A facilitator helps a group move to a decision, ensuring that all the voices in the room have been heard and considered in the decision-making process. Facilitating encourages a group to move beyond familiar options to really diverse and innovative ones, evaluate the options from different perspectives after, choose the best one or synthesize initial options to new ones, refine them, and come to an incisive solution, ensuring shared responsibility over it. It helps to overcome possible difficulties and feelings of being stuck with many possible options and the inability to agree on the opinions of the group members and choose a good solution.
The possible types of sessions that would highly benefit the skillful facilitator are:
- Workshops
- All types of brainstorming sessions
- Decision-making sessions
- Product ideation sessions
- Strategy aligning sessions
- Business-model generation sessions
- Design Sprint Facilitation
Group decision-making can be complex, but with the right facilitation techniques and exercises, it becomes a structured process that maximizes participation, understanding, and commitment. By recognizing the unique needs of each stage—divergent thinking, the Groan Zone, and convergent thinking—you can create an environment where teams work collaboratively to reach informed, inclusive decisions.
Are you looking for a professional facilitator?
Please contact me to discuss possible collaboration.
See also: Facilitation at Different Stages
Group Decision Making Model used in the pictures - credits to Sam Kaner "Facilitators's guide to participatory decision-making".
See also: Participatory Decision-Making In Pictures
