Facilitation Skills

Course Content

There are two main techniques available to trainers, namely instruction and facilitation.

Instruction can be described as being primarily a telling activity, where knowledge and skills are developed in trainees through either direct communication or demonstration, with questioning primarily used to check understanding or reinforce key messages.

Facilitation on the other hand, can be described as a technique that helps trainees to discover for themselves what is appropriate and effective, in the context of their own experience and circumstances.

When trying to encourage appropriate attitudes, using instruction as the technique normally has limited success. People, particularly adults, do not like being told how to behave and what to think. In general, telling people to change their attitude or behaviour is not usually effective. Facilitation can be particularly useful when discussing the concepts of effective teamwork and CRM issues.