THE FACILITATOR’S READING LIST

The ability to have effective meetings in teams is becoming increasingly important to

deal with the tasks of today. Here is a detailed curation of articles, podcasts, videos
and books for becoming a better facilitator both on and offline.
THE FACILITATOR’S READING LIST

ABOUT THE LIST

We hope you will be inspired, facilitate more than ever and use this list as a reference when preparing your
meetings and workshops. Under each topic in this list you will find theories, approaches and methods.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• The role of the facilitator

• Innovation and creative collaboration
• Group dynamics

If you want to refresh your mind on why better meetings are important here is a good start:

The big post about endless meetings and how to avoid them

Take a closer look whenever you see this diamond, it means the link is highly recommended!


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THE FACILITATOR’S READING LIST

THE ROLE OF THE FACILITATOR

WHAT IS A FACILITATOR?
The facilitator is a ”guide” or “discussion leader” for the group. The process of facilitation is a way of
providing leadership without taking the reigns. A facilitator’s job is to get others to assume responsibility
and take the lead. Here is a definition:

”A facilitator is a process guide; he or she does not evaluate or contribute substantive ideas to a discussion. The facilitator
is the servant of the group, not its leader, and works to ensure that the group accomplish it’s goals. He or she does this by
offering process suggestions, enforcing ground rules agreed to by the group. Keeping discussions on track, protecting group
members from attack, and ensuring that all members participate.”


– David Straus, ”How to make collaboration work”

See this post to learn more about the role of the facilitator: The role of the facilitator (5-10 min read)

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THE FACILITATOR’S READING LIST

TIPS ON FACILITATION

WHAT DOES A FACILITATOR FOCUS ON?

Content = What tasks, subjects, problems are being addressed.
Process = How things are discussed including: methods, procedures, format, tools, style of interaction,
group norms, group dynamics, group climate.

Blog about the the content and process model (called The Walnut): The walnut explains group dynamics 

(5 min read).

WHAT ARE THE MAIN METHODS AND TECHNIQUES A FACILITATOR USES?

• Planning tool IDOART (3 min read)
• Asking questions (20 min read)
• Deep/active listening
• Create overview of the process


Here is a short checklist of the 5 characteristics of a facilitator (1 min read).

A classic book on facilitation is The Art of Facilitation.

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’’ If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution,
I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask,
for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five
minutes.”
— Albert Einstein
THE FACILITATOR’S READING LIST

INNOVATION AND CREATIVE COLLABORATION

When supporting groups in creating new content there are many different approaches and theories. At
Fantastic Studios we focus on Design Thinking as the theoretical base for creating innovative new
solutions. The Design Thinking methodology is usually mostly attributed to Stanford d.School and the
design company IDEO, and the theory has been the corner stone in the development of similar theories
such as Human Centered Design, and Circular Design.

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THE FACILITATOR’S READING LIST

TIPS ON INNOVATION AND CREATIVE COLLABORATION

WHAT IS DESIGN THINKING?

• Blog: Introduction to design thinking (10-30 min read)
• Podcast: The power of design thinking (45 min listen)
• A classic book: Change by Design - How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and
Inspires Innovation

PROCESSES AND METHODS

Ideation Process:
• Blog: Double Diamond - How the F**k the creative process works (4 min read)

Methods:
• Focus Questions - How might we… (2 min read)
• The Essential Ideation Techniques (5-10 min read)

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THE FACILITATOR’S READING LIST

GROUP DYNAMICS
To summarize, the theory of group development suggests that a team’s development should “go slow, to
go fast”, meaning a group should focus on the groups development to start with. With time, the focus
shifts towards the content of the work. Susan A. Wheelan’s Integrated Model of Group Development
(IMGD) has had a huge influence on leadership in Scandinavia and is used as one of the main sources at
most leadership courses in the area. However, the models stages aren't always easily translated into a
checklist for facilitation. For that, you will find the Drexler-Sibbet Team Performance Model on next page
to be really useful.

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THE FACILITATOR’S READING LIST

TIPS ON GROUP DYNAMICS

IMGD (SUSAN A. WHEELAN)

• Blog: On Creating Effective Teams by Susan A. Wheelan (3 min)
• Book: Creating Effective Teams
• Video: How to create effective teams (1h 50 min view)

DREXLER-SIBBET’S TEAM PERFORMANCE MODEL

• Picture: 7 steps (1 min read)
• PDF: Drexler-Sibbet Team Performance (10 min read)

CONTENT AND PROCESS MODEL

• Blog: The Walnut explains group dynamics (5 min read)

METHODS
• Team canvas for aligning team purpose (2 min read)
• Energizers - The Energizer Bible (1-15 min read)
• Check-in/check-outs (2 min read) or read this blog Check-in Question Ideas (4 min read)
• The Hyper Island Toolbox has a lot of other similar methods to use...

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 CONTACT
We work with organizations of all sizes and shapes willing to
radically innovate their services, products and culture.

Get in touch at:

+46 736 21 94 74
hello@fantasticstudios.com
fantasticstudios.com

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