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To whom it may
concern:
I was professionally trained in facilitating
groups and public meetings, and I constructively
facilitated regular, televised public meetings
dealing with numerous controversial issues for
several years, without incident, rancor, or
inappropriate behaviors.
Accordingly, I can tell you from informed
experience that the so-called 'facilitating'
engaged in by maha's unethical subordinates
[which I witnessed] is not facilitating at
all -- but rather top-down abusive, coercive
manipulation, driven by hidden cult agendas unknown
to the participants.
A true facilitator has 4 functions:Specific
Behaviors
1. Presenting:
-providing information,
-having everything needing to be remembered
visualized,
i.e.charts/handouts etc.
-clarifying why information is important, and its
source[s]
2. Clarifying the Task - Making Purposes
Clear
-defining your role - focus on process,
NON-participant in
content
-ensuring the rationale for the task is clear -
group purpose
-clearly identifying end-product or results
-explaining any end-reporting to be done and to
whom
i.e. reports, recommendations, listing,
pros/cons
3. Monitoring and Facilitating Group Process
-extablishing ground rules - using flip charts
-describing the process for accomplishing the task,
or
preferably having the group determine the
process
-using questions to encourage participation
-reporting your observations on what you believe is
happening
aka 'perception checking'
-using relay and reverse questions to facilitate
discussion and
deal with disagreement
clarifying areas of confusion, and keep the group
on track
providing reasonable time cues - r.e time
used/remaining for
task completion
4. Managing the Reporting
-determining how material will be recorded during
the
discussion
-be sure to have group agreement with whatever is
recorded,
edited, or written up
-reviewing final decisions, conclusions, questions,
and
follow-up actions before ending session
[Based upon Margoles and Bell, Instructing
for Results, and Trost, Facilitation
Skills]
From extensive research and studies, our reports
have found what people like and/or dislike about
meetings and facilitation:
Like: -organized parameters for process and
personal/group conduct
[blatantly violated by maha's
facilitators]
-have background info in advance
-clear agenda [violated]
-fair, impartial facilitator [violated]
-stay on track/come back on track
[violated]
-feel opinion valued [violated]
- facilitator acknowledges don't know, plans
follow-up
[violated]
- calm/humor/funny, not tense
[violated]
- full group participation [some
violations]
what people Hate about meetings and
improper/incompetent facilitation:
- dominating the meeting [violated]
- not clear agenda, publicized in advance
[violated]
- redundancy - hearing the same thing over and over
[violated]
- not everyone participating [violated]
- no closure - no follow-up [follow-up
violated]
- necessary information not available
[violated]
- personalizing issue(s) - attack persons and NOT
the topic
[blatant violations]
- goals not realistic [obvious
violations]
- not sticking to Reasonable time limits
[violated,manipulated]
Dysfunctional (Self-Oriented) Roles
- attacker: deflates, puts down, aggressive
[blatant in EV]
- blocker: negative, and resistant
[blatant]
- recognition-seeker [blatant]
- self-confessor [blatant]
- goof off
- dominator [blatant]
- withdrawer [blatant]
- avoider [blatant]
- nit-picker [blatant]
Facilitator Skills: 6 Group Process
Techniques
- Contracting - getting group to agree on some kind
of ground
rules and appropriate behavior, process, and
decision-making
and posting the agreed ground rules
[all blatantly violated]
- Polling (non-binding) taking group pulse, with
options
[nope]
- Brainstorming, without criticizing
[violated]
- Nominal Group Process 'round-robin', to increase
participation
- Force Field Analysis: analyzes forces
driving/restraining
change (i.e. For/Against ; Problem/Goal)
- Gantt Charting (task chart timeline), use
consensus when
questions about sequence arise
[violated]
In my professional opinion, the maha cult's
coordinated abusive and degrading trainings,
seminars, and conferences are NOT 'facilitated'
meetings, but more closely approximate: EST,
interrogation, coercion, brain-washing,
deprivation, emotional and psychological torture,
the worst excesses of insidious Scientology-type
monitoring and personal information gathering,
alienation of individuals, recrimination, and the
blatant invasion of personal boundaries, civility
and humanity.
I regard these cult conferences to be insidious,
abusive, unethical, unhealthy and immoral.
sincerely,
swami j. suchabanana
P.S. The very notion of Prem Rawat involved
whatsoever in any legitimate altruistic training of
facilitators is absolutely ludicrous -- and
automatically suspect. Ditto for any of his
so-called appointed instructors, or other cult
operatives. A facilitator should be impartial --
and preferably independent of the group. However,
that is impossible, when the so-called
"facilitators" themselves are cult officials
obeying Prem Rawat and his cult's directives.
Beware!!
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