The Facilitator’s Skills and Tools (11425) – 2 Days

Course Description:  

This course equips participants with the mindset, tools, and techniques necessary to become an exceptional facilitator. From understanding the principles of facilitation, to supporting group dynamics and using practical facilitation tools, participants will learn how to guide diverse teams toward success. A special focus is placed on intentional facilitation design, team development models, and key practices that ensure effective collaboration in hybrid, in-person, and virtual settings.  

Course duration: 2 days 

Course Format: Virtual  - English

Target Audience:  

This course is designed for individuals who are eager to enhance their facilitation skills, better understand team dynamics, and guide groups to achieve collaborative success across various settings.  

Course Outcomes:  

Upon completion of this course, participants will have developed a strong facilitation toolkit, using proven practices to manage diverse group dynamics effectively. They will be equipped with tools and techniques to foster inclusivity, facilitate idea generation, and guide decision-making processes. Participants will understand how to apply team development models, utilize facilitation tools, and adapt their facilitation approach to different environments—ensuring success in collaborative scenarios.  

Learning Objectives:  

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:  

• Adopt a facilitation mindset  
• Design facilitated events effectively  
• Ask powerful questions   
• Facilitate based on group dynamics  
• Apply key facilitation tools and techniques  
• Identify the right tools for specific purposes  
• Maintain participant engagement throughout sessions  
• Apply strategies to deal with difficult behaviors effectively  

Modules:  

DAY 1: PEOPLE  

• Module 1: The Facilitator’s Mindset  

Introduces or re-introduces essential concepts of facilitation that will prepare participants to lead productive and respectful conversations.  

• Module 2: What Makes a Group?  

Explores key principles of group facilitation and team dynamics to foster collaboration and effectiveness.  

• Module 3: Groups That Work  

Introduces group development stages and tools enhance team alignment and performance.   

DAY 2: PROCESSES   

• Module 4: Crucial Facilitator Practices  

Focuses on essential practices for more effective and inclusive facilitation.   

• Module 5: Identifying the Right Tool for the Right Purpose  

Covers methods for generating, evaluating, and prioritizing ideas to ensure the most impactful solutions are selected.   

• Module 6: Moving Forward with Facilitation  

Introduces tools for organizing ideas and action planning, to guide teams in implementing their goals.   

• Module 7: Facilitating Challenging Conversations 

Focuses on keeping participants engaged throughout the session and navigating high-stakes objectives, and challenging conversations.

Course Instructor

Marc Valois is a Principal and Senior Consultant of the Intersol Group, he is an extremely dynamic and effective group “architect”, facilitator and “enabler” for Executive dialogue in both official languages. He has over 25 years of experience in a variety of projects including the provision of engagement strategies in support of multi-stakeholder expert advisory committees, strategic planning, change management, organizational transformation and program and policy development for clients at the most senior levels of government. Marc has incorporated the use of online engagement technologies in his work. These online spaces have offered his clients the potential for greater reach and higher levels of engagement as participants enjoy a high degree of flexibility to connect “anytime, anyplace”, and can connect with a broader range of perspectives and ideas than they would through traditional face-to-face interaction.

Laïla Ouazzani-Touhami is the Learning adviser and a bilingual intermediate trainer at Intersol, with a focus on communication, leadership, emotional intelligence, and foundational facilitation skills. She approaches every training project with the goal of helping clients achieve their potential by responding to their professional needs and objectives. Her strengths are creating courageous environments for people to express their ideas and ask questions. She considers every topic with an open mind and welcomes all thought processes.

Questions

To find out more, please contact info@intersol.ca