Quality Transformational Education System - The F-P-P Model

In this section, let us examine some of the competencies of a Facilitator. Competence has three elements - Knowledge, Skills and Attitude (K S A). The attitude of a Facilitator plays an important role in developing the knowledge and skills. By attitude we mean mind set or frame of mind or making up of the mind. The Facilitator must have the following qualities that will be used to describe his or her attitude: 

 1. Empathy - ability to identify oneself in the situation of others irrespective of the situation or person involved.

2. Receptive - ability to receive or accept the ideas of others.

3. Patience - ability to listen to others more, slow to speak and slow to anger.

4. Commitment - ability to dedicate oneself fully to the work assigned without giving excuses  or blaming others when something goes wrong. In other words, he or she must take ownership.

5. Flexibility - ability to be more accommodating and adjustable in any situation.

6. Perseverance - ability to work effectively to produce results. He or she should never give up or quit in the process of achieving the goal.

Here are some of the important skills that a Facilitator needs to possess in order to perform effectively:

1. Effective Communication skills (excellent listening, speaking and writing skills)

2. Effective Questioning skills - The APPLE acronym is used as a technique for effective questioning -

    A - Ask a quesion

    P - Pause (allowing time for the target audience to understand the question)

    P - Pick a member or members from the group

    L - Listen to the answer

    E - Explain or Elaborate

3. Gathering or Collecting data and converting the raw data into information as and when required.

Above all, a good Facilitator must build good rapport with the Participants and the Peer groups. This will in turn help to build trust which will in turn create a mental and emotional binding between the Facilitator and Participants.

As far as the Knowledge is concerned, the Facilitator must possess a thorough in depth knowledge of the subject, being technically sound with regard to the content he or she is going to deliver. He or she should also be clear about the objectives or purpose of the session, the relevance to the subject and the tools and techniques that may be required to handle the session.  

In the next post let us examine the key roles of a Facilitator.