An organization contacted me about facilitating a large multi-organization strategic planning session. They were right in thinking that since they were investing money in bringing in a large number of people together to meet, they needed to maximize time and results.
Unfortunately, they ultimately decided times are hard and instead of paying for a facilitator, they were going to facilitate it themselves internally. What they failed to realize was that most people are not capable of leading a meeting that gets results. Sure, anybody can stand up in front of a group with an agenda and write things on a pad of paper. Yet, it’s just not true that anyone can optimize the interaction with a group of individuals with divergent interests, factions, and agendas and finish on time.
I was reading a blog my colleague Mike Brown wrote on this same subject. He mentions 5 big ways it COSTS an organization NOT to hire a professional facilitator. I want to share some of them and add 4 big GAINS of hiring a professional facilitator.
What it COSTS you to NOT hire a professional facilitator:
1. You burn up goodwill
You may have only one shot to get a management team, a board, or other stakeholder group to agree to participate in a strategic planning meeting based on their interest in the organization or initiative. If you frustrate them with an unproductive meeting, you COST yourself important goodwill you may have built up with them.
2. You don’t make a big enough and sustainable enough move forward.
If a strategic planning session is intent on driving big change, frittering away the opportunity to harness the expertise you’ve assembled to pave the way for big change will COST time and positive returns. You will have to wait to cycle back until your next opportunity to push for big change.
3. You blow through opportunity or hard dollar costs
Even if you think you are not writing many checks to pay for your strategic planning session, there are still opportunity costs for the participants’ time investments. When a poorly designed meeting wastes the time for the participants, it COSTS you because you send a clear signal that you don’t respect their time invested in what you’ve asked them to help accomplish.
4. You stretch patience, and fail to tap imagination and creativity
When a poorly designed strategic thinking session fails to push an organization’s imagination and creativity in a productive way, it winds up pushing the wrong buttons instead, i.e. impatience and boredom. The COST comes from failing to excite the organization to grow and develop to be more competitive and successful.
So how beneficial is it to hire a strategic meeting facilitator?
What you will you GAIN by hiring a professional facilitator?
1. Productive and participative meeting process
Your meeting will be well organize around your group's interests and objectives to ensure a smooth flow and the best use of time. At the same time, the organization of the meeting will be flexible according to what emerges in the group. You GAIN time and flexibility.
2. Active engagement and buy in
I use traditional and innovative group processes to foster dialogue and team focus with greater energy and interest for the project at hand. Barriers brought to the meeting are removed systematically to promote involvement and commitment. You GAIN people’s ownership of the resulting ideas and their commitment to bring them into action.
3. Sustainable interest and enthusiasm
Reenergizing interest and enthusiasm is maintained throughout the meeting. A variety of highly effective and fun participative methods are used to reflect, engage, and maximize results. You GAIN time, creativity, and quality of thought.
4. Quicker and better decision making and action plans
By freeing the whole team to contribute, and by making the playing field equal for all, you GAIN maximum participation, as well as increased quality and speed of decision making. It’s easier to develop solutions and action plans that are realistic when a cohesive team is thinking together and willing to implement.
Remember. . .
If you are serious about wanting a productive, efficient, and interactive experience for your organization, call me now at 302-399-3915 or Contact me today! Don’t COST your organization in unwise ways. GAIN by hiring a strategic meeting facilitator. l will deliver a positive return right away, and down the road!
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