Meetings are a key driver (and drain) of productivity and effectiveness for any project. Effective meetings accelerate work, achieve buy-in and consensus, ensure consistent communication, and get results. Ineffective meetings waste time, pull key resources from important tasks, create confusion, and stifle progress. In this session, project managers are introduced to key techniques from Accelerated Facilitation, a structured methodology to deliver highly interactive, streamlined meetings that generate high levels of participant productivity, collaboration, consensus and buy-in. Using these techniques, PMs will be able to get more done in less time and reach clear consensus on decisions and priorities. Attendees were introduced to each technique, then applied the techniques in a small group. Topics 1. Accelerated Facilitation Overview 2. Idea Generation 3. Prioritization 4. Risk/Performance Assessment 5. Incorporating Accelerated Facilitation into Project Meetings

1. PMI Chicagoland
Professional
Development Day –
Accelerated Facilitation
Brian Richardson, PMP

2. Agenda
Time Activity
2:45 – 3:00 Session Introduction
3:00 – 3:30 Accelerated Idea Generation
3:30 – 3:55 Accelerated Prioritization
3:55 – 4:25 Accelerated Assessment
4:25 – 4:45 Wrap-up and Q & A

3. Introduction

4. Session Outcomes
At the end of this session, you will be able to:
1. Articulate principles for effective meeting facilitation
2. Use structured techniques to make meetings more
interactive, efficient, and effective
3. Apply structured techniques to a variety of situations
4. Request an electronic copy of session materials. (Leave a
business card and write, “AF Materials” on the back.)

5. Principles for Effective Meeting Facilitation
Ineffective Meetings Effective Meetings
1. Waste time 1. Accomplish real work
2. Have an open discussion 2. Have a task list and
agenda structured techniques
3. Value input based on 3. Gather input from all
position and/or personality participants
4. Have unclear outcomes 4. Produce visible output
5. Have unclear ownership 5. Create buy-in, ownership
and next steps and clear next steps

6. Accelerated Facilitation Principles
1. Advance planning.
2. Separate facilitator (process) role from participant
(content) role.
3. Focus participants on tasks, one task at a time.
• Inspires creativity and innovation
• Separates generating ideas from judging ideas
4. Each task:
• Starts with a question
• Ensures everyone’s input is captured
• Uses participant time efficiently and effectively
• Eliminates or structures debate and discussion
• Produces visible output

7. Accelerated Facilitation Benefits
Sessions are structured to
maximize participant time,
Productivity allowing them to get more done
in less time than in traditional
meetings.
Sessions are designed to fully
engage all participants and ensure
Participant everyone’s ideas and opinions are
Satisfaction captured. This results in high
levels of participant buy-in and
commitment.

8. Accelerated Facilitation - Roles
Facilitator Role Participant Role
• Determines topics and • Follow instructions and
techniques in advance complete tasks
• Plans inputs and outputs • Provide content and
• Prepares materials perspective
• Provide clear instruction • Separate generating ideas
• Manage process from evaluating ideas
• Asks questions • Generate visible output

9. Accelerated Facilitation Materials
Paper and Spray Glue Tape
(or Whiteboard or Sticky Flipchart Paper)
Voting Stickers
Cards Markers
(or Sticky Notes)

10. Accelerated Idea Generation – Simple
Inputs None
Outputs List of Ideas
Benefits • Generates many ideas quickly
• Eliminates debate, discussion and judging
• Structures idea generation to ensure everyone
can provide input
• Reduces influence of position and personality
• Gives ownership to participants to state and
clarify their ideas, creating higher buy-in and
ownership

11. Exercise

12. Accelerated Idea Generation - Facilitator
Work as a team to:
1. Select a facilitator and timekeeper for the group.
2. Print the question “What meetings are required to lead successful projects?” on
a card.
3. Facilitator starts at their right and moves left. Each participant takes a turn stating
one idea. Do not debate, discuss or judge.
4. Each participant writes their idea on a card and sticks it to the wall.
– It is okay to pass.
– It is okay to write an idea before your turn, then state it when it is your turn.
5. After one round, facilitator asks, “What other ideas do people have?”
6. Participants state their additional ideas, write them on cards and stick them to the
wall.
7. After all ideas are captured, facilitator says, “I’ll read each idea. Let me know if any
ideas are not clear.”
8. Facilitator reads each idea. If any ideas are not clear, participants re-write on new
cards and stick to the wall. Participants can write new ideas.
15 minutes.

13. Accelerated Idea Generation - Participant
Work as a team to:
1. Select a facilitator and timekeeper for your team.
2. Generate ideas to answer the question: “What meetings are
required to lead successful projects?”
3. At your turn, state one idea. Do not debate, discuss or judge.
4. Write your idea on a card and stick it to the wall.
5. State any additional ideas, write them on cards and stick them to
the wall.
6. The facilitator reviews the cards with the group.
15 minutes.

14. Debrief

15. Accelerated Prioritization
Inputs List of ideas
Outputs Prioritized list of ideas
Benefits • Prioritizes ideas quickly
• Eliminates debate and discussion
• Ensures everyone provides input
• Eliminates influence of position and personality
• Produces visible output created by participants,
creating higher levels of buy-in and ownership

16. Exercise

17. Accelerated Prioritization - Facilitator
Work as a team to:
1. Select a facilitator and timekeeper for your team.
2. Facilitator writes, “In which meetings is it most important to gain buy-in and consensus from a
group?” on a card and posts it to the wall.
3. Facilitator gives each participant 10 voting dots.
4. Without discussing, each team member places dots to vote on most important items.
– Place dots on cards
– More dots = More important
– You may place as many or as few dots as you want on each item.
– You must use all your dots.
5. Facilitator counts the number of dots on each card and writes the total on the card.
6. Facilitator arranges the cards in order, highest to lowest and says, “<Idea name> is most
important and gets <#> votes. <Idea name> is next most important and gets <#> votes . . .”
Voting – 7 mins
Summary – 3 mins

18. Accelerated Prioritization - Participant
Work as a team to:
1. Select a facilitator and timekeeper for your team.
2. Use voting dots to answer the question: “In which meetings is it
most important to gain buy-in and consensus from a group?”
3. Distribute your 10 dots to the most important items.
– Place dots on cards
– More dots = More important
– You may place as many or as few dots as you want on each item.
– You must use all your dots.
4. The facilitator summarizes the votes.
Voting – 7 mins
Summary – 3 mins

19. Debrief

20. Accelerated Assessment
Inputs List of ideas
Outputs List of ideas - assessed
Benefits • Evaluates ideas quickly
• Structures debate and discussion
• Ensures everyone provides input
• Eliminates influence of position and personality
• Produces visible output created by participants,
creating higher levels of buy-in and ownership

21. Exercise

22. Accelerated Assessment - Facilitator
Work as a team to:
1. Select a facilitator and timekeeper for your team.
2. Facilitator writes, “To what extent are these meetings currently successful gaining buy-in and
consensus from a group?” on a card and posts it to the wall.
3. Facilitator posts assessment (1-5 column) card next to top 3 items from previous exercise
4. Facilitator gives each participant 3 voting dots.
5. Without discussing, each team member places dots to assess top 3 items from previous
exercise.
– Place dots on assessment (1-5 column) cards
– You have one rating vote (dot) for each item.
– Dots on the line do not count
6. Where the highest and lowest votes are more than 1 column apart, Facilitator says, “There are
some different opinions on <Idea name>. Why is that?” Participants volunteer opinions. Do not
discuss ideas where there are dots in 2 columns or fewer.
Rating Scale
5 = Definitely
Voting – 5 mins 4 = To a large extent
Discussion - 10 mins 3 = To some extent
2 = Only slightly
1 = Not at all

23. Accelerated Assessment - Participant
Work as a team to:
1. Select a facilitator and timekeeper for your team.
2. Use voting dots to answer the question, “To what extent are these
meetings currently successful gaining buy-in and consensus
from a group?”
3. Without discussing, distribute your voting dots to assess top 3
items from previous exercise.
– Place dots on assessment (1-5 column) cards
– You have one rating vote (dot) for each item Rating Scale
– Dots on the line do not count
5 = Definitely
4. The facilitator discusses the results.
4 = To a large extent
3 = To some extent
Voting – 5 mins
Discussion - 10 mins 2 = Only slightly
1 = Not at all

24. Debrief

25. Wrap-up

26. Application of Core Techniques
Sample applications include:
1. Stakeholder feedback
2. Project/program charter development
3. Work breakdown structure (WBS) development
4. Requirements gathering and analysis
5. Solution planning
6. Risk planning
7. Issue identification, prioritization and assessment
8. Vendor evaluation
9. Brainstorming
10. Small groups (up to 10)

27. More Accelerated Facilitation
Additional Accelerated Facilitation techniques:
1. Idea Generation
• Accelerated Idea Generation – Complex
• Accelerated Statement Formulation
• Accelerated Action Planning
2. Idea Evaluation
• Accelerated Prioritization – with structured discussion
• Accelerated Sequencing
• Accelerated Summarization
• Accelerated Categorization
• Accelerated Negotiation
• Accelerated Debate
• Accelerated Options Analysis

28. Application of Additional Techniques
Sample applications include:
1. Strategic planning
2. Product and service innovation
3. Project/program planning
4. Organization effectiveness
5. Process improvement
6. Training
7. Team offsite
8. Larger groups (10 – 100+)

29. Final Tips
 Move from discussion agenda to task list and structured
techniques. Think about inputs, outputs and flow.
 Incorporate techniques into your meetings to generate
ideas, prioritize and/or evaluate.
 Replace cards and paper with sticky notes and
whiteboard/sticky flip charts as needed.
 Request an electronic copy of course materials. Leave a
business card and write, “AF Materials” on the back.

30. Contact Information
Accelerated
Consulting Staffing Training
Facilitation
Brian Richardson, PMP
• Email: brian@richardsonconsultinggroup.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/briandrichardson
• Twitter: @briandrichardso
• Web: www.richardsonconsultinggroup.com