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Rees Trio, How to Lead Work Teams: Facilitation Skills

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If you are a requirements analyst who leads joint application design workshops or conduct reviews and checkpoint meetings, or are in charge of teams regardless of your job and role this book is a treasure.

First, it's short. The 14 chapters that lead you through developing and using team leadership skills and techniques is given in 216 information packed pages. Second, the approach in this book is based on a process instead of ad hoc advice that characterizes other books of this type.

The book starts with some basics before unfolding into a process. Topics include a discussion of the realities of today's workplace, and the differences between teams and teamwork; the difference between controlling and facilitating, and excellent advice on communications and facilitating team meetings. The process that begins in Chapter 10 is a sequence as follows: (1) plan the meeting (with an interesting piece on why agendas do not work - this flys in the face of conventional thought, but the author makes a compelling case), (2) encourage participation (with a wealth of techniques for doing this), (3) methods and techniques for recording ideas, (4) how to manage the group, and (5) reaching consensus (a real skill!).

If you're new to facilitating or leading teams this book will give you the skills and knowledge to be successful. Even if you're experienced and routinely facilitate meetings you'll find something new or refreshing in this book - and the clear writing and short page count makes it easy to read.

Rees offers a clear, concise way to understand and improve faciliataion skills. The book is easy to read and non-technical. This should be required reading for all managers. The only weakness I encounter is the Westernized perspective. These facilitation skills are indeed very useful, but need to be digested and subtly changed for a multicultural environment.