Facilitator skills you can apply to work and life

In honour of International Facilitation Week (September 11-18), we are sharing four simple yet powerful skills anyone can use in professional or personal settings.

facilitation skills are life skills

Facilitation is a practice, and that’s because facilitators never stop learning, no matter how experienced they are.

We’re constantly practicing and honing our skills, and many of those skills are applicable to everyday interactions and conversations, particularly where there’s a group involved.

From running meeting at work to discussing a tricky issue, facilitation skills are often life skills that can be used in a range of settings.

This facilitation week, four of our facilitators, Nicole (co-founder and director), Jody, Mel and Jane each share a facilitation tip that you can try today, even if facilitation isn’t your day job!

“Don’t be afraid of having the hard conversations.”

— Nicole Hunter

what is facilitation really about?

“Facilitators are called upon to fill an impartial role in helping groups become more effective. We act as process guides to create a balance between participation and results.” This is the opening statement of the International Association of Facilitation’s Statement of Values & Code of Ethics, which outlines key principles of facilitation.

One of the features of a good facilitator is their focus on supporting the conversations, deliberations and work of a group in order to produce meaningful outcomes.

A facilitator’s role isn’t built around entertaining an audience, introducing speakers or supporting an event that is built primarily around the provision of information. Instead, facilitators are the glue that enables a collaborative process to take place.

Facilitation is a specific skill, and some people make it look easy. However, doing it well requires lots of practice and training.

our style stands out

While our facilitation approach is underpinned by core principles, MosaicLab facilitators also stand out - and it’s not just because of our bright, blue t-shirts!

Learn more about our unique style.

ready to build your own facilitation skills?

We offer a range of different facilitation training experiences for groups and organisations through our MosaicLab Academy. Our specialised practioners can deliver a course that is built on real-world experience, upskills your entire team, and builds internal capacity over the long-term.

Our facilitators are specialised in the design and delivery of deliberative processes. Our ‘Big Book’ of facilitating deliberation steps you through every element of this specialised form of facilitation.

You can also take our online, self-directed course ‘The Art of Facilitation’ which outlines how to plan, design and facilitate meetings and workshops that are interactive, enjoyable and highly productive.