Business

What do you need to be a facilitator?

There is a good chance that when you were considering your career option the idea of becoming a facilitator is not something that immediately sprang to mind. In fact, is you are completely honest it is probably not a role that you were even aware of until you entered the workplace.

Once you have entered the complicated world of work however, the role that a facilitator plays, the skills that are needed in order to assist organisation in making difficult decision in complex situations and the importance of such a role will have become more apparent and a rather interesting career direction.

If you are considering becoming a facilitator then there are some things that that you should consider first; how do you become a facilitator? What kind of skills does a facilitator need? What training do you need to be a facilitator? Read on and we will take a look at these points.

What skills do you need?

In order to be a good facilitator, there are some key skills that you will need:

  • Ability to lead and guide others
  • Self-confident when speaking in front of large groups
  • Ability to avoid becoming defensive when under criticism
  • Able to move people through a process as a team
  • Ability to shape a process, allowing people to meet their common goals
  • Ability to be objective and neutral in debates and when criticised

If you believe that you have these facilitation skills then there is a good chance that you would be a successful facilitator and it is worth looking at a career.

Training

The first step in becoming a facilitator is to look for the most appropriate type of training for your chosen career path, this may vary depending on the type of industry that you are looking to work in or even the type of sessions that might be involved.. If you are not certain what type of training would be most suited to  your needs then a company who specialises in facilitation skills training programs will be able to give you the guidance that you need in order to ensure that the training that you undertake is the right one for you.

It may also be worth checking what type of training the industry you are looking at requires from their facilitators so that you have the best chance of succeeding.

Many of the courses that are available are run at times that are convenient for those people who are already working but looking for a career change, this will allow you to gain the training you need whilst still being employed.

What next?

Facilitator roles will vary from one company to another and also by industry, so it is important when you begin your search to be clear on exactly what it is that you are looking for before applying for any role. Consider where your strengths lie and look for something that will really suit these strengths.