A facilitator’s role is to turn conflicts into processes in which people can learn from one another and to support thoughtful dialogue.

Facilitator’s check points

•  prepare yourself: elaborate and review scenarios involving conflict and the correspondent need for advocacy and intervention to make sure all different voices are heard.
• elaborate, enforce and reinforce community agreements, including speaker norms.
• identify where the power comes from, raise questions about whose point of view is represented by the speaker and remind which voices are missing.
• Encourage different perspectives and diverse ideas.
• Explain how to respond constructively when people want to disagree or agree with an idea.
• Validate ideas by responding or connecting it to something else before continuing
• Keep discussions focused on ideas, and opinions; avoid focus on people.
• Build the discussion space by encouraging deep understanding and by making connections between ideas
• Provide feedback and make statements to help the remarks being concise and within time limitations.
• Reserve time slots to facilitate common ground and identify discussion areas in common and in conflict.
• Support translation of discussions from ideas and concepts towards action and discourage people from getting too abstract.

Some advanced or non-conventional facilitation methods are also available – such as graphic facilitation.