Requests to attend a meeting, to help find a way forward, to help with planning, to redesign a care pathway, and numerous other reasons are not always what they seem. Sometimes you will be asked to facilitate, or just asked to attend. What then happens in the room may not be the meeting that you are expecting. Other situations, such as tensions between practices, departments or teams may give a more obvious sign that what is needed goes beyond just attending or facilitating a little.
It’s important to think about how you can manage the situation to shift what might be an awkward situation to get the parties trusting you and your ability to facilitate (or probably mediate). To get the best solution you need to make a shift so that those in the room feel psychologically safe, and there is a clear and communicated purpose.
- If asked to attend a meeting, try to find out a little more, for instance ask why you been invited, what does the person inviting you believe your contribution will be, what is the anticipated outcome of the meeting, and who else will be attending
- If you have been asked to facilitate, or help the meeting along, then you might want to dig a little deeper – what have the discussions previously covered, what difference do they think a facilitator will make and is there agreement between parties? It is sometimes worth contacting people who will be attending prior to the meeting and asking each what their ideal outcome will be and what their concerns are. This often starts to uncover if there is a shared purpose or not. Identifying each persons’ desired outcome is a good starting point which is often missed in prior discussions especially if one party has a particular idea.
- Plan – consider things like what information could be provided prior to the meeting and by whom and does this need to be managed in a “neutral” way. If you are asked to facilitate it may be appropriate to share what the ideal outcome of each party is prior to the meeting – so others can consider this and come prepared. Worked up plans circulated by one party can feel like a surprise and can set the session off on the wrong foot. Co-producing a way forward during the session towards a shared vision may help progress. You might also want to consider where you will meet, so everyone feels comfortable, and think about who should be present to prevent a risk of numbers or seniority from one party outweighing the other
- If you are facilitating, you’ll need to start with ground rules and outline your goal for the process – listening is an essential ground rule and letting others speak and finish their points. You may need to manage this so that both parties have equal airtime.
- It is often helpful at the beginning of a session to let each party have a given amount of time to present their ideas, what they want from the meeting, and their future vision. Letting each party have time without interruption, and asking them, if there is a disagreement or dispute, how it makes them feel helps to shift the meeting to a position of openness and honesty.
- Facilitate a joint discussion, focussing on asking questions to gain a better understanding of each party’s needs and concerns rather than giving a solution at this stage.
- Work through how the needs and concerns can best be addressed and form a shared vision for the future that all parties can sign up to. Summarise agreements and identify if there are still needs or concerns that haven’t been addressed. Depending on the level of agreement, and timing of the session this would be a good time to take a break. This gives you time to just check each party is ok with the direction and with what’s being agreed, or if deep down they are not signing up to the solution. If you are meeting virtually, then use break out rooms to check sign up to the direction being discussed.
- Negotiate – is everyone agreed or use negotiation to prompt further proposals that meet each party’s core interests. Sometimes it isn’t possible to agree, and there is a deal breaking need or concern that hasn’t been addressed. If this is the case and it cannot be resolved it is better to identify this openly and pause, rather than to agree a way forward only for it to unravel later.
- Plan – if there is agreement, now is the time to jointly plan, with more detail, a way forward.
- Sum-up – outline the agreements reached, or next steps if there isn’t agreement. Ask the parties what their next steps will be, by when, either to implement the plan, or to progress the issue without agreement and ensure named people take responsibility for the actions agreed.
When facilitating or mediating sessions, you’ll find that successful outcomes can be increased if you have clarity on what you are going into, a good understanding of each party’s needs and concerns, and if the participants can be open and honest about what the deal breaking issues are. Creating a shared vision that all parties can sign up to for the future is vital. With this groundwork you maximise the chances of gaining agreement.
PCC provides facilitation support contact enquires@pcc-cic.org.uk.
