Placing the community at the center of how the library plans and operates is vital, whether it is engaging residents to learn about aspirations or developing a collaboration with community partners. To be most successful when engaging community members or partners, quality facilitation is required. In this program, we share facilitator techniques and tools, including best practices for running effective meetings and holding conversations, that you can use to constructively manage both the process and people in different facilitation situations. In addition, we share our on-the-ground facilitator tips developed from our organization’s experience providing facilitation for different needs and environments. Presented by Andi Coffin and Melissa McLimans for UW-Madison's Lead the Way conference on November 17, 2020

1. Facilitation Tools,
Techniques, and Tips
Lead the Way 2020
Andi Coffin + Melissa McLimans
Community Liaison/Service Specialists, WiLS (WI)

2. OVERVIEW

3. FACILITATING
the conversation

4. Role of the facilitator in a conversation
Guidance, encouragement, and organization

5. General principles
of facilitation
Confidence Neutrality
Positivity

6. Types of facilitation
Gathering Information &
Coming to Decisions

7. MEETING FLOW
Prep & Set Up Follow Up & Self Care
BEFORE AFTER
Start easy, amp up the
challenge, finish with a
win
DURING

8. Navigating Out Of Trouble
Guidance, encouragement, and organization

9. A FEW TIPS
SET UP
EARLY
VIRTUAL
TAKES
LONGER
END ON
TIME
STRANGE
THINGS
HAPPEN
PEOPLE ARE
THERE
BECAUSE
THEY CARE

10. CURATING
the experience

12. SETTING
NORMS
Mandatory? Encouraged,
but not required?
Unmute and ask, use
chat, raise hand, etc.
Do I have to use video? What if I have a question?
Turn off video, mute
yourself, etc.
Do we get them? When?
What do we do?
What if I need to step away? What about breaks?

13. Practical Techniques
Individual, small group,
larger group, share-out
1-2-4
Every 10 minutes
for virtual
Engagement Bursts
Update reports, background reading, big
questions before the meeting
Flip the classroom
Get outta that seat,
if only for a bit
Movement

14. Any questions?
Or reactions, suggestions, observations?

15. THANK
YOU!
Melissa McLimans, melissa@wils.org
Andi Coffin, acoffin@wils.org