Effective Facilitator's Guide

A facilitator’s guide is an important document. It is a reference document that gives the facilitator enough information and direction to conduct a successful training session.

Upon reflection, an effective facilitator's guide that can be used by all facilitators would contain:

- Standardised format.
- Ability to update content with ease.
- Accurate links.
- Simple and effective language.

Standardised format, accurate links & ability to update content with ease:

Formatting can be learned and understood. It can be taught and with time and practice people will eventually understand the nooks and crannies. Being well versed with the formatting rules takes time. How quickly one understands the formatting rules depend on how many rules there is to be aware off. Logic would dictate the lesser the rules the quicker the understanding process will be.
The results indicate there is sufficient dissatisfaction with the facilitators guide, specifically regarding the formatting but there has to be acceptance that there will never be a facilitators guide that will meet the needs of every facilitator.

Simple and effective language:

However, the biggest challenge is around the effective use of language. Because language is shaped for our own purpose, we need to be careful when drafting a sentence. Simplifying a sentence for the sake of simplifying may actually be more detrimental to a facilitator that has to read the guide and comprehend it. Likewise, overcomplicating a sentence that can be written in just a few words is just as bad. A poorly selected word can have different meanings to different people. A poorly drafted sentence will inflict the same outcome.

This is achieved because we are impatient and tired and we assume that our target audience which is other facilitators has more than just superficial knowledge of a subject hence the reason why little thought goes to appropriate choice of words or sentence construction.

Suggestions:

It is my contention, that the best way to get the most out of the facilitators guide is to have regular face-to-face meetings. Using Microsoft Lync is an option. If possible, succession people should be included as well. This approach achieves four purposes:

- The instructional designer can explain the reasons behind the changes made to a topic.
- Integrity of the formatting is maintained.
- Succession people can test the usability of the guide.
- The burden of ensuring the quality of the guide is shared by all.

Other things to consider:

- A sub-editor to update the guide based on the current formatting criterion that was agreed upon.
- Making time for face-to-face meetings.