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The Skilled Facilitator: Practical Wisdom for Developing Effective Groups (Jossey Bass Public Administration Series) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "People depend on groups to accomplish what individuals alone cannot..." (more)
Key Phrases: Intervention Examples, Group Facilitator, The Skilled Facilitator Exhibit (more...)

4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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Kindle Edition $26.88 Available for download now. Published March 31, 1994	Kindle Edition, March 31, 1994	$26.88	--	--
Hardcover $33.60 In Stock. Published June 14, 2002	Hardcover, June 14, 2002	$33.60	$23.00	$21.47
Hardcover Available from these sellers. Published April 1994	Hardcover, April 1994	--	$6.80	$0.40
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The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource for Consultants, Facilitators, Managers, Trainers, and Coaches 4.7 out of 5 stars (11)
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Editorial Reviews

Review

In The Skilled Facilitator: Practical Wisdom For Developing Effective Groups, Roger Schwarz draws on his own extensive facilitation experience and insight to bring together theory and practice, creating a comprehensive reference for consultants, peer facilitators, mangers, leaders -- anyone whose role is to guide groups toward realization their creative and problem-solving potential. The Skilled Facilitator provides essential materials including simple but effective ground rules for governing group interaction; what to say to a group (and when to say it) to keep it on track and moving toward its goal, proven techniques for starting meetings on the right (and ending them positively and decisively), practical methods for handling emotions (particularly negative emotions) when they arise in a group context, and a diagnostic approach for helping both facilitators and group members identify and solve problems that can undermine the group process. The Skilled Facilitator provides a clearly defined set of basic principles to help facilitators develop sound, value-based responses to a wide range of unpredictable situations. It also includes advice on how to work with outside consultants and facilitate within one's own organizations, along with a groundbreaking section on facilitative leadership. The Skilled Facilitator is an excellent addition to any business or community library shelf. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Description

This book shows what makes a group effective and how a facilitator can improve group effectiveness by identifying patterns of behavior that are getting in the way, helping the group stick to a few critical ground rules, and encouraging them to deal more openly with conflict. Approx.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 314 pages
Publisher: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub; 1st edition (April 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1555426387
ISBN-13: 978-1555426385
Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.2 x 1.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #951,406 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
People depend on groups to accomplish what individuals alone cannot. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Intervention Examples, Group Facilitator, The Skilled Facilitator Exhibit, The Skilled Facilitator Figure, The Skilled Facilitator Table

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 8 books:

The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource for Consultants, Facilitators, Managers, Trainers, and Coaches by Roger Schwarz in Front Matter, and Back Matter
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher in Back Matter
Social Psychology by Jim McKnight in Back Matter
Knowledge for Action: A Guide to Overcoming Barriers to Organizational Change by Chris Argyris in Back Matter
Group Processes: Dynamics Within and Between Groups by Rupert Brown on page 28

See all 8 books this book cites

96 books cite this book:

The Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook: Tips, Tools, and Tested Methods for Consultants, Facilitators, Managers, Trainers, and Coaches (Jossey Bass Business and Management Series) by Roger Schwarz on 28 pages
The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource for Consultants, Facilitators, Managers, Trainers, and Coaches by Roger Schwarz on 6 pages
Masterful Coaching by Robert Hargrove on 6 pages
Masterful Coaching: Extraordinary Results by Impacting People and the Way They Think and Work Together by Robert Hargrove on 6 pages
Masterful Coaching: Extraordinary Results by Impacting People and the Way They Think and Work Together SET w/Fieldbook by Robert Hargrove on 4 pages

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Customer Reviews

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4.7 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rated Best By Facilitators, April 8, 2000

By	Malcolm Dell "Idaho Food Guy" (Idaho) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a new entry to the facilitation field, I wanted to find out what the industry thought was the BEST resource for combining theory with the practices of facilitation. I submitted my request to GRP-FACL@listserv.albany.edu, which, as far as I know, is the largest online discussion forum for active, professional facilitators. Roger Schwartz's book, "The Skilled Facilitator" was by far the favorite choice of people in the profession. I am ordering my copy now!

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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not An Entry Level Facilitation Book, November 3, 2001

By	James Carter (Castro Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews

I picked up this book because I needed to read up on how better to sell facilitation and exactly what facilitators should be doing. This book explains this and more. However, if you are looking for a simple overview of what a facilitator should, could and would do incertain situations, this is NOT your book. If you are a manager trying to be a better facilitator, do not buy this book unless you want in-depth information.

That said, if you are a facilitator looking to improve your skills, combine theory and practice or simply go back to the basics of what makes some facilitators great, this is your book.
Also, if you are a manager who really wants to become an effective facilitator/mentor, this is your book. But don't think that you can simply read the material and be more effective. The ideas and theory will take practice. Luckily, the book also gives many examples to make the ideas and theories practical and concrete.

As I said, I bought it to become better at selling professional facilitation. It gave me that and much more. I will keep it as an invaluable resource and make sure all of my facilitators utilize the practices described in detail.

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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Than Practical Wisdom, February 25, 2003

By	Andrew A. Hoover (Mumbai, India) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource for Consultants, Facilitators, Managers, Trainers, and Coaches (Hardcover)

The subtitle of this accessible guide to facilitation, "Practical Wisdom For Developing Effective Groups", accurately describes the book's scope and utility. In four parts and thirteen chapters, Schwarz provides an overview, with countless meaningful examples, of how facilitators can most effectively help groups develop their capacity for improvement. He distinguishes between two types of facilitation: (1) Basic facilitation, which aims to help a group "solve a substantive problem"; and (2) Developmental facilitation, which accomplishes basic facilitation while helping a group learn "to improve its process". He argues that three core values underlie effective group and facilitator behavior. The first is "valid information", which means that relevant information is shared by group members and that all groups members can validate and understand the information. The second is "free and informed choice", which means that group members define their own goals and methods of achieving those goals using valid information. The third is, "internal commitment to the choice", which means that group members take responsibility for their decisions by making informed choices based on valid information. Using a basic or developmental approach, facilitators most effectively intervene by making explicit and modeling these core values. These values are maintained by a group agreeing and sticking to essential ground rules, which Schwarz lists on p. 75 and treats extensively throughout the book.

In the heart of Schwarz's book are seven chapters on intervening effectively in groups. In those chapters, he advises the reader on, among other things, how to intervene, meeting management, group problem-solving, following ground rules, and dealing with emotions. He closes with wisdom on serving as a facilitator in your own organization and on the facilitative leader. His opening sections on how facilitation helps groups achieve their goals and establishing the foundation for facilitation lay the groundwork for his later chapters.

In the opening chapters, he includes two models worth mentioning. In his "group effectiveness model" (p.23), Schwarz shows how group processes (the primary concern of the facilitator) interact with group structure and organizational context to contribute to a group effectiveness. Group effectiveness is assessed through three criteria: (1) The group's services or products meet or exceed the expectations of the clients; (2) The processes and structures used to deliver services or create products enhance the group's capacity to work together; and (3) The group's experience is satisfying, not frustrating, for the group's members. In the second noteworthy model, Schwarz presents the "diagnosis-intervention cycle" (p. 68). In this cycle, there are three diagnostic steps and three intervention steps. In the diagnostic phase, the facilitator observes behavior, infers meaning and decides whether to intervene. In the intervention phase, s/he describes observations, test her/his inferences, and helps the group decide whether and how to alter behaviors. Understanding and using these models are critical for effective facilitation.

For the would-be facilitator or group leader, this book provides exactly what the subtitle promises.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book on Group Facilitation
I have read many books about group process and group facilitation. "The Skilled Facilitator" is the best I have read. Read more

Published 14 months ago by David Baker

5.0 out of 5 stars Very insightful and useful
The skilled facilitator introduces a facilitation approach that is based on 4 core values: Valid information, Free and informed choice, internal commitment and compassion. Read more

Published on March 25, 2007 by Bas Vodde

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for me (techy person)
When I first read this book years ago, I was a very technical IT person who preferred to work alone. Read more

Published on March 8, 2007 by WIETZE A. DEVRIES

2.0 out of 5 stars The Skilled Facilitator
A good book but unfortunately both copies arrived damaged by water, one was still wet. They also smelled like rat's urine. Read more

Published on January 15, 2007 by Deb Nanschild

5.0 out of 5 stars What Facilitates Facilitator?
Many who want to be skillful facilitators are in a way "misled" by consultants, trainers or books on facilitation in the sense that techniques and recipes are cited and taught... Read more

Published on August 14, 2004 by QuaSyLaTic

5.0 out of 5 stars Make it easy on yourself!
Roger's book is a unique hybrid of theory, practical exercises, examples, and personal stories. It works! Read more

Published on January 11, 2001 by Sojourner

5.0 out of 5 stars Facilitation is coming of age
Roger Schwarz is one of the leading thinkers in the newly emerging field of facilitation. He brings insight and depth to group processes. Read more

Published on July 7, 2000 by J. C. Jenkins

5.0 out of 5 stars The bible for facilitators and mentors
Schwarz, Roger, M. (1994). The Skilled Facilitator, San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass Inc.,Publishers.

C.E.Vajko (c.ernie@worldnet.att.net) March 14, 1999. Read more

Published on March 15, 1999 by c.ernie@worldnet.att.net

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