Skilled Facilitator, The

The Skilled Facilitator

by Roger Schwarz

(Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, 1994)

Book Review by Richard Orth

IBM Microelectronics - Team Facilitation Services, 1701 North Street, Endicott, NY 13760, dickorth@us.ibm.com

In his book, The Skilled Facilitator, Roger Schwarz presents a detailed look at the business of group facilitation - the theory and practice of how groups can improve their effectiveness by using facilitation skills. To review Schwarz's work, four assessment criteria were applied: Comprehension - how easy it is to understand and grasp the important concepts, Application - how readily and effectively this material can be used in the field of facilitation, Retention - how easy the material is to recall, and Reference - how easy this book is to use as a reference source.

There is a tremendous amount of information to consume, which was both a strength and a weakness of the work. This point is illustrated by my own personal journey, which is described later in this review. For now, an overview of the structure, highlights and themes are presented.

This comprehensive book is logically organized into four main sections. "Part 1: How Facilitation Helps Groups Achieve their Goals" sets the context for the book and describes the benefits of facilitation and the role of the facilitator. This part also provides a theoretical model for what makes groups effective. "Part 2: Establishing the Foundation for Facilitation" discusses the concept of contracting with a prospective client and provides guidelines for working together. "Part 3: Intervening Effectively in Groups" - the most valuable part of the book for me describes the guidelines, methods and techniques for working with a group in session. "Part 4: Using Facilitation Skills in Your Own Organization" provides resource guidelines, questions and sample documents you can use back at the ranch.

There are many key concepts underpinning this book. The opening chapter explains, among other things, a basic definition of facilitation. Schwarz defines Group Facilitation as "the process in which a person who is acceptable to all members of the group, substantively neutral, and has no decision-making authority, intervenes to help a group improve the way it identifies and solves problems and makes decisions, in order to increase the group's effectiveness." This chapter also describes three core values that guide facilitation: (1) the sharing of valid and relevant information, (2) the free and informed choice of people to define their own objectives and methods for achieving them, and (3) the internal commitment to the choice so that people involved feel personally responsible for the decisions they make. This approach to facilitation acts as the foundation for the book, as a frame of reference throughout.

Another valuable concept is a recurring theme that deals with "inference." Schwarz states that an inference is "a conclusion reached about something unknown on the basis of some things that are known." An effective facilitator should rely on observable behavior as much as possible and rely on inferences only when necessary. When facilitators need to make inferences, they should be made as low-level as possible to minimize the level of value judgments. The higher the level of inference, the more likely it is that the facilitator is incorrect, since he or she is moving further away from direct observable behavior. This concept is introduced early on in the book and is reinforced with theory and examples throughout.

In addition to the theme of inference is the notion of "intervention" - any time a facilitator makes a statement, asks a question, or shows nonverbal behavior that is designed to help the group. The process of intervention is truly an art, since it is not always clear when or how a facilitator should help the group. Schwarz spends considerable time on the concept of intervention, providing theory, guidelines and examples of when - and when not to intervene.

I valued the book's index, since an extensive amount of information is developed and weaved throughout the text. Being able to refer back and cross-reference to various topics was key to my overall comprehension of the material.

In reading the book, attempting to absorb its wealth of information, I thought about the Rule of Thirds that frequently applies to learning: 1/3 of the material you already know, 1/3 of the material is a new learning experience, and 1/3 of the material you know but forgot you knew it! I found this principle to be true as I reflected on my own personal learning.

The parts of the book that I found most beneficial include the many suggested guidelines to follow and questions to ask of yourself and your clients. For example, Schwarz provides 16 ground rules for effective groups, and also lists a series of questions to ask your prospective client during the pre-session planning or design conference. This type of information is very valuable to use as a baseline from which I can add, change or delete as I develop and modify my own facilitation approach. It is not only the guidelines that are valuable, but the documented rationale behind them provides me with the needed depth to apply them to my own situations.

The chapter on "Helping the Group Solve Problems" is especially helpful. The process of defining the true problem (not symptoms), identifying root causes, and generating potential solutions is definitely an art. In a facilitated session it can many times be challenging to keep these concepts clear and separate. Having documented guidelines, definitions and audit checks provided a clear process road map. I also appreciated the step of listing and testing assumptions at the start and establishing evaluation criteria before solutions are brainstormed. (...I forgot that I knew this!).

In contrast to the book's many strong points, I also experienced a weakness. Though the book provided valuable theory and examples of group facilitation, I missed reading "war stories" where the author personally encountered difficulties that he overcame. When reading about what to do correctly, I kept looking for where 'sand traps' might exist, where trouble might crop up in actual client situations. Having the author relate more of his personal challenges and how he addressed them would have deepened my learning experience by forewarning of problem areas and explaining how to deal with them.

As for the extensive amount of information presented in The Skilled Facilitator, I want to relate my own personal journey through this book. The material was not light reading, written in more of a textbook fashion than flowing dialog. I found myself struggling towards the middle of the book, trying to digest the extensive theories, many models, and references to research studies. Digging below the surface of any valuable topic is always worthwhile, but I found myself getting bogged down in expansive details.

As it turned out, this detail was later appreciated as I went back to review the highlighted areas I marked during my initial reading. The second time through the book I concentrated primarily on the highlights and annotations that I made along the way. When I found a section I did not remember, I reread that section in depth, oftentimes thumbing through different parts of the book for cross-references and related material. In this way I was able to selectively absorb the material that was needed at the time, versus trying to soak it all in initially. As I reflect back, my first reading was for comprehension, and my second pass was more of a perusal for application, references and linkages.

When looking back and applying the four assessment criteria stated earlier, I highly recommend The Skilled Facilitator, provided the dedicated reader is willing to apply the necessary time to absorb the information this book has to offer - and has a highlighter at his or her side! The book is a valuable reference source for both new and well-seasoned facilitators, and for those who want to use facilitation skills without formally filling the facilitator role. I can immediately apply many of the concepts presented and feel confident to build upon the many approaches presented and mold them to my style, thanks to the depth of this book. As for the Rule of Thirds, it is comforting to have an existing base of knowledge, feels great to have stimulated some dormant brain cells, and exciting to have learned new tools for group facilitation.

Copyright International Association of Facilitators Winter 1999
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved