Facilitator’s tips

Introduction 

Introduction 

This document provides general tips for facilitators who are delivering any of the modules within this resource.  By facilitators, we mean a community worker or someone who has a role in supporting the development of community organisations, rather than group members.

Why facilitation matters

The resource has been designed for groups to use independently, but it is likely to be more effective if it is facilitated by a community worker or someone whose role involves providing capacity building support to community groups. 

This resource will help groups to reflect on their work, plan ahead and further develop their organisation, all which are  essential to building stronger community organisations.

How to use this resource

Our How to Use section provides general information regarding all of the modules within this learning resource. The How To Use section of the site has instructions for groups and support staff on how to save the materials using Google Drive or Dropbox securely to store their learning and planning documents.

How long does it take?

In ideal conditions, each module takes about 3 - 4 hours of contact time to deliver.. This assumes people arrive on time and does not take account of interpreting. Though some groups who helped test materials were prepared to commit this time, in many cases it may be necessary to split the sessions over shorter periods that groups can manage. There may also be parts of the module which groups could do as homework, either individually or in a small group. 

Online and face to face working 

The approach to module content has been tested in face to face and online delivery and has worked in both  formats. There are both advantages and disadvantages for both methods and facilitators should agree with the group which will work better for their group, based on their needs. 

Working together

Module 1 provides the opportunity for groups to agree ground rules about how they would like  to work together as a group. However it is also useful for you as a community worker or facilitator to have a discussion with the group about what support you can provide, what you expect from each other and how you will work together.  You could do this either before you begin the modules or you could incorporate this into the Ground Rules discussion in Module 1. 

Barriers to participation

Facilitators should consider anything that will prevent group members from taking part and discuss with their group. This could include:

  • Timing and location of meetings

  • Digital devices and data (if meeting online)

  • Childcare

  • Language barriers 

  • Travel

Working with interpreters

If you are working with an interpreter, you will have to take this into account when you are planning the session, particularly around timings and methods of delivery. It is also important to brief the interpreter before the session. More information about working with an interpreter can be found here.

Trauma informed practice 

We know that many people in Scotland are affected by trauma resulting from harmful experiences. It is therefore important that facilitators are aware of the impact that trauma can have and consider how they would support someone if the need arises, perhaps by making time to speak to them after the group session and being aware of other organisations who can provide support. If you would like more information, then please click here

Ongoing Learning

Participants are also encouraged to keep some personal notes on their individual and group learning from the modules. This is to help retain the great collective insights that almost always arise from these sessions, so that they are more usable for the future.  

Format of the modules

Each module webpage includes:

  • A brief written introduction to the module. You can use this at the start of the session within any welcome and introductions that you do at the beginning.

  • Let’s get started – an introductory discussion to get people chatting to each other and to begin to think about the topic of the module. It may be a good idea to ask people to work in small groups of two or three on these introductory sessions.

  • Presentations – you can use the presentations with audio or if you prefer, you can deliver the presentation yourself using the slides provided. 

  • Group discussions – there are several group discussions within each module and associated templates for groups to complete. Alternatively, groups can use their own way of recording, for example, using flipcharts, but make sure that any materials are saved. This could be done by writing them up or taking photos and by saving them electronically.

  • Templates - these are working documents which can have practical benefit to the group and can be updated over time. 

  • Next steps – there are often concluding discussions around next steps which may involve the group agreeing further actions and dates for future meetings.

Delivering the resource to groups

The resource can be delivered to a whole committee, or to a smaller subgroup of one organisation. It is not designed to deliver to a range of groups at the same time, but rather it is about enabling the management committee of an organisation to work together, to have meaningful discussions and to produce practical and useful forward planning documents, for example, an action plan or a funding strategy. It can also be used with less formal groups.. The resource  could also be used with individuals members of committees to build their skills and knowledge. This could be helpful in supporting new office bearers in an organisations or for succession planning with those thinking of taking on roles in organisations 

All plans developed are designed to be monitored on an ongoing basis and to be reviewed periodically, and thus this resource will be most effective if it is used to support a group over a period of time, although it can also be used to deliver a one off session if that is what is required by the group.

Module materials 

If you are facilitating the modules, then you can use all the materials for groups within the module web pages themselves. These include: 

  • Presentations - narrated video versions of all of the project presentations which can be played directly from the site to a group, or individuals within it. This will work best if it is projected on a wall or screen as the scale of presentations is not suitable for smaller devices.  We have also provided the presentations without audio if you prefer to deliver the presentation yourself.

  • Templates that groups can use to record the content of group discussion and any specific actions and which they can save and use in future. 

  • Factsheets which can be accessed and viewed directly from the pages on key topics where further detail is felt to be helpful.

The templates can be downloaded, completed saved by groups so that their work is able to be stored securely and shared. Groups can record their findings on flip charts or on paper versions of the module materials if they prefer, although if they do so, then it is important to agree who will write all the materials up.  Most importantly is that the group finds the way which works for them and that they keep a record of all the documents they produce and that they can be accessed by key members of the group. 

If groups are working offline, then the documents can be downloaded and used as paper copies.

For more information on how to save and store documents, please see here

Facilitator's  Packs

Facilitators will find a draft Programme (if required) and a Facilitator's Pack for each module.  

Each Facilitator's Pack will include:

  • A Facilitation Plan Template which you can use to create your own facilitation plan

  • All the presentations, without audio, which you can use if you want to present the materials yourself or if you want to print handouts for the group. Please note that some of the functions of the presentation do not work within the shared drive, so it is important to download them before you use them

  • Templates required for the module

  • All the Factsheets for the module

You can access the Facilitator’s Packs here.

Facilitation Plan

We strongly  suggest that you use our facilitation plan templates  to create your own plan of how to deliver the sessions. This will include:

  • All details of the meeting (venue, zoom link) and contact details of interpreters, creche, etc if you are using

  • Some brief notes on the learning outcomes the session is designed to meet

  • Any additional notes about the group, for example, name, contact details, any support needs

Followed by a table which helps you to keep track of the action with columns covering:

  • Timings of each sections

  • Brief description of each item on the programme

  • Method for each item (for example, you may wish to think about whether to work with your group as a whole or whether to split people into smaller groups or pairs)

  • Notes of any other resources you might need to use like online linksyou might need during the session

  • Name of who is going to facilitate each section (particularly important if you are working with another colleague to facilitate the session)

  • Any additional notes for yourself

Good facilitation

Your facilitation plan will help you to prepare for your session and to deliver the session effectively.

At the beginning of the session, it is always useful to:

  •  Introduce yourself

  • Give people some housekeeping instructions (what to do if there is a fire alarm, where the toilets are)

  • Agree how you work together (for example, zoom etiquette, ground rules)

  • Purpose of the day

  • Programme for the day (including timings for breaks, lunch and when the session ends)

  • Connecting Up - ask participants to take part in some kind of connecting up or getting to know you exercise.  

During the session, consider different methods of facilitating the group, as using a variety of methods will usually make the session more interesting.. These can include:

  • Discussions with the whole group

  • Small group discussions 

  • People working in pairs - this can sometimes be useful to get people talking and thinking about the topic

  • Whether you need feedback from these discussions or not and if so, how you will collect it (flipcharts, asking people to be note takers, asking people to give verbal feedback)

  • Using pictures or visuals or asking people to write on post it notes

At the end of the session, it is always useful to:

  • Consider who or how you will write up everything that you have discussed, where you will store it and how it will be shared with the whole group

  • Agree next steps (for example, when you will meet again or any actions that have been agreed)

  • Give people some time to reflect on the session and to raise anything that they haven’t had a chance to say

  • Carry out some evaluation about the session (asking them what worked well and what could be improved). 

Feedback

As we are still developing the modules, then your feedback is really important. After you have delivered a module, please encourage your group to give us any feedback or share details of any evaluation comments. Also, please give us your own comments around what worked well, and equally important, what didn’t work so well or what could be improved.