To help you improve your facilitation effectiveness, here are several useful Tips and Tracks:-

1. General tips

• when facilitating, clear writing pays dividends. Always worth the effort of preparation and practice - and remember the previous guidelines!
• when photographing Pinpoint Facilitation® sessions, try to include people in the shot wherever possible. This helps memorability and motivation.
• keep pens which need refilling separate from the others, so that you do not need to keep searching through when you want one.

Don't get stuck . . . .

Keeping your Group moving is paramount to effective facilitation. However, from time to time, they might get bogged down. Pinpoint Facilitation® is more flexible than other forms of facilitation so, if this should happen, try some of these ideas:-

• before you start, show the "Final" board and the Track you plan to apply to get there
• if your Group gets stuck on a cluster, move on and return to it later
• if 2 people are arguing about a card, rewrite it
• when titling, avoid semantics. So long as the meaning is understood, it's OK. Fine tune only if the issue becomes a priority. Aim for variety in "dumb waiters"
• if you don't already use music, try it . . . . it helps set the mood, pace the group, ease pressure or stimulate creativity

For those who, when carding, prefer using spray glue or self-adhesive cards to sticking their cards on with pins:-

• Use products which allow repositioning (e.g. 3M Spray Mount)
• Spread your Pinpoint Facilitation® paper sheets out on the floor and spray them there, before pinning them to your boards. You will avoid getting your boards sticky, repositioning will work better better and you will get less glue in the atmosphere.
• Spread spare sheets on the floor to catch any overspill - and avoid having to apologise to your Client, colleagues or facilities management!
• Avoid spraying sections on which you plan to write or draw
• Remember that the spray can go anywhere - so, cover cameras and other equipment and ventilate the area well (Note : in some organisations, C.O.S.H. executives ban the use of such products)
• Spray with a calm sweep, spreading the mist evenly and sparingly. The glue spray falls, so you will use less.
• When using pins, use the matt side of the paper. When using spray, use the shiny face

Working with colour.

For more productive training, meetings and conferences, the working environment is all-important. To get the most from your facilitation, you need to work with as many of the senses as you can.

Using colour will help you to:-

• set the mood for each session
• stay in touch of the Group's changing moods and disposition.

Choice of different colours can change the pace and productivity of any each session. You can apply colour to improve productivity in several ways:-

• Select your colour theme, according to objectives, personalities, etc., e.g.
  • Conflict resolution : Green, Blue & White
  • Sales Training : Yellow, Red & Orange
  • Problem-solving : White, Orange & Green
• Change board & table covers to suit the mood
• Use different colours of paper for handouts, workbooks, etc.
• Consider the colours of your clothing and accessories (e.g. shirts/blouses, ties/scarves)

To see how Pinpointing® can help you when planning training and problem-solving sessions, simply click on the cards below.

If you have any other ideas for Tips & Tracks that you would like to share with other Privilege Club Members, please email us or ring Keith W-P at 01865 400777.