FACILITATION

 

What is Facilitation?

Facilitation means the professional conduction by independent, external experts of workshops, team-meetings, negotiations, conferences and multi-stakeholder planning processes.

 

Phases:

Introduction Þ generation, compilation and evaluation of ideas Þ perception and analysis of the problem(s) Þ design, selection and implementation of solutions Þ definition of goals and clarification of tasks Þ collection of "feedback" Þ preparation of transcriptions (reports)

 

Advantages:

All participants are involved in the work process in equal terms. As the facilitators are in charge of the process, the participants may concentrate fully on the content. Process and procedures are completely transparent and allow truly consensual results. Facilitation turns collaborative planning highly effective (in terms of time / human resources / money).



When to Contact a Facilitator?

  • In situations of reflection, planning or decision making with a need to involve interested stakeholders (employees, servants, employees, citizens, politicians, etc.).
  • Whenever affected or interested stakeholders have to be informed, heard or involved in designing solutions and decision making
  • When a participative process needs to be promoted effective and sustainably
  • When there is a need to ensure that everyone - regardless of existing hierarchies – will be included and may speak and work on an equal basis
  • When you want to work on contents and do not want to bother with the process, leaving the conduction of the meetings to professionals.

 

You Contact Us… and Then? How Will This Work?

  • The first step is to contact us. Use the function “Contact” for this purpose and write us an e-mail explaining the general situation - or simply request a meeting
  • During the first meeting we will analyse the situation together with you and propose a preliminary process design (e. g. meeting schedule or stakeholder-analysis)
  • Next we will contact the “other(s)” (person(s), institution(s) or enterprise(s), checking their readiness to integrate and perform a participative process.
  • If all crucial stakeholders are ready to join in, we design (together with our client) the methodology of the process or meeting
  • We develop the necessary logistics, negotiate the concrete organizational term(s) of the event(s) and prepare all working materials.
  • We execute the process in a structured but flexible way, ensuring at any time independence towards the topics under discussion and with regard to the decisions to be made. Furthermore we guarantee neutrality and equidistance towards all participants.
  • Finally we prepare transcription reports, containing all discussions and results and - at the end of the process - a comprehensive report (without any interpretation of results)

 

Our Experience in Facilitation ···       

  • We collaborate for more than 15 years with several universities in Portugal, organizing and running workshops and meetings within the framework of scientific projects and planning.
  • We work for more than 15 years with city councils around the country organizing and facilitating public participation processes in the context of Local Agenda 21 or Municipal Environmental Development Plans.
  • In the meantime we have facilitated about 300 participatory workshops and numerous complex stakeholder meetings, contracted by quite a variety of clients.
  • Our large network comprises national and international organizations and institutions. Thus we are able to convene teams of experienced facilitators, adequate to any type of participatory process. Furthermore – if convenient - we might integrate a wide range of professional expertise, inviting experts to our project teams (e. g. as consultants or supervisors)

 

Some Project Examples     HERE                    

Consult a list of our clients     HERE

 

Interested?    Contact us:      ursula.caser@mediatedomain.com