ABCD-Training-of-Trainers-Tools-July-2013

3.6. Process Facilitation
“A A good process will always yield a good outcome.”
What is Process Facilitation?
Transformative development is a process and not an event. It is usually a very slow and unpredictable
process and often the greatest impacts are intangible (e.g. leadership or trust). This is contrary to the
tendency in the sector to focus on short term projects and tangible impacts.
A process is a learning rhythm: it has an initiation, stabilisation sation and mutation stage – it shifts from one
form to another in continuous cycles.
A well designed process provides containment, a structure for group development, yet at the same time
allows enough flexibility within a framework.
A good process will always yield a good outcome. It is a matter of trusting the process and allowing each
step to guide the next. What is important is that the facilitator is able to customize each process to meet
the unique dynamics of the group. The art is to provide structure yet be adaptive at the same time.
Although one maintains some form of structure in facilitation, the facilitator must also be guided by the
group and should be able to adapt to what is unfolding. This is true Process Facilitation.
Process Design
There is no one set way to design a good development process. Each process has a life of its own and an
innate guiding wisdom.
The action learning cycle is however a useful tool that can frame any process whether it happens over
just a few hours (like a meeting) or over a few weeks:
Step 1: Planning
Planning sessions with the people responsible for the training to clarify:
• the purpose of the workshop/ event / intended outcomes
• who is responsible for overall co-ordination
• the budget/ resource allocations
• logistical arrangements, e.g.:
- venue
- transport
- catering
- stationery
- photocopying
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