A Taxonomy of Facilitation Practices and Terminology

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A. Applications: The application is the purpose of the meeting or workshop. Facilitated meetings and workshops are held for a variety of reasons including - Basic meeting facilitation - Problem solving - Project planning - System design - Process improvement - Team building - Action planning - Strategic planning - Business restructuring, redesigning, reengineering, and transitioning - Conflict resolution - TQM (Total Quality Management), CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement) - Organizational development - Community building Once the application is known it is up to the facilitator to determine which methodologies, models, processes, techniques, and tools to employ during the workshop or meeting. Sometimes the workshop’s purpose includes several applications. For example, action planning is often included with strategic planning and process improvement is incorporated into system design workshops and quality team work. B. Facilitation Methods: Once the application is known, the facilitator can begin designing the workshop. In the case of some applications the best approach is to employ a methodology or model designed specifically for the application. For example, if strategic planning is the reason for the workshop, the facilitator might pick a strategic planning (SP) model or methodology from which to start the design of the workshop. There are literally hundreds of SP models available to facilitators either through trainings or books. If the application is system design, a JAD (Joint Application Development) approach will probably be employed. Three of the most commonly used JAD models are the classic IBM JAD, The METHOD, and FAST. Facilitators involved in community building frequently turn to Future or Search Conferencing or Open Space Technology. Models provide facilitators with a basic structure or framework upon which to design the

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