PSF study plan

Define what facilitation is and how it differs from training, consulting, and chairing, in your own written words

Map the full arc of a facilitated session from pre-work through follow-up, listing the decisions the facilitator owns versus the ones the group owns

Inventory your current strengths and gaps against the core facilitator competencies, scoring each from 1 to 5 with a one-line justification

Practice writing a session purpose statement and 3 outcome statements for a team you know

Distinguish process from content and rehearse redirecting content-heavy comments back to the group

Draft a pre-session conversation script that surfaces the sponsor's goal, the group's history, and known landmines

Design an agenda that states purpose, timeboxes, and outputs for each segment

Identify three ways a facilitator loses neutrality and write the counter-move for each

Write and rehearse opening remarks that establish purpose, roles, ground rules, and the decision process

Build a ground-rules set you can adapt rather than recite, and justify each rule by the behavior it prevents

Practice contracting language for interrupting, parking items, and testing for agreement

Record a 5-minute opening and self-critique it against a checklist

Select question types deliberately: open versus closed, divergent versus convergent, and scaling

Practice paraphrasing and summarizing so the group hears its own thinking reflected accurately

Design a silent brainstorming and affinity-clustering sequence with clear instructions for each step

Plan how to handle a dominant talker, a silent expert, and a side conversation without shaming anyone

Compare decision rules (consensus, consent, consultative, leader-decides) and match each to a scenario

Draft a decision log template that records the decision, the owner, the rationale, and the review date

Rehearse moving a group from divergent discussion to a decision without forcing premature closure

Script a close that confirms commitments, owners, and dates in the group's own words

Diagnose group dysfunction using a model you can explain: unclear goals, unclear roles, low trust, or poor process

Write intervention language for interrupting a dysfunctional pattern while preserving the relationship

Plan a conflict-handling sequence that separates positions from interests

Design a short mid-session check-in that surfaces process problems before they derail the meeting

Facilitate a real or simulated 60-minute session end to end using your design pack

Collect structured feedback from at least three participants using a short form you design

Review your recording against your own opening, questioning, and closing checklists

Identify the two moments where you drifted into content and write what you would do instead

Re-score your competency self-assessment and compare it to week 1 with evidence for each change

Consolidate your templates into a reusable facilitator kit you could hand to a colleague

Run a timed practice set of scenario questions and review every wrong answer to its root cause

Write a 90-day plan for continued practice, including the next two sessions you will facilitate