Conference Facilitation

Conference Facilitation

Whether you need a single conference facilitator or a team we can help.

We can provide as many facilitators as you need and are happy to work with your staff as co-facilitators. If your conference design requires the use of audience response systems we can work with your vendor or bring our trusted partner to you. If you need bilingual facilitation (English / French) we have bilingual facilitators.

Here are some of the diverse conferences we have facilitated.

Health Canada | Global Climate Change and Health

We provided a bilingual team of eight facilitators to this conference. The conference was two days long and had hundreds of delegates. The breakout discussion groups were a key feature of the conference. These groups addressed a wide range of topics related to global climate change and health. We worked with the client to design the discussion guides and recording templates. We then worked closely with recorders from the Conference Publishers to document the meeting. Afterwards, the client said that having neutral facilitators on site was crucial to the success of the conference.

Canadian Curling Association | Congress

This congress had over 75 delegates from the Provincial Associations. The CCA wanted feedback on eight critical issues.

We spent the majority of the day with people rotating among the eight topics at breakout tables. We used a template to record options and the pros and cons of these options. When you rotated to a new table and a new topic you built on what other groups had already done. After rotating to all the tables we used sticky dots on posters to mark preferred options. It was incredibly simple and powerful, to be able to see from across the room, where we had come out on each issue. We could see where there was consensus, and where opinions there was disagreement. By using different colour sticky dots on the reasons we could also see why people felt the way they did. The client got the clear feedback that they wanted. And everybody could see where everybody else was on the issues.

District of Muskoka | Heritage Lands

The District of Muskoka wanted public feedback on proposed restrictions for Heritage Property. We had assembled over 80 different people from a wide range of stakeholders. The first thing we did was explain what Heritage Land was and how it had been designated. We then presented thirty-two potential restrictions and took questions for clarification. Next, we asked the table groups to discuss and to share their initial reactions. We then loaded all the stakeholder groups into an audience response system (ARS). Using the ARS we polled the group on the potential restrictions. With the software, we could display a stakeholder analysis.  This was a critical feature for the owners of heritage land. When we reviewed the results on screen one local councilor expressed his amazement. He said; “When I listened to the loud voices from the room I heard one thing. When I saw the results of the poll representing the entire room, I heard something very different.”

To discuss your next conference, please contact Meeting Facilitators International today. The initial consultation is always free.