Module G

Team Facilitation Strategies

Coaches’ Monthly MeetingAdd DC Name Here

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Rationale for a Team Process

• Research indicates that higher functioning teams have higher SWPBS implementation scores (on the BoQ) (Cohen, 2005)

• Schools need to sustain long-term change• Avoid one person effort• Checks and balances• Informed decisions • Consider Core Team vs. Peripheral Team

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6 Steps to Motivating Your PBS Team

1. Provide opportunities for members to really get to know each other

2. Indicate value of group3. Make people feel important4. Clarify goals5. Review & Identify progress6. Acknowledge achievements

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What to Look For/What to Do

• Withdrawn/disengaged body language– Ask for those individuals’ opinions

• One/two people dominating discussion/plans– Thank them for their ideas, ask the group for additional

ideas or perspectives

• Quiet participants who agree without offering opinions– Proactive: Set ground rules or Round Robin– Reactive: Ask them what kind of objections other

faculty members might have to the idea

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What to Look For/What to Do

• Team members are short on new ideas– Brainstorm what to do in an “ideal world” without

boundaries, then see how the team can approximate that

– Go online and look for ideas from other schools: http://flpbs.fmhi.usf.edu/resources_schoolwide.asp

• The team shuts down when conflict arises– You may be the one to suggest the team needs to

develop a process to address problems/issues

• Reconvene later

• Ask team to suggest a compromise

• Private vs. Public

• “Wait time”

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Handling Disputes• Handle disagreements constructively

– Use language that is non-threatening– Acknowledge disagreement – Use problem-solving process to facilitate solution to

problem– Can we agree to disagree if necessary?

• Help team remain focused on achieving goal– Redirect to goal at hand & finding solution to

disagreement• Encourage members to look at things objectively

– Try to remove emotional and/or personal feelings associated with disagreement without minimizing person

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Assertiveness

• Allows you to state your point of view without compromising the rights of others

Passive Assertive Aggressive

• Goal is to convey understanding, not necessarily agreement

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Examples

• Passive: We don't feel that we have the right to be heard. We are uncomfortable expressing ourselves. We may not like the response we will get. We willing back down easily to avoid conflict.

• Assertive: We are comfortable to express what we think, feel and want. We can express our view and needs without stepping on others, and without anger or attack. We aim for a solution that is a win for all.

• Aggressive: We stand up for ourselves, even at the expense of others. We use tactics such as loud talking, sarcasm, desk pounding and forcefulness to get our way.

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Why we need assertiveness skills

• Groups often need guidance over the course of time – the longer the amount of time since training, the greater the amount of drift from what is taught

• Being assertive allows you to get your point across without alienating others, increasing the odds that the group will buy-in to what you’re saying

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First Step:Understand Their Reality

• Convey that you want to know what the other person’s point of view is

• Understand what that person is trying to say

• Let the person know that you understand what they’re telling you

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Convey Interest

• I'd like to hear your thoughts/views on.... • I'd like to understand your views on.... • Could you tell me about them? • I'm confused about your stand on.... • Would you tell me more about how you see the

situation? • I think we are approaching this from two different

perspectives. • What does the situation look like from your

perspective? 

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Summarize

• If I understand you correctly.... • Is that what you meant? • I heard you say _____________, did I

understand you correctly? • Your view is _______________________, is that

right?

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Paraphrasing

• “So the rest of the faculty felt that the reward system was too difficult to maintain.”

• “What you’re saying is that once the students got to detention, no one knew what to do with them.”

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Try to Avoid:

• Repeating the speaker’s phrases• Interrupting• Making a conclusion before the speaker

finishes talking• Jumping into problem-solving mode• Taking comments personally

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Remember

• Monitor your tone of voice, body language

• Maintain eye contact, but don’t stare

• Convey respect for the speaker’s point of view

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Assertive Speaking

• Stick to the facts• When describing their behavior, don’t

exaggerate, label, or judge• Use “I messages”

– “I’d like it if we could look at this graph again.”• Not: “You missed a key point in the data.”

– “I’d feel a lot better about our time here if we stayed on topic.”

• Not: “We’re off topic again.” or, “We’re wasting time.”

• Don’t make assumptions about others’ motives• Look for ways of compromising

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Keeping Teams On Track

• “We’ve heard a lot of good thoughts. We’re getting away from our subject. Let’s summarize and move on.”

• Comment on the team process: “Even though we agreed to hear everyone out, there’s a lot of interrupting going on. How is that affecting the team?”

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Getting ‘Un-Stuck”

• “That’s an interesting point. (Be specific). Now let’s hear from _________.”

• “I’m sure you have a reason for your point of view, but I’d like you to try to consider the group’s viewpoint for now.– Time is short, can discuss it later– How could we make this statement less

abrasive?

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Moving the Road Blocks

• “It sounds like the district’s decision to implement Policy Y makes it more difficult for your team to plan new events. But let’s figure out the best way to work with what we have.”– Then have team identify strengths and assets

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Clarify Objectives

• “I think something I might have said sounded like we should be addressing X, but right now we really should be focusing on Y.”

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Limiting Side Conversations

• Use round-robin format

• Address an individual by name, restate the most recent opinion/finding, and ask for the person’s thoughts on that subject

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Letting Teams “Save Face”

• Use eye contact, proximity• Address individuals in private• Reinforce participation• Blame the University

– Agendas– Reports on team processes– Requirements for additional information

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References (4-11-07)

http://www.headinjury.com/assertskills.html

http://www.seekingsuccess.com/articles/art106.php3

http://stress.about.com/od/relationships/ht/howtoassert.htm

Meeting Monsters (unknown author): http://flpbs/pdfs/Meeting%20Monsters.doc

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District Coordinators:• You may consider prompting your Coaches to:

- discuss problems they’ve had with their team- as a group, discuss ways of addressing the

issues.

• You may also consider having your Coaches practice some of the assertive speaking skills (paraphrasing, summarizing, etc…) to build fluency.