Strategic Planning/Meeting Facilitation

A well-designed meeting is one that stimulates thought; encourages creativity; taps into the best ideas of everyone in the room; stays on track; and results in an actionable outcome. A skilled facilitator can help design and implement an effective process or structure for meetings, retreats and team-building events while remaining neutral regarding the meeting or discussion content.

The types of meetings where you may find outside facilitation valuable include:

Strategic planning
Succession planning
Retreats

Creative brainstorming
Emotional and/or highly charged issues

I often survey meeting attendees in advance to see what’s on their minds so that the agenda is meaningful and relevant. I pride myself in designing meetings that are interactive, creative and which provide a safe space for learning and conversation while delivering on the desired outcome.

Questions to Consider

If you’re planning a meeting, think about:

What is your desired outcome?
Who needs to be included in this meeting? Are there other stakeholders?
Have you allowed enough time to accomplish your goals?
Is this a one-time meeting or the beginning of a new direction?
Would it be helpful if the group did pre-work prior to the meeting?
Are there issues or personal conflicts that may get in the way of a productive meeting?
If it is a complex, decision-making, emotional or highly charged meeting, are you planning to engage a facilitator?

“Kathy facilitated the implementation of our organization's Leadership Development Program five years ago. Her talent and insight helped steer us in the right direction and led to the realization of a successful, long-term program that continues to produce insurmountable benefits.”

“As the VP of a growing technology/manufacturing company, I am pulled in a lot of directions where everything seems to be urgent, but not always important, and it’s easy to lose sight of my personal and professional development.

The big value that Kathy brings is making me think about being an executive - unfrazzled, above the fray, distinguished - in the midst of pushing hard to get things done. She serves as my sounding board…we talk through challenges; she gives me a different perspective; holds me accountable; and most importantly she tells me the truth in a way I can hear it. I value our partnership.”

“Kathy has worked with our organization from top to bottom for the last several years. She has been instrumental in helping to guide and shape everything from our strategic vision to sharpening our skills as a team to perform at a higher level.

Kathy doesn’t just stand there and hold a mirror in front of you; she is a true coach who invests the time and her years of expertise to pull out the best of your potential for the greater good of the organization. I wouldn’t make a final mission-critical team decision without input from Kathy.”

“I have worked with Kathy for several years and her insight and expertise was invaluable to me as I transitioned into executive management. I relied quite a bit on her expertise in developing strategic plans for the organization.

I particularly value being able to bounce things off of her and how she was helps me think through issues without emotion, and then develop a strategy to effectively manage these issues. She has helped me grow both personally and professionally.”

“Going into coaching, I was prepared to face some hard truths about myself professionally. I had no idea how enlightening this would be for me personally also. Those two worlds are so closely linked and are now both benefiting from my time with Kathy.

From our very first meeting, I knew Kathy would be an integral force in my life. She continues to be so even after our coaching has ended, and I will be forever indebted to her.”