Paying Attention to Process

While content refers to the topic being discussed, process refers to how the discussion is happening. Most people in meetings do not pay attention to how things get done, and therefore this is usually the focus of a facilitator’s work. How things are said or done is as important, and sometimes more important, that what is said or done. A study that indicated that only seven percent of meaning in communication is taken from the words spoken, and the other 93 percent is taken from tone and non-verbal signals, confirms the importance of paying attention to the process used.

Edgar Schein (Process Consulting Revisited) gives seven process tools for facilitators to use in moving process forward. They are:

Initiating
Seeking and giving information
Seeking and giving opinions
Clarifying
Elaborating
Summarizing
Testing for Consensus

If a facilitator gets too involved in the content of the group and does not pay attention to these process issues, it is likely that the group will struggle.

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