The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation: Best Practices from the Leading Organization in Facilitation (J-B International Association of Facilitators) [Hardcover]

Sandy Schuman (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 078797160X | ISBN-13: 978-0787971601 | Publication Date: March 14, 2005

Sponsored by the International Association of Facilitators, The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation offers the need-to-know basics in the field brought together by fifty leading practitioners and scholars. This indispensable resource includes successful strategies and methods, foundations, and resources for anyone who works with groups. The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation provides an overview of the field for new and aspiring practitioners and a reliable reference for experienced group facilitators, including chapters on 

• Creating positive ongoing client relationships
• Building trust and improving communications
• Facilitating group brainstorming sessions
• Drawing out the best in people
• Developing a collaborative environment
• Designing and facilitating dialogue
• Managing conflicting agendas
• Working with multicultural groups
• Using improvisation
• Understanding virtual meetings
• Facilitating team start-up
• Assessing group decision processes
•   Building expertise in facilitation
• Reviewing core facilitation competencies
• Modeling positive professional attitudes

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Sponsored by the International Association of Facilitators, The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation offers the need-to-know basics in the field brought together by fifty leading practitioners and scholars. This indispensable resource includes successful strategies and methods, foundations, and resources for anyone who works with groups.

The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation provides an overview of the field for new and aspiring practitioners and a reliable reference for experienced group facilitators, including chapters on

• Creating positive ongoing client relationships
• Building trust and improving communications
• Facilitating group brainstorming sessions
• Drawing out the best in people
• Developing a collaborative environment
• Designing and facilitating dialogue
• Managing conflicting agendas
• Working with multicultural groups
• Using improvisation
• Understanding virtual meetings
• Facilitating team start-up
• Assessing group decision processes
• Building expertise in facilitation
• Reviewing core facilitation competencies
• Modeling positive professional attitudes

This wide-ranging collection also features a CD-ROM with the complete collection of articles published in the first five issues of Group Facilitation: A Research and Applications Journal.

From the Back Cover

The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation includes a distinguished group of contributors: Kristin J. Arnold
Lynda Lieberman Baker
Nadine Bell
Terry D. Bergdall
Michael Beyerlein
Jeff Bracken
Lori Bradley
Joe Chilberg
Mary Eggers
John Epps
Cameron Fraser
Kathy Free
Izzy Gesell
Dennis S. Gouran
Randy Y. Hirokawa
Christine Hogan
Marsha Hughes-Rease
Dale Hunte
rSylvia James
Sandra Janoff
Jon Jenkins
Sam Kaner
Miki Kashtan
Lisa Kimball
Reinhard Kuchenm?ller
Roland Loup
Larry Meeker
Toshihiko Nakui
Fred Niziol
Susan Nurre
Paul B. Paulus
Steven N. Pyser
Maria Bego?a Rodas-Meeker
John Rohrbaugh
Sandy Schuman
Roger Schwarz
Beverly Seiford
David Sibbet
Trish Silber
Marianne Stifel
David Straus
Glyn Thomas
Stephen Thorpe
James P. Troxel
Patricia Tuecke
David Wayne
Nedra Weinstein
Marvin Weisbord
Michael Wilkinson
Paul T.P. Wong

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 664 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass (March 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078797160X
• ISBN-13: 978-0787971601
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #133,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A TOP-NOTCH, IN-DEPTH INTRODUCTION TO FACILITATION., August 8, 2005

By 

Yvette Borcia and Gerry Stern "Stern's Manage... (Culver City, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation: Best Practices from the Leading Organization in Facilitation (J-B International Association of Facilitators) (Hardcover)

An extraordinarily rich and in-depth introduction to the subject. Each chapter is written by one or more experts. The book covers such topics as:

- creating an ongoing client relationship;
- the skilled facilitator approach;
- process issues such as difficult personalities;
- facilitation planning and preparation;
- building trust;
- the art of drawing out the best in people;
- building a collaborative environment;
- facilitating the whole system in the room;
- improvisation in facilitation;
- virtual meetings;
- facilitating communication in group decision making discussions;
- how to build you facilitation expertise.

These topics are but a sampling, to give some idea of the scope and depth of this most valuable volume, which takes the reader far deeper than methods and techniques. The book is well organized and very accessible. Based on our organization diagnosis, design and change consulting experience (www.FutureOrganization.com), we find this book to be a terrific resource for practitioners.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Facilitation Reference Book, April 20, 2005

By 

J. C. Jenkins (Groningen Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation: Best Practices from the Leading Organization in Facilitation (J-B International Association of Facilitators) (Hardcover)

I have over 35 years of experience in facilitation, working in villages, multinational companies, intergovernmental bodies and not-for-profit organizations. The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation is the reference book of facilitation. From the day it arrived I began using it.

Chapters cover a wide array of applications, methods and theory of faciliation. Topics such as visual facilitation, the use of stories in facilitation, training of facilitators, facilitation as a communications tool and much more make this book a must have for those concerned with the profession of facilitation

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource Manual, March 8, 2007

By 

Melissa Smith (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation: Best Practices from the Leading Organization in Facilitation (J-B International Association of Facilitators) (Hardcover)

I purchased 3 different books regarding faciliation techniques and guidelines and this was the ultimate. It is set out very clearly, provides background to faciliation and then systematically steps through an end-to-end process including a wide range of techniques to select from when developing a plan for a facilitation workshop.