Focus on Facilitation
How to Lead Break Through Meetings that Deliver Results

The biggest complaint in most organizations – too much time is wasted in unproductive meetings. Unbelievable, isn’t it, how many millions of dollars are wasted everyday. Yet, most businesses haven’t thought to invest in equipping key employees with a set of practical tools and skills to lead productive “thinking together meetings,” breakthrough meetings that secure business futures.

We can help you save money, turn your meetings around, free up time, and strengthen your business results by working with you to develop skilled de Bono Thinking Systems Facilitators. They will learn practical tools and skills can be used in both face-to-face and virtual meetings.

Focus on Facilitation™ is Advanced Training

Focus on Facilitation™ goes much deeper than the regular basics of facilitation and meeting management workshops which are in abundant supply. The major distinction — Focus on Facilitation™ will equip your employees with proven tools and processes to facilitate the thinking that needs to take place in meetings in order for groups to arrive at well thought through solutions that can be supported and implemented. There is no other facilitation tool kit like it.

Here are some of the types of breakthrough meetings your employees will be equipped to facilitate:

• Innovation, ideation and creativity meetings

• Decision making meetings

• Restructuring meetings

• Information and data clarification meetings

• Planning meetings of every sort

• Business development meetings

• Change implementation meetings

• Project planning and update meetings

• Marketing meetings

• Opportunity search meetings

• Problem solving meetings

• Obsolescence planning meetings

• Asset optimization meetings

Focus on Facilitation™ is Powerful

“Lynda, as I prepared for and led my first YMCA Board strategic planning session, I heard your voice coaching me to lead a successful meeting. Four CEO's asked that I call them to discuss on-site work, and a Board member recommended me to be President next year. Thank you for all you have done to prepare me for this exciting and rewarding work.” - Mary Kay Uhing, People Power

The Tool Kit

Core tools from de Bono’s Lateral Thinking™ and DATT™ tool kits are combined within the flexible Six Thinking Hats® method. The tool power is fantastic. Facilitators have 29 quick tools to choose from and work with. A card deck enables facilitators to quickly deal the cards for any type of meeting. The meeting framework is elegant in its simplicity. It incorporates de Bono’s TEC tool.

We believe a key ingredient in successful meetings depends upon the facilitator’s ability to: target the thinking of the group, expand the thinking of the group in a productive and constructive way, and then contract the thinking of the group to end up with a plan of action.

To learn more about the tools in Focus on Facilitation schedule a meeting with Lynda Curtin. Call 818-507-6055. Because of Lynda’s facilitation expertise with de Bono’s tools, Lynda was retained by de Bono Thinking Systems, Inc. as product development manager. She led the development of this workshop and the global product launch. She is the expert.

We Focus on 3 Key Facilitation Skills:

1. How to facilitate parallel thinking — getting everyone using the same tool at the same time on the same topic. This saves time and speeds up the process.

2. How to design meeting agendas to solve a wide variety of challenges. Different types of challenges require different thinking frameworks and tools.

3. How to improve participant input by facilitating using content language without having to be the expert.

Training Outcomes: Facilitators will learn how to:

1. Plan, organize, and lead a wide variety of meetings using appropriate de Bono tools. Keep clients moving forward to achieve success.

2. Work with clients to define and test the overall goal to ensure a successful outcome and confirm it’s important.

3. Help clients sort out their concerns and then determine which frameworks will resolve them: ideation, problem solving, decision making, opportunity searching, etc. (different concerns are resolved with different frameworks)

4. Design flexible meeting plans to meet client needs. End with an action plan that will be supported and can be implemented. Measure the level of commitment.

5. Help clients focus on future consequences and balance risk versus opportunity.

6. Set priority on risks to be minimized, data to be gathered, and benefits to be realized.

7. Use powerful idea generating tools that yield fresh new solutions.

8. Help clients become comfortable with the front-end messiness of idea generation.

9. Develop frameworks for rigorous idea evaluation linked to corporate objectives, strategy and customer needs.

10. Work with idea sorting and idea power tools.

11. Lead clients thorough business challenges to identify hidden opportunities that “out-think” the competition.

12. Interview appropriate attendees in advance to gather helpful information.

13. Decide what can be done in advance of meetings to save time during the meetings.

14. Help clients decide who should attend meetings and for what purpose.

15. Ensure groups stays on track throughout meetings. Remain neutral and minimize ego plays among groups.

16. Define how decisions are going to be made during the meeting.

17. Offer suggestions to clients to make meetings stimulating, enjoyable and useful.

18. Use visual aids to stimulate and provoke the thinking of the attendees.

19. Foster a meeting atmosphere that attendees will enjoy.

Facilitator Field Kit and Meeting Supplies

You will receive a large variety of practical facilitator tools to put to use during meetings to help keep you and your clients on target. Included is your own de Bono Thinking Systems executive portfolio with your handy facilitator guidebook and card deck. You’ll be ready to respond at a moments notice when clients call on you to work with them as a professional to plan and facilitate their meetings.

A sampling of available tools: slide rules with process steps, laminated summary sheets that can be provided to each meeting attendee, posters, portable TEC wall chart to visually map agendas, wall posters, TEC table mats, energy dots, templates of helpful forms, catalogue of facilitation supplies.

Meet our Fieldwork Requirements and Earn a Global de Bono Thinking Systems Facilitator Credential

Training doesn’t end when the event ends. We know it takes real world facilitation experience putting the tools to use to develop confidence and skill. Once you successfully complete the course the next step is to complete three fieldwork assignments that demonstrate competence using the tools. You will submit your reports and upon successful demonstration of competence you will be granted the privilege of using de Bono Thinking Systems Facilitator; a very nice designation with global recognition of significant accomplishment and professionalism.

Custom coaching packages are always available as a way to support continued skill development. Enhance your professional status and employability by choosing to earn this credential. Call 818-507-6055 to discuss this exciting opportunity.

Focus on Facilitation™ is Powerful

“The Six Thinking Hats methodology was openly embraced by the advisors and we truly got much more robust output from the meeting than conventional advisory boards.” — Betsey King, Professional Relations & Education Manager, AstraZeneca

Participant Profile

Employees who need to lead powerful, results oriented meetings that will have a significant positive impact on business results: managers, team leaders, project leaders, facilitators, trainers, HR/OD consultants, six sigma black and green belt leaders, high potential employees. Some clients position this training as an excellent professional development opportunity for emerging leaders.

Prerequisites and Workshop Duration

Group Size

We recommend 4 - 10 participants. Less than 4 participants — the richness of learning from other group members is reduced. More than 10 participants — it’s difficult to coach according to individual need as facilitation practice times are shorter. We have been successful at filling workshops with 10 participants when our clients establish a wait list to fill workshop spots in the event a scheduled attendee has a business emergency and has to cancel their attendance at the last minute

What to Expect During the Workshop

The experience is very intense. Plan to clear work and home schedules for the week. Hold at an off-site location when possible to minimize work distractions. Participants are kept very busy. It is highly interactive with lots of job related practice and insightful and sensitive coaching. Success is driven by participants' willingness to take risks in a safe environment and to experiment with lots of new tools and techniques. Plan to complete evening assignments each evening to be ready for the next day.

Focus on Facilitation™ is Powerful

“It’s only been three days since Focus on Facilitation™ certification ended. I used the tools yesterday. I called my client, confirmed the focus, and then set up the thinking cards in a TEC model. When we held the meeting, I began by asking, “This is our focus as I understand it, do you concur?” Four of the five attendees, that is everyone but my client, said no, that wasn’t what they came to discuss! Instead of panicking or sweating or getting irritated, I merely rearranged a few cards and began with a checklist of current thinking to establish what main concepts needed to be dealt with. Worked brilliantly.” - Chuck Dymer, The Idea Loft

24x7 Software Tool Helps Facilitate Meetings

Our de Bono Thinking 24x7 software is available as a support tool for use to facilitate meetings. Click here to learn about our 24x7 software and how you can purchase it.

Four Ways You Can Learn Focus on Facilitation™

Attend a Focus on Facilitation™ Seminar

1. Have us lead a customized Focus on Facilitation™ training event at your organization. Call 818-507-6055 for details.

2. Attend one of our public workshops. View our current dates, locations and registration details.

Become a Focus on Facilitation™ Certified Trainer

1. Have us lead a Focus on Facilitation™ instructor certification training event at your company. Develop a group of your own expert trainers that will train your internal clients. Call 818-507-6055 to discuss details.

2. Attend a public Focus on Facilitation™ instructor certification training event. View our current dates, locations and registration details.

Focus on Facilitation™ Materials: attendees will always receive the official de Bono Thinking Systems, Inc. materials which include handy job aids for use back on the job. Some clients may choose to supplement their training with our Innovation Instinct™ Personal Assessments.

Our Instructors: de Bono for Business is different. Training is led by highly qualified business experts who understand the fast pace of work and rapid change driving business. Many are successful leaders of their own companies. This is what sets us apart from other training organizations — we live and breathe in the world of business — we understand it. We are results driven.

Book us to present or keynote at your conferences, team meetings and executive retreats.

Call 818-507-6055 to discuss the ways we can add value to your events by stimulating the thinking of your groups.

De Bono Thinking Systems Facilitators are essential to business success today because they lead discussions that create futures; they get people thinking out loud together to say what needs to be said in a very constructive way.