Is Facilitation a Real Skill?
Think about the last meeting you attended. Was it engaging? Did people feel heard? Or did you walk out wondering why you even showed up? In workplaces everywhere, meetings, discussions, and decision-making sessions are part of the daily routine. Yet, many of them are painfully inefficient. People leave feeling unheard, misaligned, or unsure about what happens next. Sound familiar?
Meetings often fail for predictable reasons: unclear purpose, dominant voices, lack of structure, poor communication, and no follow-through. When no one knows why they are there, who should contribute, or what comes next, discussions go in circles, and little gets done.
The good news? Facilitation can transform unproductive meetings into meaningful conversations. And no, facilitation isn’t just for professional facilitators; it’s a skill anyone can apply in their daily work and life. A well-facilitated meeting brings order to chaos, ensuring that time is spent productively, decisions are clear, and everyone has a voice.
Most organisations emphasise technical expertise and leadership skills, yet facilitation is an often overlooked but essential capability. Skilled leaders use facilitation techniques that create the right conditions for collaboration by setting clear objectives, fostering inclusive discussions, and ensuring that every participant has a voice. They use active listening to surface key insights, resolve conflicts, and apply structured frameworks to keep discussions focused and decision-making sharp. They also manage group dynamics to prevent conversations from becoming combative or unproductive. Most importantly, they drive commitment to action, ensuring that ideas don’t just float away but translate into real results.
While some people naturally excel at guiding discussions, facilitation is a skill that anyone can learn. It requires practice, awareness, and the right techniques to move from confusion to clarity, from stagnation to progress.
It’s time to recognise facilitation as a core workplace skill. When more people master it, meetings stop being a waste of time and start becoming a source of real impact.
Written by: Chan Earn Meng