SWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis is a framework wherein it evaluates the internal and external factors of the business in attaining its objectives. It is very useful when generating an effective strategic plans or alternatives. SWOT is the acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It defines for different aspects of the situation within the business itself. SWOT analysis is a tool that can be used by the managers by reviewing the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, then a helpful and concrete strategy can be formulated in order to ensure that the… Read More

Strategic Planning Foundation

Foundations are fundamental, basic and necessary in any undertaking or structure. Buildings have foundations, education has foundations and in business, strategic planning also has foundations. Foundations have the uncanny ability to preserve the structure of business or organizations and foundations do something else that is extremely important, they spread the load and stress to make the structure of business and organization stable. Foundations are Fundamental How does a business or organization create the foundation of strategic planning? This is a question that may cause our brain to be engaged in… Read More

Strategic Plan Creation

Creating a strategic plan may be easy to some people. There are templates available in the market. The creation of strategic plans that do not work is of no value; it is fiction not reality. In the real world, while fiction entertains, amuses and provokes, it does not contribute to the goals of business or organizations. Realistic Strategic Plan Can a strategic plan work? Can it actually work? This thought provoking question will be our criterion as we as we navigate through the maze of planning workability. What works will… Read More

Understanding Strategic Planner Responsibilities

Unless responsibilities are clearly defined and assigned, it is not possible to accomplish any task in business or organizations. Without responsibilities, people in business or organizations would not be able to establish goals for themselves and without such goals; business or organizations would come to a standstill. The strategic planner has certain responsibilities that have to be clearly understood. What are the primary task that he should perform? How does it contribute to business or organizations? The Strategic Planner Conceptualizes The fundamental resource of the strategic planner is thinking. He is there to… Read More

Strategic Planning Models

Strategic planning models are as numerous as the various proponents to it. A quick check at a list of the greatest management thinkers and their ideas places the list at more than thirty. This does not include other management thinkers who have had ideas that are put to use but are not acknowledged by the academe. Our scope is limited to a strategic planning model that we have named as the strategic square. It is a group of four strategic planning models, corresponding to the four sides of a square.… Read More

What is Strategic Planning?

Many scholars have defined strategic planning in various ways. Strategic planning can be defined as specific plans, goals and objectives of an organization or a company that includes the policies and the resources employed to achieve the said plans, goals and objectives. These plans, goals and objectives basically answer two very simple questions: 1) What does the organization or company want to be in the future?  2) How does the organization or company plan to get to that position in the future? Plans, goals and objectives must be specific so… Read More

Facilitator Tips

Every participant who joins a workshop or program expects a facilitator to be professional at all times. This person should be an expert in the given role. This is what every facilitator needs to uphold and demonstrate. Keeping a professional demeanor is not just about faking it for as long as you can, but making it a true and natural reflection of your personality regardless of the position, career, or aspect in your life. Along the way, experienced facilitators gradually learn to incorporate these professional attributes and share them with… Read More

Working with JSP Sessions

Working with JSP Sessions In this JSP tutorial, you will learn about JSP session object methods, getCreationTime, getLastAccessedTime, getId, invalidate(), getMaxInactiveInterval, setMaxInactiveInterval(), removeAttribute(String name) and setAttribute(String, object). This section details the syntax, usage, example and explanation of more session object methods, such as: getCreationTime getLastAccessedTime getId invalidate() getMaxInactiveInterval setMaxInactiveInterval() removeAttribute(String name) setAttribute(String, object) getCreationTime: The getCreationTime method of session object is used to return the session created time. The returned time value would be in milliseconds, the time value is midnight January 1, 1970 GMT. General syntax of getCreationTime of… Read More

Focus Facilitated Discussion

Perhaps one of the most challenging functions of the facilitator is to keep the entire process on track from the onset until it culminates to the closing part of the event successfully. Probably, time is a major factor in staying on track. But the flow of the discussion is another factor to consider as well as the type of participants present during the session. Staying on track means keeping focused on the topic in a facilitated discussion. It also means being able to follow the flow of the program or… Read More

Creative Facilitating Techniques

Many facilitators get to use at least one type of visual aid to help them in their facilitation task. Visual aids enhance the learning process of the participants and increase retention of the grasped knowledge during the discussion. When planning to use any visual aid, the material should be prepared ahead of time. During the preparation stage of your facilitation task, you should have the tools ready instead of having to prepare them at the time of the event. Early preparation reflects the professionalism of the facilitator and earns respect… Read More

Setting Facilitation Rules and Agenda

A very crucial part in the preparation for your facilitation role is setting the guidelines or “ground rules.” Since the primary function of the facilitator is to ensure smoothness and to make the entire process easy, establishing the ground rules will help in governing the group and the interaction of each participant throughout the course of the activity until the desired objectives are met. In some organizations, they call these rules as “agreements”, “operating principles”, or “practices.” In a classroom setting or in a training session, it is referred to… Read More

Facilitator Intervention Techniques

In a group discussion, the primary role of the facilitator is to manage the traffic or flow of conversation, keeping the interaction smooth by guiding and controlling who speaks when. At the start of the session, the facilitator should establish the ground rule for the discussion part and review the guidelines before the discussion starts. In order to properly guide and control the group, the facilitator has to engage and be involved during the interaction. Apart from showing interest, it also makes it easy for the facilitator to intervene in… Read More

Group Discussion Facilitation

In a facilitated discussion, the group seeks to arrive at an agreed decision after all viewpoints have been entertained. The facilitator does not make the decision because this is not his responsibility. The role of a facilitator when it comes to decision-making is more of assisting and leading the group to achieve a common understanding of the issues discussed. When the participants share common interests and opinions, a conclusion is easier to achieve. On the other hand, when the members have conflicting ideas, this is where the facilitator is challenged… Read More

Facilitation Planning and Preparation

Facilitating an event or a workshop is a huge task and an important role to take. If chosen as a facilitator for a particular group activity or organizational event, realize that you have the potential to carry out the function because the management sees your abilities and skills in facilitation. So, given the facilitation skills you have and your knowledge in facilitating an activity, your main responsibility starts from planning and preparation of the workshop or any kind of group session assigned for you to facilitate on. It is during… Read More

Facilitation Ice Breakers

Many facilitated sessions start with an ice breaker. This technique can be an opener for a workshop or seminar and effective way to start a team building program. Participants engage in interactive and fun activities before getting to the main course of the discussion. Ice breakers also allow people to get to know each other and help them work together as a team. The use of ice breakers in a session is not just to start the program but it also break natural barriers among the group members, increasing the… Read More

Creating Synergy in Facilitation

Teamwork is a fundamental value that every facilitator must promote to all participants in every facilitated session, program, or workshop. In order to achieve the objectives of the group, they have to share common interests and perceptions. Depending on the kind of facilitator that manages and directs the group, the participants can easily attain their shared goals with cooperation. A skilled and seasoned facilitator knows very well how to bring each member together, making them work as a group rather than on an individual approach. Understanding the Concept of Group… Read More

Facilitator Core Skill 4: Data Gathering

One of the essential skills and core responsibility of a facilitator is to record the data and output gathered in the course of the discussion, and making sure that they are being acted upon. For recording and note-taking to be successfully done, the facilitator has to know and be clear about what needs to be recorded, how to record it, and who will perform the task. In most cases, the facilitator himself is the sole note-taker in a session. But depending on the kind of session that is facilitated, a… Read More

Facilitator Core Skill 3: Effective Questioning Techniques

In any situation, questions are asked for varied purposes and one of which is to check for comprehension. Some people ask questions for clarification. Some ask to obtain answers or information. Asking questions is a skill that every facilitator should develop and master. The questions that facilitators ask to the participants may bring a dramatic change in their lives. In every discussion, asking the right, proper questions motivates the members to come up with their own choices and solutions so these questions have to be thought out with preparation and… Read More

Facilitator Core Skill 2: Active Listening

In any aspect of communication, listening is an integral part of the whole process. Basically, we listen to understand and comprehend the message that the speaker is saying. But this becomes a challenge to many of us since we tend not to make use of good and effective listening. According to statistics, we listen to only about 25-50% of what we hear in a particular conversation. And at the end of the day, we forget about 46% of everything we have heard. If you are a facilitator of a team… Read More

Facilitator Core Skill 1: Building Rapport

In order to effectively reach out and work with the team members, a facilitator has to learn the fundamental skill of building rapport. That is, the need to create and maintain empathy or a sense of connection with the members. Building rapport is not done the easy way; people have different ways of establishing it with other people. There are those who have the natural ability to easily create a good relationship with others. Their is a  need to understand the essence of the skill and learn it to come… Read More

Characteristics of an Excellent Facilitator

The role of a facilitator is not that easy if you think about guiding the group throughout the whole process to achieve a smooth and productive result of a discussion, training session, or team activity. The facilitator guides the participants to a “learning journey” in discovering their own experiences and exploring those of others, identifying their strengths and weak points, and sharing what they already know to the rest. In some cases, the facilitator also shares his knowledge apart from just guiding them in the process. Since the task is… Read More