Why Retreat?

Frank Miles, a consultant hired to work with XYZ Corporation, is preparing to recommend to his client that they undertake a corporate retreat. His instinct and experience tell him that the corporate leaders need an opportunity to regroup, rethink, and solidify their business strategies. But Frank is concerned because of the perception of some in the business world that retreats are nothing more than expensive boondoggles–company-paid vacations for executives and their staffs.

In order to prepare the best recommendation possible, and one that is accepted by the client, Frank decides to ask some of his peers in the consulting field for their reasons why corporate retreats work when properly structured and used. The responses were varied, and each response gave a real benefit of retreats that he could include in his recommendation.

1. Retreats can help define and refine strategy. Getting away from the office, from telephones and email, can bring fresh perspective to corporate strategy. In a less structured setting, group participation and problem solving are enhanced. Rethinking the organization's mission, vision, goals and objectives are best when there is some space from the day-to-day grind of work and accomplishment. Retreats are excellent tools for clarifying or reaffirming the strategic direction of an organization.

2. Retreats can help review and identify trends. In the midst of regular business activities, it can be very challenging to take a broader look at your industry and competitors. Getting away from the office and into a more relaxed setting stimulates deeper thinking and helps identify issues and events and their relationship to one another. Looking as a group of executives or coworkers at the bigger issues that have impact on business direction can be a healthy experience. Using economists, consultants or others to help identify trends in the broader environment can be very helpful in seeing meaningful trends and doing something about them in a strategic way.

3. Retreats can help when there has been or will be a crisis. When business trends or events project a looming crisis, a retreat can help bring focus to the problem and identify possible solutions. And when a crisis has already occurred, a retreat can help debrief the organization's response and prepare for the future in the new environment. And dealing with these issues without the pressure of daily work and management can be a real plus for finding creative solutions.

4. Retreats can enhance teamwork. In the daily grind of organizational activity, relationships among coworkers are sometimes strained. While in many organizations, teamwork on the job is encouraged and rewarded, in some companies the emphasis is on individual performance. In those organizations, teamwork must be encouraged and stimulated in other ways. A retreat is an excellent way to build trust among coworkers, to enhance communication and to clarify roles and responsibilities.

5. Better ideas are generated at retreats. Changing the environment usually results in a change in the way people think and solve problems. There is more "outside the box thinking" when participants are outside their daily and routine "boxes" at work.

After working with his peers, Frank felt he had all the ammunition he needed to develop his recommendation. In a future article, Frank will share his outline for the XYZ retreat and his checklist for making a retreat successful.

Strategic Planning 101--Goal Setting

"We hope to improve our market position" or "We will have a market share of 25% by January 2005."

Which goal works better and why?

The development of goals is the third step in effective strategic planning. In earlier articles, we reviewed establishing a mission statement and defining organizational values.

Goals Must Be Built on a Foundation

Goals can be defined as a written target of where an organization or an individual wants to be within a specific time frame. But goals must be built on a secure foundation in order to be meaningful and to help the organization achieve its mission.

Hyrum Smith, founder of Franklin Quest, later Franklin-Covey, Inc. developed a model of goal setting which is instructive. Smith's "Success Triangle" puts governing values at the base of the goal setting process. Smith recommends that every goal be linked specifically to a governing value. For example, if diversity in the workforce is a value espoused by an organization, then there must be at least one goal which furthers diversity. Every goal should be linked to a governing value.

Do Your Goals Measure Up?

Effective goals have four common characteristics which, when followed, will make achievement more likely and planning more precise. These characteristics are

1. The goal must be specific. The more specific the goal is, the more likely the organization is to achieve it. Using the two goal statements above as examples, you can see that the first goal is very general. Even a 0.5% increase in market share would be an "increase." The second is much more specific and precise.

2. The goal must be measurable. There must be a way to determine whether or not the organization is making progress toward the goal, and there needs to be a way to clearly define the moment when the goal is achieved. Again, using the two goal statements above, the first is clearly not as measurable as the second. Precisely defining the goal as a market share of 25% allows the organization to measure its current position, and to determine over time whether the organization is getting closer to or further away from its goal. One can also determine trends and can identify which objectives make the biggest difference in reaching the goal as time goes on.

3. The goal must be targeted. Will the goal lead to the desired outcomes? Does the goal accomplish the mission of the organization, or at least contribute meaningfully to the mission? When evaluating the two goals mentioned earlier, we would have to examine the company's mission statement. For example, increasing market share may be wholly inappropriate for a food pantry for the homeless.

4. The goal must be time specific. Tying a goal to a deadline is critical. It allows the objectives which flow from the goal to address both direction and speed. Goal achievement is usually based on a specific time frame, and accountability for achieving the goal is significantly enhanced when it is linked to a deadline. Our second sample goal above is very time specific; the first one is not.

Additional Goal Setting Tips

Here are some additional ideas in making goals effective.

1. Avoid contradictory goals. Sometimes goals are set which are in conflict with one another. Be cautious to evaluate the relationship among goals before finalizing them. You are setting the stage for failure somewhere if two or more goals are mutually exclusive.

2. Write goals in the positive, not the negative. Focus on what you hope to achieve, not what you want to leave behind. For example, the goal "We will be in the upper 50% of similar companies in terms of revenue by 2004" is better than "We will not be ‘cellar-dwellers' any more."

3. Set high goals. Don't be concerned if a goal is not immediately achievable. Experience suggests that progress will be greater on a goal that is just beyond the reach of reality than on one that is too easy to achieve.

For good examples of corporate goals that meet these criteria, visit the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, Plymouth State College, and the School of Library Science at Catholic University.

Putting your energies into developing effective goals that link to values, that are measurable, specific, targeted and time sensitive will pay huge dividends as you work to achieve your corporate mission.

The Benefits of Using Headhunters

The imagery is unmistakable: an aboriginal cannibal on the prowl for his next meal. When we use the term "headhunter," this, for many people, is the conjured image. But this term, in common business usage , is also a not-so-affectionate nickname for the executive search professional. But truly, executive search professionals are more accurately described as "matchmakers."

Why would an organization turn to an executive search firm as opposed to using the experienced in house human resources staff? There are a number of services and philosophies that an executive search professional brings by way of his or her expertise in the recruiting field and his or her specialization in a given industry.

1. Hiring the right key person is too important to leave to chance. Search firms are best when they are utilized for finding the most key employees in an organization. The organization with the strongest executives is usually best poised for a competitive market environment. In any case, it is clear that people are the most important resource of any organization, and the executives and significant technicians are those who will likely make or break the organization's success.

2. Search firms can reach candidates not currently in the job market. Normal recruitment strategies really target those who are in the job market or who are nearing the edge of the market. Traditional advertising, even extended to the Internet, reaches only those who are looking for new employment. Executive search firms work to find those who are already happy and successful in their current jobs–people who usually are not reading the want ads, trade journals or online job search services.

3. Search firms can operate confidentially. Many times, an organization may not want to disclose their search publicly for strategic or competitive reasons. Search firms can operate confidentially and behind the scenes in these case, using existing networks of professionals to find executive talent.

4. Executive hiring mistakes are expensive. Traditional recruiting is based on a short job description and limited advertising resources. Often hiring mistakes are due to miscommunication about job expectations or requirements. Search firms remove this guesswork from the equation by better identifying a job and its requirements early in the recruiting process.

5. The executive search process casts a wider and more precise net. Generalist human resources professionals are well equipped to handle more routine and general recruiting needs. But in an executive or highly technical recruiting, the specialized nature of executive search firms allows better pinpointing of resources to specific recruiting techniques and in expanding the recruiting network beyond the typical marketplace of a given organization.

6. References are likely to be more reliable. Recruiters who simply check the references given them by candidates will simply hear the best about that candidate. After all, would a candidate list a critic as a reference? But recruiters use their professional network to get the straight story on a candidate from reliable and usually more realistic sources. And references are usually more likely to be honest with a professional recruiter than with someone who will be the candidate's employer and could at some point inadvertently disclose their sources.

7. Search firms assist also with the offer and negotiation process. Typically, in house human resources professionals are not as well acquainted with the employment market for specialized staff and executives because they deal with relatively few of them in any one organization. Search consultants are better able to stay in touch with the market and offer advice to the client about the compensation and benefits offered by competitors.

Conclusion

Executive search firms fill a critical need in the recruiting process for executives and technical specialists. While their services are often not inexpensive, the benefits of their services to an organization generally outweigh the costs by several fold for those critical executive and technical staffs. A future article will address the executive search process and what a consultant will provide to an organization under an executive search contract.

The Seven Laws of Teaching for Consultants and Trainers

For over one hundred years, students in the field of education have studied John Milton Gregory's Seven Laws of Teaching. Published in 1884, this tome is one of the most enduring descriptions on the art of teaching.

Consultant trainers certainly meet the standards set for teachers in our profession. Gregory's Laws seem to apply equally well to trainers and presenters in today's society as they did to teachers a century ago. Let's consider these laws and apply them to the world of training and consulting.

Law 1:The Law of the Teacher: Know thoroughly, clearly, and familiarly the lesson you wish to teach. It is certainly true that a presenter must know his material backwards and forwards. It is an old wives tale that those who can, do; those who can't do, train. Knowledge gives power to a trainer to be enthusiastic and prepared.

Law 2:The Law of the Learner: Gain and keep the attention and interest of the pupils on the lesson. Do not try to teach without attention. Good trainers know that a rapport with the audience is essential to success. Keeping the interest of the trainees requires interactivity, varied presentation techniques and making the information relevant to their needs.

Law 3:The Law of the Language: Use words understood in the same way by the pupils and yourself. Using common language is very important. Good presenters should avoid jargon and acronyms that may not be familiar to participants. Using visuals and images to illustrate points can enhance commonality. And always keep it simple!

Law 4:The Law of the Lesson: Begin with what is already well known to the pupil about the subject, and proceed to the new material by single, easy, and natural steps. Experienced trainers understand the importance of linking new information to what the audience already knows. Help audiences see ways in which the new material you provide them will apply to their real life experiences and challenges.

Law 5: The Law of the Teaching Process: Teaching is arousing and using the pupil's mind to grasp the desired thought or to master the desired art; therefore, stimulate the pupil's own mind to action. Keep his thought as much as possible ahead of your expression, placing him in the attitude of a discoverer and anticipator. One beneficial training technique is to focus on self-learning and discovery. Bringing the topics home to a learner's life will make the learning truly meaningful.

Law 6:The Law of the Learning Process: Require the pupil to reproduce in thought the lesson he is learning--thinking it out in its various phases and applications until he can express it in his own language. The real learning comes from doing, not just hearing. Use role-playing, interactivity and practical exercises to stimulate future action with the material presented. People who can do in the training setting will more likely be comfortable doing that same thing in their real lives.

Law 7:The Law of Review and Application: Review, review, review, reproducing the old, deepening its impression with new thought, linking it with added meanings, finding new applications, correcting any false views, and completing the true. Experienced trainers see the value in reviewing at the conclusion of their presentation. When there is a point to emphasize, remember the old adage--the third time is the charm. Repetition is the father of retention.

By applying these seven laws in our training and consulting, our learners will learn better and will come to apply what they have learned. And we will be successful as trainers and consultants in effecting change in organizations and in lives.

The Eight Keys to Project Management Failure

Project managers are always looking for success in their projects. No matter how simple or how complex, the project must be designed for success. But sometimes, in the execution of the project, we forget to maintain the path toward success.

But if, by chance, a project manager wants to fail, these are the keys! If you want to succeed instead, then use this list as a checkpoint to make sure that what you are doing doesn't appear on this list.

1. Take Your Time. Project managers who are bent on failing should let their team know that there is no rush. Letting the project become the victim of competing priorities for team members is a step toward disaster.

2. Give Responsibility But Not Authority. Project managers are adept at taking responsibility, but not delegating authority to them as well invites failure. Having to check at every step along the way with superiors for resources and to make decisions will so hamstring the manager as to make his or her job nearly impossible,

3. Project Sponsors Must Be Passive Participants. To attempt to engage sponsors, stakeholders and others in the implementation of the project is too open and communicative. Sponsors should be kept in the dark all along the way in order to keep a project destined for collapse.

4. One the Project Starts, Stop Planning. For a project to flop, the planning process should stop when the project begins. To continue to modify the project plan based on realities during implementation is too flexible. To ensure difficulties, refuse to adjust the plan to reality.

5. Focus on Process, Not People. It does not take good people to doom a project. They are only essential if you want to succeed. Find the poorest people you can, and then put stumbling blocks in their way to test their abilities. Making the process cumbersome and spending valuable time on bureaucratic procedures is a project death knell.

6. Forget About Quality. Everyone knows that project are all about time and budget. Do whatever it takes to meet these factors, and ignore the need for a quality output. Quality is tough to measure, anyway. Measuring inputs is easy and defensible.

7. Avoid Being Specific as to Outcomes. If you are vague in your definitions of the projects deliverables, you cannot be held accountable for not meeting them. Scrimping on the time to give definition to the project up front will give you more time to correct mistakes later.

8. Operate in a Vacuum. With multiple projects underway in an organization at any given time, a project team may be pulled in many different directions. By ignoring these other projects and working the one that is most important to you will engender resentment and inaction for the team members with multiple duties. When your project is unresponsive to others, it also will be the lowest priority.

Operating in this way will ensure that project managers have projects that fail, and that they will not be asked again to manage an important project. Success has always been vastly overrated anyway!

Writing Winning Proposals

So, you've received and reviewed the Request for Proposals from a prospective client, or one of your clients has described a project to you in detail and asked for a proposal. How do you prepare a proposal that tells your story effectively and gives you the best chance to get the contract?

Preparing proposals that sell your services and that give the right professional impression can often seem like a daunting task. The written proposal is the one best chance to make a good impression in writing and to communicate to the client that you are the best choice. How it is organized, how well it is written, how well it addresses the client's needs and how it appears can make all the difference in the world. And all four elements need to be addressed; failing to be effective in any of these areas can spell doom.

These tips should help you overcome your concerns and get to work producing a first rate proposal.

Organization

The organization of your proposal requires careful thought. You will hope to lead your reader step by step through your vision of the project. A well organized proposal communicates that you have the organizing skill to accomplish this complex and critical project. After all, if it weren't either complex or critical (or both), your client would do it without your help. A good proposal format should include:

• An executive summary
  
• An abstract of the project
  
• A detailed project description
  
• A summary of the background of the project
  
• A review of the need for the project and the benefits of doing it
  
• A thorough scoping of the project, including objectives and performance measures
  
• A description of the methods you propose
  
• A detail of the deliverables of the project–what the client will actually get
  
• A schedule of the project
  
• A project budget and the expected economic return from that investment
  
• A list of references of similar projects you have accomplished
  
• A copy of your proposed legal contract for services
  

Meeting Your Client's Needs

A proposed project will, after all, be paid for by your client. Understanding that client's needs, and then making a proposal that addresses them, is your best chance at success. The following recommendations would be in order:

1. Be sure you understand the project. If you are working from a formal request for proposal, take the time to really understand the requirements. The RFP will hopefully be detailed enough for you to prepare a first draft. If there is no RFP, then work closely with your client to ensure that you have a complete understanding of his needs and expectations. But if you have questions, make sure that you ask.

2. Meet with the decision maker. Even if you have a perfect RFP or a good understanding, it is helpful in preparing your proposal to meet with, or at least confer with, the client. Ask all the questions you have. Make sure that the client sees you as responsive. A cold proposal given without consulting in some way with those who will be making the decision simply leaves too many stones unturned.

3. Don't overkill. I remember once in my career soliciting proposals for a trainer on a specialized topic. One of the proponents, who never bothered to call or confer with us, proposed doing a comprehensive employee and customer survey to determine our training needs, and prepared his proposal around that theme. What we really wanted was a capable contract trainer, and that is the person we hired.

4. Know your competition. If possible, get a list of all those to whom the RFP was sent, or ask your client others who will be proposing. Knowing your competition will help you sell your unique strengths and capabilities.

Write it Well

There is no room for careless error in a professional proposal. Grammar and spelling must be impeccable. Never, ever misspell a name of a decision maker. Utilize your best skills at writing, and proofread thoroughly. In addition,

1. Make sure your executive summary sells your proposal. The executive summary, which should immediately follow your cover page and table of contents, is the one-page sales portion. It is not just a summary, but a tightly edited one that offers a review of the need, the benefits, and the objectives of the project, and sends the message that you are the best proponent. In many cases, the key decision makers will read the executive summary and a review of the proposal by the staff.

2. Justify the project in terms of need. Explain why the project needs to be carried out. Give concrete facts, examples and information to justify the project's inputs.

3. Be clear on measuring success. Carefully elaborate on how the project's success will be measured. Use clear and convincing criteria, and specify the evaluation method you will be using.

4. Thoughtfully define the project scope. This is often the biggest challenge to a proponent. You must explain exactly what the project will include, and more importantly, what it won't. Offer details about the project such as time frame, sample sizes, and studies involved. Your treatment of the scope will define what it is for which you as the consultant will be accountable.

5. Offer a realistic schedule. Be careful about being overly optimistic about time frames. Use a good project management software program to prepare a PERT chart for your project; one that you can defend and live up to.

6. Finally, define your unique qualifications to be the consultant on this project. Up until now, you have been demonstrating your understanding of and approach to the project. Now comes your opportunity to define why it is that you are the best choice. Include the results of similar work you have done. Define the resources that you bring to the project. Let your qualifications shine through.

Design It Professionally

A proposal should be graphically pleasing and should exude professionalism. Here are some recommendations on design:

1. Use a common theme. If you have an attractive logo, use it as a watermark or in a footer or header throughout the document. Consider using your client's logo on your cover page as well. Make sure that pages are numbered throughout.

2. Use a common typeface. Limit your use of fonts to one or two in the document. Using one font with different treatments (bold, italics, different sizes) is even better. Keep it simple and readable. Your message and content must be paramount.

3. Color or Monochrome? Whichever your choice, make sure that the final product photocopies well. Using multiple dark colors in a chart or graph will often not show distinctions in a black and white copy. If you use monochrome, consider using some grey scales for variety.

4. Allow lots of white space. Don't fill every page from side to side and top to bottom with text. Allow room for marginal notations by your client. And more white space is more appealing to the eye.

Conclusion

Your proposal speaks volumes about you and your professionalism. A proposal that addresses your clients needs, is well organized, well written and attractively designed communicates a professional and effective approach to your work. Following these recommendations will help you create a proposal which will market your skills and qualifications to clients and will result in more and better projects for you and your firm.

Organizing a Corporate Retreat

The executives of the XYZ Corporation were somewhat ambivalent when their consultant first recommended a retreat. While they recognized the benefits that can come from such an experience, they also were concerned about the retreat being either too expensive or too unproductive.

Their consultant reassured them that with his experience with corporate retreats, he could craft an agenda that would not only be cost effective but very productive.

Successful retreats require careful planning in order to be of benefit to the organization and its leaders. What follows are the recommendations of experienced retreat consultants and facilitators, and are based on a history of successful retreats.

1. Carefully select the site for the retreat. The environment of the retreat is critical to its success. Retreats can be either on site or off site. On site retreats tend to be less expensive and provide convenient access to business resources. Off site retreats can promote more creative and expansive thinking and reduce the distractions of day to day business issues.

2. Define the retreat's objectives. Articulating what you hope to achieve by the retreat forms the foundation for the retreat's agenda and direction. Some of the issue you may wish to address in your planning include:

• What is the mission of our organization? Should we consider other missions?
• In what direction are we currently headed? How are current trends, both in our market and in the broader community, affecting our direction?
• What is the image and perception of our organization, and are we succeeding in creating the right image?
• What are our corporate objectives? Are we meeting them and can we tell from our measurement systems?
• Do our current organizational systems support our goals?

Sometimes, retreats are more about team building than about strategic direction. If the goal is to build teamwork, consider these issues:

• What are our communication patterns and how effective are they?
• Do our incentive systems encourage teamwork or individualism?
• How is teamwork at the various levels of the organization? Are we setting a good example at the top?

3. Develop the retreat agenda. Consider carefully based on your objectives how to structure the retreat. Is it best to make this a high-octane event that is all work and no nonsense, or should the retreat include some play? The idea of "Work-Play-Work" is an approach to consider for many retreats to allow some diversion and encourage creativity. Make sure that you circulate the retreat agenda prior to the retreat so that participants arrive eager and not apprehensive.

4. Use a facilitator. This is not just a pitch for consulting services, but an independent facilitator is essential to a successful retreat experience. The facilitator can assist the participants in gathering data, can use his or her skills in enhancing group participation, and can be an objective leader without any vested interest in the outcome.

5. Watch the meals. Be aware of any special dietary needs or preferences of the participants. And be particularly careful to avoid heavy meals at lunch and before retreat working sessions–keep the meals light and your participants will stay awake!

6. Create new ways of looking at old problems. Seeking the same old solutions for the same old problems could be done at the office. A retreat is the chance to see things differently. Consider some group exercises to stimulate creativity and change perspectives. One excellent resource is the popular book, A Whack on the Side of the Head.

7. Keep a good record of the event. Make sure that there is a record keeper present to preserve the outcomes of the event. The retreat facilitator may be able to provide a record keeper, or one of the participants might provide an executive assistant for this purpose. One of the major benefits of the retreat is something beyond process, while process itself can be a significant achievement. The record of decisions made, goals and objectives set, and assignments given can bring closure to the event and create a record that will be useful in the implementation phase.

8. Evaluate the retreat. Make sure to solicit honest and direct feedback on the retreat and its outcomes. Ask the tough questions to ensure that there is adequate participation. Don't be afraid of negative feedback. It may clear the air on some issues, and will certainly be helpful in crafting the next retreat.

9. Keep the process alive. Generally, there is an upswing in organizational morale and in the individual commitment of employees. Provide a continuous feedback loop after the retreat to capitalize on these benefits. Provide periodic reports as the implementation proceeds. If there was a team building approach, consider taking pictures and publishing them for the participants and others in the organization.

Effective planning and careful execution of the plan for a corporate retreat will bring significant benefits to the organization and its leadership. Look forward to your opportunity to get a fresh perspective, to strategize and to build your team–the major functions of a well executed retreat.

Facilitating Success

More often than not, consultants are given (or assume) the role as group facilitator at some point in a consulting engagement. The dictionary defines "facilitate" as to make easy or easier. The function of a facilitator is to make things easier. In particular, consultants often make arriving at a decision or solving a problem by a group easier than it would have been without them.

What are the skills essential to good facilitators? What have experienced facilitators found to be the most important talents and techniques for helping groups achieve their mission in an easier way?

Rate yourself on the following skills and see how you measure up as a facilitator.

1. Preparation. Effective facilitation begins long before the group first assembles. Good facilitators invest a great deal of time and energy in preparations. Recommendations for first rate preparation include:

• Articulating a clear objective for the group. For example, a clear objective might be, "Identify five viable options for reducing the turnaround time for accounts payable by 25%."

• Determining the problem-solving processes that will be used. Whether it's brainstorming, flow charting, force field analysis, SWOT analysis or other techniques, determine in advance which work best for the objective, and prepare to explain the model to the group.

2. Setting the Stage. Once the group begins its process, the facilitator must set the tone and direction. Ideas for effective stage setting include:

• Establishing ground rules early. As facilitator, part of your role is to set and enforce ground rules to improve group process. Lay them out clearly and completely to the group and assess their comprehension before proceeding.

• Posting the Objective. Put it on the wall where participants can see it and refer to it. If the group begins to stray from the purpose, the facilitator can remind them of the objective and bring them back on track.

• Starting with a specific participant. To begin the process, call on one person to start. This focuses attention quickly and starts in the right direction. If you sense that the called-upon participant is reluctant, quickly call on someone else.

3. Going For Results. The facilitator's job is to make getting to results easier. Stay focused on achieving the outcome of the group. Ways to keep on track toward results include:

• Asking open ended questions. Rather than using questions that will elicit simple "yes" or "no" answers, choose questions which elicit more. Try starting questions with "How..." or "In what ways..."

• Encouraging examples. If a participant makes a suggestion or an observation, ask for an example from real life. This helps clarify issues and stimulates discussion.

• Watch for "plops." When a person advances an idea and no one responds and the discussion moves on, this circumstance is called a "plop." Make certain that all creative ideas and thoughts are heard and given credit. Groups will often move too quickly past good ideas.

• Ask participants to "tell me more." These three magic words will often bring clarity and definition to an idea, and usually stimulate more discussion and consideration from others.

• Remain neutral. Remember, the facilitator is not a decision maker. When the facilitator begins to champion an idea, he or she loses credibility with the rest of the group.

4. Handling the Domineers. In almost every group, a few will tend to dominate the discussion at the expense of the more quiet. I remember once teaching a college course, I had the class involved in a group problem solving exercise as a way of teaching group dynamics. It was a smaller class and I had ten students in the group and three observers. One of the ten participants was a very quiet young lady who seemed to be intimidated by the other group members. But our observers noted that she had solved the problem on paper on her own about ten minutes into the exercise. The group process took over 50 minutes, and the group never solved the problem. Had someone noticed her in the process, the problem could have been solved much earlier and with much better results. So, how should a facilitator deal with dominating group members?

• Direct questions to others. Be specific in asking others who are not active participants to be involved.

• Ask the domineer to "hold that thought." Treat him or her respectfully, but keep the process moving.

• Never criticize a group member. As soon as you are critical of one, the others will begin to wonder when you will attack them. Stick to the mission, and don't analyze or criticize personalities.

• Take the domineer aside. If nothing else works, visit privately with the domineer during a break. Tell him or her that the input offered is valuable, but that you sense others are reluctant to participate without that person assuming a lower profile.

5. Managing Conflict. Groups operating under a problem-solving mandate may often see conflict arise. Being able to handle conflict positively and diffusing hostility is one of the most important functions of a facilitator. Some keys for effectively managing conflict include:

• Diffuse the pressure. When two or more members are mowing toward conflict, ask other members to restate the dilemma. Often involving others in clarification can cause those in the conflict to moderate their positions.
• Look for commonalities. Rather than focusing on differences, which is the point of conflict, look for common threads in the two differing points of view. Start with the things that united, and then work to resolve the things that divide.
• Encourage active listening. Steven Covey calls this "seek first to understand, then to be understood." Ask one party to the conflict to articulate his position and have the other party restate it to the first person's satisfaction. When one point is thoroughly understood, ask the parties to change roles. Often, when both parties fully understand the other, the conflict is narrowed if not eliminated.

6. Coming to Closure. Now that the group has identified alternatives, it is important for the facilitator to bring them to their objective. Consider the following techniques for reaching closure.

• Summarize. Give the group a set amount of time to review the ideas submitted and ask any needed clarifying questions.

• Use the $100 spending limit. Tell each member of the group that they have $100 in play money to spend on the different ideas. They can spend it all on one idea, or spread it around based on their attitude about the ideas. This will begin to bring focus to the best ideas and identify the level of support.

• Narrow further. If this sort of exercise doesn't get to a top five ideas, narrow the field by eliminating the lower ranked ideas and have the participants vote again. Continue to narrow until you reach your goal.

7. After Care. Just like patients who are healed or cured need some follow up to make changes to their lives, group members need after-care to assure that the results are real and accurate. Follow-up ideas include:

• Record the process. Make a permanent record of the process. If you used flip chart pages for recording ideas, have them typed up to keep. Add annotations as needed to make them clear for posterity, and do this soon so the process and results are fresh.

• Summarize the findings. Prepare a written summary of the results to present to the decision makers. Again, annotate these as well with the rationale and the process by which they were determined.

• Keep the record. File the records of the process in a way that they can be accessed again easily in case the results are unacceptable or the process is challenged. Be prepared to defend the process and its results.

Conclusion

Good process and results from a group are the results of good facilitation skills and active participation and ownership by the group. Using best practices in group process as discussed in this article will help improve the process and indeed, as the facilitator's mandate suggests, make it easier.