Page 22 - Modern Steel Construction (April 2019)

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FORGING A Want to become a leader?

FRAMEWORK Becoming a facilitator

FOR is one way to start.

FACILITATING

BY ANNE SCARLETT

EARLY IN YOUR CAREER, it’s wise to identify your own opportunities to prac-
tice being a leader. (And if you’re past the early stage, not to worry! It’s never too late
to hone leadership skills.)
While leadership is demonstrated in myriad scenarios, one option is to put yourself
in a “facilitator” position. What’s a facilitator? Simply put, it’s an individual that leads a
group —of one or many—through a discussion. By no means is the ability to facilitate
meetings a prerequisite to becoming an effective leader, but it certainly provides an
opportunity to build overall leadership skills.
So where to cut your facilitation teeth? Maybe within a formal presentation at
a conference or seminar. Maybe while conducting the weekly internal project team
meeting. Maybe during an in-progress project meeting with the client. Or maybe even
while running a meeting for a volunteer organization.
Anne Scarlett is president of Scarlett Consult-
ing, a Chicago-based company specializing in Translating Leadership Skills from Volunteering to Work
AEC-specific strategic marketing plans, mar- If you’ve recently joined the workforce, the latter option might be the perfect one
keting audits and coaching. She is also on the to practice your facilitator skills so that you can enjoy the magic firsthand. After all,
adjunct faculty at Columbia College of Chicago young enthusiasts with fresh ideas and energy are warmly welcomed within nonprofit
and DePaul University. She can be contacted organizations—whether the affiliations are professional such as AISC, philanthropic
via her website, www.annescarlett.com. such as your local animal shelter, cultural such as the junior board of a theater com-
pany or all-out recreational such as your local intramural sports league. These organi-
zations all have boards, committees and special project groups; they need you as much
as you need them.
Presuming that you’ve identified an organization that you can genuinely pour your
heart into, your next step is become actively involved. Most nonprofit organizations
clearly articulate the options, as they know that’s the best way to recruit young blood!
Fast-forward to the point where you’ve aligned with a committee or special group.
Now is your chance to locate facilitation opportunities.
Rather than having Setting the Framework
Like any worthy skill, facilitation cannot be fully explained in a single article. How-
everyone speak to you as ever, here are some initial tips and best practices to apply when facilitating, particularly
if you’re new to the game.
the leader in a meeting, Focus on the prize: a meaningful overall experience for the group. Believe it or
not, attendees are expecting to learn from one another and to be heard. What does this
help navigate connections mean for you as the facilitator? Keep your own presenting (lecturing) to a bare mini-
mum, and instead use prompts to encourage discussion. Rather than having everyone
between attendees. speak to you as the leader, help navigate connections between attendees. Some people
will do this naturally (e.g., “Building off what Colin said, I had a similar challenge but
with a different outcome.”) But as the facilitator, you too can help underscore common-
alities and connections. Think of the experience as everyone talking to everyone, rather
than the group (attendees) talking to an individual (you, the facilitator). The facilitator
provides the foundation and the glue. The attendees provide the building blocks.

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