by Brittany Reese

As your annual conference approaches in six months, progress seems to have stalled. Meetings are repetitive, discussions consume too much time, and task updates remain unclear. Frustration is building as voices get lost in the chaos. 

Your organization has insightful ideas but has yet to discover how to transform those thoughts into an actionable plan.  It’s time to break free from this cycle. Let’s turn this challenge into an opportunity for impactful progress. Our Institute Facilitation Services team is ready to help!   

Facilitation goes beyond booking a venue for a workshop or meeting. It involves nurturing an environment designed to meet your needs. 

Our highly skilled facilitators are here to guide you through an outcomes-focused approach to meet your needs, including: 

  • Help determine the cause of a problem 
  • Generating a range of solutions 
  • Weighing the advantages and disadvantages of proposed solutions 
  • Selecting a strategy 
  • Creating a plan for the future 

Prepare for Dynamic Facilitation Sessions 

Whether you decide to join us atop Petit Jean Mountain, use our virtual convening services, or request our team to travel to your location, our role is to collaborate with you to create the approach that best suits your organization.  

We are committed to ensuring that your team can perform at its highest level with ease. 

Our facilitators have provided over 3,000 hours of facilitation services to more than 500 participants, and we look forward to you joining us! Here are some tips to maximize your session: 

Arrive with an open mind 

The day or night before the session, recognize any biases or preconceived beliefs you might have and put them aside. 

Senior Facilitation Services Officer Molly Thomason also suggests that participants come to sessions with their whole selves, free of judgment, and ready to engage in discussions. 

Lean into active listening 

Focus on hearing what others are saying without planning your response while they speak. This will allow you to understand different perspectives and show others that their opinions are respected. 

Embrace the Rockefeller Ethic by engaging in respectful dialogue that guides conversations through collaborative problem-solving and champions multiple perspectives. 

Bring notes from past meetings 

Reviewing notes and minutes from past meetings can help our facilitators and your team plan more relevant next steps. While reviewing meeting notes, reflect on how maintaining an open mind contributed to achieving successful outcomes. 

Use these experiences to approach the current meeting with a similar mindset, enhancing your effectiveness and engagement. 

Get ready to switch things up 

Trust in your team and our facilitators’ ability to transform ideas about brainstorming, meeting conduct, and collaboration. Be willing to adjust your opinion in light of new information or perspectives.   

“All ideas are welcome and encouraged,” Molly said.   

Embracing flexibility can foster more productive and collaborative discussions. Remember, this exploratory session can be fun, and change can be good.

Ask questions 

Stay curious! Molly explains that one misconception people have about facilitators is that they must be the leader of the meeting.  

She also emphasizes that while our facilitators are here to guide groups toward solutions, participants come up with their own ideas.   

If you have time, try to write down some questions before the sessions start. These may help you formulate questions to ask during the sessions, helping your group come up with ideas.  

Our facilitators will also ask questions through a post-convening survey following the session to gain information about the participants’ experience.   

Ready to strengthen your team and spark collaboration? Let us guide you to solutions that bring everyone together. Contact our Director of Facilitation Services, Payton Christenberry, at pchristenberry@rockefellerinstitute.org or (501) 727-6255 to learn more about our facilitation services.

Brittany Reese

Communications Specialistbreese@rockefellerinstitute.org

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