Comparing co-facilitation

Comparing different ways of co-facilitating

Description of roles	Explanation	Number of facilitators working at one time	Groups	Materials	Responsibilities	Strategies
Tandem On-line/off-line Tag teams Job sharing	One person works with the group while the other prepares the next part	1	Whole	Different	Content	Different
Teacher/observer	One person works with the group while the other observes	1	Whole	Same	Content or process	Different
Facilitator/client facilitator	The participants in the group co-facilitate the session with the facilitator	1	Whole	Same	Content or process	Same
Intervener/recorder Task/process Complementary	Both facilitators work with the group but focusing on different elements of the session	2	Whole	Same	Content or process	Different
Equal Separate expertise Internal/external	An equal balance between facilitators using their individual skills	2	Whole	Different	Content or process	Different
Teaching/drifting or ‘on purpose’ teaching Intervention/reaction Alternative	One facilitator has the main responsibility for the group while the other focusses on individuals or small groups or	2	Whole and small group	Same	Content and process	Different
Learner/coach Primary/secondary	One person with more expertise coaches another or takes the lead	1 or 2	Whole and/or small groups	Same	Content or process	Same
Parallel	Facilitators work with small groups on the same task	2	Small	Same	Content	Same
Modified	Facilitators work with small groups of the same task but using different processes	2	Small	Same	Content	Different
Remedial and re-teaching	Facilitators work with small groups on different tasks.	2	Small	Different	Content	Different
Multiple Station teaching	Facilitators work with small groups on different tasks	2	Small groups	Different	Content and process	Different
Team Integrative No explicit roles	All work together as part of the team	2 or more	Whole (sometimes broken into small groups)	Same	Content and process	Same

Comparing Facilitation, Mediation, Teaching and Leading

Style	Involvement	Process	Outcomes
Facilitation	Person working with a group	Using structured processes	To enable a group to achieve its outcomes
Mediation	Uninvolved third party controls discussion	Using structured group processes and individual interventions	To move protagonists towards resolution of a conflict
Teaching	‘Expert’ with authority and control involves the group	Using structured whole and small group processes as well as individual interventions	To enable the learners to acquire knowledge, understandings, skills, attitudes and values
Leadership	Person with authority guides the group	Using structured and unstructured group processes	To enable the team to complete a task and to develop a sense of teamwork
Therapy	Person with authority works with individuals or a group	Using structured processes	To help members of the group resolve a problem and improve communication

Comparing Facilitation and Co-facilitation

Style	Involvement	Processes	Outcomes
Facilitation	Person working with a group	Using structured processes	To achieve outcomes
Co-facilitation	Two or more people working with, and acting as a model for, a group	Explicitly sharing responsibility for processes which are explained and made transparent	To achieve process and product outcomes.

 Comparing Ways of Working with Others

Style	Involvement	Processes	Outcomes
Co-facilitation	Two or more people working with, and acting as a model for, a group	Explicitly sharing responsibility for processes which are explained and made transparent	To achieve process and product outcomes.
Cooperative play	Two or more people working together	Sharing place and time	To create something a bit unpredictable and not completely controllable
Teamwork	Two or more people	Undertaking specific tasks or acting in certain roles which use individual skills	To complete a task
Group work	Two or more people	Undertaking specific roles and responsibilities to work on independent tasks and bring them together	To complete a task and, in the process, relationships may develop
Collaborative work	Two or more people with a common goal	Sharing time and space, sharing the roles and responsibilities that are determined as needed, and using interpersonal skills	With each person being accountable for the completed task

Comparing Personal Relationships

Style	Involvement	Degree of similarity	Commitment	Expectations
Marriage	Two people choosing to live together	With similar values and beliefs but many individual differences	Intimately share most aspects of each other’s lives	Over a long period of time
Family	Parents and children living together with some element of choice	With similar values and beliefs but many individual differences	Recognising each person’s qualities, gifts and skills	Over a long period of time
Parenting	Parents caring for children with some element of choice	Who are similar to and different from themselves and each other	Recognising and teaching the children to value each person’s qualities, gifts and skills	For the period of the children’s lives
Friendship	Two or more people choosing to be involved with each other	With similarities and differences in interests, values, philosophies and attitudes	Sharing some aspects of each other’s lives, respecting each other’s choices and providing support	For an unknown period of time, which may be short or long
Co-facilitation	Two or more people who may or may not choose to work together	With similarities and differences in interests, values, philosophies and attitudes	Recognising and supporting each other’s qualities, gifts and skills and helping the group to see their own, each other’s and the facilitators’ qualities, gifts and skills	Within the confines of the task of co-facilitation

Comparing Co-facilitation as Facilitation, as a Way of Working Together, as a Personal Relationship and as a Professional Relationship

	Involvement	Processes	Outcomes
Co-facilitation (as facilitation)	Two or more people working with, and acting as a model for, a group	Explicitly sharing responsibility for processes which are explained and made transparent	To achieve process and product outcomes.
Co-facilitation (as a way of working together)	Two or more people complementing each other’s efforts as they work with, and act as a model for, a group	Explicitly integrating roles and responsibilities for processes which are consciously planned, explained and made transparent	With individual and group accountability for, and appreciation of, process and product outcomes

Style	Involvement	Degree of similarity	Commitment	Expectations
Co-facilitation (as a personal relationship)	Two or more people who may or may not choose to work together	With similarities and differences in age, gender, culture, interests, values, philosophies and attitudes	Recognising and supporting each other’s qualities, gifts and skills and helping the group to see their own, each other’s and the facilitators’ qualities, gifts and skills	Within the confines of the task of co-facilitation

Co-facilitation (as a professional relationship)

Two or more people

Knowing and growing their knowledge of facilitation, having and developing their skills as facilitators and co-facilitators, identifying and making explicit their values

Respecting the experience and knowledge of each other and of people in the group, responding to needs while maintaining an authoritative attitude

Focusing on the achievement of the group’s outcomes and representing each other, the organisation for which they are working and the profession of facilitation.

Comparing Research Participants Ways of Sharing Responsibilities

Way of working	Involvement	Commitment	Co-facilitator’s processes	Group processes	Outcomes	Professionalism
Tandem	Two facilitators	With different age, gender, culture, skills, knowledge and experience	Work independently with the group	Through processes designed by each individual facilitator	To provide information or skills that can help the group achieve its goals
Team	Two or more facilitators who may or may not choose to work together	With different age, gender, culture, skills, knowledge and experiences	Who acknowledge and use their differences as they work together with the group	Through processes designed jointly	To help the group achieve its desired outcomes
Passive	Two or more facilitators who may or may not choose to work together	With different age, gender, culture, skills, knowledge and experiences	Take turns leading and scribing the session so that one person is ‘on’ while the other records	Through processes that may be designed individually or jointly	To help the group achieve its desired outcomes
Lead/support	Two or more facilitators who may or may not choose to work together	With different age, gender, culture, skills, knowledge and experiences	Take turns leading the session with the other person actively providing support to the content and/or process	Through processes that may be designed individually or jointly	To help the group achieve its desired outcomes
Equal	Two or more facilitators who may or may not choose to work together	With different age, gender, culture, skills, knowledge and experiences	Recognising the different perspectives they are able to provide to the group	Sharing the responsibilities of the group by diving the role and enabling each facilitator to focus on one aspect	To help the group achieve its desired outcomes

Seamless	Two or more facilitators who may or may not choose to work together	With acknowledged similarities and differences in age, gender, culture, interests, values, philosophies, attitudes, experiences, skills and knowledge, having and developing their skills as facilitators and co-facilitators, identifying and making explicit their values	Recognising, supporting and respecting each other’s qualities, gifts, skills, experience and knowledge, and complementing each other’s efforts as they plan and work with a group	Sharing the management of jointly planned and presented processes and sharing the facilitation roles of leading, guiding, scribing or recording as required	With shared accountability for, and appreciation of, process and product outcomes	Representing each other for the duration of the task and the possible continuation of the relationship
Complement-ary	Two facilitators who choose to work together	With similarities and differences in age, gender, culture, interests, values, philosophies, attitudes, experiences, skills knowledge and purpose for working with the group, knowing and growing their knowledge of facilitation, having and developing their skills as facilitators and co-facilitators, identifying and making explicit their values	Recognising, supporting and respecting each other’s qualities, gifts, skills, experience and knowledge, and complementing each other’s efforts as they work with a group	Explicitly integrating roles and responsibilities for processes which are consciously planned, explained, tailored to the group and made transparent, and responding to needs	With shared responsibility for, and appreciation of, process and product outcomes	Representing each other and the professional for the duration of the task and the likely possibility of future co-facilitation experiences.
Mature	Two or more facilitators who choose to work together	With similarities and differences in age, gender, culture, interests, values, philosophies, attitudes, experiences, skills and knowledge, knowing and growing their knowledge of facilitation, having and developing their skills as facilitators and co-facilitators, identifying and making explicit their values	Recognising, supporting, respecting and using each other’s qualities, gifts, skills, experience and knowledge, and complementing each other’s efforts as they work individually and collaboratively with a group	Explicitly separating and integrating roles and responsibilities for processes which are consciously planned, explained and made transparent, but which allow an individual facilitator to leave the group or focus on an individual without disruption to the group or the group process, and enable either facilitator to respond to needs while maintaining an authoritative attitude	With individual and group accountability for, and appreciation of, process and product outcomes	Within the confines of the task, representing each other, the organisation for which they are working and the profession of facilitation

Figure 34 Comparison of Co-facilitation Using Analogies

Way of working	Involvement	Commitment	Co-facilitator’s processes	Group processes	Outcomes
Velodrome	Co-facilitators working individually and together		In various ways	To create a psychologically safe environment and meeting the changing needs of individuals in the group so that they can participate in the group	And its outcomes
Sky diving	A scary, fearful experience	In which you are initially out of control	And must work to manage your own sense of anxiety so that you can manage the others’ fears as well	Where you may or may not gain control	And may or may not achieve positive outcomes but when you do there is a sense of shared exhilaration
Toys	Two facilitators		Working flexibly, interchangeably	And responsively throughout the group contract to meet the specific needs of the group	In a way that is not threatening.
Planning a conference	A group of people	Using individual skills to accomplish a complex and difficult task and articulating their own experiences and learning	In order to consciously develop ways of working together	To enable others to undertake a learning process that is enhancing for the individual	To achieve something for the co-facilitators and the conference participants that is much greater than could be achieved alone
Collaborative Learning	Two people in a potentially difficult situation	With strengths and deficiencies	Knowing and supporting each other with open lines of communication	To work with a possibly hostile group
A high	Two people working in a challenging situation		Supporting and helping each other		And experiencing a very positive feeling

A ball and chain

Two people working together in a situation that does not require two people

Requiring an unnecessary amount of time

To plan group processes

And holding me back