Six Powerful Solutions for Facilitating Technical Sessions

Make your next facilitated session with technical specials a success!

Facilitators need clear communication when presenting to technical specialists. Yet as specialists ourselves, most of us haven't been trained for these high-stakes collaborations. We know our material inside and out, but struggle to make it resonate with subject matter experts who are highly competent and often suspicious of intentions. The Tackle Shop, now at JD Solomon Inc., offers practical tools and guidance to help bridge the communication gap and ensure facilitated sessions are effective.

Types of Facilitated Sessions with Technical Specialists

Here are the 10 types of facilitated technical sessions described in JD Solomon’s book Facilitating with FINESSE: A Practical Guide to Business Solutions:

1. Root Cause Analysis

2. Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

3. Tree Diagrams

4. Block Diagrams

5. Capital Program Prioritization

6. Business Cases

7. Reliability Assessments

8. Risk Management Plans

9. Master Plans

10. Strategic Plans

 

Six Practical Solutions from Communicating with FINESSE

The Tackle Shop provides the FINESSE checklists, third-party reviews, practical guides, and training to prepare and deliver for your next presentation to senior leaders.

1.  The FINESSE Checklist

The FINESSE Checklist helps you prepare presentations by summarizing key information from the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram. It focuses on 3 to 5 main points in each section, making it easier to build your presentation for significant decisions.

2. The FINESSE Accessibility Checklist

This checklist ensures that your presentations and reports are accessible to people with visual and hearing impairments. It highlights key accessibility issues and provides 3 to 5 important aspects to focus on. Making your work accessible benefits those with impairments and enhances understanding for everyone.

3. Third-Party Presentation Reviews

Enhance your confidence by having CWF conduct a third-party review of your presentation. You'll receive helpful feedback to prepare you for presenting to senior management or your board of directors. Fast turnaround times are available with prior notice.

4. Communicating Reliability, Risk, & Resiliency to Decision Makers

A practical guide that bridges the gap between technical experts and senior leaders by showing how to present complex reliability and risk information in clear, compelling ways. The book emphasizes communication strategies, real-world examples, and tools to help professionals gain credibility, foster understanding, and drive better organizational decisions.

5. Facilitating with FINESSE

This practical guide offers a structured approach to leading groups through problem-solving and decision-making, striking a balance between process discipline and people skills. Using the FINESSE framework, the book offers practical techniques, examples, and insights to help facilitators guide teams toward clear, effective, and lasting solutions.

6. Training

Popular half-day and full-day training sessions are provided in effective communication, facilitation, decision-making, and each of the seven bones of FINESSE. The focus is on translating complex technical, financial, and risk information into messages that leaders and stakeholders can easily understand.

JD Solomon's FINESSE Fishbone Diagram

The FINESSE Fishbone Diagram is a powerful tool for addressing communication challenges in major decisions. It breaks down issues into manageable parts and categorizes relevant tips for each section. By identifying where problems arise, you can implement targeted solutions for big business presentations. This diagram serves as a guide for clearer communication, whether you're in a boardroom or discussing complex issues with senior managers.

FINESSE stands for Frame, Illustrate, Noise Reduction, Empathy, Structure, Synergy, and Ethics.

The Mental Model CATER

CATER is a mental model that identifies five practical ways to improve team facilitation:

• C — Communicate in pre-session exchanges. Plan and collect information from participants before the session (interviews, surveys, etc.) so everyone arrives with a comparable context.

• A — Ask powerful questions. Use introductory and clarifying questions that provoke active thought, debate, and useful outcomes. Weak questions do the opposite.

• T — Anticipate trouble. Expect disruption and be prepared to move the group through trouble; great facilitators embrace and plan for it.

• E — Use engaging exercises. Design activities that captivate participants — exercises must reach a level of engagement that drives results.

• R — Manage the rhythm. Monitor and manage tempo: sessions have “ups” and “downs”; skilled facilitators spot subtle tempo/attitude changes and time interventions accordingly.

Practical Solutions for Technical Facilitation

By utilizing the resources available in the Tackle Shop, you can greatly improve your communication for big decisions. The FINESSE Fishbone Diagram and the mental model CATER are approaches that empower you to facilitate with confidence. Ensure your next facilitated session is a success! Facilitate with FINESSE!

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JD Solomon Inc. provides solutions for facilitation, asset management, and program development at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment.  Founded by JD Solomon, Communicating with FINESSE is the community of technical professionals dedicated to being highly effective communicators and facilitators.