On-Demand Talent

Facilitator/Facilitation Expert

A Facilitator/Facilitation Expert plays an important role in helping groups of people work together effectively. They use their skills in communication, conflict resolution, and group dynamics to help groups achieve their goals, make decisions and drive action within your organization.

About This Role:

SIVO’s Facilitator/Facilitation Expert can help any company that wants to improve their team collaboration, their planning or decision-making process, or potentially needs assistance to work through a conflict. This Facilitator is skilled at leading teams through Hot Topic discussions, long-range or short-term strategic planning sessions, team building exercises, or learning activation workshops. This person is also experienced in leveraging in-person or virtual facilitation tools, which is essential in today’s hybrid and remote work environment. This person provides you with:

A Neutral Perspective and Improved Communication: to the discussion to ensure a fair and balanced process and discussion so that everyone is heard.
Enhanced Productivity: by keeping meetings on track and focused on making good use of the team’s time.
Resolution and Action: to help mediate and facilitate constructive dialogue, working toward resolving disagreements and setting strategic plans.
A Fresh Perspective: by using techniques, activities, or tools that get participants to think differently or come up with new ideas.
Objective Documentation: to provide thorough meeting notes, ensuring that key decisions, action items, and outcomes are accurately captured.

Hiring a SIVO Facilitator can be a strategic choice to ensure your meetings and workshops lead to better decision-making, improved collaboration, and more successful outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why use SIVO On Demand Talent?

When you need insights and expertise for an open role, special project, workload surges, or to cover a leave of absence, SIVO On Demand Talent is here to quickly match our fractional talent with your needs.

How long does it take to start working with this fractional talent?

We are able to match our talent with your opportunity very quickly, typically identifying the talent within 3-5 business days. For more specific talent needs, it may take a little longer.

How much does it cost to hire this fractional insights talent?

The cost is based on the level of fractional talent needed and the duration of the contract.

How do I inquire about this talent or start the hiring process?

Reach out to contact@SIVOInsights.com if you are interested in identifying talent for your resource needs.

Does SIVO conduct both in-person and virtual facilitated sessions?

Yes. Our talent will work with our clients to design the facilitated session that will meet the objectives and desired outcomes. We are adept at both in-person and virtual experiences.

Does SIVO provide the platform if the facilitated group session is virtual?

SIVO can coordinate the platform (for example, Miro or Mural) and pass that expense to our clients if that is preferred. Many times, our clients have a preferred platform and subscription so our talent will use whatever is most convenient for our clients.

What are the steps to preparing for a facilitated discussion or group session?

The steps to preparing for a facilitated discussion or group session are:

Identify Meeting Purpose

Articulate Desired Outcomes

Identify Meeting Attendees

Develop Agenda & Process To Achieve Outcomes

Send Meeting Invitation, Agenda & Pre-Work

Prepare Content, Guest Speakers & Fellow Presenters
Develop Detailed Agenda for You & Leader

What should I expect from a skilled facilitator?

You can expect your SIVO Facilitator to:

Arrive early – Test technology & be presentation ready
Start & stop the meeting on time
Demonstrate enthusiasm, strategic thinking, business acumen
Stick to the agenda but remain flexible as new information gets shared
Listen respectfully – will spend more time listening and less time talking
Lead the session and use a variety of exercises and techniques to ensure the contributions of all participants
Support and probe for different viewpoints but remain unbiased
Summarize the discussion and outcomes
Outline next steps, owners and timelines

What probing techniques or soft-skills will a skilled SIVO Facilitator use during a discussion or group session?

A skilled SIVO Facilitator will engage with the participants in the following ways to achieve the desired outcome:

Seek to Understand: “Tell me more about ____.”
Clarify: “When did this happen?” “What did this mean to you?”
Acknowledge: “I sense that you feel strongly about _____.”
Empathize: “I can appreciate why you might feel that way.”
Solicit feedback: “What do you think should be done? Why is that important?”
Summarize: “Let me see if I understand what you just said___.”
Validate: “I appreciate your willingness to raise these issues.”
Envision: “What do you want the outcome to be?”

As the leader or sponsor of the initiative, how can I best support the SIVO Facilitator who is new to my company or industry?

It is not imperative that your SIVO Facilitator is fully knowledgeable about your company or industry, although some preparation will be necessary to understand the background, objectives, team members’ individual goals, and team dynamics in order to lead the discussion and advance the discussion to everyone’s satisfaction. The best way to support your Facilitator is to:

Share background information and context, tensions, etc.
Provide clear expectations and state desired outcomes
Listen and build off the comments/ideas that are shared
Be ready to fully participate with open-mindedness and candor
Consult the Facilitator if you see a need to pause or go deeper on a topic since you know more about the business context
Ask questions when needed

The SIVO Difference

WE ARE Strategy & Insights
Unlike generic recruiting agencies, who focus on a broad range of talent, we solely focus on placing the best consumer insights talent within your organization.

WE ARE Solution Architects
We solve your key business problems and objectives by finding you the right fractional insights professional with the specific skill set that fits your needs.

Why Hire SIVO

SIVO On Demand Talent places our network of insights professionals into client organizations for fill-in roles (covering a maternity or paternity leave or filling in while they are hiring for FT) or for special projects/initiatives that require resources beyond the client team’s capacity.

How We Do It? We offer a personalized approach where we meet with the clients to scope out their needs – we listen and match our talent’s skills, expertise and preferences, passion areas, with the business need to create a win-win that will drive impactful results. SIVO vets for skills and expertise, and we encourage our clients to interview 2-3 candidates for their role to ensure cultural fit.