Facilitation

Facilitation: Involves the use of techniques to improve the flow of information in a meeting between parties to a dispute.  The techniques may also be applied to decision-making meetings where a specific outcome is desired (e.g., resolution of a conflict or dispute).  The term "facilitator" is often used interchangeably with the term "mediator," but a facilitator does not typically become as involved in the substantive issues as does a mediator.   The facilitator focuses more on the process involved in resolving a matter. The facilitator generally works with all of the meeting's participants at once and provides procedural directions as to how the group can move efficiently through the problem-solving steps of the meeting and arrive at the jointly agreed upon goal.  The facilitator may be a member of one of the parties to the dispute or may be an external consultant. Facilitators focus on procedural assistance and remain impartial to the topics or issues under discussion. The method of facilitating is most appropriate when:

(1) The intensity of the parties' emotions about the issues in dispute is low to moderate;

(2) The parties or issues are not extremely polarized;

(3) The parties have enough trust in each other that they can work together to develop a mutually acceptable solution; or

(4) The parties are in a common predicament and they need or will benefit from a jointly acceptable outcome.