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Training and Facilitation

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What's the difference between training and facilitation?

Clients often ask me what the differences are between training and facilitation. It’s a fair question – the terms are often used interchangeably, and the skills of a great trainer are very similar to those of a great facilitator.

However, there are some key differences to be aware of, which will guide the decision on whether you require a trainer or a facilitator. I’d be delighted to discuss your requirements and help you choose the approach that is right for your needs. You can get in touch via my contact page, or book your complimentary 30 minute discovery call directly into my calendar.

Training vs facilitation

  • Learning vs thinking
  • Hierarchical (‘a sage on the stage’) vs collaborative (‘a guide on the side’)
  • Applying vs communicating
  • Linear vs flexible
  • Longer-term vs immediate
  • Content and process expertise vs process expertise
  • Knowledge transfer vs knowledge elicitation
  • Receiving vs discovering
  • Pre-planned vs emergent
  • External knowledge is internalised vs internal knowledge is externalised

Effectively, a trainer has technical knowledge and teaches that knowledge to participants to build competence, while a facilitator supports participants to share their existing knowledge and insights to achieve clarity.

Training services

I offer training services and programmes to suit your needs and budget.

From a one-off ‘quick-win’ session focusing on a topic of interest to your team, through to comprehensive development programmes, I can create and deliver training that engages your people and helps them develop their competence.

Some of my most in-demand training topics are:

  • Leadership development
  • Communication
  • Teamwork
  • Problem-solving
  • Continuous improvement
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Facilitation services

A skilled facilitator will help you to clarify purpose, solve problems, have courageous conversations & embed change. I am an experienced facilitator, and love helping groups to do great thinking that produces excellent results.

Some examples of successful sessions I have facilitated:

  • Vision and mission development
  • Strategy development and deployment
  • Organisational culture review
  • Business risk identification and mitigation planning
  • Organisational resilience reviews
  • Root-cause analysis
  • Customer journey mapping
  • Improvement opportunity assessment
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