Facilitation as a process

Facilitation process stages and questions for facilitators

Facilitation is a key process for driving engagement in the green transition, helping members of a Community of Practice collaborate effectively toward shared sustainability goals. It consists of three stages: preparation and planning, engagement sessions and post-session reflection. In the preparation phase, facilitators define objectives, ensure diversity in participation and plan participatory methods to encourage engagement. Engagement sessions focus on creating a safe, inclusive environment for idea generation, problem-solving and collaboration. Post-session reflection fosters learning by analysing successes, challenges and areas for improvement. Facilitation also requires trust-building and conflict resolution skills to create a supportive space for co-creation. Effective facilitation contributes to a cultural shift towards sustainability in health and care organisations.

Facilitation is a powerful tool for leading engagement for green transition. It involves guiding members of a Community of Practice through a process to achieve a common goal, ensuring that everyone participates and contributes effectively.

Facilitation process consists of three stages: (1) preparation and planning, (2) activities during the engagement sessions and (3) post-session reflection.

Preparation and planning

Preparation and planning are about understanding the problem, needs or opportunities. Essential questions are:

1. What are the objectives of the engagement session?
2. Who are the participants, and what are their needs and expectations? How does the Community of Practice define and understand transformative change and green transition?
3. How to ensure a mix of individuals with different backgrounds, expertise and experiences? Such diversity fosters innovation and prevents groupthink.
4. What materials and resources are required?
5. How will the session be structured and timed?

As part of the preparation and planning, you can use a Facilitator Script as a tool where you can design what participatory methods you will use to encourage participation and engagement. For example, it is important to plan when and at what stage of the engagement process to use futures thinking tools such as 'what-if' scenarios to explore alternative pathways.

Activities during the engagement sessions

The engagement sessions concern, for example:

Session 1: Defining the problem or opportunity

Session 2: Co-creating solutions

Session 3: Solution in use and test

Essential questions are:

1. How can I create a welcoming and inclusive environment? How to foster trust and psychological safety, so that participants feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and experimenting with others?
2. How do I support a space and atmosphere where people can work together to generate ideas, solutions or shared visions, with emphasis on openness and inclusivity?
3. How to bring together diverse perspectives, skills and knowledge to create something new and meaningful?
4. How can I manage conflicts or disagreements effectively? How to cherish learning that allows for critical thinking such as questioning assumptions, exploring contradictions and imaginative speculation, for example thinking outside the box and envisioning new possibilities? What kind of imaginative exercises encourage participants to think about possible futures?
5. What strategies can I use to keep the group focused and on track? How to use iterative processes: design a feedback loop where ideas can evolve over time through continuous input from the members of the Community of Practice?
6. Between sessions 1 and 2 and 3: What kind of participant tasks between the sessions will contribute to the overall objective? What kind of information and knowledge do you need to collect for the next session? Which participatory methods would be best for the next session? Explain to yourself and your facilitation team why the methods you choose are best for the purpose. In the last session, you can invite the Community of Practice to define future steps by making together an action plan.

Post-session reflection

Reflection is a crucial aspect of situated learning. It allows the Community of Practice to better understand their own basic assumptions and perspectives. This deeper understanding fosters more meaningful collaboration. Reflection helps members of the Community of Practice to learn from their experiences, both successes and failures. Essential questions are:

1. What went well during the session?
2. What challenges did I face, and how can I address them in the future?
3. How can I gather feedback from the participants?
4. What improvements can be made for future sessions?

Facilitation skills

To improve facilitation skills, essential questions are:

1. How can I improve and train my active listening and observation skills?
2. How can I ask and comment in a respectful and encouraging way?
3. Which participatory methods do I feel comfortable using? Where and with whom could I test and practice using them?
4. How can I enhance my ability to summarise and synthesise information?
5. What methods can I use to build support and trust with participants?

Further information:

NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. (2009). The facilitator's toolkit: Tools, techniques and tips for effective facilitation. NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement.

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press. 

Facilitation process guidelines: Creating space for dialogue

Space plays a crucial role in facilitating dialogue, influencing how people interact, build trust and collaborate effectively. It encompasses physical, psychological and temporal dimensions, each shaping participation and engagement. Physical space impacts interaction—arranging seating in a circle fosters open communication, while hierarchical setups may hinder participation. Thoughtful organisation and creative elements enhance engagement. Psychological space ensures a safe, supportive atmosphere, encouraging open sharing and respectful communication. Establishing shared agreements fosters inclusivity. Temporal space affects energy and depth of discussion—balancing reflection, breaks and interaction prevents fatigue and enhances meaningful dialogue. Effective facilitation integrates these aspects to create a dynamic and engaging environment where participants feel empowered to contribute to discussions and decision-making.

The role of space is essential to building dialogue, as space allows for both the pacing and depth of the conversation. Space refers to both physical and psychological aspects of communication and relationship dynamics. Space in dialogue is about how pauses, silences and shifts in timing affect how people interact and how trust is built, and dialogue is constructed between people. Space therefore plays a critical role in facilitation because it directly affects how people participate, communicate and collaborate.

Here are guidelines on how to organise space for facilitation:

Physical space: The organisation of the space in the room can encourage or discourage participation. For example, seating in a circle promotes equality and open communication, while traditional classroom-style rows may create a more hierarchical dynamic. In smaller, more intimate spaces, participants may feel more comfortable sharing knowledge, whereas larger, formal auditorium-style spaces can make people feel distant or less engaged.

Practical tips:

• Please plan how you will use the space. For example, one part of the room may be an open space, another part a place for group work and a third part for individual work.
• If you will use your own organisation's meeting room, please think about how you can bring something surprising and creative into it. For example, the lightning can be different than usual, and you can bring images, symbols and artefacts that resonate with the theme, topic or purpose of the session.

Psychological space: It is important to create a safe, supportive and appreciative environment where participants feel heard, respected and valued. This requires both verbal and non-verbal cues from the facilitator. A supportive psychological space encourages open sharing, being oneself and creativity.

Practical tips:

Temporal space: The rhythm of time and work in a session can shape people's energy levels and the depth of discussion. Balancing time for reflection, breaks and interaction allows for meaningful engagement without fatigue and strengthens the dynamics of working.

Practical tips:

• Please agree with participants when to use mobile phones or computers and when to focus on live interaction.
• Give people time and space to process their thoughts, feelings and ideas.
• Please regularly affirm participants' ideas, views and contributions.
• Please organise brainstorming and reflection so that people have time to think about the topic alone, in pairs and in small groups.
• Please arrange for breaks and refreshments such as coffee, tea, etc.

Pässilä, A. 2025.