Workshop: Facilitation Role Play

Workshops for Community Leaders

Exercise: Facilitation Role Play

Objectives: To provide participants an opportunity to practice and integrate the facilitation skills learned throughout the day.

Method:
1. Form groups of six people: One Facilitator, one Observer and four Players.
2. Each Player will be given a brief outline of their role and how they should behave in the meeting.
3. The Facilitator should carefully choose their intervention style(s) from the list above based on the needs of the group.
4. The Observer will be given an Observation Guide on which to record the performance of the Facilitator, including the intervention style(s) he/she uses.
5. Each participant will play the role of Facilitator in rotation. Once a participant has played the role of Facilitator for 10 minutes, the role-play will end. The Observer will provide feedback to the Facilitator.
6. The Players, Facilitator and Observer will change places and repeat the role-play until everyone has had an opportunity to be Facilitator.

General Background: A generous national donor has provided funds for the construction and the running costs of a new playground to be built in your community. The site has been identified by the Municipality and construction has begun. However, as this is to be a community resource, it has been proposed that local volunteer groups decide among themselves on a number of management issues. Decisions must be made today on these matters.

These issues include:
· Hours of opening
· Provision of supervision and security (supervision, fencing, keeping out animals, lighting…)
· Maintenance (safety and repair of equipment, cleaning of toilets….)

A meeting has been called in the municipality office. This meeting will be facilitated by a professional trainer from a local resource group. Four community representatives have been invited.

Discussion:
· How difficult or easy was it to facilitate this group process? What were the easiest and most difficult moments?
· How would you evaluate yourself as a facilitator? What skills do you think you are quite good at? What could you improve?

Adapted from “Exercise: ENABLER” by Angela Mackay (August 2000).