Below is some further information to help you facilitate your Transition Streets Frome group with more confidence. 

 

A facilitator is not a teacher or a trainer, they are not there to give people the "answers" but to guide the group's discussion. They lead the group through the planned session so that everyone has an enjoyable and meaningful session. The main job of the Transition Streets Frome facilitator is to ensure the below principles are met:
 

• Everyone has an equal voice - no one is “the leader” of the group, nor should anyone monopolise the discussions or prevent others from contributing (either by talking over people or by speaking for too long and not giving others a chance to share their ideas)

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• People are welcome & comfortable - efforts should be made to accommodate everyone accessing the meetings easily and feeling like they can be part of it

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• No one feels like they are at school! - getting to know each other is a crucial part of this project, so don’t skimp on the informal, rapport building part of the session and spend all your time on the content or “work” - it’s supposed to be fun!

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• The session stays on track - it won’t feel productive or meaningful if the discussions become irrelevant or veer wildly off course. Facilitators should keep an eye on the time and (gently!) steer the conversation to make sure the group is on the right path. 

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• The group agreement is respected - facilitators can use this to refer back to if participants are not living up to what everyone agreed at the start.

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If you are struggling with a particularly dominant or "difficult" group participant, or you have never facilitated a group before and want some more help, contact FNN Administrator Rebecca who would be happy to talk things through on the phone.