Facilitators, Consultants and Trainers -- Oh, My!!

When I find myself with a group of my peers -- others who devote their professional lives to working with groups for the betterment of the organization -- the discussion inevitably turns to parsing whether each of us thinks of herself as a consultant, a facilitator, or a trainer.  Recently, I overheard one party in such a conversation tell another:  "Then you're not really a facilitator -- you're a facilitative trainer."

My reaction to these conversations is always the same:  an immediate, loud, internal "WHO CARES?"

Those of us in this type of group work may be the last bastion of those who define themselves professionally in terms of what they DO, rather than in terms of what they DELIVER.  Anyone who has ever taken an Intro to Marketing class can tell you this is a huge error -- products and services are best defined from the CUSTOMER point of view.

Do any of us seriously believe that our clients CARE whether, at any given moment, what we are doing is most accurately classified as facilitating or training?  I doubt it.  Which makes me wonder why we devote so much time and energy to it. 

The irony, of course, is obvious, if you look at the title of this blog.  I have yet to come up with a better way.  What I HAVE learned is that each of us can best serve our clients by being proficient in the tools and techniques of ALL practice areas engaged in group work for organizational improvement, in so far as we are personally able.  The more complete our tool kit, the more inclined we are likely to be to searching for the BEST solution for our client's organizational issues.  If we overidentify with our processes, rather than with our client's desired outcomes, we run the risk of seeing varied and complex issues through only one lens.  The old saying is true:  "When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail."

Comments

[Antivirus_man]

I liked your site, you are very interesting to write. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[The Masterful Facilitator]

Hi, Kiersten!

I can give you more specific information if you let me know more about your particular questions and/or areas of interest. For now, here are some good, basic facilitation resources:

"Facilitating with Ease!" by Ingrid Bens provides a pretty complete overview of the core skills and behaviors of facilitation. Best for beginning facilitators or those wanting to fill in gaps in understanding or skills.

"The Skilled Facilitator" by Roger Schwarz is, I think, a bit more in-depth. Provides somewhat deeper theoretical information and a few more advanced suggestions.

There are, of course, myriad resources in terms of techniques and approaches for particular situations. As I said, I'd be glad to offer some suggestions if you can let me know more about your specific interests. Also, look for resource reviews in upcoming blog posts.

[Kiersten]

I am almost intrigued by this topic and would like to learn more. Could you please recommend some book to begin with? I have found many articles and periodical at http://www.pdfspirit.com/kangur-matematyczny-2010-wyniki pdf books and periodical search engine, but am not sure if it is all worth reading. Thank you for your advice.