Every facilitator needs to know 6 things.  We’ve taken the most important theory and tools that you need to know as you start taking on a more expanded facilitator role in your organization or as an independent facilitator-entrepreneur.  We’ve packaged them into the Meetings That Rock© self-paced toolkit which is outlined in more depth below.

 

Why do you want this toolkit?

Remember, this material is different from the standard “effective meetings” you will find in most bookstores or websites. It is specifically geared toward those who want to run dramatically more participatory and inspiring meetings, and gain skills of a competent meeting facilitator while in the process of practicing these skills on a regular basis.  With this series, you get an  instant download – there are no shipping charges or waiting time.  You see and learn with many colorful images and photographs.  You get to keep your PDF file forever and refer to it as many times as needed. You can count on the reliability of these step-by step  instructions, as all of the tools and concepts have been executed successfully many times by the author in dozens of different contexts, and many cultures and  countries.  You benefit from the single focus of each module – not needing to wade through chapter after chapter looking for what you really need. If you are not satisfied, just ask us for a replacement module.

So, why did we include consensus as one of the top 6 “need to know” essentials for facilitators?

Consensus is used in almost every facilitated event or meeting in some form or another.  A key role of a facilitator is to help a group understand one another’s ideas and perspectives and be able to move forward based on this understanding.  In this interactive module, we have shared the thinking of many authors and added in real experiences from our own practice. Done well, consensus helps you generate tremendous momentum and trust in the group and with you.  Done poorly, it can derail a group, leave them discouraged and leave them feeling you are unskilled and untrustworthy.  In short, learn to do it well, as consensus building is one of your most important facilitator tools. The purpose of building consensus is to help groups to: 1) gain agreement on reaching a decision or 2) resolve an issue where there appears to be many differing and confusing perspectives.  What does consensus look like?  Does everyone have to agree?  This module helps you deeply explore and understand what consensus should look and feel like, teaches you 5 tools to apply in a variety of situations and gives you practice exercises to ensure you build your competency in this area. We have an extensive FAQ section and a fabulous personal practice exercise that not only prepares you for leading consensus in a group but  gives you valuable insights into any key question you are pondering in your personal or professional life.

Tools included in this Tools Module are: Five Finger Consensus, Converge, Consensus Decision Making, Flipchart Consensus, The ToP® Consensus Workshop Method

 

Buy Toolkit – All 6 Modules
$159.95

 

More on the Meetings That Rock Toolkit…

Remember we were talking about the 6 “need to know” essentials for every facilitator?  Well, here is what we think they are and we’ve created a mini yet comprehensive book on each of these 6 essentials:

1. Participation – how do you ensure that everyone is engaged and participates?
2. Design – how do you craft an agenda that flows and gets the work done?
3. Dialogue – how do you conduct productive discussions?
4. Consensus – how do you help a group gain agreement?
5. Creativity – how do you use creative techniques to generate bold and new ideas?
6. Decisions – how do you achieve buy-in and lasting results?

 

	The Art & Science of EngagementAre you leading soul-killing meetings? We drain people’s energy and enthusiasm when we run long, boring, non-participatory meetings. When this is done on a daily basis, it significantly reduces work or volunteer productivity and satisfaction. Learn practical suggestions on how to lead soul enriching meetings that encourage friendly, full and focused participation!  If people find their interactions in meetings productive and positive, it can make their whole work day go better. Gradually you will begin to see a positive cultural shift to a more resilient and happy workforce.  It is well worth your time to become more skillful in running meetings and being more facilitative in all your interactions with people. Includes: A self assessment tool to understand better your meeting facilitator roles The theory and practice of how to engage all types of learners (multiple intelligences) The 11 “essentials” of running participatory meetings 4 sample types of “Ground Rules” to use and tips on how to use A check list of tools and props needed for engaging meetings A list of top 10 competencies essential for all facilitators.
	Designing Productive Meetings – Agendas That Work Like MagicAre you ready to start designing meetings? Why should you even have an agenda? How can you be expected to know how to put together a really solid agenda that will achieve exactly what the group needs? There are steps as in anything else. In this module, we are going to teach you those steps so you can replicate “great design” any time it is required. A well designed meeting has a positive and focused “look and feel” to it… (More on this on page 6). You will know why you are taking up valuable time to do any of the agenda items (your purpose), you know what product each agenda item is aiming for (your products), and you choose a specific process, tool or technique to get there (your processes). This module includes practical replicable templates, a one page overview guide you can take with you anywhere, practice exercises plus: The 6 typical steps that ensure your agenda delivers the results needed for the time you have (with details on how to do each step) An overall framework for structuring most meetings How to set “head and heart” objectives for every meeting Ideas to create WOW! effects in the meeting “Best in the market” books and other resources you may want to consult to further your journey to becoming a competent designer of meetings Appendix: FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) about agenda design and structure Appendix: How to Structure Each Discussion Appendix: An agenda design template for planning each meeting We suspect you will see a big difference in your meetings within 3-6 months of regularly practicing these 6 steps.
	Leading Focused & Productive Discussions – Facilitator Tools for Sharing Ideas in MeetingsLearn how to make every important discussion a naturally flowing one. Ask questions that encourage people to offer their honest and deepest thinking on any topic, how to care for yourself and others in regular and difficult conversations. Learn techniques to help you finish conversations with everyone feeling clearer and more satisfied.  This module includes beautiful and well-known discussion frameworks that you can mix and match (once you know the theory of the framework) (see below), 7 keys for setting up important conversations, and practice exercises for sequencing open-ended questions for each to these 3 frameworks. We also include: The importance of conversation Seven keys to setting up important conversations Three specific frameworks for building productive discussion guides including one that deals with conflict conversations: The ToP® Focused Conversation method; Dr. De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats discussion method; Dr. Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication Conflict model Creating open versus closed questions 100+ example questions to get you started Our favorite “Best on the Market” dialogue resources Frequently asked questions (FAQs) Focused Conversation template Suggested answers to practice exercises
	The Complete (Abbreviated) Guide to ConsensusConsensus is used in almost every facilitated event or meeting in some form or another.  A key role of a facilitator is to help a group understand one another’s ideas and perspectives and be able to move forward based on this understanding.  In this interactive module, we have shared the thinking of many authors and added in real experiences from our own practice. Done well, consensus helps you generate tremendous momentum and trust in the group and with you.  Done poorly, it can derail a group, leave them discouraged and leave them feeling you are unskilled and untrustworthy.  In short, learn to do it well, as consensus building is one of your most important facilitator tools. The purpose of building consensus is to help groups to: 1) gain agreement on reaching a decision or 2) resolve an issue where there appears to be many differing and confusing perspectives.  What does consensus look like?  Does everyone have to agree?  This module: Helps you deeply explore and understand what consensus should look and feel like Teaches you 5 tools to apply in a variety of situations Gives you practice exercises to ensure you build your competency in this area Provides an extensive FAQ section Includes a fabulous personal practice exercise that not only prepares you for leading consensus in a group but  gives you valuable insights into any key question you are pondering in your personal or professional life.
	Generate Ideas to Overcome Problems or Challenges (In production)The focus of this module is on how to help groups generate ideas to solve problems, move forward from challenges, or create new better ways of doing things or being together. This requires that the group mood and setting is conducive to creative idea generation. Thus we will cover how to set the stage and context for the best and richest idea generation. We say creative idea generation because you are trying to get the group to generate new ideas (bold and new) as well as think of ways that are “tried and true” – i.e., have worked in both the current situation and in other comparable situations.  We include: A framework for generating ideas Five great visual and kinesthetic tools/techniques for generating ideas Practice exercises with each tool Tips for making things go well A great list of props and supplies to help your groups do that “Best in the market” books and other resources you may want to consult to further your journey to becoming a competent designer of meetings. FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) Examples of idea generation methods Sample agendas for when generating ideas
	Helping Groups Come to Lasting Decisions and Actions (In production)Essentially this will be a complete guide to decision making in groups. it will include  a framework for all decision making – theory and practice from several well know authors on this  including Sam Kaner’s work, Bob Wiele’s work (Smart for Life, the Harvard school of Business, ToP® and many others. We’ll explore how to approach a decision making session, what tools you might use, how to mix and match tools and our usual practice exercises, FAQ’s, and sample agendas for typical types of  decision making scenarios.

Quickly review these statements. Which are true for you?

• You don’t know how to help a group move from complaining to action.
• The group must make a decision and there are many conflicting points of view.
• There are too many agenda items for the allocated time and you don’t know what to do.
• Some participants talk too much and you are reluctant to interrupt them.
• You don’t know how to engage the quieter members of the group.
• You wonder why no one completes any action items between meetings.
• Key people consistently show up late or leave early.
• Only a few people participate in a critical discussion.
• You are not always sure when to push for full agreement or how to do it.

If you checked any of these statements, these eLearning Tools Modules will help.  If you like to do learning in your own preferred time and pace, this self-directed facilitator module package will help you with many of these “dilemmas” and MUCH MORE!

How will you benefit from the information in this toolkit?

After you have completed reading and practicing the theory and tools in this self-paced Meetings That Rock© toolkit, you will begin to observe the following benefits.  People attending your meetings will:

• stay focused on the topic at hand be more succinct  in their contributions
• acknowledge others’ ideas in a positive manner
• function as a team in finding a workable solution volunteer for and undertake actions to be completed outside the meeting
• take ownership for both successes and failures  related to the group’s work
• actively engage in problem-solving and idea generation relevant to the task
• arrive punctually for meetings
• enjoy, appreciate, and consistently contribute to a productive and fun style at each meeting
• be authentic and unreserved about participating during the  meeting.

The Meetings That Rock Toolkit package includes:

• Learning the Art and Science of Engagement
• Designing Productive Meetings—Agendas That Work Like Magic
• Leading Focused and Productive Discussions
• The Complete (Abbreviated) Guide to Consensus
• Generating Creative and Innovative Thinking in Groups
• Helping Groups Come to Lasting Decisions and Actions

The package includes six colorful PDFs of 25-40 pages with interactive exercises, templates, check-lists, resource lists.

Remember, this material is different from the standard “effective meetings” you will find in most bookstores or websites. It is specifically geared toward those who want to run dramatically more participatory and inspiring meetings, and gain skills of a competent meeting facilitator in the process of practicing these skills on a regular basis.

Toolkit $159.95

Toolkit price includes all six PDF’s available for immediate downloand in PDF

Add 30 minutes of coaching for only $75 More!

 

Who wrote these modules and who would coach you?

Author Barbara MacKay, Certified Professional Facilitator, Master of Science has been facilitating since 1981.  She has had her own facilitation business since 1995. She has designed and led thousands of facilitated meetings, conferences and workshops all over the world.  Barbara is also a certified assessor with the International Association of Facilitators and has certified facilitators from 5 continents.  She has started a mentoring program that includes 10 members from different cultural and geographic backgrounds.  She is currently mentoring several facilitator professionals in Asia. Barbara offers multiple courses in facilitation skills and has spent the last 20 years researching and practicing a variety of tools and approaches.  Her core work is based in the Technology of Participation approach and this is supplemented with a rich enfusion of accelerated learning techniques (the neuroscience of learning), cross cultural and non-violent communication methodologies.  Barbara has a playful sense of humor and has been described as having a calm, authentic presence.

“Imagine friendly, participating, productive meeting attendees. Attendees who achieve outcomes quickly and easily every time!”

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Individual Modules Available!

• Only interested in 1 or 2 modules in this series?
• Are you curious to see what a module contains before purchasing the toolkit?

Single modules can be purchased from this series for $29.95 each.  Please select from the list below for more information.

 

 

Testimonials

“Thanks, Barb. The tool is incredible: clear, creative, fun to read, appropriate to work and personal situations (last page).”  Patricia Bugas-Schramm, PBS

“Thank you SO much Barbara for the wonderful resources.  Your products are so well designed and so “meaty.”  Simply wonderful tools.”   Rachel Schaming, Raiology Ltd.

Our Guarantee

If you are not satisfied with your purchase or the eLearning module does not fit your needs, just ask us for a replacement module.  We have over 40 titles to choose from.