MDP285A - Guiding Teams With Finesse: Team Facilitation and Coaching
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Course description
A leader's credibility often is recognized through his or her confidence and effectiveness in leading and facilitating teams through business critical/strategic decisions. This becomes all the more challenging when team members are more technically proficient than their leader. Leaders with proficiency in facilitation are able to transcend this technology gap to channel the expertise of others to produce desired results. Poorly orchestrated meetings, team sessions or group problem solving events led by individuals who lack skills, focus, and command, consume valuable time and accomplish precious little. An individual who possesses powerful facilitation skills and the ability coach team members toward effective performance can transform mediocre team meetings into focused, highly productive and efficient work sessions. That same individual armed with powerful proven consulting skills, tools and methodologies can quickly become a strategic asset in a successful organization's arsenal. These skills are essential as companies are recognizing the need to develop project leaders versus project managers. During this program we will begin to bridge the widening gap between project management and true leadership, allowing project managers to play a more responsive, flexible, and strategic role.

Who should attend
Leaders, Managers, Project managers, or anyone who desires to develop facilitation skills for more productive teams and groups

What you will achieve

• At the conclusion of this course participants will be able to: Increased rapport and respect with team members and peers


• Creative, focused meetings, team sessions, large group facilitations


• Efficient use of the company's most valuable resource - its people


• Better decisions Utilizing the best in problem solving/decision making methodologies


• Fewer disruptive conflicts


• Meeting customer requests as promised, on time, within budget


• Team consensus and support for decisions

What you will learn

• Portray an image of confidence and command, without stifling the creativity of others


• Create and maintain an open atmosphere


• Direct the orientation of the group


• Coach effective team behavior for team members of all levels


• Develop and establish effective meeting ground rules


• Take administrative charge of the discussion


• Manage behavioral issues — even 'difficult' people


• Develop the 'personality' style and credible behaviors of an effective facilitator/presenter


• Understand the difference between leading and facilitating a group or team


• Avoid the pitfalls all inexperienced facilitators encounter


• Manage Groupthink — so the right decision are made, not just the popular ones


• Address meeting conflict and disruption


• Capture the best thinking and ideas


• Utilize media to its maximum advantage


• Practical application of leading problems solving/decision making methodologies


• Avoid the pitfalls all inexperienced facilitators encounter