Managing External Relations - Disaster Management Center ...

Reasons:
Solutions:
Chapter 2
A large number of people in the group seem bored or unwilling to participate
in the contingency planning meeting. What might be some of the reasons and
solutions for this situation?
Especially in contingency planning efforts, some agencies or people may feel that the content of the
meeting is irrelevant to their current concerns, or that the group is not moving toward achieving their
personal mandated goals. Materials may be too simple or too complex or there may be distractions
such as other events going on at the same time. It may be time for a break if it has been longer than
two hours, or there may be some underlying problem, such as a fear of speaking out due to the
presence of dominating individuals. If necessary, review the goals that were set up at the beginning
of the meeting and the agenda or timetable if there is one. Use humour to spark interest, call more
frequent breaks, or direct questions toward less vocal persons.
Resistance to Facilitation
People seem to be resisting you as the facilitator and are criticising your
methods. What might be the reasons for the resistance? What steps can you
take to address the problem?
It may be possible that you took too dominant of a role in the beginning and did not firmly establish
that the entire group is responsible for the content and outcome of the meeting. Therefore, it may
be necessary to discuss the nature of your role as facilitator. The facilitator may also become a
scapegoat for the failures or problems of the group. This can be a constructive situation so it is
important to not be defensive and to listen to the feedback from the group, being sure to hear a
variety of opinions and to note your own frustrations with the meeting. You can hold a calm
discussion of what could have been done by both you and the group to have made it better and to
make changes if possible. Note these criticisms for future consideration.
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