Helping Others to Develop a Profile: The Skills of Facilitation

Abstract

No matter how or when you decide to begin completing your profile, you will expect help from others. Most people find the opportunity of talking through issues and discussing their progress with someone else valuable. Help may come in the form of attending a workshop or short course, or support can usually be harnessed from colleagues, family and friends. However, increasingly people are seeking assistance from those with professional expertise.

In this chapter we will look at some of the specific skills and knowledge you will need in helping someone to complete a profile. We begin by introducing you to some principles about how adults learn and what they bring with them when they embark on a learning programme. We then move on to explore the five key skills of facilitation: enabling; educational counselling; advising; assessing; and informing.