As a leader, have you ever experienced difficulty balancing the responsibilities of conducting a meeting while simultaneously ensuring that its goals and objectives are met? This can be a truly challenging position to assume. On the one hand, you are responsible for executing the meeting with a specific purpose, which could be a strategic planning meeting, a realignment of your organization’s mission, vision, values, or quarterly budget review meeting. Regardless, the attendees of your meeting are dedicating time away from their regular responsibilities to focus on a singular objective. As the host, you are also concerned with ensuring that the participants derive maximum value from the meeting. You worry about the agenda, the flow of the meeting, arranging speakers, content, and even bathroom breaks. These logistical concerns can divert your attention from being fully present during the meeting.
Engaging a professional facilitator relieves you of the logistical aspects of the engagement. A professional facilitator collaborates with you to understand the objectives of the engagement, whether it is a one-day meeting, a three-day offsite, or a weeklong conference. Together, you develop an agenda that aligns with the goals and ensures that objectives are met while maintaining the flow of the engagement to keep participants engaged throughout the process.
In addition to assisting with logistical arrangements, a professional facilitator also serves as the meeting’s moderator, providing an independent host to manage any unexpected challenges that may arise. This includes addressing detractors who attempt to divert the meeting from its intended course. As an impartial party, the facilitator can take necessary actions to ensure that everyone remains focused and that the engagement progresses as planned.
Gye holds a Georgetown University certification in facilitation and has accumulated hundreds of hours of facilitation experience for over 3,000 people. He has facilitated small teams of five to six individuals and large conferences with hundreds of attendees. Gye has facilitated for C-suite executives, cabinet-level government officials, and foreign dignitaries. He possesses the expertise to engage in any requirement, regardless of its size or complexity.
