What is the role of a facilitator? A facilitator has been defined as a person who frees you up from the process so that you can focus on the content of the discussion. Many believe that if you are over 50% involved in the content of a discussion, it’s helpful to have an outside facilitator that can guide the discussion. As a meeting facilitator, it’s important to understand the appropriate role or function. What is the appropriate role? That’s a trick question. The appropriate facilitator role is whatever is needed.

The word facile means “to make it easier”.

Two important factors include process and content. A person who is low on process and low on content might be a neutral observer. A person who is high on process, but low on content would be a facilitator/moderator. A person who is high on process and high on content would be a consultant/coach.

During last Tuesdays debate, I admit that I was multi-tasking. I was observing twitter responses during the debate. I was listening and conversing with Dan Harley via telephone and broadcasting through our blog talk radio show Technology Tuesday. I was listening to Dan Harley with my left ear. I was listening to Obama and Romney with my right ear. I was posting responses in Facebook, Twitter, and in our blog talk radio chat room. It was information overload. I’ve heard that we get more information in one day than a 16th century peasant receives in an entire lifetime. I must have beat these peasants during one presidential debate.

Then while watching the debate, Candy Crowley intervenes. What? and she seems to agree with Obama? Obama even asks her to repeat it…..and she does! Was that Candy’s role? I tend to think not. I view the role of the moderator to be an impartial facilitator. Candy Crowley’s role is to ensure fairness, keep time, enforce the rules of the debate, and ask the tough questions. When the moderator begins to interject his/her opinion…..well that’s not his/her role! Watch for yourself and tell me if you agree or not.

It seems pretty clear that this intervention deviates from the appropriate role of Presidential debate moderator.

Here is a diagram of what I believe are the appropriate roles of the Presidential candidates, moderator, and town hall attendees.

Role of Moderator in Presidential Debate

What are your thoughts? Was it appropriate for Candy Crowley to intervene the way she did?