RE: Facilitation of Advisory Groups

[Elizabeth Carlson <beth.carlson@dnr.state.mn.us>]

I am delighted to see the responses to my comments about using external vs. internal facilitators.  So much depends on the situational circumstances and the relationships at the beginning and during a process.  There is a counter example to Jim's excellent points about the arms-length position of an external:  a possible advantage for an internal facilitator is access to and understanding of particular managers - basically being able to work the inside as well as the outside.  I think the conclusion from this sub-conversation must be that "it depends" and that external/3rd party facilitators are more necessary when agency credibility is low or agency managers respond better to the aura of the outside expert.  Thank you all.

Beth