Product Description

This book then is all about process. It is about the principles of process. It is about the concepts of process and it is about the models, tools and techniques that go to make up process. The book will also attempt to destroy the myth that facilitators are born not made. It should encourage you that if you give attention to understanding process and how it works then you too could be an excellent facilitator. This book pulls together knowledge of the core concepts of facilitation and practice to help Facilitators build their expertise. It contains 17 powerful model, tools and techniques as well as a Facilitator's Profile.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #231845 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 235 pages

Review
An excellent book the result of years of experience in effective facilitation of groups. Tony is able to describe how facilitation is not about managing difficult people or using different tools but rather much more about the importance of process: constantly listening to and watching participants to ensure that the format being used will achieve the objectives of the meeting. Through the use of examples and anecdotes, Tony is able to convey how an excellent facilitator needs to be change focussed, understand different types of people, and work confidently in uncertainty. After many years of helping groups and organisations work through change, resolve issues and plan their strategies, Tony has been able to capture his methods superbly in this book, which no doubt will assist many more people become master facilitators. --Clare Howard - Prospect4Sports

..the best book on Facilitation that I have read.... --Bill Mitchell - IT Project Consultant

About the Author
Tony Mann has been facilitating for 19 years. He became a 'Facilitator' by accident and since then has been honing his craft and developing his expertise so that now he is in demand by a diverse range of organisations. He has trained hundreds of managers and Facilitators and change agents in the art, science and skill of facilitation in a wide variety of organisations. He has created and developed many of the models in this book through his practical real life facilitation experiences. He has also built a body of underpinning knowledge and theory, which managers and Facilitators find especially helpful.

Customer Reviews

Facilitation - an Art, Science, Skill or all three?
Every time I have read this book I have discovered something else about the art, science and skill of facilitation. You peel back one layer of understanding only to find that Tony has taken you to another level; a level that requires thought and practical application. He captures the essence of the master facilitator as someone who discreetly serves the needs of others, always assessing the task in hand so that it is rarely in doubt. He conveys how facilitators monitor process and format so that aspirations become a reality. He describes the need to nurture interpersonal skills to bring understanding and the importance of watching over team roles to promote compatibility The master facilitator sees the person not the group, blending the needs of the individual with the right model, tool or technique at the right time. With study and patience Tony reveals how the the traits that are the building blocks of facilitation can be acquired and that when they are lnked with desire nothing can stop you from becoming the facilitator you want to be.

Facilitation - an Art, Science, Skill or all three? Review
Disappointing. This book contains lots of tools, techniques and models which may well be good. Unfortunately the book lacks credibility due to countless spelling, grammatical and formatting errors. The actual quality of the book is poor (contains many fuzzy images printed on low quality paper). I think it's a bit of an insult to charge £20 for a book that doesn't appear to have been proof read and is of such poor quality. Anyone who is involved in professional facilitation (presumably the target audience for this book) knows the importance of attention to detail, making a positive first impression and being seen as professional and credible, therefore it is ironic that this book about the subject falls short in all those areas.

Great
As a PA I found this resource amazing for improving my productivity at work, as many of the techniques included improved my communication with my boss and our clients, as well as helping in my personal life too, helping me communicate with my partner. Great, a must for business or personal.