A facilitator adds value to your meeting by preparing the agenda, conducting the meeting, and writing minutes. All of these services free you to work on other tasks while getting the job done properly.

A professional facilitator will help you save money by holding a shorter meeting. The most expensive part of a meeting is the labor cost of the participants. Estimate this cost for your last meeting by multiplying the duration of the meeting by the number of participants by their payroll cost. (I've seen groups waste over $50,000 on a single bad meeting.)

A facilitator will help you get real results. For example, years ago, a group held three full-day meetings trying to resolve a difficult issue. Each of these meetings broke down after hours of painful arguing, bickering, and complaining. Then they hired me. My meeting lasted five hours and produced a list of realistic solutions, ranked in priority of their applicability.

A facilitator does more than watch people talk. A skilled facilitator knows how to apply creative thinking, problem solving, and decision making tools within a meeting. These help the group make methodical progress toward agreements, decisions, and solutions. And they produce results that everyone will support.

A skilled facilitator is an expert on business. Thus, a facilitator knows how to take your group through the steps that produce a realistic plan that accomplishes your business goals.

A facilitator frees you to participate in your meeting. It is impossible to facilitate and participate in a meeting because facilitation is a full time job.

Steve Kaye

Steve Kaye helps leaders hold effective meetings. He is an Certified Professional Facilitator (with the International Association of Facilitators), author, and speaker.

Since 1992 his innovative workshops have informed and inspired people nationwide. Clients include Avery Dennison, IBM, and Unocal.

His workshop topics include:

* One Great Meeting - How to plan and conduct meetings that produce results others will support

* The Human Side of Communication - How to win trust, earn respect, and establish rapport

* Winning Words - How to design and deliver presentations that inspire and impress people

* Behavior Styles - How to get along with others

As a meeting facilitator, he helps people obtain results that they could not obtain by working on their own. Read about examples on his web site.

He is the author of:

* The Manager's Pocket Guide to Effective Meetings

* Meetings in an Hour or Less

* 117 Tips for Effective Meetings

With a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and 20 years of experience working for major corporations, Steve specializes in working with engineers, scientists, and high tech professionals.

Call 714-528-1300 or visit his web site for over 130 pages of information (including program details, client guides, FAQs, cartoons, and more).

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