Fearless Facilitation - by Cyndi Maxey & Kevin O'Connor (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

As the workforce ages and younger trainers and managers emerge, facilitation skills take on a new importance and, with the increased use of social networks, new facilitation skills are needed. Written by two facilitation gurus, this book shows how to make any learning environment come alive. It outlines proven guidelines any trainer can use to unify groups, inspire creativity, and get audiences, teams, and colleagues to speak up, talk back, participate, and engage in meetings.

From the Back Cover

If you are a facilitator with years of experience or just getting started, you will learn what it takes to create and deliver a high-powered presentation that is tailor-made to draw in your audience members and get results every time. Once you set the stage to include and connect with your audience, you will trigger memory and action like never before.

Fearless Facilitation is filled with easy-to-implement presentation techniques designed to appeal to all types of participants. You will learn how to break the "fourth wall" (the invisible wall that separates you from the audience) and engage your audience through dialogue. In addition, the authors show not only how to involve participants in the conversation but also what to do when they grow silent or argumentative.

Throughout the book a personalized "coach" helps you with answers to common questions, specific scenarios, and past nightmare experiences. The coach helps to clarify the text, calm any fear, and take the next right step. And, to further illustrate how to become a skilled fearless facilitator, the book is peppered with interviews with masters of the craft of facilitation and engagement.

Praise for Fearless Facilitation

"Maxey and O'Connor inspire readers to engage with audiences as collaborators. Experienced facilitators will be motivated to take new risks; beginners will feel prepared to actively engage an audience."
--Kathleen M. Galvin, Ph.D., Communication Studies Department, Northwestern University

"Fearless Facilitation is a blockbuster resource for engaging even the most challenging audience with confidence and purpose."
--Judy L. Schueler, Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer, University of Pennsylvania Health System

"Through this book Maxey and O'Connor have actually facilitated a process for you to become a better facilitator. These two not only know what they're doing, they've put together one of the most practical books on the market. Read it and then go facilitate something!"
--Ron Culberson, MSW, CSP, speaker, humorist and author of Do It Well. Make It Fun

About the Author

Cyndi Maxey, CSP, owns Maxey Creative Inc., a communication consulting firm. She is a professional speaker, facilitator and coach and holds the Certified Speaking Professional designation with National Speakers Association.

Kevin E. O'Connor, CSP, is a speaker, consultant, and teaches graduate and undergraduate classes at Chicago's Loyola University and Columbia College of Chicago. Kevin is also a Certified Speaking Professional.