Elaborating on the wisdom of Lao Tse, Bob Kelsch, an organization effectiveness specialist on my staff, describes the facilitator s role. In the purest sense, when wearing the facilitator s hat an individual acts as a neutral servant of the people. All of this must be done without leaving any fingerprints. A person who makes a group s work easier by structuring and guiding the participation of group members. Facilitators generally work in a meeting setting, but can also work with a group outside of meetings.
Facilitation is a way of providing leadership without taking the reins.
As a facilitator, your job is to get others to assume responsibility and to take the lead. Rather than being a player, a facilitator s job is to act more like a referee. That means you watch the action, more than participate in it. You control which activities happen. You keep your finger on the pulse and know when to move on or wrap things up.