A facilitator is typically not a content expert. He or she will never know your business or organization as well as and your team do. Instead, a facilitator is a process expert—the process to promote participation, dialogue, and teamwork; the process to ask the tough, but necessary, questions; the process to create a shared ownership for execution and results.

As your facilitator, Neil Dempster will:

• promote a safe and trusting environment that supports honest and meaningful interaction,
• encourage effective communication among individuals, actively soliciting and channeling the participation of all members,
• intervene at the right time and at the right level for maximum impact,
• keep track of themes and issues underlying all levels of communication, and
• help participants and the group reach their goals.

Most of our facilitation work is customized around the need of the group we are contracted to work with. To make sure you achieve breakthrough results from your meeting, we use the following approach:

• We begin with an initial consultation to help clarify the objectives for your meeting. During this time, we also explore alternative methods with you so that you can pick the approach that is best suited for your group.
• The next step is to prepare a detailed facilitation outline and proposal for you that describes each step of the proposed process and all of the anticipated deliverables.
• Upon receipt of the accepted proposal, we then start the meeting pre-work (e.g., conducting interviews, collecting pertinent information, compiling survey results, etc.).
• During the planning for your meeting, we are aware that fine-tuning the proposed facilitation process is often necessary/desirable. We work closely with you to adapt and modify the initial design so that your group will get the most value for the process.
• After your session has ended and the attendees return to work, we are aware that much of the momentum gained in the session is at risk unless there is sufficient reinforcement to keep it going. To address this, we prepare a complete meeting report for you describing all the relevant discussions and all action items agreed to by the attendees.

Occasionally, a pre-defined format helps the constituents embrace the mission critical elements with renewed energy. Here are two popular programs with proven outcomes:

'C-4' Leadership

C-4 Leadership is a structured one-day leadership retreat designed to re-energize your leadership team and is built around the the four critical leadership Cs: Culture, Credibility, Communication, and Creativity. It is no coincidence that we have called this session 'C-4' because the explosive energy your team will have when they return from this retreat will be exactly what is necessary to help them achieve organizational objectives.

Primus Inter Pares

Primus Inter Pares is Latin for "First Among Equals." This structured one-day leadership retreat will provide the philosophical underpinnings to set in motion the necessary actions to achieve Best in Class status in your industry. Neil Dempster will take your team through a series of interactive exercises designed to disrupt current thinking and allow them to focus on the tangible aspects of organizational performance.