One of the best tools for helping members use the ground rules is to publicly positively reinforce the use of the ground rules by complementing someone as they follow a ground rule. By publicly intervening you give notice to the group that you are paying attention to the ground rules and working to uphold them. Also, many people respond very favorably to positive feedback. Working with non-effective behaviors One the challenges of being a facilitator is how to intervene when the behaviors of members are not contributing to the success of the group. For example, an angry, name calling exchange between two members typically is behavior that causes groups to abandon effective work together.
Every meeting is full of behaviors by the members.
Some behaviors contribute to the success of the groups work, most have no direct effect, and others subtract from the groups effectiveness. When and where to intervene is a judgement call by the facilitator and each situation and group will provide learning opportunities. A Public intervention is one that happens in the meeting with everyone present. A Private intervention is one that happens outside the meeting with just the people involved. An indirect intervention is where a whole set of concepts and learning s are given which includes the target behavior When a specific individuals behavior causes the group to malfunction, in order to fully engage the whole group in the process, it is helpful to use a hierarchy of intervention, moving from most general to specific.