Group Facilitation & Processing
in Experiential Education, Outdoor Education & Adventure Training

Practical Aspects of Group Facilitation

• What is facilitation?
• Facilitation in action: Reactions to 9/11 attacks
• Team building exercise facilitation guide
• Instructor effectiveness in outdoor education

Theoretical Aspects of Group Facilitation

• Are the mountains still speaking for themselves?
• Bacon's (1987) three stages in the evolution of the Outward Bound process
• Priest & Gass' (1997) six stages of facilitation
• References

Facilitation Links to Explore

• Roger Greenaway's Active Reviewing website

• Graphic Facilitation

What is facilitation?

To facilitate, is to help something (usually a process) move along.  The word derives from "facile" which is French for "easy".  To facilitate, then, is literally to make something easier.

Facilitate does not mean "solving a problem" or "doing it for someone". It means doing something that makes a process run a little better.

When a situation is too difficult, a facilitator is there to help.  When a student or a group are having desirable experiences, the facilitator can be less obtrusive.

Go to a more indepth section on "What is facilitation?"...

Facilitation in Action: "Reactions to Sept 11 Attacks, From an Outdoor Education Class"

This article describes the facilitation of a post-9/11 outdoor education class for university students.  This included approaching sensitive emotions and reactions, sharing, listening,  use of silence and grieving, as well as exploring the potential relevance of outdoor education to the major social challenges of our day.

Are the mountains still speaking for themselves?

Thomas James pointed out a competing tension amongst Outward Bound instructors:

• some preferred to take participants through adventurous experiences, letting the experience speak for itself, whilst
• other, more touchy-feely instructors, felt it was important to help participants process, analyze, and discuss their thoughts and feelings about experiences.

(named the "Outward Bound Process" model by Bacon, 1987) (go to Neill, 2002, "Are the Mountains Still Speaking for Themselves?").

What's New?

• Reviewing and re-enacting ropes course experiences
  (Roger Greenaway, 2004, Outdoored.com)
  The group processing principles presented in this article apply to most physical activities. In this article, the processing techniques are described in relation to ropes course activities - artificial outdoor challenges where people climb, balance, swing and physically and emotionally support each other.

• Group dynamics, group exercises & papers on facilitation
  (Jerry Hampton, 2004)
  Resources for group dynamics, small groups, and community building
  Rich array of resources for group dynamics, small groups and community building. Practical and theoretical information for leading small groups, including  descriptions of well-developed group exercises. Influenced by work of Scott M. Peck, author of classic book "The Road Less Traveled".

• Crucial conversations can make or break a camp
  (Joseph Grenny, Camping Magazine, Sep-Oct, 2003)
• Soft and conceptual skills: The often overlooked components of outdoor leadership [.doc]
  (Michael Swiderski, 1987, The Bradford Papers)
• What is Active Reviewing?
  (30 min. interview with Roger Greenaway)
• Facilitation & reviewing in outdoor education
  (Roger Greenaway)
• Outward Bound International's Global Facilitation Network