Using a facilitator is usually a good idea if you want to keep a meeting focused and productive.

Can meetings be effective without a facilitator? Of course. Thousands of meetings take place every day without a designated facilitator. However, the perils of meeting without a facilitator are many, and often lead to a high level of frustration among participants.

The dangers include drifting from the agenda, lack of participation, running overtime and many more. It has been our experience that once group members experience the benefits of well-facilitated meetings, they'll never want to hold a meeting any other way.

Why A Halo Effect?

For meetings that have higher stakes, you may want to engage the services of A Halo Effect.  Such meetings might include retreats, idea generation sessions, strategic planning and problem-solving meetings.

The conversation techniques that we provide in order to solve problems for clients include but are not limited to: focus groups, charrettes, team building exercises and the Delphi technique (for virtual groups).  To learn more about our methods and techniques, click here.

As professional facilitators, we can help your group get "unstuck", identify and focus on key issues, make decisions and move forward.  The number one reason organizations hire A Halo Effect for professional facilitation is the objectivity and "distance" we bring.

Hiring Professional Facilitators

There are several places to look when you are in need of a professional facilitator, either to work with you on an important meeting or to train people in the skills of facilitation.

A natural choice might be a consultant who is familiar with your organization but who also has considerable facilitating experience. Why? A consultant is usually hired for his subject matter expertise and opinions. While this background helps him/her understand group issues and terminology, the group's effectiveness will probably be compromised unless the consultant is able to step into a neutral role when facilitating.

The safest bet is to engage a facilitator who has experience in your industry or similar fields.  To learn more about the industries that we serve, click here.