Now Available on Kindle and Amazon
Even skilled facilitators need a framework to ask important and critical questions to dig deep into group learning. The SAGA Facilitation Model, comprised of four different but important types of questions give any facilitator a short hand to ask questions in the correct sequence to help any group.
The book covers the four types of questions, how to structure questions for learning, and how to prepare yourself as a facilitator. It is the perfect book for both novice and experienced facilitators.
The sale price for the Kindle version is $9.99. The paperback version, priced at $20, is now available on Amazon, Apple Books, or the e-store on Leadership and Values in Action!
Orders from Amazon will be shipped directly from Amazon; all orders from the e-store are personally shipped and can be inscribed with a note from the author.
From the Preface to The SAGA Facilitation Model
I have a strong belief that everyone is capable of facilitating the learning in any group. Even for those who have a natural knack for the skill, it can still be a challenging skill to master. Likewise, for those who feel like it is something that can never be taught, I would graciously and adamantly disagree.
Facilitation is a challenging subject to teach. Most facilitators learn how to facilitate in one of four ways, presented here in most-to-least formal: (1) in a retreat or mini-retreat setting where the material to be facilitated is covered, and a few general pointers about facilitation are presented (e.g., “Ask open-ended questions…. Avoid values statements….”); (2) shadowing or co-facilitating with an experienced facilitator; (3) being a participant in someone else’s facilitation and thinking “I could totally do that;” or (4) being given a packet with some instructions, put in front of a room full of people, after someone saying “you can totally do this.”
If you’ve participated in any of the above forms of facilitator training, you may have noticed something we noticed: it’s less training on how to facilitate, and more training on what you’ll be facilitating. My goals are different, since I plan to focus on how to facilitate nearly any training, meeting or workshop.
I believe the challenge in teaching facilitation is that it requires skills that are put into action and can only be learned through practice. I can give you hints, recommendations and even a template to follow. But in order to master the techniques, you need to put your skills to the test with an audience or participants.
WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR?
This book is for people who, in their professional or personal lives, find themselves responsible for engaging a group of people in a learning process. My goal is to present a series of steps that any facilitator can put into practice, whether as a first-time facilitator or as a seasoned professional looking to gain some new techniques. The SAGA model is flexible to fit many different casual and formal environments, large and small audiences, and participants young and old.
Mostly, this book is for the new facilitator. One who has perhaps used a scripted facilitation guide and was able to manage the group discussion. Or was picked by a supervisor to lead a group and feels comfortable in front of a group. I have trained countless facilitators and know that not everyone has the ability to lead a discussion, or feels comfortable without a script to guide the learning. Hopefully the skills I map out with the SAGA model will help new facilitators gain the skills to start learning their own facilitation style that is guided by a model.
WHAT THIS BOOK ISN’T
The book and the model described cannot substitute experience and putting in the time, effort and energy to learning the skills in front of people – whether in person or virtually. It’s a complement for the act of facilitation, and all of the other things required of great facilitation; a catalyst that will augment your learning from those things; and a source of support and mentorship. While this book won’t make you a master facilitator, it will equip you with the language and skills to begin practicing facilitation with others and learning how to develop a style that is all your own.
Table of Contents
- When to Use a Facilitation Model
- The SAGA Model
- The SAGA Model: Sharing
- The SAGA Model: Analyzing
- The SAGA Model: Generalizing
- The SAGA Model: Applying
- Questioning Techniques
- Questioning Techniques: Closed-Ended Questions
- Questioning Techniques: Open-Ended Questions
- Digging Deeper: Putting the Questions to Work
- Applying Facilitation Skills to Any Meeting, Workshop or Experience
- Planning the Facilitation Experience
- Keeping Your Group Focused and Connected
- Being the Best Facilitator
- Managing Conflict during the Facilitation
- Facilitator, Know Thyself
- Common Conversation Blockers and Improved Responses
- Steps to Being Mindful as a Facilitator
- Facilitation Skills Checklist
Purchase Options
From Kindle
- E-Book – Available on Kindle Store
From Amazon
- Paperback – Available on Amazon
From Apple Books 
- E-Book – Available on Apple Books
