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The following are the necessary qualities needed to be successful facilitators (Listowners - LOs).

Contents

[edit] Knowledge of Self (personal qualities)

Effective facilitators share many of the following characteristics:

  • They have high tolerance for ambiguity
  • They are accepting of others and hold others with unconditional regard
  • Authentic, congruent, honest ... e.g. walks his/her talk
  • They are universally caring and compassionate
  • Many times they are also charismatic. Online charisma is an undervalued characteristic.
  • They demonstrate conceptual and systemic thinking (They are able to put it all together)
  • They show concern for quality (and have the ability to describe their reasoning)
  • They are empathetic (They have the ability to see the situation as the other sees it)
  • Flexibility, versatility, (ability to switch gears at the last moment)
  • Inspirational
  • They are universally objective/neutral (Having no vested interest in one solution over another)
  • They have good self knowledge and awareness (strengths, weaknesses, ego, impact on others)
  • They have an innate sense of when to stay quiet

[edit] Knowledge Base (knows/skilled in...)

  • Adult learning principles
  • Communication styles
  • Learning styles
  • Cultural competency
  • Group and interpersonal dynamics
  • Group facilitation
  • Knowledge of/assessment of audience
  • Subject/content matter expertise
  • Teaching/training

[edit] Facilitation Skills

Great online facilitators know how to:

  • Be an Active, effective listener
  • Encourage open communication
  • Obtain Feedback
  • Be Attentive to potential problems when participants are/aren't "walking the talk"
  • Develop Questioning (as opposed to telling) skills:
    • asking questions that will lead to insight
    • asking provocative questions
    • using problems, questions, tools and other means to stir the mind and body to learn
    • not providing all the answers to the participants
  • Clarify experiences for additional insights
  • Create or nurture constructive conflicts or "creative abrasion"
  • Focus -- keeping the discussion on track
  • Listen from a non-judgmental place
  • Listen for understanding and context
  • Maximize gaining of knowledge and skill in the time available
  • Observation skills
    • notices patterns in group interaction and brings it up to the group for exploration.
    • notices what is NOT said as well as what is
    • organization skills
    • observes and listens for opportunities and actualities of learning
  • Pacing skills --change the level of the discussion at the appropriate time (from brainstorming to evaluation to decision to action planning, or from thinking to feeling)
  • Presentation skills
  • Problem solving
  • Ability to extract positive outcomes from difficult situations
  • Read not only individuals, but also interaction between individuals, and the subtleties of group
  • Resume/restart groups
  • Steer the group in a positive direction
  • Summarization skills (succinct, accurate, non-judgmental)
  • Use out-going participants to get the discussion rolling and make room for the quiet ones
  • Writing skills

[edit] Technology Skills

Listowners should have a good understanding of the following technologies:

  • Email
  • Email list software (i.e. "listservs")
  • Threaded discussion tools

Additionaly, listowners who want to create or add a list specific website shall know:

  • HTML
  • Web page publishing
  • SFTP or SCP
  • Groupware tools

[edit] Online Interaction Experience

  • Social online communities (i.e. Salon's Table Talk)
  • Chat, live events (synchronous)
  • Email lists
  • Virtual teams/virtual workgroups
  • Cross cultural groups
  • Distance education/training

[edit] See also



Page title: Facilitator Qualities and Skills
Revision ID: 3615
Date accessed: Friday, March 12, 2010
Stable URL: http://lo-wiki.acor.org/index.php/Facilitator_Qualities_and_Skills
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