Highly Effective Group Facilitator Services in Denver and Parker Colorado

Highly Effective Group Facilitator Services!

People are inherently social creatures, but it takes time and effort to form cohesive, highly functional groups. A group facilitator can take charge at any stage of a group’s development to speed up progress, prevent and resolve problems, and encourage communication.

Groups that receive effective, informed facilitation become more cohesive and better able to communicate and address issues of shared concern. Group facilitation services offered by SunSet Community Counseling can be beneficial in many common personal and professional situations.

Working With Confidence Through the Four Stages of Group Development

A 1965 paper published by Ohio State University researcher Bruce Tuckman detailed how groups naturally develop, regardless of the particular setting and details. Tuckman’s influential model includes four distinct stages, at each of which a skilled, trained group facilitator can make valuable contributions:

Forming

When groups are first assembled, for whatever reason, members tend to be somewhat reserved, formal, and even standoffish. A group facilitator can help at the formative stage by devising effective means to draw members in on inclusive, fair, personally appropriate terms. Becoming more familiar with one another in respectful, informed ways will help members work through their differences more easily later on

Storming

Once group members have started to become more comfortable, some amount of conflict almost always ensues. Some group members might be naturally inclined to assert themselves, while some push back against what they perceive to be the faults of others. These types of friction are natural and can even be productive over the long term, but they will also slow the pace of progress if allowed to fester. A group facilitator who is available to respectfully but effectively help members work through the "storming" phase of development can lead a team through even longstanding impasses.

Norming

Once members have recognized the need to resolve conflicts, the group will naturally start establishing norms that address the underlying causes and set expectations. Since these shared commitments act as the rules according to which a group will function, making sure that they are properly considered and justified will always be important. A group facilitator can help by contributing valuable perspective, suggesting improvements to evolving standards of behavior, and making sure of group-wide adherence to the new norms

Performing

Groups that reach the final stage of development have become capable of communicating and working effectively together toward important goals. Group facilitators who are able to prevent backsliding and strengthen the commitment of members to the common cause can help preserve this desirable state of interpersonal being. Group facilitation is sometimes believed to be of mostly preventative and remedial value, but it can just as well amplify positive, desirable effects.

The skills of a highly educated and experienced group facilitator will be valuable at any of these stages of development. Groups that enjoy effective facilitation become more collaborative, communicative, and cohesive. Get in touch with SunSet Community Counseling today to talk about how our facilitation services can benefit your group.

Proven Tools Make for More

Communicative, Positive, and Productive

Groups

As an experienced, licensed counselor, SunSet Community Counseling founder Sandra L. Hammond is well positioned to facilitate group formation, development, and discussion. Her skills cover the whole range of techniques that have been proven to be beneficial to group work, including:

By preparing extensively before each session, Sandra ensures that every moment will be as productive as possible. That includes setting objectives for the discussions to follow, obtaining any materials that might be needed, and accounting for the interpersonal dynamics of participants.
Groups left to their own devices too often leave certain members feeling excluded. Sandra is experienced at devising ways to make sure that every member of a group will always be able to contribute and feel comfortable doing so.
Laying out clear guidelines for the group work to follow will always help keep things on track. Sandra’s education and extensive experience with group facilitation allow her to develop and secure agreement with guidelines that ensure groups function effectively.
Listening and reinforcement. Communication is the heart of every high-functioning group, and active listening can facilitate it. Whether by paraphrasing important points made by others or helping members keep track of multiple ideas as they evolve, Sandra uses listening and reinforcement to facilitate more productive group discussion.
Group sessions that are not managed effectively often end up going off track. Sandra’s highly developed discussion management skills help groups make the most of their limited, valuable time together.
On occasion, it will be most productive to adjust the goals or guidelines of a group to account for new developments. Sandra’s flexible approach to facilitation ensures that groups will never be held back by excessive or unwarranted rigidity.

Tools like these and others consistently prove effective at encouraging and supporting productive group discussion. Sandra’s extensive training and experience in the field have equipped her with many skills that make a real difference in her work as a group facilitator. Contact SunSet Community Counseling now to learn more.

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Skilled Facilitation for All Types of Groups

Facilitation provided by an experienced, highly trained professional can be helpful for almost any type of group at any stage of development. The groups that SunSet Community Counseling most often facilitates fall into two general categories:

Groups that are open to all can feature a different roster of participants at every session. The highly dynamic nature of such groups presents associated challenges that will necessarily interfere with communication if they are not addressed. Open support groups and the like inevitably benefit from the presence of a skilled, highly trained facilitator. Even if an open group can never be expected to achieve long-term cohesiveness, facilitation will help.
Many groups make use of screening, registration processes, attendance requirements, and other tools that encourage accelerated development. SunSet Community Counseling regularly facilitates closed group meetings and discussions to highly productive effect. Closed, highly organized groups tend to be more cohesive by default, and effective facilitation will leverage this strength to especially impressive effect.

Contact SunSet Community Counseling to learn more about how a skilled facilitator can help your group succeed. Sandra’s work as a group facilitator has benefited many groups of different kinds throughout the area greatly.