that the meeting does not go off topic, the facilitator can get the members back on track by guiding them through questions or by indirectly advancing an idea that requires thought in line with the subject discussed.

The role of the facilitator can also be present in different ways in a company. He can, as we have just seen, be present in the organization of various meetings, but he can also accompany the company in crisis. He will thus be able to identify the problems and participate in the lifting of the blockages encountered within the collaborators. He can, in the same perspective, accompany the teams of the company in their change, and then becomes a guide of change. Its role is therefore very human, but also very strategic, and can take on different aspects, depending on the expected objectives.