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The Skilled Facilitator: Practical Wisdom for Developing Effective Groups by Roger M. Schwarz Format: Hardcover, 336 pages Midwest Book Review: In The Skilled Facilitator: Practical Wisdom For Developing Effective Groups, Roger Schwarz draws on his own extensive facilitation experience and insight to bring together theory and practice, creating a comprehensive reference for consultants, peer facilitators, mangers, leaders -- anyone whose role is to guide groups toward realization their creative and problem-solving potential. The Skilled Facilitator provides essential materials including simple but effective ground rules for governing group interaction; what to say to a group (and when to say it) to keep it on track and moving toward its goal, proven techniques for starting meetings on the right (and ending them positively and decisively), practical methods for handling emotions (particularly negative emotions) when they arise in a group context, and a diagnostic approach for helping both facilitators and group members identify and solve problems that can undermine the group process. The Skilled Facilitator provides a clearly defined set of basic principles to help facilitators develop sound, value-based responses to a wide range of unpredictable situations. It also includes advice on how to work with outside consultants and facilitate within one's own organizations, along with a groundbreaking section on facilitative leadership. The Skilled Facilitator is an excellent addition to any business or community library shelf. Synopsis: This book shows what makes a group effective and how a facilitator can improve group effectiveness by identifying patterns of behavior that are getting in the way, helping the group stick to a few critical ground rules, and encouraging them to deal more openly with conflict. |
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