KASL WESTON COUNTY EXTENSION REPORT BILL TAYLOR 9/20/11 THE ART OF FACILITATION (Part 6)

When leading a meeting, the facilitator often may have to deal with dysfunctional behavior on the part of the participants. There are many types and degrees of dysfunctional behavior, with the most extreme being the eruption of violence. If this should be threatened or occur, stop the meeting immediately and call the necessary authorities. Even if violence is not a factor, but the meeting has been totally disrupted, shut the meeting down or call a break to confer with the planning team or legal counsel on how to proceed.

In most cases, however, it is up to the facilitator to deal with dysfunctional behaviors in order that the session might still be productive. First of all, understand that dysfunctional behavior is any activity by a participant which is consciously or unconsciously a substitution for expressing displeasure with the content or facilitation. Or, it may be caused by an outside factor unrelated to the session. A dysfunctional behavior is a symptom masking the real issue or root cause; the root cause is a problem with the information generated or the way the session is being run.

Dysfunctional behavior increases over time if the root cause is not dealt with, so early detection and prevention is important. During preparation, inquire or think about issues or concerns that might cause problems. You need to know about participants:

Not in favor of holding the session Who believe that they stand to lose something Not on favorable terms with one another Who tend to point out problems rather than create solutions

Techniques to deal with these issues include: Assigning seats Adding ground rules Making sure you interact with particular people Paying close attention to particular reactions Holding informal meetings during breaks

Be on the lookout for early forms of dysfunction: Participants who are not speaking Folded arms Participants who cant wait for the next break to do other work Side conversations

Throughout the session watch for: Where are the energy centers? Who are the people who routinely speak? Where are the cliques? Who seems to always support whom? Where are the conflicts? Who seems to always disagree with whom? Who seem to be naysayers and who are the positive thinkers?

The general formula for addressing dysfunction is: Approach the issue privately or generally talk privately with the person at a break, or address a comment to the group as a whole. Empathize with the symptom express your understanding that the session is interfering with other work, there have been past emotional issues, personal issues may be at stake, etc. Address the root cause e.g. I think we need your full participation on this. Are we addressing issues that affect your area? Get agreement on a solution find out what needs to happen to make things work, such as establishing a new ground rule, delaying certain issues, providing more breaks, etc. Make suggestions, but ask the group if they support the solution and, whatever the conclusion, follow it.

Avoid correcting the person publicly, getting angry or speaking emotionally yourself, or losing your objectivity or neutrality. Deal with dysfunctional behavior as soon as it is convenient. At the next break, deal with any remaining issues. Sometimes you may want to announce a resolution to the group to avoid other dysfunctional behavior.

Be sure to reward functional behavior by giving functional participants more of your attention, giving them nods and smiles, and letting them have the floor when they request it, and even encouraging them during a break.

If you have made a mistake in a process or dealing with a situation, admit it and thank whoever brought it to your attention. If you think you were right, side-step a debate by stating that you will give the issue some thought. If it is suggested that you change the process you are using, thank the participants and, if you are in favor, indicate so and ask the groups permission to change. If you are not in favor, thank the participants and give at least one advantage to the change. Then, explain why you think it might be better to leave things as they are, but indicate your willingness to follow the groups direction, and act accordingly.

Bill Taylor Weston County Extension Office The University of Wyoming is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.