Facilitation within BA work2nd Lviv BA Community Meeting

Who we arePersona #1: Inna Granishevska

• Business Analyst (ELEKS)

• MSc in Security Systems

• 6 years of BA experience• Biotech Industry• Engagement • Financial Risk Management

• Facilitated multiple:• International events such as OST, Workshops, NGOs, etc. meetings• Strategic sessions facilitation • Trainings facilitation

• Refers to herself as Intermediate BA

• Workaholic from time to time

• Experienced in soft-skills trainings and NGO management

• Traveler ;)

Who we arePersona #2: Taras Zakharkiv

• Business Analyst (ELEKS)

• MSc in Economic Cybernetics

• 8 years of IT BA and PM experience• Time-Tracking systems for Legal Firms• Automation• Telecom, FMCG

• Facilitated multiple:• Requirement elicitation meetings• Recruitment activities• Coaching sessions

• Experienced in questioning technics, critical thinking

Problem to Solve

Mining Group Gold

Why?

• IMHO Facilitation should be default BA competency• I use it on the day-to-day basis • Its interesting to know how others deal with different

situations

What’s the point? • Recall a meeting you recently participated in?

• What issues prevented this meeting from being effective. What was challenging• What strategies helped make this an effective

meeting . What worked?

• Your understanding of facilitator and facilitation?

The definition of facilitate is "to make easy" or "ease a process". What a facilitator does is plan, guide and manage a group event to ensure that the group's objectives are met effectively, with clear thinking, good participation and full buy-in from everyone who is involved.

A facilitator is someone who helps a group of people understand their common objectives and

assists them to plan to achieve them without taking a particular position in the discussion

As Group Facilitator

Process is the task, …..Or, of you prefer: the task is a process

Facilitation should bring

Safety Inclusion

Trust

BasisThere are two areas of Facilitation framework:

Facilitation itself – knowledge about working with groups and group dynamics, designing and facilitating process and interaction

Interpersonal Communication - skills for these folks coming to the meeting in how to deal with big bosses and challenging individuals

Facilitation itself 3 main roles facilitator deal with:

1 Architects (Planning stage) • Knowing the stakeholders &

Processes • Purpose of meeting • Desired outcomes • Agenda• Check lists

3 Guide • Leading the group though the

challenges to the results - Facilitating

2 Pilot (within the road)• Logistic and materials• Start point • Follow ups and

summaries

Interpersonal Communication

The good news is:

You already know most of this• We’ve all been group members• You likely have much of the knowledge• You know the group dynamics • It’s all about communication, conflict solving,

negotiations, etc..

Key characteristics of good facilitator

• Solid verbal communication skills • Ability to work with a wide variety of people in challenging

situations • Common sense and good judgment • Flexibility in handling multiple demands of program • An open mind and willingness to learn • Ability to remain calm in stressful situations • Empathy (caring) for others • Willingness to play and share• Good sense of humor

Micro Skills

• Confronting• Silence• Modeling• Advanced empathy• Parcing• Problem Solving/Advice

giving• Psychoeducation• Goal setting

• Active Listening• Paraphrasing• Reasoning• Basic Empathy• Summarizing• Immediacy• Linking• Blocking• Validating / Normalizing

When and how it can be usedAs BA:

• Status meetings• Internal team meetings – Plannings, Retrospectives, etc. • Strategy Meetings• On-site visits • User Trainings• Just everywhere

In general• OST• Conferences • Trainings • Consulting• etc

My checklist …Tips & Tricks • My checklist: • Standard stuff like agenda, notes, etc• Precise look at the participants (being in each role, trying

to understand their intensions) – kind of know your stakeholders • Pre-defined list of outcomes (also from the mentioned

ppl)• Observation of involvement.. • SWOT within discussions and decision making • Finger Rules, etc • Facilitator ethics and values (where do you draw a line)

Experience…3 cases… Intro for discussion…

Case 1: OnsiteInput:• Planning by PM• Schedule specifics• Product vision presentation• First visit + sales challenge

Retrospective:• Planning by a person who will drive• Successful criteria of a visit + outcome• Reserve time boxes for ongoing tasks (+ unexpected ones)• Reserve time for analysis and documenting•Question lists (per role)

Case 2: InterviewsInput:•New person each time•New position each time• CV vs. reality•Unique approach•Questions & Workflows• Feedback & Assessment• Responsibility

Retrospective:• Agenda… Complete agenda!• Sync workflow with attendees• Investigate CV• Session useful for all. Long term relationships• Segmented questions, cases, workflows

Case 3: Technical projectInput:•New-old team• Bus-effect challenge• Key persons overloaded• Automation… HW+SW•Meeting minutes challenge• Find your place man…

Retrospective:Status: immersion

Case 4 Input:• Business Partners’ teams • Lots of “Senior” people•Different level of English•Not agreed “real” goals of the meeting•No initial facilitator• You are one of the participants

Retrospective:•Discuss roles•Make breaks• Agree with the boss• Summarize within meeting• Signed action items

Recourses & Links • IAF LinkedIn Community • Group Facilitator Handbook • MindTools: Managing Overconfident People• Controlling Disruptive People • http://prezi.com/vq4ecsqn5cph/meeting-facilitation-workshop_gr

c-17/ • http://prezi.com/i-hbgfbvgru6/facilitationnegotiation/• Community Tool Box: Developing Facilitation Skills • There are several excellent facilitation books : The Secrets of

Facilitation, The Skilled Facilitator (Roger Schwarz), Facilitation with Ease (Ingrid Bens), Questions that Work (Dorothy Strachan), and The Art of Facilitation (Dale Hunter). Mining Group Gold (Thomas Kayser)