A Guide to Selecting the Best Facilitators for Your Retreat
Planning a retreat can be overwhelming. There are a lot of details to put into consideration such as the theme for the retreat, the venue, and the schedule. As soon as the specifications of your retreat are handled, you are now ready to choose a facilitator. A facilitator is someone that will represent the values of your organization and ensure that the attendees benefit as much as they can from their experience. The facilitator will be more like the face of a single session or multiple sessions and have a significant impact on the success of your retreat. Therefore, how can you find the ideal retreat facilitator? Keep reading this article to find out factors to consider when choosing a retreat facilitator.
The facilitator must have experience. Find out if they have previously done this type of work. Facilitating is a rare skill that entails leading a group of individuals around a particular topic. The facilitator must feel comfortable in front of the people that are attending. If you have a larger group, you may want to consider looking for a more experienced facilitator.
Consider the subject matter of the retreat. Does the retreat facilitator you are considering experienced enough to head discussions concerning the content of the session? When you select a person that comprehends your tropical theme, they may require play streaming compared to other prospective facilitators.
Put into consideration the audience that will be attending the retreat. Is the facilitator able to establish a good rapport with your attendance? Among the significant factors to ensure the success of your retreat is to choose a person that can easily establish trust and have a good relationship with the participants.
Consider the skill level of the facilitator. The retreat facilitator must have the following essential proficiency in facilitation. They must have good time management skills to ensure that the group is working on the agenda within the set time frame, they must be neutral; an experienced facilitator comprehends the benefits of remaining neutral when in charge of a session or group to allow the participants to be free to share their ideas.
The facilitators must be good communicators. Some of the skills that make a facilitator be a good communicator include; active listening skills that means, that they must ask the audience relevant questions, are they capable of reading the body language of the audience? among others.
Do not forget to check the references of the facilitator. Provided that you have hard a previous experience with the facilitator or you have confidence with the person that recommended the facilitator to you, make sure that if check the references of the facilitators. This will give you more insights for you to be aware of the kind of person you are dealing with.
There are a lot of factors to put into consideration when you are choosing a facilitator for your retreat. The role they play is vital for your retreat to create a positive experience for your participants. When you thoroughly research, vet the correct candidates, you can be certain that your event will be successful.