When you take on responsibility for other people you need a framework to understand and address how they think, feel and behave. Facilitation provides that framework. It doesn't offer you proscriptive solutions; instead it uses, proven principles and practice to enable you to get the best out of each of the people with whom you are working. As a facilitator, you also need to be able to adapt your style and approach to the situation you are in. This requires good self-awareness and a solid understanding of your role and responsibilities. Once this is in place you can then start to facilitate teams, coach colleagues and train groups effectively. In Anthony Landale and Mica Douglas's The Fast Facilitator, the authors have established a format based around both the core skills that facilitators need to develop as well as the issues they will have to face at work. It is divided into three parts - Essential Facilitation, Groups and Team Facilitation and Creative Facilitation - offering material to suit all facilitators whatever their level of expertise. The manual will help you develop your own understanding of facilitation as well as providing interventions and activities that you can use with others. It includes: Theoretical insights and models to help you understand the dynamics of people management; Activities, exercises, games and practice sessions which managers or trainers can use with their groups to build skills around work issues; Coaching ideas and techniques for managers who may want extra guidance when working one-to-one with team members; and A wealth of techniques, reading sources, inspirational ideas and practical exercises for the facilitator's own self-development. The Fast Facilitator illustrates the competencies that practising facilitators need to develop and shows just how this distinctive approach can make a real difference to the way people operate and the outcomes that can be achieved in organizations.

Key issues - Quick guide; Introduction. Part One Essential Facilitation: What is facilitation?; The qualities of the facilitator; Self-awareness; Beginnings; Planning and structuring; Establishing a group contract; Valuing yourself and others; Managing feelings; Skilful challenge; Facilitating feedback. Part Two Group and Team Facilitation: Group process - inclusion; Group process - control; Group process - openness; Understanding roles in teams; Facilitator authority; When and how to intervene; Working with diversity; Working with scapegoating; Negotiation skills; Facilitator Support. Part Three Creative Facilitation: One-to-one facilitation; Powering up presence; Facilitating without words; Defence patterns; Consultancy skills; Working in the here and now; Creative facilitation; Imaginal work; Using stories to facilitate learning; Endings.