In PD101, facilitation was
differentiated from training in this way:
Training involves moving
from unknowns to knowns
to meet objectives that
were established beforehand.
It focuses on a specific set of skills
or knowledge that can be applied
in the workplace.
Facilitation is a process where
participants start with information
about a topic or problem
and work toward an outcome.
The outcome is not set
when the facilitation process begins.
A facilitator leads this process.
For webinars, the leader acts
more as a facilitator than a trainer.
A facilitator is often referred to as
"a guide on the side, not a sage on the stage."
Like tour guides, facilitators have
an audience consisting of members
who have their own interests,
who participate for knowledge and context.
Audiences don't want to
spend the day looking at the tour guide
or focusing on irrelevant material.
Facilitation skills include the ability to:
Create an atmosphere where
meaningful learning can take place,
Spark excitement and anticipation,
Encourage active involvement,
and Transfer the responsibility of learning
into the hands of the participants.
Facilitators have a
number of responsibilities
that tie into effective learning.
In particular, they should
Be prepared and punctual in
starting and executing activities,
Set a climate of openness and learning,
Encourage participation and
provide opportunities to apply learning,
Establish and maintain positive interactions,
and Evaluate the climate of the group,
making tweaks to the delivery of
content style, as needed.
To optimize delivery,
facilitators can reflect on
these questions based on
adult learning theory:
Self-concept —
Am I responsive to audience and time?
Do I have options to deliver content
with engagement as time
and responsiveness allows?
Do I manage interactive activities
so participants can participate fully?
Experience —
Am I creating opportunities
for audience feedback?
Do I use effective facilitation techniques
to draw out audience insights?
Orientation of Learning —
Do I kick off the training by highlighting
how the content will assist
with real-world problems?
Is this based on audience pre-assessment data?
Readiness to Learn —
Am I engaging the audience
to create teachable moments?
Am I demonstrating the lesson is relevant?
Leveraging these concepts will
better prepare you to
engage audience members
and increase participation.
Now, let's look at some other tips
for audience engagement
as a facilitator.
Being an effective facilitator is
not just about understanding your role,
it is also about playing it.
Here are tips for how to
give your best performance
during the webinar.
Pay attention to the audio.
Audio is a vital element of a webinar.
To make sure that everything goes smoothly,
pick the right location for the setup.
Find a quiet room to record.
Consider using a landline
instead of a wireless Internet connection
to avoid any potential Wi-Fi "dropouts."
Use a superior microphone.
Use a headset instead of
relying on the built-in microphone
on your laptop or desktop computer.
If the webinar includes multiple speakers
in the same location,
equip yourself with a high-quality speakerphone.
Speak clearly and fluently.
To make sure that voice-overs are effective,
avoid fillers such as "uhm" or "err."
Use vocal variety to captivate your audience.
Use short stories to introduce yourself.
Explaining what brought you to
the topic will establish trust
and develop an emotional connection
between facilitator and audience.
Speak with authority,
but maintain a welcoming,
conversational tone.
Be enthusiastic.
You are talking to people,
not to the computer.
Address the audience by using
the pronoun "you" in sentences.
Use humor.
Don't be afraid to throw in a funny comment,
but be sure it is politically
and culturally correct and relevant.
Orient participants.
Always lay out the ground rules for participants.
This includes courtesies
such as muting phones when not speaking
and speaking one at a time.
This also includes instructions on
how to use the webinar platform.
Dress professionally.
If using a webcam,
make sure you dress professionally
and have proper lighting
and neutral office background.
Also, look directly into the camera.
These are some of the "do's" of facilitation.
Some of the "don'ts" will be
reviewed in the next section.