Energizing Tournament

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In this article, I've tried to scratch the surface ofsimilarities and differences between facilitation and training.I believe passionately in the value of each. Both can help usunderstand ourselves, each other, our work, and the worldbetter. Beyond that, they play different roles in the workplaceand community.
Others in the field of adult education differentiate betweenterms training, instruction and education, but conclude that allare necessary to help people learn. (Stolovitch and Keeps,2002.) Most adult educators use "train" as an umbrella term forwhat they do.
Great Facilitator -Is not necessarily a content expert. -Is anexpert in many forms of group process (includinginter-and-intra-group conflict resolution, strategic planning,team building, etc.) -Often helps the group to define andverbalize its own [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] outcomes (e.g. to solve a specific problem ordevelop a new procedure.) -When outcomes are externallyprescribed, helps the group develop, implement and "own" actionsteps to achieve the outcomes. -Sees facilitation as a processto help achieve specific "bits" of broad organizational goals.
Recently, I've noticed that some corporations call theirtrainers [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] "facilitators." I can only assume this is meant to beshorthand for "facilitator of learning." However, is"facilitator" really an appropriate term when the "facilitator"uses only lecture and Power Point? Are facilitating a strategicplanning session and teaching someone how to do that really thesame thing?
-Help the group achieve specific outcomes through the use ofactive, participatory, participant-centered methods.
4 [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] Major Differences Between Facilitator and Trainer Roles
-Have made themselves familiar with the organizational cultureand context in which they are working, and ensure the processes"fit" that culture.
Elements the Two Roles Share
Both great facilitators and the best trainers...
It's no wonder confusion exists. The greatest trainers andfacilitators do share many characteristics and behaviors.However, I believe the role of trainer and facilitator areineluctably different and that it's important to distinguishbetween them. This will not only help reduce confusion [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] about theterms, but (more importantly, to me-) ensure they retain realmeaning.
One strong underlying similarity between facilitation andexcellent training is that both are rooted in dialogue. Often,dialogue is [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] believed (incorrectly) to mean "two-sided." However,it derives from two Greek words, "dia," meaning "through," (asin the word "diaphanous") and "logos," meaning "word," or"meaning." Dialogue involves words flowing between people asthey make meaning together. This concept is core to both adultlearning and [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] collaborative problem-solving.
-Stimulate dialogue and interaction between participants, notjust between themselves and the participants.
-Regularly evaluate the process in [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] real time, and can measurehow well the participants achieved the stated outcomes at theend [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] of the process.
Even the roots of the two words interplay. "Educe," the root of"educate," literally means [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] "to bring out." That is what the besttrainers do...but isn't it also what facilitators do? The rootof "facilitate," of course, is "facile," or to make a process"easy." The best trainers seem to make learning easy, don't they?
What is a Trainer? What is a Facilitator?
Great Adult Educator (Trainer) -Is a content expert. -Is notnecessarily expert in many forms of group process. Instead,continually develops new methods to help participants achievespecific learning outcomes. -Most often in corporate,organizational or higher education settings, the trainer doesnot help each learner group establish its own learning outcomes.(That's a whole other approach, called Popular Education.)However, the trainer may be [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] involved in implementing and/oranalyzing the results of training needs assessments. -Oftenfocuses on training's impact on actual, discrete job performanceor tasks. Trainer may evaluate training's effectiveness [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] longafter the [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] training event takes place.
Let's Talk Terms
Even though the term "training" is broadly accepted for thefield of adult education, some in our field argue that"training" itself is an unacceptable word. They argue that [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] theword conjures up "dog training" or other potentiallyde-humanizing acts.
Do you think [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] it's important to make distinctions betweenfacilitation and training? As usual, I look forward to yourinput and comments about these [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] issues. Please contact me [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] with your arguments and insights!