Facilitation: You Can Be a Facilitator

--- **Course Overview:** "Facilitation: How to be a Facilitator" is an online course designed to impart skills in both facilitation and public speaking. With a total duration of approximately 6 hours, the course covers a wide range of topics from effective PowerPoint usage, overcoming public speaking anxiety, to practical exercises in facilitation. The course has received high ratings from learners who found it insightful and useful for personal development in communication skills. --- **Pros:** 1. **Comprehensive Content:** The course offers a thorough analysis of techniques to improve public speaking and facilitation skills. Learners appreciate the practical examples provided. 2. **Engaging Delivery:** TJ, the instructor, is commended for his engaging and welcoming style that makes learning enjoyable. His approach to addressing common fears associated with public speaking has been particularly effective for many learners. 3. **Real-World Application:** The course emphasizes the importance of facilitation as a service to others rather than focusing solely on the presenter. This perspective is highly valued by those interested in fostering collaborative environments. 4. **Encouragement of Practical Application:** The course encourages learners to practice their new skills using tools like mobile phones for self-review, which helps in reinforcing the concepts taught. 5. **Addresses Anxiety:** The course has been noted for its sensitivity towards public speaking anxiety and provides actionable tips to manage this aspect of communication. 6. **Repeat Explanations for Reinforcement:** The instructor's practice of reiterating important points is seen as a beneficial strategy for learners to internalize key concepts. 7. **Ideal for Beginners and Refreshes for Experienced Facilitators:** Learners who are new to facilitation, as well as those with experience, found the course valuable in both learning and refreshing skills respectively. --- **Cons:** 1. **Repetitive Content:** Several learners mentioned that the course is very repetitive, with some sections of the content being covered multiple times. This redundancy could potentially be addressed to make the course more efficient. 2. **Title and Content Misalignment:** A significant number of reviews suggest that the course leans heavily towards public speaking rather than facilitation as implied by its title. Some learners recommend renaming the course to 'Public Speaking: Effective Communication Techniques' to better align with its content. 3. **Length and Pacing Concerns:** With a substantial amount of video content, some learners found the course to be lengthy and felt that it could be condensed without losing the essential information. --- **Key Takeaways:** - The course effectively covers public speaking with a focus on overcoming anxiety, using PowerPoint effectively, and engaging with an audience. - Facilitation skills are also addressed, though the course may be more accurately described as a comprehensive guide to public speaking rather than solely focused on facilitation. - Learners report practical, actionable advice that can be applied in various settings, both professional and personal. **Final Verdict:** "Facilitation: How to be a Facilitator" is a valuable course for anyone looking to improve their communication skills, particularly in public speaking. While the course's title suggests a deep dive into facilitation, it delivers extensive content on effective public speaking that could serve as a solid foundation for those looking to become better communicators and facilitators. The course's strengths in providing engaging content, practical exercises, and addressing common fears associated with public speaking make it a worthwhile investment for personal or professional development. However, learners recommend condensing the content to address redundancy and considering a title change for more accurate representation of the course material.