More than 36 million business meetings occur every day in the US. Half this time is reported as unproductive. That’s an estimated $280 billion spent each year on wasted meetings.
Do you need to get everyone together to accomplish important goals that are getting lost in day-to-day management and the putting out of fires?
Are there elephants in the room that need revealing and relocation?
Do you need to make sure that at the end of your meeting, you and your team have an action plan, realistic expectations, and a sense of optimistic commitment?
Do you need someone who can simultaneously bring content, coordination, and direction to an event so that YOU can actually prepare for and participate in the problem solving sessions yourself?
Cascata provides facilitation of group meetings to guide participants through discussions so that all viewpoints can be heard and contributions considered.
Our facilitators help group discussions produce buy-in, shared responsibility, and actionable next steps. We provide structure for decision-making and execution of solutions around issues of high importance involving organizational change and process improvement.
Purpose of Facilitation
Facilitation is used to add structure to a discussion to help a group of people get from point A to point B in the most efficient and effective manner. Facilitation can be useful for group meetings as well as discussions between two or more individuals experiencing conflict or disagreement.
Role of Facilitator
The facilitator's job is to focus on the "how" while participants in the discussion are focused on the "what." A good facilitator manages the process of the discussion to guide participants in an objective and neutral manner to a successful decision, solution, or conclusion. Outside facilitators are often valuable when people are likely to have strong opinions about the subject matter or personal interest in the outcomes or when the topic is of high importance to the organization. An outside facilitator can guide the group through the discussion and keep everyone on task without any personal bias or stake in the subject or the outcomes.
Meeting Facilitation
In facilitating group meetings, Cascata facilitators work to ensure all viewpoints are heard so all contributions can be considered. Our facilitators invite participation and disparate points of view, and focus on helping people achieve shared understanding, invest in the process, and feel ownership of the outcomes.
Conflict Resolution
Cascata facilitators can help resolve conflict or disagreement between two or more people that have reached an impasse. As with a group discussion, an outside facilitator comes in free of personal views, opinions, or any stake in the matter. Our role as facilitator is to create a safe, structured environment by which the individuals in conflict can work toward reaching agreements. The facilitator's job is not to make these individuals like each other but rather to help them achieve a more effective working relationship.
“Great facilitators are like the best conductors — they reach beyond the notes to reach the magic in the players.”