What Are Facilitators Responsibilities - Essay Example

ASSESSMENT 2: This Assessment is worth 45%. Question What are a facilitator’s responsibilities? A facilitator makes sure that the group is using the most efficient methods for accomplishing their goals in the shortest period of time. He is responsible for all meeting procedures, to allow meeting leader to concentrate on content: discussion, issues, and decisions. Question 2. What are the recorder’s/minute taker’s responsibilities? The recorder’s/minute taker’s responsibilities include documenting action items, key decisions, critical issues, and attendees. He subsequently provides these to the leader for publishing. Question 3. From the “How to Manage Meetings – a step by step guidance” teaching video, what do you have to consider for Step 3 – Room Layout? Question 4. From the “How to Manage Meetings – a step by step guidance” teaching video, what should you do if someone talks for more than 10 minutes in a meeting? The person must be reminded that there are still other matters or agenda that has to be discussed in the meeting. Discussions should be brief to accommodate all concerns. Question 5. From the “How to Manage Meetings – a step by step guidance” teaching video, what do you have to do after the meeting? (Hint: View Step 8 in the video.) Question 6. From the “How to Manage Meetings – a step by step guidance” teaching video, what are the responsibilities of the Hanger? (Hint: View Step 6 in the video.) Question 7. From the Electronic book Chapter 2 – How to Conduct Meetings, what do you do if one of the people in the meeting keeps on coughing loudly? As in any other interaction, tact and diplomacy are key factors. In such situations, the facilitator can politely suggest that the individual go into the hall, get a glass of water, or whatever is required to stop the disruption. Question 8. From the Electronic book Chapter 2 – How to Conduct Meetings, what do you do if one of the people in the meeting started to talk about things which are not related to the purpose of the meeting? The “tangentially inclined individuals” are people who take off on unrelated subjects, thereby derailing the conversation and interfering with the pace of the meeting. This may happen if meeting goals/outcomes are not clearly defined, or if the level of detail or the meeting roles are not understood. To handle this scenario, the facilitator must stop and clarify the desired outcome for this particular topic. If possible, he/she must help the group agree on level of detail to discuss before the meeting even gets started. He/she can use a parking lot to record issues to be worked outside the meeting. Finally, he/she should make sure that people feel heard. Words when said can never be taken back. It is strongly suggested that the facilitator be careful in choosing the right words. A few examples would be helpful: “How does that support the outcome were seeking here?” “That’s a good point but right now we need to focus on ...” “We should discuss that after the meeting, but the issue on the table is …” Question 9. Please explain how YOU WILL TRY to complete the following tasks. a. How will you choose who is the most appropriate meeting chairperson and why? The most appropriate meeting chairperson is somebody who is (1) level-headed, because meetings can get heated up sometimes, so someone who can keep the harmony in the proceeding is vital; (2) objective, because opposing views are inevitable in meetings, so someone who can weigh the pros and cons can keep things in proper perspective; (3) intelligent enough to understand everything that transpires in the meeting; and (4) sensitive to the fact that everyone’s ideas and personality differences are recognized. b. How will you ensure that the meeting is time efficient and desired outcomes can be achieved efficiently? E.g. what may be an appropriate time limit on each speaker and how will you try to restricting discussion to agenda items? For the meeting to be time-efficient, certain guidelines must be made clear to all attendees, especially on the issue/s to be discussed so as to avoid veering away from what is relevant. Also, limits to the duration that each speaker can talk must be set, i.e., 2 minutes to present his/her main idea/concern, then ask for extension if necessary. c. Give at least 2 examples of ethical and legal requirements for a public meeting. (ethical requirements and requirements for public meetings). Hint: You may access the following website. http://www.softwarepublications.com.au Softpubeditor Samplesfolder/Sample1-74123-006-3.pdf Public meetings require both legal and ethical essentials. These may include, but not limited to, the exact format and notice of meeting and when it should be dispatched to intended attendees in relation to the date of the meeting itself. Also indicated would be what information should the notice contain and the methods involved in announcing the meeting. Another legal requirement would be the important aspect of liability insurance, which should be looked into with company insurers and the venue chosen for the meeting. d. How will you ensure that meeting facilitation enables participation, discussion, problem-solving and resolution of issues? E.g. state how you will try to achieve an agreed course of action and under what circumstances will you defer the meeting for further discussion? Aside from observing the time duration that a speaker is encouraged to observe when presenting his/her ideas, the facilitator must also encourage each attendee to express their views relevant to the issue at hand. The facilitator should be able to extract as much input as possible to create consensus. This would encourage a democratic atmosphere, thus free flow of ideas could ensue facilitating a smooth problem-solving process. However, in the event that a resolution is hard to achieve due to circumstances beyond anybody’s control, i.e., low attendee turn-out due to inclement weather, the facilitator can defer the meeting for further discussion. e. What needs to be on the minute in a formal meeting? Minutes in a formal meeting should include: the type of meeting the name of the organization date and time name of the facilitator main topics time of adjournment list of attendees Question 11. When answering the following questions please ensure that you have included the following points: a. What should you do to confirm that the meeting notes such as minutes are a true and accurate record of the meeting? To determine that the meeting notes are a true and accurate record of the meeting, the minutes must be read and discussed with whoever was tasked to do it, before and after the meeting. This would ensure important points discussed were not missed out before proper and final documentation is made.  b. How you will distribute and store minutes? When will you distribute the minutes to participants? E.g. How many weeks/days after the meeting? Please justify. Minutes must be stored in both soft and hard copies. The minutes can be distributed in various forms, i.e., e-mail and printed forms. As much as possible, the minutes should be distributed immediately after the meeting. With the Internet, such course of action is possible. c. How you will report outcomes of meetings as required, within designated time lines? Typing up minutes immediately after the meeting and consequently having them approved by the chair and/or the facilitator would ensure that the information reaches the pertinent people who need them. Read More