{"id":13065,"date":"2021-09-23T07:00:39","date_gmt":"2021-09-23T11:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/?p=13065"},"modified":"2026-04-21T12:57:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:57:53","slug":"facilitators-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/facilitators-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"A Facilitator&#8217;s Guide to Building Better Meetings (Meetings That Get Results !)"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>The Purpose<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/wastingtime.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-13119 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/wastingtime-207x300.png\" alt=\"A Facilitator's Guide to Building Better Meetings (Meetings That Get Results !)\" width=\"207\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/wastingtime-207x300.png 207w, https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/wastingtime.png 319w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 207px) 100vw, 207px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">There\u2019s nothing more frustrating than an unproductive meeting\u2014except one that leads to another unproductive meeting. Which is why I wrote <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Meetings-That-Get-Results-Facilitators\/dp\/1523093153\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=23YBIX3POGKSE&amp;keywords=meetings+that+get+results&amp;qid=1693853242&amp;sprefix=meetings+that%2Caps%2C163&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Meetings That Get Results<\/strong><\/a>. Developed from over 17+ years of research, delivery, and practice, including 15,000+ hours providing live instruction using a certified curriculum, this practical, comprehensive facilitator&#8217;s guide is for the millions of people <em>right now<\/em> who are out there leading meetings without any training in facilitation or meeting design. Within the book\u2019s pages, you\u2019ll learn how to ensure your meetings produce clear and actionable results\u2014meetings that are profitable and productive\u2014and that ultimately lead to fewer meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">In addition to basic information-exchange meetings (such as staff meetings and board meetings), &#8220;Meetings That Get Results&#8221;\u00a0focuses on three important forms of meetings:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Decision-making\u2014focusing on prioritization and ranking<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Planning\u2014that is, consensual agreement and shared ownership (<i>wh<\/i><i>o<\/i><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>does <i>w<\/i><i>h<\/i><i>a<\/i><i>t<\/i> by <i>w<\/i><i>h<\/i><i>e<\/i><i>n<\/i>?)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Problem-solving\u2014for example, focusing on innovative solutions<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><i>du<\/i><i>r<\/i><i>in<\/i><i>g<\/i> the meeting<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><i>It\u2019s<\/i> <i>All<\/i> <i>About<\/i> <i>You<\/i><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">I understand that in a world of back-to-back meetings, you barely have time to find the right resources and training to become a better leader. Yet, while you would not attempt to build a boat without the proper training, equipment, and support, every day millions of people are conducting meetings without a critical understanding of or formal training on how to be an effective meeting leader in person or online. Meetings whose deliverables affect tens, hundreds, or even thousands of jobs, or determine the success or failure of a department or company, regularly cost organizations more money than all the boats, ships, and skyscrapers being built today. This book gives you a significant edge:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Empowering you to help your groups create, innovate, and break<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>through the barriers of miscommunication, politics, and intolerance.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Making it easier for you to help others\u00a0reach consensus and\u00a0shared understanding, while never yielding to the easy answer.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Providing you with specific <em>Agenda Steps <\/em>and<em> Tools<\/em> to avoid\u00a0the worst possible\u00a0result of any meeting: another meeting.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>MAKING IT EASY<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><em>Facil<\/em> in Latin means \u201ceasily accomplished.\u201d The word <em>facilitaera<\/em> evolved from the\u00a0Latin verb <em>facilius reddo<\/em>, meaning \u201ceasily accomplished or attained.\u201d When a\u00a0group of subject matter\u00a0experts manages to stay focused, miracles can happen.\u00a0Therefore, I define business facilitation as a method that removes all distractions,\u00a0making it easy or attainable for a group of experts to gain traction by focusing on\u00a0the same question at the same time, led by a meeting facilitator who knows\u00a0how to sequence questions, ask questions with precision, and guide consensual\u00a0understanding and agreement around optimal solutions for that specific group\u00a0of experts.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>THE TOUGH PART<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Rarely do events, meetings, or workshops proceed in a linear fashion. They\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0just \u201cstart here\u201d\u00a0and then \u201cend there.\u201d\u00a0Rather, they continually loop and\u00a0twirl\u2014for\u00a0reasons such as these:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Someone joins the meeting late, online or in person.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">A subject matter\u00a0expert gets called away unexpectedly and upon return\u00a0discovers some critical information missing.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">You are asked to go back and add something.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Someone changes her mind because\u00a0her introspection has found a\u00a0connection between a few things\u00a0previously not considered.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Someone comes back from break with added information obtained\u00a0from an outside subject matter\u00a0expert or from the\u00a0internet.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">You are asked to substitute or combine something.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Someone wakes up and cannot understand something decided\u00a0earlier.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Two people\u00a0start arguing because\u00a0they refuse to agree with each other\u00a0based on \u201cprinciple.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">You need to fully define something.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">You do a poor job handling\u00a0participants\u2019 electronic leashes (cell\u00a0phones, laptops, etc.)\u00a0and when everyone\u00a0wakes up,\u00a0they quickly\u00a0unravel what has already been accomplished.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Sound familiar?<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">If so, the remedies in this book are meant for you. I cannot\u00a0promise you a method to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">resolve<\/span> everything\u00a0you encounter in meetings. But this book does provide a method and additional confidence to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">manage<\/span> anything\u00a0that develops or erupts during your meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">When you see the term \u201cmeetings\u201d you might substitute the generic term\u00a0\u201csessions.\u201d Meeting leadership skills allow you to pivot among ceremonies,\u00a0conferences, events, meetings, and workshops\u2014wherever\u00a0groups assemble\u00a0in\u00a0session to decide, plan, prioritize, and solve problems.\u00a0I want to make it easier\u00a0for you to be a credible meeting leader and meeting facilitator[\u2660] when leading\u00a0diverse types of meeting sessions, for all types of groups, organizations,\u00a0teams,\u00a0and tribes.[\u2666]<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>RELAX<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The style of this facilitator&#8217;s guide supports quick reading and cross-referencing.\u00a0Conventions\u00a0include the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Lists of items (such as bullet points) are typically alphabetically ordered.\u00a0If not, lists are sorted by chronology, dependency,\u00a0frequency, or\u00a0importance (impact).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><em>Meeting Approaches, Agenda Steps<\/em>, and <em>Tools<\/em> appear in <em>italics<\/em>, with\u00a0cross-references\u00a0to the chapters or sections where they appear.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>LEGACY<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Like you, I know how it feels to sit in a meeting and think, \u201cWhat a waste of the organization\u2019s time and money.\u201d To solve this problem, I\u2019ve spent years improving a structured method to design and lead better meetings. Once you have read this book, you will have the knowledge I wish I had earlier in my career. The book is the result of more than 15,000 hours invested in training thousands of people on four different continents. These people now plan and run better meetings using disciplined, holistic meeting design, based on proven techniques such as structured conversations, with an ever-vigilant eye toward decision quality and collaborative ownership.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13068\" style=\"width: 673px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Facilitators-Guide-Chapters.png\"><img wpfc-lazyload-disable=\"true\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13068\" class=\"size-large wp-image-13068\" src=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Facilitators-Guide-Chapters-663x1024.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"663\" height=\"1024\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-13068\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Facilitator&#8217;s Guide Chapters<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n<h3>How to Navigate This Facilitator&#8217;s Guide to Meeting Design<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Read the first four chapters to understand and reinforce meeting\u00a0leadership; the core skills and discipline of effective facilitation; and\u00a0how to manage group collaboration, meeting conflict, and personality\u00a0dysfunction. When you need a refresher, refer to the table\u00a0of contents\u00a0to isolate the topic you need to reinforce, such as \u201cHow to Manage\u00a0Arguments.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">For your meetings and events, use the <strong>Quick Reference sections and\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Tool selection\u00a0<\/strong><strong>guide<\/strong> at the end of the book to remind you about\u00a0suitable activities for structuring your agenda and meeting design. The\u00a0Quick Reference sections prompt you with detailed instructions to use\u00a0when building your <em>Launch, Agenda Steps, <\/em>and<em> Wrap<\/em> (fully detailed and scripted in Chapter 5).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Facilitator&#8217;s Guide Chapter Summary<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">For specific agendas, tools, and procedures to use repeatedly when conducting meeting sessions, turn to these chapters (also see the summary table below)<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Planning sessions\u2014Chapter 6<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Decision-making and prioritization sessions\u2014Chapter 7<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Problem-solving and innovation sessions\u2014Chapter 8<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Online sessions and differences\u2014Chapter 9<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Staff meetings and other information-exchange sessions\u2014Chapter 9<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Board meetings and \u201cRobert\u2019s Rules\u201d situations\u2014Chapter 9<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">After identifying your situation and locating the appropriate <em>Agenda Steps<\/em>, adapt the prescribed procedures to your personal taste and environmental constraints by considering the following factors:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Duration or amount of available time<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Monetary impact of your meeting deliverable on organizational objectives<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Number of participants, expected and optimal<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Physical space or online ease of using breakout rooms<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Your ability to adapt the tools to both in-person and online settings<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Your experience and confidence with the recommended tools<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Facilitator&#8217;s Guide Scripting and Support<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Script your <a href=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/meeting-introduction\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Annotated Agenda<\/em><\/a> (chapter 5) from start to finish. For best results, follow the seven activities of a professional <em>Introduction<\/em> (<em>Launch<\/em>) using the prescribed sequence. Script them and follow your script. According to New York Times best-selling author Daniel Pink,[\u2663] the four activities of a professional <a href=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/meeting-wrap-up\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Conclusion<\/em> (<em>Wrap<\/em>)<\/a> are even more important than a smooth <em>Launch<\/em>. So thoroughly prepare for your four concluding <em>Review and Wrap<\/em> activities, which ensure clear and actionable results.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Prepare your participants. For major initiatives or workshops, send out a <em>Participants\u2019 Package<\/em> (chapter 5). For 50-minute meetings, prepare a one-page description of the meeting purpose, meeting scope, meeting objectives, and basic agenda.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Once your <em>Annotated Agenda<\/em> (Chapter 5) is complete, and even while you are working on it, prepare supplementary material and visual support such as a glossary, slides, legends, posters, and screens (illustrated throughout this book) to help you explain the tools and procedures you will use to build deliverables and get DONE.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">[\u2660] The meeting facilitator represents one of four roles performed by the meeting leader; the other three roles commonly performed by the meeting leader include meeting coordinator, meeting documenter, and meeting designer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">[\u2666] Teams reassemble every\u00a0season with new players. Tribes stay together through thick and\u00a0thin, over the long haul.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">[\u2663] Daniel Pink, <em>When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing<\/em> (2018).<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">In a world where everyone can engage in decisions that affect them<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b>______<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>Lead the Change\u2014One Meeting at a Time<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Are you ready to transform how decisions are made, problems are solved, and alignment is built in your organization?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>True meeting leadership goes beyond setting an agenda.<\/b> It requires a facilitator who can navigate complexity, balance voices, and drive toward outcomes with clarity and consensus. Our <a href=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/public-facilitation-training\/\"><b>Professional Meeting Leadership Workshop<\/b><\/a> and facilitation training equips you to do just that\u2014blending <b>human-centric methods<\/b> with <b>structured analytical tools<\/b> to foster rigor, inclusivity, and results that stick.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b><\/b><b>Practice live.<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b><\/b><b>Get expert feedback.<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b><\/b><b>Build confidence that lasts.<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Whether your meetings suffer from unclear objectives, disengaged participants, or decision fatigue, this workshop will help you <b>identify the root causes<\/b>, <b>apply proven facilitation techniques<\/b>, and <b>emerge as the leader every team needs<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>Take the first step today\u2014transform your meetings and magnify your impact.<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/public-facilitation-training\/\"><b>Click here to reserve your seat now.<\/b><b><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><i>#facilitationtraining #meetingdesign<\/i><\/span><i><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>Because every meeting should be a catalyst for change\u2014not just another calendar event.<\/b><\/span><b><\/b><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b>______<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">With Bookmarks no longer a feature in WordPress, we provide the following for your benefit and reference.<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">20 Prioritization Techniques = <a href=\"https:\/\/foldingburritos.com\/product-prioritization-techniques\/\">https:\/\/foldingburritos.com\/product-prioritization-techniques\/<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Creativity Techniques = <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mycoted.com\/Category:Creativity_Techniques\">https:\/\/www.mycoted.com\/Category:Creativity_Techniques<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Facilitation Training Calendar = <a href=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/public-facilitation-training-calendar\/\">https:\/\/mgrush.com\/public-facilitation-training-calendar\/<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Liberating Structures = <a href=\"http:\/\/www.liberatingstructures.com\/ls-menu\">http:\/\/www.liberatingstructures.com\/ls-menu<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Management Methods = <a href=\"https:\/\/www.valuebasedmanagement.net\/\">https:\/\/www.valuebasedmanagement.net<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Newseum = https:\/\/www.freedomforum.org\/todaysfrontpages\/<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">People Search = <a href=\"https:\/\/pudding.cool\/2019\/05\/people-map\/\">https:\/\/pudding.cool\/2019\/05\/people-map\/<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Project Gutenberg = http:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/wiki\/Main_Page<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Scrum Events Agendas = <a href=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/scrum-facilitation\/\">https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/scrum-facilitation\/<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Speed test = <a href=\"https:\/\/www.speedtest.net\/result\/8715401342\">https:\/\/www.speedtest.net\/result\/8715401342<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Teleconference call = <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/DYu_bGbZiiQ\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/DYu_bGbZiiQ<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The Size of Space = https:\/\/neal.fun\/size-of-space\/<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Thiagi\/ 400 ready-to-use training games = <a href=\"http:\/\/thiagi.net\/archive\/www\/games.html\">http:\/\/thiagi.net\/archive\/www\/games.html<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Visualization methods = <a href=\"http:\/\/www.visual-literacy.org\/periodic_table\/periodic_table.html\">http:\/\/www.visual-literacy.org\/periodic_table\/periodic_table.html#<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b>______<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Purpose There\u2019s nothing more frustrating than an unproductive meeting\u2014except one that leads to another unproductive meeting. Which is why I wrote Meetings That Get Results. Developed from over 17+ years of research, delivery, and practice, including 15,000+ hours providing live instruction using a certified curriculum, this practical, comprehensive facilitator&#8217;s guide is for the millions [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11161,453185955],"tags":[453192465,453192145,453192144,453192128,69666792],"class_list":["post-13065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-meeting-structure","category-meeting-tools","tag-daniel-pink","tag-facilitator-guide","tag-facilitators-guide","tag-meetings-that-get-results","tag-terrence-metz"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium 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