The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource for Consultants, Facilitators, Coaches, and Trainers 3rd Edition

I love this book because shows a great framework such as the mutual learning!!I recommend this book to every coach and consultant

I really liked the approach Roger Schwarz offers, as it enacts values and principles that I hold dear in my heart. Share all relevant information, people can disagree with me and still have pure motives, compassion. Common sense, yet very, very uncommon practice in the corporate world today. This book offers powerful tips and tools to help teams perform better, build better relationships amongst members and further their fulfillment

Excellent condition brand new book

Great tool to increase team performance

Like most people, I’ve sat through dozens of group presentations. Some were quite rewarding, some fairly painful. And although I do not consider myself a facilitator, on occasion, I’ve been required to lead group meetings. When I saw The Skilled Facilitator, I was interested in learning what makes a skilled facilitator. I was also a bit curious about how I could improve my own presentations and more than a bit interested in learning how my approach to group meetings may be deficient.In The Skilled Facilitator, Roger Schwarz, provides a comprehensive approach which will benefit any person tasked with leading a group. I believe that even the professional facilitator will gain new insights from Mr. Schwarz’s approach.The bedrock to becoming a skilled facilitator is mindset. Mr. Schwarz explains there are two basic mindsets – the Unilateral Control Mindset – which is our default mindset – and the Mutual Learning Mindset. In Part One of the book, Mr. Schwarz develops the foundation – the core beliefs and assumptions you should adopt to become a skilled facilitator.Also covered in the Foundation are the Eight behaviors for Mutual Learning and Designing and Developing Effective Groups.In Part Two, he covers Diagnosing and Intervening with Groups. Part Three covers Agreeing to Work Together – the framework for facilitating. Part Four covers working with virtual groups.Mr. Schwarz gives specific examples, with detailed dialogue so that the reader can fully understand the theory and how it is applied.This book is not light reading. The material is well organized, presented in a logical manner. But there is so much to be absorbed. Each chapter builds on the previous – so you need to have a good Foundation before reading about a specific situation. Once you have read through the entire book, then you will need to put the theory into practice.Many of the concepts will be counter to a lot of information most readers have been exposed to. Mr. Schwarz does an excellent job of explaining his reasoning for the approach he proposes and provides the research and psychology to support his position.For many facilitators, getting the most out of this book will require some shift in mindset. This does not happen with one reading. So many readers will need repetitive exposure to the ideas and will also require extensive practice to internalize the ideas.If leading teams is your stronger interest, you might find his other book Smart Leaders, Smart Teams a more valuable resource.An excellent resource for anyone wanting to be more effective in leading groups.

I cannot say I am a fan of the authors point of view yet I had to purchase this for a class.

The biggest irony of this book is that the author explains his explanations to explained what he explained! And yet he says transparency is a key as a facilitator. I grew steadily more frustrated with this book, as it really lacks substance, or specific examples for different coaches, facilitators, team leaders. I just wished I was forewarned better on this book. 360+ pages, should have given away, that its not focused, rambles on, and over does it, sifting through so much to find one or two nuggests.

I don't like the electronic book version. I had to order because the actual hard cover had not arrived.