Using facilitation techniques in
co-production

Discussion, whether in meetings, focus groups or workshops, is a necessary part of an effective co-production process.  Such conversations give those involved the opportunity to share information, reach decisions and drive activity.     

Facilitation is about supporting a group of individuals to have an efficient and inclusive discussion session.  Good facilitation is about ensuring that everyone can equally be involved in these discussions which will ultimately lead to consensus and decision-making. 

Facilitation combines a number of roles and tasks which are often driven by one person – the facilitator – however there's no reason why such roles and tasks can’t be shared by more than one person in any session.  

Good facilitators always stay neutral, gaining the trust of everyone in the session and treating everyone as equals.  At no time should they make decisions for the group or take sides in a conflict.  

The roles of a facilitator

• Assisting in agreeing session agendas. 

• Preparing the room/venue and arranging for appropriate materials to ensure that everyone can participate comfortably and equally. 

• Introducing the session including, setting out the purpose clearly and giving any instructions needed for how the session will work. 

• Keeping the group to the identified agenda and the session to time. 

• Keeping the session focussed on one item at a time. 

• Supporting everyone to participate including keeping track of who wants to speak, drawing out quiet people and limiting those who talk a lot. 

• Challenging any aggressive or discriminatory behaviour and dealing with any conflicts that may arise. 

• Introduce appropriate techniques to make sessions as efficient and participatory as possible. 

• Clarifying and summarising points and ensuring that everyone understands the discussions.  This includes recording appropriate action points and decisions. 

• Actively listening for underlying issues, concerns or emotions that may be present and encouraging these to be explored further where appropriate.  

• Closing the session by thanking people for their time, recapping on any action items and identifying (where possible) a timeline for next steps.   

Important skills and qualities of a good facilitator

Good listening skills (active listening) – to be able to understand each individual's viewpoint properly and identify any underlying concerns that are emerging.  

Understanding – be clear of the aim of the session as well as any long-term goals associated with the process/group.   

Respectful of all participants – treating everyone equally, being interested in what their views are and acknowledging the skills that each individual has to offer. 

Neutrality on the issues discussed – avoiding taking sides or manipulating the meeting towards a particular outcome. If this becomes difficult, or you know in advance that you'll struggle to remain impartial try: 

Assertiveness – recognising when and how to intervene decisively and give some direction to the session where necessary. 

Clear thinking and observation – pay attention to both the content of the discussion as well as the process (agenda).  Be mindful of how people are feeling and what is being said to ensure that discussions are on topic and relevant.  

Step-by-step tips for facilitating a successful session

Prepare

Mentally and physically prepare yourself as a facilitator.  Try to make sure you are well rested for the session and in a positive state of mind, confident that the session will be a success. 

Familiarise yourself with the agenda and any techniques that will be used and make sure you have all necessary materials and equipment.  Also familiarise yourself with the venue beforehand if possible.  Finally, be aware and prepared to be flexible should any last-minute amendment be necessary. 

Environment

Where possible ensure that the venue for the session has plenty of space, that seating is arranged appropriate and that there is adequate breakout space if necessary.  Natural light is always good when possible.  Ensure that enough time has been built into the session to achieve its aims – there is often nothing worse, for both facilitators and participants, than rushing through an agenda. 

Purpose

Always set out the purpose of the session at the beginning and be clear about any outcomes and objectives that have been set.  If none have been set, then agree these with the group at the very beginning. 

Expectations

Address expectations of all participants early in the session – maybe ask them to list their hopes and concerns for the activity.  In certain circumstances participants can be ask to agree and set their own ground rules for working together, this could include expectations from each other and meeting/session etiquette and/or behaviours.   

Energy

It is important to keep the energy within the group as high as possible.  Good ways to do this include icebreakers at the beginning of sessions to get people engaged and then participatory activities throughout.  Think about getting people moving (providing there is no mobility issues) between different rooms or activity stations.  Make participants feel heard by summarising and reflecting on what you have heard from them and always remain neutral but positive. 

Participation 

Communication styles amongst participants will normally always vary – some will be chatty and want to verbalise thoughts and others will be quieter and prefer writing things down. 

Take steps to achieve a balance between communications styles by providing appropriate opportunities and exercises that allows everyone to be included.  Draw out quieter participants where possible and be mindful not to allow more vocal people to dominate conversations or activities. 

Facilitation style 

Be mindful that facilitations styles may need to change depending on the group as well as the purpose of the session.  It may be necessary in some cases to be very directive or formal, whereas in other settings you can be much more relaxed and organic. Where possible, flex your style to the audience or topic. 

A facilitator’s role is very much about ‘being’, meaning the energy and personality they bring, rather than ‘doing’ which refers to the techniques they use in sessions.  Who they are as a person – their style and presence – impacts on their facilitation skills.    

To create an open and honest environment, they need an empathic personal presence, and the group needs to respect and trust them.  The group also needs to feel confident that the facilitator is able to deal with any incidents that may happen. 

For example, it may not be a good idea to turn up to a community session in full business attire – this could put people off and make some of them feel intimidated, and they may even question if this is the right session for them.  Alternatively, turning up too casual to a session where participants are mostly professionals may also set the wrong tone from the beginning and could affect discussions. 

As a facilitator it is good to remember that people will be looking to you for guidance, where you sit, whether you look in control or are flustered, and how animated you are – all affects your sense of presence as does something as simple as your tone of voice.  

Activities

Where possible use a range of participatory activities within sessions as this will lead to higher engagement levels.  It will also ensure that energy levels are maintained. 

Activities could include visioning exercises - using sticky notes to write down thoughts or paper to draw ideas,  small group discussions where people discuss a specific topic or scenario, wider full group discussions, activities where people rotate between areas to leave comments or identify preferences… The list could go on but the important part about activities is about achieving a balance that allows everyone to participate in a way that they feel comfortable. 

Behaviours

It is important to recognise and reinforce supportive behaviours and responses within sessions.  This will not only help build rapport with participants but also encourage more generally positive behaviours.  Recognition and reinforcement supports the group to build on each other’s ideas and suggestions especially through facilitators comments, questions and reflections on group dynamics. 

Challenge any repetitive negative statements or behaviours from participants and try to draw these into a more positive setting.  This can often be hard for facilitators but where there is a need for challenge the following simple techniques can help.

• Move the focus away from the person by interjecting/acknowledging the issues, opening up to other comments or where appropriate offering examples and or different experience. 

• Take a coffee/comfort break. 

• Change activity or move on to another agenda item or topic. 

• Reflect their statement back to them as a question – “you already do this?”, “it never works?”, “it always happens?” 

• Ask the group for their view on the situation and then move them on to another topic or activity. 

Access further tips on dealing with difficult behaviour.

Evaluate 

It is always important to evaluate and when facilitating session, it is good practice to gain feedback at the end of every session, this will allow for learning and adjustment to any future sessions and improve a facilitators general practice. 

This basic session evaluation template (Word document) will help you get started.

In addition to individual session evaluations, where possible, activities should be implemented to follow up with fixed groups as a way to identify what they have achieved and how they have progressed over a relevant period of time.  More information on reflection, evaluation and learning is found in section 4 of this guide. 

Tips and Tricks for Facilitators from The Alliance.

The Facilitator’s Toolkit from NHS England's Institute for Innovation and Improvement.

Seven steps to achieve effective facilitation skills - a video from DCM Learning.