Services

Meeting Facilitation

Have you been frustrated at a meeting wishing you could be anywhere but there? You know – it didn't begin on time, it's taking more time than it's worth, just a few people are dominating the discussion, and nothing is being written down.

Nautilus Facilitation Group provides solutions for overcoming these situations through effective meeting facilitation. We can facilitate your meeting and ensure that it is efficient and effective to make it worth the time and money being invested.

Facilitation Coaching

We provide coaching for leaders who are facilitating their own meetings. We help you design your meeting and provide suggestions to help you ensure that it is effective. We can also observe you in action and provide additional coaching if desired.

Facilitation Training

In addition to training your supervisors and managers how to make good meetings (see seminar below) we also provide indepth training for facilitators. If you want a core group of facilitators to draw on within your organization, we can train them.

Seminars – We offer seminars to expand understanding in these areas:

Making good meetings (2 to 4 hours)
Creating good, effective meetings requires some skill. We teach leaders what facilitation is, how to know which facilitation tools to use, and how to design and conduct an effective meeting.

The difference between leading and managing (2 to 4 hours)
Many managers do not have a clear understanding of the differences between leading and managing. We explore these differences along with the skills needed to be good at doing both.

Becoming organized and balanced (2 hours)
Explore the world of "piles" and learn how to become better organized and balanced. We provide concrete tools to help you make this happen.

Books

	Cook, William B. and Gardiol, Pam, "Facilitating your own meetings: Essential skills for managers and supervisors" American Public Works Association, 2004 $17.95 + shipping and handling
	Cook, William B. and Cook, Barbara, "Creating personal and family values" Values Studio Publishing, 2004 $14.95 + shipping and handling
	Cook, William B., "Taking Charge! The Captains Guide to Developing Effective Leading and Managing Skills" American Public Works Association, 2002 $19.95 + shipping and handling

Facilitation Checklist

When should you bring in a facilitator for your meeting?

• You know that it will be difficult for you to effectively participate in and lead the discussion.
• There's a lot to be accomplished in a short period of time and you need someone to keep the discussion on track and moving.
• The meeting will involve executive level management with people from lower levels of the organization to make decisions.
• There will be complicated problem solving or planning that requires specialized process expertise and techniques.
• You have a high level of personal investment in the outcome and you know it may be difficult to maintain your objectivity.
• You feel that political considerations or reporting relationships may constrain the discussion if you facilitate.

Effective Meetings

• everyone can freely participate and share ideas openly
• everyone is involved
• better solutions or decisions are produced because of the involvement
• a feeling of unity is fostered

Effective Facilitation

Facilitation is effective when the goals of the event are accomplished, expectations are met, satisfaction is high, and accountability for follow through is established.