TAB Board Facilitation: What Really Works from Lessons Learned

1. TAB Board Facilitation: What Really Works from Lessons Learned TAB Conference Winter 2007 Bob Kramer, MBA, MA, CMC TAB Facilitator Monterey & Salinas California

2. Overview 60 mins 30 mins • Expectations • The Tao • Definition, Roles & Responsibilities • Facilitation: Two Approaches • Practical Tip Checklists Part Two Bob’s “Gee Wiz 12” Proven Facilitator Q’s and Techniques & Methods that get great results

3. Key “Run”-Aways Sharing of wisdom and “best practices” for more effective TAB Board facilitation leading to increased: • TABmember learning & growth • TAB member participation • TAB member value & satisfaction • TAB member longevity

4. Expectations What facilitation issues are you most interested in? • Timing (time slicing) • Member participation • Member insights • Member focus • Member discussion • Member bonding

5. A Definition of Facilitation A dictionary defines it as, “to make easier…” • To Empower • To Make Apparent • To Simplify • To Expedite • To Smooth • To Accelerate • To Lighten • To Promote • To Enlighten

6. A Preferred Definition “Facilitation is a way of providing leadership without taking the reins. It’s about getting others to assume responsibility and take the lead.” FromFacilitating With Ease!

7. A Facilitator’s Bibles Facilitating With Ease Ingrid Bens The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource for Consultants, Facilitators, Managers, Trainers and Coaches By Roger M. Schwartz

8. What Are Facilitators We are “Un-Ministers” Ministers comfort the afflicted, “Un-Ministers” (Facilitators) afflict the comforted!

9. A Purpose for Facilitation “One of the greatest discoveries man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do. Most of the bars we beat against are in ourselves— we put them there, And (with a facilitator’s help) WE can take them down.” -Henry Ford

10. TAB Facilitation Is About… The 6 Most Common Self-Limiting Beliefs I take little or no responsibility for my business or the progress of my life. Something is wrong with me, you and everybody else. I don’t deserve the best in life. I am fearful of what I haven’t done. I can never have what I really want. My business and life are just one long struggle. from Optimal Thinking by Rosaline Glickman

11. A Facilitator’s Perspective • Two heads are always better than one • Members tend to resist any new habit that is outside their comfort zone (FUD=Fear, Uncertainty, Doubts) • Members want to learn new personal and business habits that will lead to greater success • TAB members are intelligent, curious, risk takers, under potential and ambitious • Everyone’s opinion is of equal value • Members want to be trusted and held accountable for the decisions that they make • Members want an honest coach who believes in them and holds a “mirror” up to them expecting risk taking, with significantly improved performance and results

12. Trust-Building Behaviors Establish clear expectations Demonstrate honesty and integrity Share credit for tasks accomplished Be open and direct with communication Be non-judgmental of ideas Keep commitments and appointments Respect others feelings Manage conflict and poor performance Model effective leader and business behavior

13. TAB Facilitators That “Walk the Talk” Believe in the ability of others to accomplish great things Bring out the best in others Ask questions that teach and guide Provide resources that allow others to do their best work Always keep people moving towards their objectives, goals and visions

14. Five Key Things TAB Facilitators Should Be Doing Helping our members define their strategic driving force, personal and business visions, mission, USP, goals, objectives, strategies, plans and budgets Teaching the difference between content (what: Board Meetings) and process (how: MDQ, SBL) Assisting our members assess their needs, problems and requirements and create plans to meet them (pvt. sessions + consulting) Providing processes for better time management Offering new thinking and options for better decision-making

15. What Else Do TAB Facilitators Do? We: Guide discussions and keep board meetings on track Make and keep accurate notes and member commitments Provide new tools for thinking, planning and execution Make sure that assumptions are surfaced and tested Ultimately make meetings effective through good, positive and supportive atmosphere, communications, collaboration, coaching and decision-making

16. TAB Facilitator’s Responsibilities • Pre and post board meeting planning • Create a safe environment for dialogue • Meeting day facilitation • Observe process and provide feedback • Remain neutral • Focus member attention and energy • Energize members • Encourage equal participation • Help generate processes for solutions

17. Essential TAB Facilitator Behaviors • Ask W.A.I.T. • Define your role with each board • Redirect questions back to board members • Highlight the value of the board • Always be positive & optimistic • Self-enlighten board members • Share honest reactions • Offer process tools for problem-solving • Facilitate holistic thinking processes

18. Effective Facilitation Is The Result Of… Observing Listening Questioning Reflecting (Honest Feedback) Empowering

19. The Facilitator’s Dilemma Facilitators assist members in decision-making and execution, BUT, we don’t necessarily make things “easier” for them.

20. Facilitator Approaches Two “Pair-a-Dimes”

21. Pair-a-Dime I: Facilitator Generated Facilitator brings the solutions to client problems “Doctor-patient relationship” : the doctor diagnoses the problem and recommends a course of action for the patient

22. Pair-A-Dime II: Facilitator Process Process Facilitation Facilitator helps client to find their own solutions to problems: Facilitator brings a process to help in decision making and/or provides option thinking to achieve a business objective

23. Pair-A-Dime I vs. Pair-A-Dime II The essential difference between the two approaches lies in the ________ of the results

24. Who Owns The Results Pair-A-Dime I: Facilitator typically comes up with a 100% solution, member has little or no ownership Pair-A-Dime II: Facilitator produces a 50% solution, and the member has 100% ownership

25. Facilitator Effectiveness Test Do you—as the facilitator—design, offer and manage a process that gives the member total ownership of the content, decision and outcome?

26. Core Facilitator Practices Staying neutral Actively listening Asking questions Paraphrasing Synthesizing ideas Staying on track Giving and receiving feedback Testing assumptions Collecting ideas Summarizing ideas

27. Facilitator Process Tool-Kit Visioning Brainstorming Anonymous brainstorming Force-field analysis Gap analysis Multi-voting Priority setting Root-cause analysis Decision grids Systematic problem solving

28. The R’s of TAB Facilitation • Refocus: back to agenda or values • Report: your own feelings, reactions • Reframe: negative behaviors with positive intent • Remind: previous agreements, common goals • Return: questions to board members • Refer: to board or agenda • Record: issues, questions for future consideration • Remain: neutral, objective, not defensive • Reinforce: words with appropriate body language • Relax: relieve tension with humor • Restrict: personal attacks

29. Questioning Techniques Closed Questions • Do? Does? Doesn’t? • Did? Didn’t? • Are? • Can? • Have? • Who? • When? • Where? • Why? Open Questions • How? • Describe • What? • In what ways? • Under what conditions? • If ___, then what/ • Give some examples • In what areas? • What kinds of? • Tell me more • Show me how? • What might happen if? • Suppose?

30. Encouraging Others to Talk Observing silence Smiling Head nodding and other non verbals And? Then? Um-hmm Tell me/us more Go on Say more about your idea What do you think about this?

31. Encouraging Others to Talk What is your reaction? What comes to your mind? What are you thinking? How do you feel about this? Let’s hear more about that? What do you think about that? Before we make a decision, I/we would like to hear your opinion.

32. Humor Techniques Personal anecdotes, stories, jokes, books, newspaper clippings Cartoons, comic strips, caricatures Exaggeration/understatement Films, videotapes Memos, letters, posters, signs Riddles, puns, poems, quotations, lists, analogies Records, audio tapes Dramatization, role-playing, skits, games Fantasy, imagery, visualization Reversal Humorous quizzes

33. May all your Meetings Be Memorable!

34. Bibliography Listed below are some of the leading “best selling” books on consulting and facilitating. All books are available at www.amazon.com Best Practices of Organizational Development and Change Luis Carter, et. al. The Ultimate Consultant, Alan Weis The Consultant’s Scorecard, Jack Phillips High Impact Consulting, Robert Schaffer True Professionalism, David H. Maiste The Trusted Advisor, David H. Maister Managing the Professional Service Firm, David H. Maister Selling Services: Marketing for the Consulting Professional, Paul O’Neil The Advice Business: Essential Tools and Models for Management Consulting, Charles J. Fombrun & Mark Nevins Consulting on the Inside: An Internal Consultant’s Guide, Beverly Scott Performance Consulting: Moving Beyond Training, Robinson & Robinson

35. Bob’s “Gee Wiz 12” Facilitator Applications 24 months of proven facilitation Q’s Exit strategy planning checklist Annual critical event planning Solving the under delegation problem + limiting behaviors 30+ ways to improve cash flow Profitability tactics + keys to 3 bottom lines What people really buy Pareto’s Time Quadrant + Executive Time Wasters Financial reality check-up What’s the meaning of long term success Business growth matrix Road map for success (The Baldrige Criteria)