CVS Skills in Facilitation 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A stakeholder who was not part of the value team attends the presentation and attacks the proposals. How should the facilitator respond?
- End the presentation immediately
- Acknowledge the concerns, present the supporting rationale and data, and offer follow-up discussion (Correct answer)
- Ask the stakeholder to put criticisms in writing and refuse to discuss them
- Have the team defend each point emotionally
Correct answer: Acknowledge the concerns, present the supporting rationale and data, and offer follow-up discussion
Acknowledging concerns and responding with data maintains credibility and keeps the dialogue constructive.
Question 2: In team development terms, a value study team argues over roles and approaches on day one. This most likely reflects which stage?
- Performing
- Adjourning
- Norming
- Storming (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Storming
Storming is the natural stage where members test roles and challenge approaches before norms form.
Question 3: Which facilitator action best supports a team stuck in the Storming stage?
- Clarify roles, restate objectives, and reinforce ground rules (Correct answer)
- Skip ahead to the Development Phase to avoid conflict
- Replace the most vocal team members
- Let the conflict run its course without intervention indefinitely
Correct answer: Clarify roles, restate objectives, and reinforce ground rules
Clarifying roles and objectives gives the group structure to move from storming into norming.
Question 4: Why is it important for the facilitator to record ideas visibly (e.g., on flip charts or shared screens) during brainstorming?
- It replaces the need for a final report
- It allows the facilitator to edit ideas privately later
- It proves attendance to the sponsor
- It validates contributions, prevents repetition, and stimulates the building of new ideas (Correct answer)
Correct answer: It validates contributions, prevents repetition, and stimulates the building of new ideas
Visible recording acknowledges contributors and lets participants piggyback on displayed ideas.
Question 5: A team member consistently arrives late and disrupts the session. The facilitator's most professional first step is to:
- Publicly reprimand the member in front of the team
- Speak with the member privately during a break to address the behavior (Correct answer)
- Lock the door once the session begins
- Report the member to human resources immediately
Correct answer: Speak with the member privately during a break to address the behavior
Private, respectful feedback addresses the behavior without embarrassing the member or disrupting team cohesion.
Question 6: During consensus building, what does genuine consensus require?
- Unanimous first-choice agreement from every member
- A simple majority vote
- The facilitator's approval of the outcome
- All members can accept and support the decision, even if it is not everyone's first choice (Correct answer)
Correct answer: All members can accept and support the decision, even if it is not everyone's first choice
Consensus means every member can live with and support the decision, not that it is everyone's ideal.
Question 7: What is the risk of a facilitator answering technical questions on behalf of the team?
- It shortens the workshop too much
- It violates copyright on the study materials
- It undermines team ownership and can compromise the facilitator's perceived neutrality (Correct answer)
- It requires additional certification
Correct answer: It undermines team ownership and can compromise the facilitator's perceived neutrality
When the facilitator supplies content answers, the team's ownership and the facilitator's neutrality both erode.
CVS Skills in Facilitation 4
A stakeholder who was not part of the value team attends the presentation and attacks the proposals.
How should the facilitator respond?