tour facilitator meaning

How to Be Tour Facilitator - Job Description, Skills, and Interview Questions

  • How to Become
  • Job Descriptions
  • Skill & Competencies
  • Common Tools
  • Professional Organizations

The increasing popularity of online shopping has caused a significant shift in consumer behavior. With more people choosing to shop in the comfort of their own homes, traditional brick-and-mortar stores have seen a decrease in foot traffic and sales. Consequently, many have had to close their doors due to a lack of business, leaving employees without jobs and communities without essential resources.

In addition, the economic downturn has caused an increase in prices for goods and services, resulting in a decrease in consumer spending power. This has made it even more difficult for stores to survive, leading to more business closures.

Steps How to Become

  • Research the Position. Researching the role and responsibilities of a Tour Facilitator will help you understand what the job entails. Researching the industry and its trends will also provide you with valuable insight into the job.
  • Obtain Education or Training. A formal education or training in hospitality, tourism, or public relations is beneficial for Tour Facilitators. You may need to complete a course or diploma in this field, depending on the requirements set by your employer.
  • Develop Your Language Skills. Tour Facilitators should have excellent communication skills, be fluent in English, and be able to speak a second language. This is especially important if you will be working in a foreign country.
  • Build Your Experience. Working in customer service or the hospitality industry can be beneficial for Tour Facilitators. Experience in tour guiding or organizing events can also be helpful.
  • Network. Connecting with other professionals in the tourism industry is a great way to gain experience and stay informed about industry trends. You can attend events and join professional organizations to meet new people and learn about different opportunities in the industry.
  • Acquire Licenses and Certifications. Depending on your jurisdiction, you may need to obtain certain licenses and certifications before you can become a Tour Facilitator. Check with local authorities to find out if any special licenses are required for the job.
  • Apply for Jobs. Once you have the necessary education, experience, language skills, and licenses, you can start applying for jobs. Look for positions that match your qualifications and apply for them.

The ability to be an ideal and qualified tour facilitator requires a combination of skills and qualities. Effective communication skills, interpersonal skills, and knowledge of the area are just a few of the key components. Good communication skills help to ensure that information is conveyed clearly and accurately, while interpersonal skills facilitate the development of positive relationships with travelers and other tour facilitators.

knowledge of the area is essential for providing accurate information and helping travelers get the most out of their experience. All of these qualities work together to create an ideal tour facilitator, who is capable of making the tour experience enjoyable and informative for everyone involved.

You may want to check Tour Representative , Tour Administrator , and Tour Coordinator for alternative.

Job Description

  • Ensure the safety and well-being of tour participants at all times.
  • Provide detailed information about the tour area and attractions.
  • Create an enjoyable and informative atmosphere for tour participants.
  • Greet and introduce tour groups upon arrival.
  • Answer questions from tour participants and provide additional information when needed.
  • Provide remarkable customer service to ensure a positive experience for all guests.
  • Prepare and organize tour materials and supplies prior to each tour.
  • Maintain accurate records of services provided, inventory of supplies, and customer information.
  • Monitor tour group size, routes, and timing to ensure tours are completed efficiently and on time.
  • Identify potential hazards and take appropriate action to ensure safety of tour participants.
  • Monitor the behavior of tour participants and ensure they are following safety procedures.
  • Resolve customer complaints in a timely and professional manner.
  • Work with local venues and attractions to arrange discounts or special offers for tour participants.

Skills and Competencies to Have

  • Excellent communication skills
  • Knowledge of the destination
  • Time management skills
  • Ability to answer questions and provide information
  • Interpersonal and problem solving skills
  • Ability to lead and motivate a group
  • Ability to handle pressure and remain calm in difficult situations
  • Organizational and planning skills
  • Knowledge of health and safety regulations
  • Knowledge of local customs and cultural norms

Being a successful tour facilitator requires a variety of important skills. The most important skill to have is excellent communication, as this is essential for providing engaging and clear information to tour participants. Good organizational skills are also essential, as a tour facilitator must be able to plan and manage complex itineraries.

a tour facilitator should be knowledgeable about the destination to be able to answer any questions and provide interesting insights. Furthermore, the ability to think on your feet and handle unexpected situations is an invaluable asset. Lastly, having a friendly and approachable attitude will help to create a positive experience for all participants.

All these skills combine to create a successful and enjoyable tour experience.

Tour Producer , Tour Supervisor , and Tour Guide are related jobs you may like.

Frequent Interview Questions

  • What experience do you have in leading tours?
  • How do you handle difficult customers and situations?
  • What do you consider to be the key components of a successful tour?
  • What methods do you use to engage your customers during a tour?
  • How would you describe your communication style when hosting a tour?
  • Are you comfortable using technology such as audio guides or virtual reality headsets?
  • Do you have any unique skills or interests that you could bring to the role of Tour Facilitator?
  • What safety protocols do you follow when guiding a tour?
  • How do you ensure that all customer needs are met during a tour?
  • What steps do you take to ensure the tour is enjoyable for everyone involved?

Common Tools in Industry

  • Event Planning Software. A software program that helps to plan events, from budgeting to organizing staff, vendors, and other resources. (eg: Eventbrite)
  • Social Media Management Tools. Software that helps to manage social media accounts and post content, measure performance, and engage with followers. (eg: Hootsuite)
  • Tour Scheduling Software. A tool for creating and managing tour routes and schedules. (eg: Tour Scheduler Pro)
  • Travel Management Software. Software that helps to organize and manage travel arrangements, such as flights, hotels, and car rentals. (eg: TripIt)
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software. A platform for managing customer data and relationships with customers. (eg: Salesforce)
  • Payment Processing Software. A tool for processing payments through credit cards or other payment options. (eg: Stripe)
  • Survey Software. A tool for creating and conducting surveys to collect customer feedback. (eg: SurveyMonkey)
  • Tour Guide App. An app for creating tours, scheduling activities, and managing audio/visual content. (eg: Tour Buddy App)

Professional Organizations to Know

  • Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
  • Association for Information Systems (AIS)
  • Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI)
  • International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP)
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
  • Project Management Institute (PMI)
  • National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)
  • American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)
  • International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)

We also have Tour Promoter , Tour Guide Trainer , and Tour Consultant jobs reports.

Common Important Terms

  • Tour Guide. A tour guide is a professional who provides guidance and information to a group of people, typically on a tour of a specific location. They typically provide commentary on the history, geography, culture, and other topics related to the area being visited.
  • Tour Operator. A tour operator is a company that organizes and sells package tours and other travel-related services. Tour operators typically package together transportation, accommodation, and other services, such as sightseeing tours, activities, and meals.
  • Travel Agent. A travel agent is a professional who works with customers to plan and book vacations. They research and suggest destinations, arrange transportation and accommodations, and advise on attractions, activities, and other related services.
  • Destination Manager. A destination manager is a professional who oversees the operations and development of a specific destination or region. They are responsible for marketing the destination to potential visitors, developing tourism products, and creating strategies to promote economic growth in the area.
  • Convention Planner. A convention planner is a professional who specializes in planning and executing large events. They are responsible for finding venues, arranging transportation and accommodations, creating schedules and agendas, coordinating catering, and other tasks related to event planning.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the role of a tour facilitator.

A Tour Facilitator is responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of a tour group by providing helpful information, managing logistics, and creating an enjoyable experience for all participants.

What qualifications are necessary for a Tour Facilitator?

Tour Facilitators typically need to have strong interpersonal skills, excellent organizational skills, knowledge of the areas they are touring, and the ability to manage a large group of people.

How many people can a Tour Facilitator manage at once?

The exact number of people a Tour Facilitator can manage at once will depend on their level of experience and the size of the tour group. Generally speaking, experienced Tour Facilitators can handle groups of up to 50 people.

What kind of tasks does a Tour Facilitator perform?

A Tour Facilitator's duties may include planning itineraries, making transportation arrangements, providing information about the destination, guiding the group through activities and attractions, and ensuring the safety and well-being of all participants.

How much does a Tour Facilitator earn?

The salary of a Tour Facilitator will vary depending on the organization they are working for, their level of experience, and the size and duration of the tour. On average, Tour Facilitators earn between $20,000 and $50,000 per year.

What are jobs related with Tour Facilitator?

  • Tour Developer
  • Tour Analyst
  • Tour Designer
  • Tour Educator
  • Tour Manager
  • Tour Director
  • Tour Planner
  • Tour Assistant
  • Tour Operator

Web Resources

  • Outdoor facilitator - GLC - Gettysburg.edu www.gettysburg.edu
  • Tour Manager | Berklee www.berklee.edu
  • Chapter 16. Group Facilitation and Problem-Solving ctb.ku.edu

Author Photo

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facilitator

Definition of facilitator

Examples of facilitator in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'facilitator.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

facilitate + -or entry 1

1775, in the meaning defined above

Dictionary Entries Near facilitator

facilitation

facilitatory

Cite this Entry

“Facilitator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/facilitator. Accessed 15 Mar. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on facilitator

Nglish: Translation of facilitator for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of facilitator for Arabic Speakers

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></center></p><p>Facilitation | May 24</p><h2>The 8 Roles of a Facilitator</h2><p>As a facilitator, you play a crucial role in leading group discussions and decision-making processes. To be successful, you must master eight distinct roles that require a diverse set of skills and qualities. In this blog post, we will dive into the 8 roles of a facilitator and share tips and techniques for mastering each one.</p><p>Scroll down to continue reading</p><h2>Contact Me About Training</h2><p>Get More Tips Like These!</p><p>Sign Up for Our Newsletter</p><h2>8 Roles of a Facilitator</h2><p>Role #1: facilitator as guide.</p><p>As a guide, it’s your responsibility to know the steps of the process that the group will execute from beginning to end. You must carefully guide the participants through each of the steps. To excel in this role, be sure to:</p><ul><li>Understand the purpose and objectives of the session</li><li>Clearly communicate the steps of the process to the group</li><li>Monitor progress and adjust the pace as needed</li><li>Keep the group focused and on track</li></ul><p>The Facilitator’s Role in Guiding the Group</p><p>The first role of a facilitator is to guide the group through each step of the process. A facilitator needs to have a clear understanding of the goals and objectives of the session, the desired outcomes, and how to achieve them. By being well-prepared and organized, the facilitator can ensure that the group stays on task and focused.</p><p>For example, a facilitator leading a team-building session might start by establishing ground rules and expectations, then move into icebreakers to help everyone get comfortable. Next, they might guide the group through exercises designed to build trust and collaboration, and finally end with a debrief to discuss what was learned and how it can be applied in the workplace.</p><h2>Role #2: Facilitator as Motivator</h2><p>As a motivator, you must ignite a fire within the group, establish momentum, and keep the pace. Here are some tips for excelling in this role:</p><ul><li>Start with a rousing opening statement that sets the tone for the session</li><li>Use energizers and icebreakers to keep the energy level high</li><li>Encourage participation and engagement from all members</li><li>Keep the momentum going with timely breaks and refreshments</li></ul><p>The Facilitator’s Role in Motivating the Group</p><p>The second role of a facilitator is to motivate the group. A skilled facilitator knows how to create an engaging and energizing environment that encourages participation and fosters collaboration. This might involve starting with an attention-grabbing activity or using humor to break the ice. Throughout the session, the facilitator can use a variety of techniques to keep the group engaged, such as asking thought-provoking questions, using visual aids, or incorporating movement into the activities.</p><p>For example, a facilitator leading a brainstorming session might begin by setting the stage with a compelling problem statement and then using a variety of ideation techniques to spark creativity and encourage participation. By keeping the energy level high and the momentum going, the facilitator can help the group generate a wide range of ideas and solutions.</p><h2>Role #3: Facilitator as Bridge Builder</h2><p>As a bridge builder, you must create and maintain a safe and open environment for sharing ideas. To excel in this role, consider the following:</p><ul><li>Build rapport and trust with participants</li><li>Encourage active listening and respect for diverse opinions</li><li>Use similarities to establish common ground and build consensus</li><li>Address conflicts and disagreements constructively</li></ul><p>The Facilitator’s Role in Building Bridges</p><p>The third role of a facilitator is to build bridges between people and ideas. In any group, there are likely to be diverse opinions and perspectives, and it’s the facilitator’s job to find common ground and create a sense of shared purpose. This might involve finding ways to connect seemingly disparate ideas or encouraging participants to look beyond their own viewpoints.</p><p>For example, a facilitator leading a strategic planning session might begin by asking participants to share their individual goals and objectives for the organization, then work to identify common themes and areas of overlap. By focusing on shared values and priorities, the facilitator can help the group develop a shared vision and strategy.</p><h2>Role #4: Facilitator as Clairvoyant</h2><p>As a clairvoyant, you must watch carefully for signs of potential strain, weariness, aggravation, and disempowerment, and respond in advance to avoid dysfunctional behavior. Here are some tips for excelling in this role:</p><ul><li>Read body language and facial expressions to gauge participants’ engagement and energy level</li><li>Monitor discussion for signs of disengagement or conflict</li><li>Anticipate potential challenges and plan accordingly</li><li>Use humor and levity to diffuse tension and keep the mood positive</li></ul><p>The Facilitator’s Role in Anticipating and Managing Conflict</p><p>The fourth role of a facilitator is to anticipate and manage conflict. In any group, there are likely to be moments of tension or disagreement, and it’s the facilitator’s job to ensure that these do not derail the session. This might involve using techniques such as active listening, reframing, or redirecting the conversation.</p><p>For example, a facilitator leading a meeting to resolve a dispute between two team members might begin by setting ground rules for respectful communication, then work to identify the underlying issues and help each person see the other’s perspective. By reframing the conversation in a way that emphasizes shared goals and interests, the facilitator can help the group find a constructive resolution.</p><h2>Role #5: Facilitator as Praiser</h2><p>As a praiser, you should praise participants for their effort, progress, and results. Here are some tips for excelling in this role:</p><ul><li>Recognize and acknowledge contributions from all members</li><li>Use specific examples to illustrate the impact of participants’ contributions</li><li>Reinforce positive behavior with positive feedback</li><li>Use praise to build confidence and motivation</li></ul><p>The Facilitator’s Role in Being a Praiser</p><p>In the praiser role, you should praise participants for the effort they put forth, the progress they make, and the results they achieve. Praise well, praise often, praise specifically.</p><p>For example, if a participant shares a particularly insightful comment, you might praise them for their critical thinking skills.</p><h2>Role #6: Facilitator as Peacemaker</h2><p>As a peacemaker, you must quickly step in, reestablish order, and direct the group toward a constructive resolution in case of a confrontation. Here are some tips for excelling in this role:</p><ul><li>Stay calm and composed in the face of conflict</li><li>Identify the root cause of the conflict and address it directly</li><li>Encourage open and respectful communication</li><li>Use active listening to diffuse tension and find common ground</li></ul><p>Although it is almost always better to avoid a direct confrontation between participants, should such an event occur, you must quickly step in, reestablish order, and direct the group toward a constructive resolution.</p><p>For example, if two participants have a disagreement, you might help them find common ground by asking each of them to share their perspective.</p><h2>Role #7: Facilitator as Taskmaster</h2><p>As a taskmaster, you are responsible for keeping the session on track. Here are some tips for excelling in this role:</p><ul><li>Set clear expectations and goals for the session</li><li>Monitor time and pacing to ensure completion of objectives</li><li>Redirect discussion if it goes off-topic or becomes irrelevant</li><li>Maintain a consistent level of detail throughout the session</li></ul><p>The Facilitator’s Role in Keeping the Session on Track</p><p>The seventh role of a facilitator is to keep the session on track. This involves being vigilant for any signs of distraction or disengagement and taking action to refocus the group. This might involve redirecting the conversation, summarizing key points, or clarifying the goals and objectives.</p><p>For example, a facilitator leading a training session on a new software application might begin by reviewing the learning objectives and then use a variety of techniques to keep the group engaged and focused, such as interactive quizzes or hands-on exercises. Throughout the session, the facilitator can monitor the group’s progress and adjust the pace and content as needed to ensure that everyone is on track.</p><h2>Role #8: Facilitator as Active Listener</h2><p>As a facilitator, you must use active listening to manage group discussions and ensure that everyone has an opportunity to be heard. You should ask open-ended questions that encourage participants to share their thoughts and feelings, and then listen carefully to their responses:</p><ul><li>Listen carefully to the discussion</li><li>Analyze and compare comments made by participants</li><li>Formulate questions that challenge the group and manage the discussion effectively</li><li>Use active listening skills such as clarifying, summarizing, and paraphrasing to ensure understanding</li><li>Remain neutral and avoid jumping to conclusions or making assumptions</li><li>Pay attention to nonverbal cues such as body language and tone of voice</li></ul><p>By fulfilling these roles effectively, facilitators can create a dynamic, engaging, and productive environment for groups to work in. Whether you’re facilitating a team-building session or a strategic planning retreat, mastering these roles is essential to your success as a facilitator.</p><p>Related: Video: 5 Reasons to take The Effective Facilitator</p><p>Download this image to print, share, and have a quick reference guide for mastering each role when you facilitate your sessions.</p><p><center><img style=

After fulfilling so many responsibilities, is there any wonder why facilitators are typically exhausted after a session?

About the Author

Michael Wilkinson is the CEO and Managing Director of Leadership Strategies, the largest provider of professional facilitators and facilitation training in the country. Michael is a much sought after trainer, facilitator and speaker.  He is a Certified Master Facilitator and a Certified Professional Facilitator.  As a past president of the Southeast Association of Facilitators, the creator of the FindaFacilitator.com database and a board member of the International Institute of Facilitation, Michael is a national leader in the facilitation industry.  You can get more tips from Michael’s books, including The Executive Guide to Facilitating Strategy , The Secrets of Facilitation , The Secrets to Masterful Meetings , and CLICK: The Virtual Meetings Book .

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A Quick Guide to Facilitation Skills

  • by Claire Bown
  • December 10, 2019 February 14, 2023

Facilitation on Guided Tours

During Visible Thinking in the Museum training, I teach participants facilitation skills for guided tours or educational programmes with art and museum objects. I use this image (above) of an angry teacher (!) to start the discussion with the question, ‘What is facilitation?’

What is facilitation? What is a facilitator? 

The word facilitate actually comes from the Latin which means to ‘make easy’. A facilitator is basically a person whose role is to guide people through a process to an effective result. On a guided tour or educational programme, facilitation is centred around guiding processes  and  creating participation .

How do you start with introducing facilitation on a guided tour?

As we’ve talked about here before, the role of a (museum) guide has evolved in recent years from the lecturing ‘sage-on-the-stage’ model to a more participant-centred, inquiry-led, discussion-based model (‘guide-on-the-side’). New engagement techniques have places extra demands on museum guides to develop suitable questioning techniques AND facilitation skills. So, where do you start exactly with introducing facilitation on a guided tour? 

  • You create the environment for learning to take place
  • You structure conversations and use group facilitation techniques to keep discussions effective (ie thinking routines ).
  • You remain neutral and impartial
  • You encourage participation: get people to come up with ideas, thoughts and perspectives that add value.
  • You encourage the group to work together and feel like they are collectively working towards a shared goal or interest e.g. deciphering and reaching an understanding of an artwork.
  • You ensure that all participants feel visible, valued and understood.

What roles will a facilitator play on a guided tour? 

On a guided tour, the facilitator will play a variety of roles, including (but not limited to):

  • catalyst for discussion – the facilitator makes the discussion happen.
  • coordinator who ensures the tour and discussions within it goes well. (everyone stays on track and on time, understands their roles, feels ownership, listens to others, and makes key and timely contributions).
  • learning coach – you set the conditions for learning to take place, you decide when, where and how much information to share.
  • observer  – you watch your group for signs (body language, verbal clues) to indicate where to take the discussion next.
  • climate-setter – you set expectations at the start and help every individual to comply with the agreed-upon rules and norms to be followed
  • communication enabler – you ensure that everyone feels at ease commenting by paying attention to your language and feedback to participants.  You use your verbal skills to facilitate engaging conversations.

What does good facilitation look like with the ‘Visible Thinking in the Museum’ methodology?

There are many skills to being an effective facilitator, for my ‘ Visible Thinking in the Museum ‘ trainings we focus and offer coaching around the following 4 areas:

  • Using thinking routines with open-ended questions
  • Guiding looking, pointing and using verbal facilitation tools (paraphrasing, re-directing, bridging, summarising etc)
  • Being mindful of your language
  • Listening actively, be open, accepting and neutral

We realise that no-one is born with the skills of an expert facilitator. It is important to work on these skills and practice, practice, practice . We often use the analogy of a swan in our trainings – whilst you make look calm and composed on the surface, underneath it all your legs (well, brain!) is working extremely hard at utilising all of these skills to keep the discussion going and to keep all the plates spinning. It’s important, even once you have received training, to ensure that you regularly practice your skills with other facilitators and find the time to learn and experiment with new tools and techniques. Rest assured, that the more you do this, the better you will become!

Sign up to our newsletter and get priority booking for all training courses and events! You will also be the first to hear about new training content and receive a copy of our free PDF ‘4 Steps to Using Visible Thinking in the Museum’.

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The Role of a Facilitator

Guiding an event through to a successful conclusion.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

tour facilitator meaning

Whether you're facilitating a one-off meeting or multi-session event, it's your role to manage discussions, to help bring ideas from all participants, and to get buy in for the outcomes you reach.

Here we explore the preparation you need to do, and provide tips and strategies for making your event a success.

What Is a Facilitator?

A facilitator plans, guides and manages a group event to meet its goals.

To facilitate effectively, you must be objective and focus on the "group process." That is, the ways that groups work together to perform tasks, make decisions and solve problems. [1] Good facilitation involves being impartial and steering the group so that its ideas and solutions flow.

It's difficult to both contribute and facilitate. So, if you have an interest in the outcome, or skills, experience or authority to add, consider bringing in an external facilitator.

How to Facilitate Effectively

To facilitate an event well, you must first understand the group's desired outcome, and the background and context of the meeting or event. With the group's objective clear, you can then structure the event and select the best tools to reach your outcome.

Let's explore a five-step strategy for doing this:

1. Plan Your Structure

An open, well-facilitated discussion could be the simplest option for your group. But if you have a large group, you may need a structured process to get everyone to participate, generate ideas, and cover a variety of topics.

Consider setting up smaller "break-out" groups (at an event or via virtual meeting apps ) to make people more comfortable contributing ideas. Also, give participants time in the agenda to think about points they want to raise. You can schedule a brainstorming session to get ideas flowing.

Whether you're planning a straightforward meeting or big event, always keep the outcome in mind – and how you're helping the group to reach it. If the event spans different days and topics, be clear on the desired outcome for each and how they contribute to the overall objective.

Read our article, Running Effective Meetings , for more tips to set objectives and stick to them.

2. Create an Agenda

A solid agenda focuses on outcomes and lets the event flow. When planning it, consider the following:

  • In what order will you present topics?
  • How will participants get to know each other? In-person and virtual icebreakers can help.
  • How will they understand the objectives? The Modified Borda Count is useful for prioritizing issues to reach a consensus.
  • If an event is spread over separate sessions, how much time will you allocate each?
  • Will all participants be in every session? As well as break-out groups, the Charette Procedure can help large groups to brainstorm effectively.
  • How and when will break-out groups feedback to the wider group?
  • When will you recap and summarize?
  • How will the outcomes of one session flow into the next?
  • How will you achieve closure of the overall event?

Other considerations when facilitating include:

Information and materials . What do participants need to know before or at the event? How and when will you provide this information?

Room or online arrangements . What set-up will best encourage participation? Do you need separate rooms or to set up a virtual meeting space ?

Tech . Is your presentation saved offline in case of WiFi issues? Or do you need to give participants access to virtual whiteboards?

3. Guide and Control the Event

With the agenda and group process in place, it's time to think about how you'll guide and control the proceedings. These tips and suggestions will help:

  • Set the ground rules: these could include respecting everyone's contribution, letting only one person speak at a time, and avoiding disparaging comments.
  • Set the scene: Run through the objectives and agenda. Make sure that everyone understands their role, and what the group is seeking to achieve.
  • Get things flowing let everyone introduce themselves, or perhaps use appropriate icebreakers to get the meeting off to a positive start.
  • Keep up the momentum and energy: you might need to intervene as the proceedings and energy levels proceed. Make sure that people remain focused and interested. (If energy levels are beginning to flag, perhaps it's time to take a break?)
  • Listen, engage and include: stay alert, listen actively , and remain interested and engaged. This sets a good example for other participants. Is everyone engaged? If not, how can you bring them in? How can you get better participation?
  • Monitor checkpoints, and summarize: keep in control of the agenda, tell people what they've achieved and what's next; summarize often.

In addition to the above, watch for and close any side conversations. These distract others and people may be exchanging ideas that would benefit the group.

And keep an eye on timing. Be flexible and balance the need for participation with the need to keep things running efficiently. If a discussion isn't reaching a natural conclusion, you may need to park topics, gather more information, and schedule time to address outstanding points.

Also, intervene if one person is dominating discussions. Try a polite but firm, "Can I draw everyone back into the main issues for discussion." And watch out for the signs of Groupthink .

4. Record and Action

Last but not least among the responsibilities of a facilitator is the recording of outputs, and of bringing these together, sharing them, and making sure they are actioned.

The key to successful recording of outputs from an event is to be clear about what will be recorded, how and by whom. Make sure that people's responsibilities are 100 percent clear, whether they are yours or others' involved.

So, make sure participants hear, see and understand the information presented. Keep an accurate record of what's going on. If in doubt, record first and summarize later. When taking notes, try to use words that the group chooses. If you’re unsure, ask the group to provide the words for you to record.

Record all decisions and actions. You may want to enlist a note taker so that you can focus on the group. It's a good idea to take photos of brainstorming notes, or use collaborative whiteboard apps.

Remember to keep ;people focused and moving forward. If in doubt, ask for clarification before the discussion moves on. And record everyone’s responsibility for, and commitment to, action After the event, follow up to ensure agreed actions have progressed.

5. Reflect and Improve

After you facilitate a meeting, reflect on your own performance and consider how you could do things better next time. You could ask for feedback from the group or from a trusted colleague. Here are some useful tools and techniques to improve:

Strategy tools that help you understand your environment and think about the best way forward.

Creativity tools for finding solutions to complex problems.

Decision-making techniques for making difficult decisions.

To be an effective facilitator, you must plan and guide your event effectively, and remain focused on the group’s desired outcomes. To do this, follow these five steps:

  • Plan Your Structure
  • Create an Agenda
  • Guide and Control the Event
  • Record and Action
  • Reflect and Improve

[1] C, Stangor (2017). Group Processes [online]. Available here . [Accessed December 6, 2021.]

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Role & Responsibilities of Tourist Facilitator

Role, Responsibilities and Ethics of a Tourist Facilitator

Table of Contents

Tourism is one of the fastest-growing industries in India and many innovations are made every year. Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Certification (IITFC) program, an initiative by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India is one of them. The Programme aims at creating a pool of trained professionals for facilitating the visit of tourists to destinations across the country. IITFC Course is a digital initiative of the Ministry of Tourism (MoT), Government of India for the citizens of India to become a part of the booming Tourism Industry. 

A tourist facilitator needs to have a certain soft and hard skill to exhibit in front of a guest as they represent the country. So in this article, we will know about the role & responsibilities of a tourist facilitator.

Role of Tourist Facilitator

Making tourists familiar.

  • The primary task of a facilitator is to make tourist familiar with environment of destination, people around, tradition and beliefs etc. He/ She can do all these things only with their communication power, so a facilitator needs to master their communication skills.
  • Once tourists become familiar with the destination, its famous attractions and places of interest then it becomes quite easy for a facilitator to read the mind of tourists and predict their likes and preferences.
  • Inform tourists about the history, geography and culture of the destination. Make tourist aware of local cuisines and unique selling products so that they miss nothing during their course of travel.

Interpreting Local Culture

  • It is the responsibility of the Tourist Facilitator to interpret local customs and traditions for the world to tourist.
  • It is a job of the facilitator to act as a bridge of cultural differences. First of all understanding the guest believes and religion support and then explain them with an informative tour.
  • Tourist Facilitator can perform this duty only when they are well informed with local culture and tradition. And have relevant skills to explain the facts and concepts that a tourist needs to know.

Travel Local Dialects

  • Translates local dialects and language to the language understood by the tourist as it removes the language barrier. Guests can find their comfort zone and become able to interpret the things easily.
  • Facilitator needs to be well versed in the local language as well as in the guest’s known language, then only facilitator can entertain the guests.
  • Translating host languages into guests preferred one enhances their overall tour experience.

Executing Tour Programme

  • The major duty of tourist facilitator is execution of the tour programme by obtaining required permits, tickets or documents needed during the travel.
  • Arranging all these helps in removing chaos during travel and make the journey smooth.
  • The facilitator needs to stay in contact with different service provider and stakeholders, so that he/she can manage these formalities easily and save the guests from making extra efforts.

Managing Emergencies

  • It is also expected from tourist Facilitator to manage and helps in emergency situations like medical, theft, loss of baggage, etc. As a facilitator is well aware of local bodies and only a known person of guest in an unknown destination.
  • Facilitator needs to act calmly and take wise decisions in intense situations. Because tourist may go haywire and start worrying about their belongings and health conditions.
  • It is the responsibility of the facilitator to inform local police in case of theft or loss of baggage. In case of medical emergencies, they need to take immediate first aid. Modify the further itineraries as per tourist requirements and manage things accordingly.

Receiving Guests

  • The role of facilitator starts from receiving the guests from airport/railway station and helping them with their luggage with a gentle smile on their face.
  • Taking them to the hotel and assisting in check-in and also giving them personal space so that guest does not feel awkward.
  • For performing this duty facilitator must have etiquettes and manners.
  • Facilitator must maintain a thin line of professionalism with guest by not interfering in their personal issues.

Assisting Guests

  • Assists tourists with their need at the destination on arrival and upto departure. Understanding their requirements and arranging all the services for them is a key duty of facilitator.
  • Helping tourist by giving them valuable advice while their personal purchase at local shops or for choosing restaurants so that they may not be cheated and get a fair deal.
  • Facilitator must be of helping nature who loves to assist every time when guest need them. As tourist facilitator acts as a friend, assistant, coordinator for tourist.

Along with certain responsibilities, there are several ethical practices that a facilitator needs to perform, as they are the image builder of the country and their actions can make or break the image of the country. Image of a country, the business of travel agencies and service providers rests on the shoulders of tourist facilitators because they are the frontline representative.

Here are some moral principles and practices that facilitators are expected to follow –

  • Project a good and positive image of India.
  • Always provide a genius and correct information to the tourist.
  • Respect and safeguard India’s heritage and culture.
  • Refrain themselves from unethical practices and should carry their conduct honestly.
  • Always conduct himself professionally.
  • Should not discriminate among the tourist and act fairly everytime.
  • Always promote sustainable and responsible tourism practices.
  • Have neutral view on political, religious and other sensitive issues.

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Comprehensive Guide for Facilitator Training

This facilitator guide is for training yourself to lead a group through a learning session, even if you’re not an expert on the subject or an experienced teacher.

Imagine this: you begin a workshop by confidently explaining what participants are going to learn and why it’s extremely relevant to their daily lives. They understand why they’re there and how it’s going to help them.

Your participants are comfortable because they understand the purpose and outcomes of the event. The group quickly becomes a small community, using adult-learning methods to cooperate on gaining new skills and knowledge.

Finally, they have plenty of time during the program to reflect on what they’ve learned and apply it to their own lives and roles. The session accomplishes a lot but doesn’t feel rushed.

Does this sound like the type of learning event you’d like to facilitate? If so, take a closer look at the following sections of this facilitator-training guide:

  • Part 1: What a Facilitator Is — Defining the role of a facilitator.
  • Part 2: Big Ideas of Facilitation — Understanding what adult learners need, which will lead to specific activities that will satisfy those needs in your participants.
  • Part 3: Techniques of Facilitation — Clarifying the goals of facilitation and the skills facilitators use when they interact with participants and lead the group through the learning experience.
  • Part 4: How to Plan to Facilitate — Filling out a facilitation guide outline (basically a lesson plan) to organize your thoughts and prepare you to run a session.

Parts 1–3 will help you understand the learning needs of your participants, how to interact with them effectively, and how to deal with common problems during a facilitated learning event. If you have to facilitate a session right away, you might skip straight to Part 4 and use our blank facilitator guide template to design your course. Organizing the flow of your session using this template will make a huge difference in the quality of your session, even if it’s the only thing you do to prepare.

PART 1: WHAT A FACILITATOR IS

What is a facilitator? You’re a facilitator if you are the main person who helps others learn during an educational session. You make the process of learning easier for others as you plan and execute effective educational activities.

A facilitator isn’t necessarily a subject-matter expert. You can use the big ideas of facilitation to help others even when you don’t know more about the subject than the participants. You’re the person who guides them through the learning process and helps them become more comfortable in the following areas:

  • Asking important questions about the subject
  • Being able to state the fundamental ideas about it
  • Understanding the solutions they need
  • Taking productive action
  • Seeing the variables in the subject

Not everyone is extremely charismatic or sociable, but anyone can learn the principles of effective facilitation found in this guide and strive to practice them in every learning situation.

What Are the Three Roles of a Facilitator?

There are three broad categories of roles that a facilitator plays:

  • Guide a group toward well-defined outcomes.
  • Plan, sustain, and evaluate an efficient and cooperative learning process.
  • Find ways to get everyone to participate—and appreciate them when they do.

If you keep the ideas above in mind, you can be confident that you are working within the true scope of a facilitator’s role.

What is Training Facilitation?

Facilitation can be broken down into two broad categories of activity:

  • Preparation: Improving learning outcomes by understanding what good facilitators actually do, planning effective discussion questions, scheduling time for activities, brainstorming how to meet learners’ needs, and so on.
  • Interaction: Leading the group through the learning process by guiding discussions and activities, making disagreements productive, encouraging quiet members of the group to participate, helping the group apply the learning, and more.

Sometimes, you might be given a pre-existing facilitation plan or outline for a lesson, letting you focus more on the interaction piece of your role. But even then, you should think through the outline carefully to make sure you can use it most effectively as you facilitate.

What is a Professional Facilitator?

There are professional facilitators out there who have years of experience and all the latest techniques and theories. They’re experts at igniting discussions and creating lasting learning experiences.

Although these professionals have a lot to offer, hiring an outside facilitator might not be necessary for something that your organization needs to teach. With this guide, you can learn how to do all the things that a professional facilitator does. After that, you’ll simply need to gain experience, continue to study, and practice the principles of effective facilitation to hone your facilitation skills over time.

How Do You Train Facilitators?

Part 2: big ideas of facilitation.

The best practitioners of any skill understand the theories behind it. In this section, you’ll learn the core tenets and philosophy underlying adult-learning theory and use these ideas in your role as a facilitator.

What Adult Learners Need

How do you facilitate? The first step in good facilitation is understanding the requirements of adult learners. The classroom techniques used for children won’t work for adult learners because their needs are different.

Plan your facilitation session around what adults really want out of learning:

  • Solutions to problems they have at work
  • Learning experiences, not lectures
  • Experiences that drive internal motivation rather than external
  • A session that they help shape and direct
  • Time to contemplate and reflect on the material they learn
  • Time to try out and practice a new ability
  • To be part of a group of learners who have a common experience and meaning
  • A forum to discuss new ideas and skills with each other
  • To have an interesting challenge in the session
  • To be in a very well-organized session
  • To know what is going to happen during the session and why
  • To share their perspectives, experiences, and stories
  • To be active participants
  • The session to be focused on solving real problems
  • A session that is relevant to their everyday lives

You may have seen or experienced workplace training where adults are treated like kids, relying on “treats” or other external motivators that seem a little insulting. Or, you may have been to training sessions that are boring because they’re long and forgettable lectures.

You don’t want your facilitation to be seen as frustrating, condescending, or boring. Generally, you’ll be more successful the more you move away from expecting adults to sit and listen to a lecture and toward getting them to discuss, practice, apply, and even teach their peers during the session.

How to Satisfy General Human Needs

What are the qualities of a good facilitator? Participants often point to facilitators who are patient, supportive, encouraging, and who do not threaten or alienate anyone in the group. So, how can you win others’ trust in this role? It’s simple: learn how to satisfy people’s basic needs.

Basic needs are the building blocks of all of our complex needs; we are constantly trying to satisfy them. Psychologist Dr. William Glasser lists the basic human needs as

  • Love or belonging

Every person has desires and behaviors that can be traced back to one or more of the basic needs listed above.

As a facilitator, you can focus on helping your adult learners to feel that these needs are being satisfied, even if they don’t realize it. Take a look at each basic need in turn and think about how good facilitation can support it:

  • Survival: Teach a skill that will help them succeed at work, earn more money, or avoid becoming irrelevant.
  • Love or Belonging: Have participants learn together in small, cooperative groups.
  • Freedom: Give them time to reflect on how to apply lessons in their own way.
  • Power: Let them make some decisions about the direction of the session.
  • Fun: Add humor and exuberance to the session, along with presenting them with novel concepts that are challenging and exciting to learn.

Dr. Glasser further defined the types of behaviors that relate to the “freedom” need, which is crucial to good relationships. We’ve put seven of these behaviors into the acronym SALTERN:

  • S upporting
  • E ncouraging
  • R especting
  • N egotiating

In contrast, the types of behaviors that alienate learners and make them want to stop participating include the following:

  • Criticizing
  • Complaining (in order to control someone)
  • Threatening
  • Bribing (offering a reward to gain control)

PART 3: TECHNIQUES OF FACILITATION

The next section of this facilitator guide for training will introduce you to the main duties you’ll need to fulfill and skills you’ll need to have to enhance your facilitation skills and excel in this challenging activity.

Knowing these techniques—especially if you haven’t heard of them before—goes a long way towards making you into a top-notch facilitator because you’ll have new tools to call on, even in stressful situations that might stymie others.

What Are the Duties of a Facilitator?

Facilitators have a number of important duties or responsibilities to perform:

  • Plan the order of events during the workshop or training session.
  • Explain to participants why the lesson is relevant to their daily lives and how it’s going to help them.
  • Explain what the whole unit or workshop is going to teach them, what is going to happen, and why it matters to them.
  • Plan activities and techniques that use adult-learning methods.
  • Turn the group into a small learning community.
  • Lead effective discussions rather than just lecturing.
  • Manage disruptions that may occur.

Even if you’re given a course that’s already planned out, it’s still smart to carefully read through the agenda and program structure, compare it to the template provided later in this guide, and look for any parts of the learning experience that could be improved.

What Are Facilitation Skills?

Beyond the general duties of a facilitator, good facilitators also use skills to improve their sessions and help participants learn best. Here are some of those skills:

  • Focusing on Novel Points: See something novel in the information. If you’re just “going over” material, that’s not enough. You should pick out the things that are new for most members of the audience and highlight them during the session.
  • Crafting Open-Ended Questions: Develop a list of possible questions, and reject any that expect a single, obvious response. Focus on questions that elicit a longer explanation, a story, thoughtful analysis, or the like.
  • Leading Effective Discussions: Ask more questions than you answer directly. When participants disagree, make the disagreement productive by asking them to explore the reasons behind their ideas, always searching for common ground and shared needs and goals.
  • Getting Participants to Teach: Give them time to digest the information and then explain it to each other. Think of this maxim: “Those who teach the most, learn the most.”
  • Speaking the Group’s Language: Carefully figure out which words and thoughts the group uses in relation to the topic, along with their shared goals and experiences. Plan talking points around those ideas.
  • Creating a Community of Learning: Don’t let the session just be people sitting together. Help them find common ground and support each other’s learning goals.
  • Defining Terms: Many arguments and misunderstandings can be avoided if you make sure that all crucial terms are clearly defined and that everyone understands them.
  • Keeping the Session Flowing: Keep things rolling along at an appropriate pace. Have a plan and flexibly stick to it, moving the group through the beginning, middle, and end. Be ready to point out the main heart or main point of a discussion, clarify it, and conclude it. Be ready to smoothly transition from one section or activity to another.

Using these principles, you can write a completely original lesson plan (which we’ll explore in Part 4). You can also improve on your plan a bit while you’re facilitating as long as you remember to use the methods described above.

Managing Disruptions

Managing disruptive participants (those who try to take the group in a completely different direction) is a prime concern for many facilitators. If you make a plan in advance, you can more easily defuse the situation and, more importantly, you can help the group to continue learning. Keep these tips in mind when trying to manage disruptions:

  • Courteously ask a disruptor if you can use his or her question as a discussion topic during lunch.
  • Remind the group of the goals they all want to achieve during the session.
  • Express gratitude for the person’s insightful idea, and then continue with the lesson.
  • Promise to improve the next session by being mindful of the person’s concerns.
  • State that you must not have explained your point well enough and then clarify your central ideas.
  • Express that you now understand his or her concern and the fact that it’s important, and then move on.
  • Encourage others to participate and share their viewpoints, especially those who have not been able to speak much yet.
  • Ask an expert to summarize the issue or anyone else to synthesize what has been said.

PART 4: HOW TO PLAN TO FACILITATE

These are the steps you need to take to prepare for an upcoming facilitation session. Take the principles from the previous sections, create a solid plan, and then carefully review the section below.

Getting Ready for the Event

As the date of your facilitated session approaches, work through the following list of activities and record what you learn in a notebook:

  • Understand the Specific Audience: Find out what previous experience your group has with the subject matter, along with their unique goals and needs. Use what you learn to make the training highly relevant, targeted, and customized for the group.
  • Study the Participants’ Teams and Roles: Learn (or write down, if you already know) the business practices and tools that the participants already use related to the subject.
  • Finalize the Goals of Training and the Schedule: Pick a highly specific goal (or goals) that the group will strive to achieve, as well as with the order of activities that will get them there.
  • Work on Logistics: If you’re responsible for logistics, manage important details such as verifying the size of the room, printing handouts, purchasing snacks, and completing other physical duties.
  • Coordinate with an Event Team: If other parties are responsible for organizing the event, request any needed equipment and materials from them as soon as you can.

Preparing to serve a specific audience is foundational to this process. Think how differently you’d discuss the same topic with, say, your grandmother versus a work colleague—or with a specialist in your department versus someone in another department.

Envision one or several of the specific people who will be in your group, and write down answers to questions like the following:

  • What is important to this person about this subject?
  • What problem is she already aware that she wants to solve?
  • What keeps him awake at night? What worries him?
  • What goal(s) does she have related to this subject?

The more clearly you can see and understand a member of the group you will be teaching, the better you will be able to anticipate the actual group’s needs, the activities that they’ll appreciate, the concerns that they’ll have, the skills that they’ll need, and so on.

What is a Facilitator Guide?

How do you effectively facilitate a workshop? It’s almost impossible to do it well without a facilitation action plan, also known as a facilitator guide, which is similar to a lesson plan used by teachers.

If you’re facilitating a single 30- or 60-minute session, you can create just one plan. If you’re instead facilitating a whole workshop, you can break it into units of around 45 minutes each and fill out a plan for each unit. Repeat this process until you have a larger workshop facilitator guide mapped out.

Does 45 minutes seem too short? You might need to present material that takes longer. Either way, you should give participants a break between each learning module, let the material settle in their minds, and then present the next section of the course.

Visual Features of a Facilitator Guide

You might choose to print your guide on a piece of paper or keep it on a laptop or tablet screen. These are both fine approaches, but it’s also valuable to know how to create a facilitator guide for PowerPoint.

In PowerPoint, you can create slides to display during the session and add your facilitator notes to the “Presenter View,” which lets you run the whole session right out of the slide deck. As you advance the slides, your notes will conveniently tell you (and only you) what to do next and give you reminders of what to expect.

Speaking of visuals, if you are going to repeatedly use a facilitator guide template for instructional design in future sessions, you might want to pick out simple facilitator guide icons to give yourself a visual reminder of what you plan to do in each part of the session.

Icons should be visually simple and representative of specific tasks or activities during the session. Here are some examples:

  • A small group of stylized people: Time for a group activity
  • A graduation cap: Explain the main learning objectives
  • A flipchart: An activity using a flipchart
  • A document: Hand out and use a document

What Makes a Good Facilitator Guide?

When you are preparing to facilitate a unit, the best practice is to write out the step-by-step process of what you are going to do, along with realistic time limits for each step. You can also give yourself italicized reminders, such as common answers to discussion questions.

Writing a complete facilitator guide for training that will be 30–45 minutes in length might seem unnecessary, but it is very easy to lose your train of thought and where you were in the session, especially as the participants ask questions. Your guide will ensure that you don’t leave out a crucial point you were planning to make on skip over an important concept.

Plan each session with a clear beginning, middle, and end—a welcome and introduction, the main instructional section, and a conclusion. Work in the ideas and skills we’ve discussed above, along with any other helpful suggestions found in the next few sections of this guide.

1. Introduction/Welcome (5–10 minutes)

Begin with some combination of the welcome activities described below:

  • Introduce yourself, and have the participants introduce themselves to each other, if necessary.
  • Introduce the topic and goals of the session.
  • Explain exactly what they’ll be able to do with the information they’ll be given: the new perspectives or abilities they will gain from the session.
  • Use your insights into this group to explain how the lesson or workshop will improve their specific roles and lives.
  • Go over any ground rules or guidelines that will help everyone get the most out of the session.
  • Provide an outline of the topics you will explore in the session and the activities the group will engage in.

2. Instructional Activities (20–40 minutes)

For the main instructional portion of the session, plan what the group will do to move toward the desired learning outcomes. These can vary widely depending on what the participants are likely to enjoy and the time you have available to you. If you can, use a variety of the strategies below to accommodate different learning modalities.

Keep lectures as short as possible. Adult learners want to participate actively and build new skills. We retain very little of what we hear in a lecture, so only a small portion of the session should be devoted to this method of learning.

Clarify for the group that a quick lecture will be followed by a learning activity or discussion. Participants will be more eager to hear the information if they know they’re about to actively use it. You could also think of how to challenge an assumption and direct them toward a new way of thinking.

An alternative way to present learning content is to use an interesting and relevant video. If a video clip with decent production value will hold the attention of the group better than you can, use it!

It would be impossible to list every learning activity out there; they come in all shapes, sizes, and types. You can look up learning activities online or invent your own, depending on the specific needs of your situation.

Anticipate the types of activities that will be most enjoyable and valuable in terms of helping your group retain the information effectively or learn a new skill. Be sure to explain exactly how the activity will benefit them and help them achieve their goals so they understand the activity’s worth.

Carefully plan for how long each activity will take. You might only have the time for one activity that lasts 15 minutes. Be very careful to leave enough time for participants to reflect on the activity and share what they learned with you and the group. An activity is only as valuable as the debrief that follows it. Fifteen minutes can pass very quickly, although depending on the activity, that might be all the group needs for high-quality learning.

In other sessions, you might be able to include two or three different activities because the duration of the training session is longer. Here are a few examples of activities you could use:

  • Idea Gallery: Split the group into small teams and have each one capture main concepts from the unit on a piece of flipchart paper. The teams then walk through the newly made gallery wall of team posters before reconvening and discussing what they learned.
  • Page Notes: When a group is required to read a multi-page document at the beginning of training (or before it begins), have each participant place at least one comment or question on each page using sticky notes. As their questions or comments are resolved during training, have them write what they are learning on their sticky notes.
  • Think-Pair-Share: Split participants into pairs or small teams. Have them think about a topic or question for 20 seconds. Then, ask them to explain what they think to their partners, and then switch. Give them only two or three minutes for the entire activity. Optional: Let a few of the small teams explain their insights to the larger group.

Group Discussions

Participants can gain a lot of new insight and perspective from engaging in discussions that challenge their current thinking. Use well-crafted, open-ended questions and other creative methods to get everyone talking—not just a select few members of the group.

Write some facilitator notes to yourself. What are facilitator notes? They often come in the form of thoughts you want to share during the session or answers that the participants might give to specific questions. Of course, they might think up different answers from the ones you come up with, but your notes can give you an idea of how well the participants are understanding the topic as well as allow you to offer ideas that differ from those of the participants.

Write questions that help participants think through how to use the lesson to solve current organizational challenges—but also be ready with examples of how to do this.

Personal Experiences

You can share a personal experience with the group that will help them understand the session topic better, as well as asking them to share their own experiences. Some of the listeners are sure to empathize with the story and imagine themselves in it, helping them to connect with the material more deeply.

Even if you don’t specifically plan to share a personal experience, you can identify one in advance that will help you answer a certain question or explain a key point. You can then choose to use it—or not—depending on the needs of the group.

3. Closing Activity (5–10 minutes)

Rather than ending the session abruptly, draw the learning experience to a close by using a final application activity to help participants use and retain the material you’ve discussed. This will also help you assess how well they’ve learned the material presented and how valuable they found it to be. A few examples of closing activities include

  • Quiz Show: Show slides with fun review questions, asking the group to try to quickly answer them.
  • 3,2,1: Have them write three ideas they’ve learned, two ideas they’ve confirmed, and one major question they still have.
  • Exit Poll: Ask them one or two questions and have them write their names and answers to the questions on a slip of paper that they hand to you on the way out.

Use This Facilitator Guide for Training Yourself and Others

This guide will give you an excellent foundation in facilitation skills . There are whole books written on this subject, but the advantage of this guide is that it offers the essential steps and key points of facilitation so you can begin to use this information right away.

If you have a session coming up quickly, using this guide will give you far better results than just diving in with no strategy. And, over time, you can practice these tips during multiple sessions and gain greater mastery over them.

These ideas can give you immediate, small rewards, as well as yielding larger rewards to patient practitioners of these proven methods of facilitation. We hope you’ll use them to develop your facilitation skills, be a good example of better facilitation to others, and pass on the best techniques to your team. Write to us about any interesting progress you make—we’re excited to hear from you!

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How to train new facilitators – a step by step guide

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Training new facilitators in the use of facilitation skills is essential as the profession gains recognition and organizations come to realize the advantages of having facilitative leaders and team members.

But how to begin? In this piece, IAF endorsed facilitator and new SessionLab team member Deborah shares tips and tools from her experience of 5+ years introducing students and professionals to facilitation .

She leads us through the programme of a half-day introductory workshop session in which participants experience facilitation tools first-hand, reflect on them, and collect methods and skills in their first facilitation toolkit.

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A step-by-step guide to planning a workshop, how to create an unforgettable training session in 8 simple steps, 47 useful online tools for workshop planning and meeting facilitation.

As a facilitator and trainer, you may sometimes be asked to reveal what is going on behind the scenes. 

  • Is a client looking to build capacity among staff, aiming to self-facilitate day-to-day meetings before calling you in for more complex projects?
  • Have you been invited by an education institution wanting to train students to be great team players in their professional future?
  • Are you personally looking for a way to share facilitation with others by creating a workshop that is engaging, actionable and hands-on?

Whatever the reason for which you are setting off in the adventure of facilitator training, you’ll find something useful in the following pages, as well as in the accompanying workshop template .

This programme for a half-day starter workshop has been tried and tested for over five years and in different settings, including online. Read on to find out the rationale behind the design, what you should be looking out for in running it, and what pitfalls to avoid when training new facilitators.

Why we should be training more new facilitators 

After taking part in this training, Issam, a 26-year-old student of business and accounting, commented “I don’t plan on becoming a professional facilitator. But taking the facilitator’s point of view has really changed how I behave in meetings ”. His words say a lot about why it’s so important to train more people in facilitation skills. 

The need to train and enable the success of a new cohort of facilitators also emerged as one of the key findings of the State of Facilitation in 2023 report . Data collected indicates a  low number of facilitators under the age of 30  (only 38 responses) and beginners (7.2% of respondents) in the field. This matches our general impression that there are actually very few Gen-Z facilitators out there. With only a mere 3.4% of facilitators in their 20s responding to the survey, the facilitation community is left to wonder: what can we do to include younger voices, and train the next generation?

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Here are three key reasons for training newbies:

  • To improve the effectiveness of team projects, at a time when we need collaborative efforts on all fronts, to navigate, and steer, rapid changes in the world;
  • For better workplace experiences , key in attracting and retaining a skilled workforce in the era of the Great Resignation;
  • To increase the ranks of facilitators, as the profession gains traction and recognition around the world, in private and public sectors alike.

As a global civilisation we are currently facing complex or “wicked” problems in all areas of life, be it our relationship with the environment, competitive pressure, a global pandemic, a breakdown of the international order (you name it).

In order to face such complexity, we need new pathways, new ways of thinking, which might be referred to as “holistic” or “systemic”, that center around hearing from diverse stakeholders and getting all the voices in a room. Leveraging diversity, breaking silos, encouraging multidisciplinarity are the paths to the truly innovative solutions our world needs. 

Diverse, multidisciplinary teams can achieve astounding results, but collaboration takes work and practice. Facilitation skills, which include the ability to steer difficult conversations, design ways to ideate together, prevent and transform conflict, and get action points done, are essential to working together in diversity.

As teams learn to work better together, misunderstandings are prevented and conflicts resolved in creative and transformative ways.

There are innumerable benefits of applying facilitation to day-to-day life inside companies and organizations. Meetings become more efficient and effective. Listening and sharing activities encourage participants to reconnect to the source of their motivation, and to one another .

Let’s be clear: facilitation alone does not make a healthy workplace, and should always be part of a wider design for well-being which could include, for example, coaching, supervision groups, or other forms of support. That said, at a time of widespread lack of motivation and engagement at work, facilitation can make a difference. 

As professional facilitators, while it’s true that we may compete for specific jobs or projects, we are part of a collaborative ecosystem of professionals scattered across the globe. The more our networks grow, the more traction the profession gains. This is the basic reason why training newbies benefits facilitators. By training new facilitators we can make our professional networks stronger, and our work easier!

As each one of us grows professionally it’s common to keep getting asked to perform smaller tasks we might no longer have an interest in, such as moderating a discussion table or an individual meeting. There will always be a scattering of smaller scale projects that we can pass on to newcomers . In another scenario, someone less experienced might work alongside a more seasoned facilitator, taking care of tasks such as minute-taking or just general support. 

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When describing what I do as a facilitator, I am often asked: “What did you study?” “How did you start?”. Colleagues in the field have the most varied professional backgrounds. A geologist, an economist, two engineers, an architect, and a marketing major are among the facilitators I most often collaborate with.

Facilitators tend to have picked up their knowledge in practice, in many short-form trainings and/or by shadowing more experienced colleagues. So… how does one start?

A scattering of higher education institutes have begun to offer courses related to facilitation (such as the MSLS in Strategic Leadership in Karlskrona, Sweden) but this varies greatly around the world. There are plenty of training courses to choose from, offered on and offline, on specific methodologies, or in-depth year-long courses.

That said, there are currently not many opportunities available for facilitator training. If you are called to help fill this gap by offering starter workshops to newbies, you can be sure that your offer will attract participants and respond to a very real need. 

A word of advice about how to position or advertise your workshop: despite being a growing field, facilitation is still a novel concept for many. Furthermore, it’s risky to give the impression that anyone will be able to facilitate with confidence after a short introduction.

For these reasons, rather than aiming to train all-rounded professional facilitators, start by framing your session as sharing facilitation skills , to be applied in many different contexts. Because the most common application is going to be in meetings, facilitating effective meetings is an attractive focus to begin with. 

What to keep in mind when designing for new facilitators

The best way to fall in love with facilitation is by experiencing it directly. Conversely, the worst mistake you can make when designing a training on facilitation is to revert back to old-school, formal ways of imparting knowledge, such as lengthy presentations.

Your workshop design should allow participants to feel the magic of group dynamics. It will be, in other words, an experience of facilitated learning. 

In designing introductory trainings, here are four key principles to have in mind:

  • Keep it simple: methods and tools modeled and taught should be easy to replicate by anyone with “a good mind and a good heart” (to quote Open Space Technology creator Harrison Owen).
  • Connect to experience : from start to end, punctuate the schedule with moments that connect to participants’ real-life experience.
  • Practice, practice, practice: make space in the workshop to try out new tools and skills in a safe environment, rather than just hear about them.

The fourth principle, “ open the door to a new world ” is admittedly the trickiest. As a trainer to newbies, you will inevitably be walking a fine balance between empowering participants to take action, and reminding them that a half-day workshop is not enough, and that there is a lot more to learn.

A good workshop design can support you to keep this balance by including space for action planning as well as for the trainer (you!) to share tips and stories. Even the simple act of having a few books on facilitation lying around the workshop space opens participants’ imagination to the rich world they are peeking into. 

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How to run the Facilitation for Beginners workshop

This half-day workshop is designed to introduce facilitation while experiencing it and reflecting on the subject. It includes:

  • Space for participants to reconnect to what they already know about the topic.
  • Sharing your insights and knowledge on what facilitation is (and isn’t).
  • Allowing trainees to experience some basic tools and methods such as using a talking piece, World Café, 1-2-4-all, energizers.
  • Learning what those tools and methods are for and when and how to use them.
  • An action plan on putting facilitation into practice.

Progress through the various activities is iterative, and based on Kolb’s cycle for experiential learning. In this model, activities are followed by debrief for reflection, leading to generalization (theory, framework, “when to apply this”) and moving towards practicing new skills in the real world. 

The schedule includes three main blocks, each building upon what was learnt before. 

Part 1 – Practicing active listening

Part 2 – basic elements of facilitation, part 3 – facilitating effective meetings.

Put together, these form a coherent starting kit that can usher a rookie into the world of facilitation. Each activity serves more than one purpose: participants experience facilitation while talking about facilitation. This makes for a rich, multi-layered experience.

There is a small risk that people may get lost, and you should address this in the introduction by explaining that trainees will find themselves in different roles: participants in the activities, and budding facilitators reflecting on what they have just done. 

Facilitation for Beginners template screenshot.

Many skills are needed to be an effective facilitation, but arguably number one is the ability to listen intently, and actively, without rushing to conclusions or preparing to debate.

Active Listening   #hyperisland   #skills   #active listening   #remote-friendly   This activity supports participants to reflect on a question and generate their own solutions using simple principles of active listening and peer coaching. It’s an excellent introduction to active listening but can also be used with groups that are already familiar with it. Participants work in groups of three and take turns being: “the subject”, the listener, and the observer.

The first section of this workshop introduces participants to this key skill in a paired activity. As an added bonus, the topic they will be focussing on, and sharing with another participant, is their own experience with group work. 

New facilitators practicing active listening.

Having flexed their active listening muscles, participants at this point are likely to be ready to hear more about facilitation itself.

Before sitting back and hearing from you, they prepare by tapping into the knowledge already present in the group using the 1-2-4-all format. Trainees thereby gain experience of this basic, versatile tool from the suite of methods known as Liberating Structures , which include some of the easiest activities for participants to facilitate themselves, after the workshop.

The core of this session includes a video and a presentation on facilitation. Here is where you will give participants key pointers on subjects such as:

  • acknowledging that facilitation is a skillset as well as a profession
  • explaining the facilitator’s position, neither in nor out of the group
  • clarifying the differences between facilitating, coaching, mediating, training, consulting
  • real-life stories and examples of facilitation’s impact , ideally in a sector that will resonate with participants
  • introducing a simple model on group dynamics, such as Tuckman’s (forming, norming, storming, performing, adjourning), and illustrating how the facilitator helps groups journey through the various stages

It’s important to remember to bring some clarity to the different roles of coach, facilitator, trainer, consultant, mediator, and so on—not only because it is a frequently asked-about topic, but because you will be acting as both trainer and facilitator in the workshop, and this can be confusing.

A great way to avoid this pitfall is to work with a co-facilitator , one of you providing content and the other facilitating the activities. If that is not possible, you can still mitigate the risk of confusion between the roles by making this explicit to participants or, if you want to get creative, literally wearing “different hats”!

Facilitator presenting a framework on group dynamics.

The third section of the workshop is focused on running effective meetings. Meetings are likely to be the first place facilitation skills are applied by newbies. Most people can relate to the difficulty and stress of participating in badly designed meetings. This is a context in which small changes can lead to dramatic improvement, making it a good place for beginners to build up their facilitation muscles.

Shape this talk based on your experience. Recommended topics include:

  • The importance of check-ins
  • How to structure an agenda
  • Breaks & energisers
  • Different roles in a meeting (e.g. facilitator, time-keeper, note-taker…)
  • Check-outs and collecting feedback

The I DO ARRT mnemonic is beloved by most beginners. It’s a reminder to start every meeting by sharing the following information as a group.

  • I Intention
  • DO Desired Outcome
  • R Roles & Responsibilities
  • R Rules 

After the talk, use a World Café to make space for discussing how meetings can be improved with facilitation skills. With such a practical challenge to face, expect participants to get to work with passion and the energy in the room to rise.

The toolkit: where the magic happens 

Reflecting on an experience is the key to effective learning. To support this in your workshop for beginners at facilitation, set up a simple, yet highly effective support: a poster, or whiteboard space, clearly titled Toolkit . 

During the workshop, participants experience facilitation skills, tools and methods: this includes the abilities you model, as well as the practical activities they take part in. If we were simply packing activities one after the other, the day might feel airless and rushed, and learning less likely to “stick”.

Avoid this risk by punctuating activities with moments of reflection. At those times, ask “what tools, skills or methods have we experienced?”. Collect answers from the group and write them all up in the Toolkit. In a second column, add some pointers on why and when a facilitator might use these tools. 

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The workshop opens with a series of activities to help form a setting conducive to group learning, such as a check-in, setting group agreements, and using posters and sticky notes. Therefore, the toolkit will quickly be populated, from very early on.

As the day progresses, you will be adding some basic tools (talking piece, timer), then skills (active listening, time management), and lastly more structured methods (1-2-4-all, World Café).

World Cafe   #hyperisland   #innovation   #issue analysis   World Café is a simple yet powerful method, originated by Juanita Brown, for enabling meaningful conversations driven completely by participants and the topics that are relevant and important to them. Facilitators create a cafe-style space and provide simple guidelines. Participants then self-organize and explore a set of relevant topics or questions for conversation.

Past participants have gotten creative, adding entries such as the choice of venue, the bells with which I mark time, and even the colorful markers I was using to write on the Toolkit itself!

Toolkit checkpoints create a space for reflecting, learning, and illustrating visually the material covered. The list grows during the day, making the invisible treasure chest of tools clearly visible.

By the end, participants marvel at how much they have already added to their stash. An Action Plan session in the closing section is enriched by the possibility of referring back to the Toolkit, by asking questions such as: what three entries from the Toolkit will you be putting to use within the next month? 

How to run this session online

In running this session online, you can keep the same structure and sequence of activities, but here are some tips to keep in mind:

  • Timings will change a bit, as people will take a while to get familiar with the technology. Add some time at the beginning to make sure everyone is comfortable with the tools you are using. Share your screen to show participants the whiteboard and place a getting-to-know-you activity there so that they can start learning how to navigate the board and add their notes.
  • Group work sessions, on the other hand, can be shortened , as less time is spent in moving around space and changing settings.
  • As you are showing these newcomers to facilitation how things work behind the scenes, take time to explain how you are using the technology and share tips on remote facilitation, for example on how to create breakout rooms. What are the basic tools you are using? Those are likely to be the same ones your participants may need if they try remote facilitation themselves.

What to do after the first workshop

A learning journey into facilitation might start with a beginners’ workshop, but it certainly does not end there. Support your participants as they go forth into the outside world by:

  • Sharing copies of your slides and summaries of the methods used.
  • Providing a bibliography and recommendations on where to learn more.
  • Offering follow-up workshops . Topics that make sense are group dynamics and decision-making, though asking participants what would be useful to them is a great next step too!
  • Certifying the skills they have learned . Even if you do not represent an organization, a certificate will still have value for your learners. Here is one we’ve created for participants in the Facilitation is For Everyone Email course , which you are welcome to join!
  • (Particularly if working with youth) keeping in touch with those you think show the most promise and may want to make a career out of facilitating: encourage them, consider inviting them to shadow you or lend a hand with the practicalities of your next effort. 

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Tips for training new facilitators

Here are some general guidelines and insights from my experience running workshops with beginners. 

  • Keep your session short: it’s reasonable to have a half-day, maximum one-day workshop to begin with. This will make it more accessible for people who are curious. With this workshop you are opening the door: the rest, such as immersive three-day or week-long courses, can come later.
  • Your participants are likely to have skills and methods that can be used to facilitate, even if they might not call them that. Validate the knowledge they bring about working in groups, whether it comes from family outings, school projects, a theater group, a startup team, a community project… These experiences are the foundation of their future facilitation excellence.
  • Share stories and anecdotes from your own work. Newcomers to facilitation may come with a sense that it’s utopian or impossible; sharing your experience opens a window into what is truly possible.
  • Find every opportunity to invite participants to lead the group and practice in short, safe situations. Is someone a yoga teacher? Ask them during lunch if they are ok with leading a short breathing exercise to restart after the break and encourage them to try (but do this in private, rather than putting them on the spot in front of everybody).
  • If you feel the group needs more time on a method or has many questions, slow down. You should not assume you have to cover the subject in its entirety and rush through the session with the risk of leaving people confused or overwhelmed. Better to train newbies in one or two tools, until they feel confident in using them and excited to learn more.

Working with new facilitators can be extremely satisfying. For me, it’s a constant reminder of the power of facilitation to improve (or revolutionize!) people’s personal and professional lives.

As we have seen with the story of Issam, who took a more proactive stance in meetings after getting a taste of what it’s like to lead them, not everyone can be a facilitator, but anyone who works with other people, on any project, wherever they are in the world, can benefit from improving their facilitation skills . You could be the one to usher that change, so go for it!

If you work on training new facilitators, one book you cannot miss is George Lakey – Facilitating Group Learning, Strategies for Success with Diverse Learners !

Do you run facilitation workshops for newbies? Have you tried out this template ? If you have found this article useful, share your comments and stories, I’d love to hear from you! Are you beginning your journey in facilitation? Join the 5-part free email course Facilitation is for Everyone and get tips and activities delivered to your inbox every Monday!

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cycle of workshop planning steps

Going from a mere idea to a workshop that delivers results for your clients can feel like a daunting task. In this piece, we will shine a light on all the work behind the scenes and help you learn how to plan a workshop from start to finish. On a good day, facilitation can feel like effortless magic, but that is mostly the result of backstage work, foresight, and a lot of careful planning. Read on to learn a step-by-step approach to breaking the process of planning a workshop into small, manageable chunks.  The flow starts with the first meeting with a client to define the purposes of a workshop.…

tour facilitator meaning

How does learning work? A clever 9-year-old once told me: “I know I am learning something new when I am surprised.” The science of adult learning tells us that, in order to learn new skills (which, unsurprisingly, is harder for adults to do than kids) grown-ups need to first get into a specific headspace.  In a business, this approach is often employed in a training session where employees learn new skills or work on professional development. But how do you ensure your training is effective? In this guide, we'll explore how to create an effective training session plan and run engaging training sessions. As team leader, project manager, or consultant,…

tour facilitator meaning

Effective online tools are a necessity for smooth and engaging virtual workshops and meetings. But how do you choose the right ones? Do you sometimes feel that the good old pen and paper or MS Office toolkit and email leaves you struggling to stay on top of managing and delivering your workshop? Fortunately, there are plenty of online tools to make your life easier when you need to facilitate a meeting and lead workshops. In this post, we’ll share our favorite online tools you can use to make your job as a facilitator easier. In fact, there are plenty of free online workshop tools and meeting facilitation software you can…

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Definition of facilitator noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

facilitator

  • The teacher acts as a facilitator of learning.
  • A Web-based facilitator will provide feedback on your assignments.

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Meaning of facilitator in English

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  • a tower of strength idiom
  • collaborator
  • confederate
  • father figure
  • pinch hitter
  • right-hand man
  • room parent
  • support group
  • supporting cast

facilitator | Intermediate English

Facilitator | business english, examples of facilitator, translations of facilitator.

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facilitator noun

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What does the noun facilitator mean?

There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun facilitator . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

How common is the noun facilitator ?

How is the noun facilitator pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the noun facilitator come from.

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the noun facilitator is in the late 1700s.

OED's earliest evidence for facilitator is from 1775, in the writing of N. Manners.

facilitator is formed within English, by derivation.

Etymons: facilitate v. , ‑or suffix .

Nearby entries

  • facile princeps, n. 1638–
  • facilis descensus, n. 1822–
  • facilis descensus Averni, phr. ?1566–
  • facilitate, v. 1599–
  • facilitated, adj. 1796–
  • facilitated diffusion, n. 1940–
  • facilitating, n. 1605–
  • facilitating, adj. 1659–
  • facilitation, n. 1620–
  • facilitative, adj. 1859–
  • facilitator, n. 1775–
  • facilitatory, adj. 1867–
  • facilite, v. 1585–1858
  • faciliting, n. 1585–1608
  • facility, n. ?a1425–
  • facilize, v. 1607–
  • facinerose, adj. 1727
  • facing, n. 1481–
  • facing, adj. 1564–
  • facing implement, n. 1866–76
  • facing loam, n. 1881

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, entry history for facilitator, n..

facilitator, n. was revised in September 2009

facilitator, n. was last modified in September 2023

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Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into facilitator, n. in September 2023.

Earlier versions of facilitator, n. were published in:

OED First Edition (1894)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

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Factsheet for facilitator, n., browse entry.

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  2. What is a Tour Facilitator?

  3. बनें National Level Tour Guide /IITG/IITF/IITTM/Incredible India Tour Guide/Facilitator/ DVTV Bharat

  4. The Ventures -Wipeout (2012)

  5. The Ventures

  6. Understanding "Tour Review": Enhancing Your English Skills!

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  1. How to Be Tour Facilitator

    Tour Facilitators should have excellent communication skills, be fluent in English, and be able to speak a second language. This is especially important if you will be working in a foreign country. Build Your Experience. Working in customer service or the hospitality industry can be beneficial for Tour Facilitators.

  2. What is a facilitator and what do they do?

    The facilitator's role is to support a group's process, steering it by, for example, designing activities, opening an important discussion and offering key questions. Content in a facilitation process comes from participants themselves (as opposed to what might happen with public speaking or training);

  3. Facilitator Definition & Meaning

    The meaning of FACILITATOR is someone or something that facilitates something; especially : someone who helps to bring about an outcome (such as learning, productivity, or communication) by providing indirect or unobtrusive assistance, guidance, or supervision. How to use facilitator in a sentence.

  4. The 8 Roles of a Facilitator

    Understand the purpose and objectives of the session. Clearly communicate the steps of the process to the group. Monitor progress and adjust the pace as needed. Keep the group focused and on track. The Facilitator's Role in Guiding the Group. The first role of a facilitator is to guide the group through each step of the process.

  5. A Quick Guide to Facilitation Skills

    What is a facilitator? The word facilitate actually comes from the Latin which means to 'make easy'. A facilitator is basically a person whose role is to guide people through a process to an effective result. On a guided tour or educational programme, facilitation is centred around guiding processes and creating participation.

  6. The Role of a Facilitator

    A facilitator plans, guides and manages a group event to meet its goals. To facilitate effectively, you must be objective and focus on the "group process." That is, the ways that groups work together to perform tasks, make decisions and solve problems. [1] Good facilitation involves being impartial and steering the group so that its ideas and ...

  7. Role, Responsibilities and Ethics of a Tourist Facilitator

    It is the responsibility of the Tourist Facilitator to interpret local customs and traditions for the world to tourist. It is a job of the facilitator to act as a bridge of cultural differences. First of all understanding the guest believes and religion support and then explain them with an informative tour. Tourist Facilitator can perform this ...

  8. What Are Facilitator Skills? (Definition And Examples)

    7 Examples Of Facilitator Skills. These are some examples of skills you can develop to become an effective facilitator: 1. Active listening. As a facilitator, one of your primary responsibilities is to guide a group through an organised process to achieve a specific goal. To do this effectively, it is important to listen actively to all ...

  9. What is facilitation? Definition and principles

    Facilitation is an approach, mindset and set of skills that a facilitator or leader employs in order to support a group during collaborative work. Facilitation means creating space for everyone in the group to contribute and encouraging participation and ownership from everyone involved. It means having a shared goal and designing a process to ...

  10. Comprehensive Guide for Facilitator Training

    Facilitation Skills. This facilitator guide is for training yourself to lead a group through a learning session, even if you're not an expert on the subject or an experienced teacher. Table of Contents. Part 1: What a Facilitator Is. Part 2: Big Ideas of Facilitation. Part 3: Techniques of Facilitation. Part 4: How to Plan to Facilitate.

  11. How to train new facilitators

    Part 1 - Practicing active listening. Many skills are needed to be an effective facilitation, but arguably number one is the ability to listen intently, and actively, without rushing to conclusions or preparing to debate. Active Listening #hyperisland #skills #active listening #remote-friendly.

  12. How to facilitate travel experiences with groups

    The facilitator is invited to facilitate, and therefore not only a guest at the travel destination, but of the group as well. Facilitate is from the Latin word facile . It means easy .

  13. Facilitator

    Facilitator. A facilitator leading a discussion at a summit meeting. A facilitator is a person who helps a group of people to work together better, understand their common objectives, and plan how to achieve these objectives, during meetings or discussions. In doing so, the facilitator remains "neutral", meaning they do not take a particular ...

  14. The changing face of the tour guide: one-way communicator to

    Subsequent research on tour guiding has gone some way towards illuminating what tour guides do and the range of skills they need, including communication and interpretation. That said, the emphasis in the above definition remains on one-way communication, positioning the guide as presenter and entertainer and the tour group as the audience. In ...

  15. tour facilitator Definition

    Related to tour facilitator. Facilitator ' means a person who impar- tially aids in the discussions and negotiations among the members of a negotiated rule- making committee to develop a proposed rule;. Marketplace facilitator means a person that:. Investment Facilitators/Advisors means an individual, firm, corporate or other entity appointed by the Management Company to identify, solicit ...

  16. Facilitation Skills: Definition and Examples

    A facilitator is less of a manager and more of a process helper and influencer of success. Here are three main reasons why facilitators are important: 1. Helping resolve conflicts A facilitator is an unbiased person who listens to both sides of an argument. The facilitator will solve problems by reaching common ground between two or more people. 2.

  17. FACILITATOR

    FACILITATOR definition: 1. someone who helps a person or organization do something more easily or find the answer to a…. Learn more.

  18. facilitator noun

    Definition of facilitator noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

  19. How Tourism Intermediaries Work and Why They Matter

    5. Tourism intermediaries are agents or businesses that facilitate the connection between tourism suppliers and consumers. They play a vital role in the tourism marketing process, as they help to ...

  20. FACILITATOR

    FACILITATOR meaning: 1. someone who helps a person or organization do something more easily or find the answer to a…. Learn more.

  21. Facilitator Definition & Meaning

    Facilitator definition: A person who helps a group to have an effective dialog without taking any side of the argument , especially in order to reach a consensus. .

  22. facilitatory, adj. meanings, etymology and more

    See 'Meaning & use' for definition, usage, and quotation evidence. See meaning & use. How common is the adjective facilitatory? About 0.1 occurrences per million words in modern written English . 1890: 0.0003: ... facilitator, n. 1775- ...

  23. facilitator, n. meanings, etymology and more

    What does the noun facilitator mean? There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun facilitator. See 'Meaning & use' for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. See meaning & use. How common is the noun facilitator? About 3 occurrences per million words in modern written English . 1790: 0.001: 1800: 0.0008: 1810: 0.0022: