CF Strategic Planning Facilitation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a strategic planning retreat, a vocal executive keeps redirecting the group back to past failures. What is the BEST facilitator response?
- Politely ask the executive to leave the session
- Acknowledge the concern and use a 'parking lot' to revisit it later (Correct answer)
- Ignore the behavior and continue with the agenda
- Call a vote to determine whether the group wants to discuss the past
Correct answer: Acknowledge the concern and use a 'parking lot' to revisit it later
A parking lot acknowledges the concern without derailing the current agenda, allowing the group to maintain forward momentum.
Question 2: Which environmental scanning framework is most commonly used in strategic planning facilitation to assess macro-level external forces?
- SWOT
- PESTLE (Correct answer)
- Balanced Scorecard
- Logic Model
Correct answer: PESTLE
PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental) is designed specifically to scan macro-level external factors.
Question 3: A strategic planning group has generated 47 potential initiatives. What facilitation technique best helps narrow these to a manageable set?
- Round-robin discussion
- Multi-voting (dot voting) (Correct answer)
- Open gallery walk
- Nominal group silent writing
Correct answer: Multi-voting (dot voting)
Multi-voting allows participants to allocate limited votes across options, quickly surfacing group priorities from a large list.
Question 4: When facilitating the 'goals' phase of strategic planning, a facilitator should ensure goals are distinguished from:
- Mission statements
- Operational tactics and action steps (Correct answer)
- Environmental scan results
- Stakeholder value statements
Correct answer: Operational tactics and action steps
Goals are broad outcome statements, while tactics and action steps are the specific operational activities used to achieve them.
Question 5: A nonprofit board is stuck debating two competing strategic directions. The facilitator should FIRST:
- Suggest the board vote immediately to break the deadlock
- Explore the underlying interests and values driving each position (Correct answer)
- Recommend hiring an external consultant to decide
- Table the topic and move on to implementation planning
Correct answer: Explore the underlying interests and values driving each position
Surfacing underlying interests often reveals shared values that can bridge competing positions and open new creative options.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of a 'logic model' in strategic planning facilitation?
- To map the causal chain from inputs through activities to outcomes (Correct answer)
- To prioritize strategic goals by urgency and impact
- To document stakeholder roles and responsibilities
- To assign budget allocations to each strategic initiative
Correct answer: To map the causal chain from inputs through activities to outcomes
A logic model visually connects resources (inputs) and activities to short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes, showing the theory of change.
Question 7: During pre-planning for a strategic session, which stakeholder group is most critical to interview before designing the process?
- External customers or clients only
- The board chair and senior leadership sponsors (Correct answer)
- Front-line staff who will implement the plan
- Community representatives and advocacy groups
Correct answer: The board chair and senior leadership sponsors
Sponsors define success criteria, constraints, and decision authority, making their input essential before any process design begins.
CF Strategic Planning Facilitation 2
During a strategic planning retreat, a vocal executive keeps redirecting the group back to past failures.
What is the BEST facilitator response?