Vital Facilitation Techniques

Wednesday, Nov. 18 | 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Jim Schwarz, Senior Governance Consultant, BoardSource
Cost: Members: $425 | Nonmembers: $465 Register

Board facilitation is an exhilarating and often strenuous effort sustained by discipline and technique. It is more important than ever that facilitators working with boards hone their facilitation skills so they can help boards use their time effectively and wisely as they address today’s pressing issues. You’ll come away with the knowledge and skills to foster authentic dialogue, engage the unengaged, stimulate meaningful deliberations, and discuss the “elephant in the room.”

Overview

Learn to:

• foster authentic dialogue
• engage the unengaged
• stimulate meaningful deliberations
• reduce the impact of dominating CEOs or board chairs
• empower the group to make productive decisions
• quell personal agendas
• discuss the "elephant in the room"
• help others achieve their organization's mission

Course Objectives

The curriculum of this professional development program will help participants to:

• guide discussions and meetings utilizing advanced facilitation methods
• ask the right questions — the right way — to elicit participation from all participants
• confront difficult issues without escalating tensions
• provide nonprofit leaders the opportunity to effectively discuss important governance and strategic issues

Who Should Attend

Registration is limited. Attendance is recommended for:

• consultants, trainers, management assistance providers, directors of training
• field staff from national organizations who offer their help to nonprofit boards and advisory groups
• board chairs, committee chairs, CEOs and executive directors who regularly facilitate board, advisory group, committee, or staff meetings

Approach

The course makes extensive use of case histories and small group work as well as group discussion. A binder of resource materials is included in the price of the course.

Instructor

Jim Schwarz is a BoardSource senior governance consultant based in the New York metropolitan area. He works with nonprofits and associations to build high performing boards through governance, group effectiveness, meeting dynamics, board development, team building, and strategic thinking. He has worked with a variety of organizations including CCIM Institute, International Code Council, and Conservation Consultants, Inc.

In addition to Jim’s work with BoardSource, he is president of Compass Management Group, Inc., a consulting and training company serving for-profit businesses, mostly Fortune 500 companies. In Jim’s capacity as president, he serves both as a consultant and as an executive coach. Jim’s extensive consulting work includes bringing expertise to organizations experiencing structural and cultural changes such as senior leadership transitions, strategy shifts, mergers and acquisitions, and implementing new company visions. Corporate clients include Con Edison, Heineken USA, Unilever, and UBS, one of the world’s leading financial firms.

Jim is an active board volunteer at several nonprofits including the Stamford Chapter of the American Red Cross and SoundWaters Environmental Education Center. He served on the Red Cross board from 2000 through 2006 including terms as chairman and vice chairman. He initiated and facilitated successful merger discussions with nearby Chapters to improve operating effectiveness, he encouraged a change in Board leadership when conflict threatened to destabilize the Chapter, and he led the Chapter through an Executive Director change.

Jim received his BA in Business Administration from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Additionally, he has attended various continuing education programs within his field, including Yale University’s Corporate Environmental Leadership Seminar, Myers Briggs Type Indicator training, Open Space Meeting Technology, and Scott Peck’s Community Building Workshops.

Register

List of Presessions