The essential skill: Rule the room with flipchart finesse. (Training 101).

Group facilitators possess subtle and difficult skills to master. They control pacing and participation; bring teams to consensus; draw out issues and ideas; apply tools and techniques that stimulate dialogue and understanding; develop rapport while maintaining an effective distance; and manage conflict, competitiveness, and other group dynamics. Some of those tasks require more artistry than mechanics. It's a pleasure to watch a skilled facilitator guide a team through the intricacies of group process with just the right pace and style.

There is, however, one skill that every facilitator needs--a basic, bedrock skill that can make the difference between success and failure. That skill is statement capture.

An effective facilitator grasps the essence of a statement quickly, writes it up accurately, and sustains the flow of conversation. An ineffective facilitator intervenes in the group process, disrupts it by asking for clarification or, worse, a replay, and thus draws attention to his or her lack of skill. It's painful to watch someone go through that ordeal so publicly and so needlessly. Because of all of the many skills required of a good facilitator, statement capture is one of the most mechanical and most readily learned. It applies to any situation in which a team is generating a list--of ideas, opportunities, problems, or alternatives--and someone is charged …