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January 02, 2005
Trainer vs. Teacher vs. Facilitator
Distinguishing a Trainer, from a Teacher, from a Facilitator
The words trainer, teacher and facilitator although used interchangeably are not the same. Robert Hayles, former senior vice president of two major corporations and now a nationally known diversity consultant, says it is important to know how you think about these distinctions, and it is equally important to know how your audience may think about them.
TRAINERS
In the HR or OD profession, those who go into training are thought to be people who have bubbly personalities, carry a bag of tricks (i.e. ice breakers, games, etc.), and a tool kit (flip charts, markers and an awesome PowerPoint presentation). While some or all of this may be true for an individual trainer, training is skilled-based work. A trainer works with employees to develop skills and knowledge in a specific area to use on the job. One of the pitfalls of training is that sometimes organizations send inividuals to training classes so that "institutional problems" can be fixed. Training individuals in skill development does not address organizational problems or infrastructure challenges.
TEACHERS
Hayles characterizes teachers as ones who impart knowledge; they are more interested in the process of discovery, the "whole person", and their classes are often content driven. Teaching is a blend of giving students the content, stimulating discussions about the content, and then helping them arrive at their own conclusions. Teaching, like training, is often driven by standards or competencies of acceptance.
FACILITATORS
A facilitator is someone who may, or may not, have any knowledge about the content of the group with whom she/he is working. Facilitators are "process driven" and their goal is to help two or more parties engage with each other in conversation. They help people talk and listen to each other so they can mutually arrive at a shared outcome or destination.
Phases of Group Development
INCLUSION:
Individuals are trying to determine the level of significance or insignificance they feel in the group. The degree to which they feel signifiant (i.e. valued) may have some impact on how productive they become. Those who feel isolated or insignificant will withhold information, withdraw from conversation, or may choose to leave the organization entirely.
CONTROL:
Control has to do with issues of competence and incompetence. When groups of people meet and are asked to change a task or process, resistance will often occur because you are asking individuals to do something they are not comfortable doing. That discomfort, in part, may be due to a lack of knowledge and/or skills. Very few organizaitions allow time for failure; they spend little time in re-equipping people with new skills. By nature, some of us prefer more control, or structure, than others.
OPENNESS:
Openness relates to issues concerning our personal environment. Is it safe to be who we really are, to be authentic? Openness is often confused with terms like "Let's be honest," or "Come straight to me if you have a problem." Communication and the lack of honesty are rarely the problem. Instead, the problem has to do with how open and free the environment is for people to bring their full contribution to the forefront.
Openness, tied up with concerns of like and dislike, is also affected by different cultural views. Some individuals may come from a culture where personal conections and building relationships must be established prior to conducting business. Other cultures are more task-oriented and do not require relationships to get things done. Facilitators can help an organization understand these differences, and have conversations about how to work together to reach mutual objectives.
Honest communicaiton must be preceded by creating group rules for conversation. Boundaries on what and how people talk with each other should be established and then agreed upon by all members of the work group. The statement, "It's a free country and I can say what I want," does not mean what we think it means. Truthful conversations done in a constructive manner (withoug personal attacks or blame) require forethoguht and respect so that all people feel treated fairly and justly. Conversation can best occur when individuals are encouraged to share who they are and what they think in a way that allows for an atmosphere of openness. This requires a lot of hard work for both the participants and the facilitator.
ATTRIBUTES of an EFFECTIVE FACILITATOR:
1. Understand that conflict is a viable part of work place dynamics, whether it is due to differenes of opinion, to differneces in perception, or even differences in how groups approach the work. Cultural backgrounds often have an impact on these dynamics as well.
2. Remain neutral so you can help both parties engage with each other in conversation.
3. Be knowledgeable about your belief systems and not allow these systems to interfere with the process if the group is going somewhere that would conflict with your beliefs. Know when to remove yourself, if necessary.
4. Be aware of your own hot buttons that would make it hard to remain objective.
5. Understand how groups function and do homework on group norms.
6. Be knowledgeable about different cultures within the organization or educational institution and in the room (e.g. engineers, marketing people, Latinos, Asians, international individuals/groups, etc.).
7. Be able to refer participants to resources that go beyond the scope of the particular class or group session.
SKILLS of an EFFECTIVE FACILITATOR:
1. The ability to be "process oriented" or be able to focus on the "how"
2. Ability to help participants overcome their resistance to change
3. Listening, not only to what is said, but for what is NOT said
4. Ability to describe the dynamics going on in the room (i.e. to describe specific behaviors of others, then build bridges where you see gaps in the communication process)
5. Ability to give constructive feedback and coach individuals
6. Ability to describe your own discomfort with a process
7. Ability to endure a certain amount of discomfort. There will come a time in the facilitation process when the group will appear to be floundering. As a facilitator, you must learn when to allow for silence, and when to intervene. You need to be in touch with your own level of discomfort and tolerance for such ambiguity.
8. Faith in the process. This is when the magic of facilitation comes alive.
Posted by Kristie at January 2, 2005 05:59 PM