We have abundantly talked about simulation, skills, team working and communication, in which learners have a central key role. But who is behind? Who is the “simulation facilitator”?
As published in 2015 by Simmed (Italian Society of Simulation), the simulation facilitator has aptitude for leadership and teamwork, the ability to conduct a scenario with personality and to communicate both verbal and non-verbal, the ability to be curious and investigate.
The simulation facilitator is not just a ‘normal’ instructor or tutor; he is an instructor who must be not only informed but also structured. He is aware, centered, and able to communicate with words but above all with a non-verbal attitude and with the attention he pays to the participants.
Being a simulation facilitator not only requires the prerequisite of knowledge and balance but also needs the ability to know how to communicate, to know how to convey what he is to the learners; not just what he knows.
At the center of his action there must be the attention for the participants, his balance will speak through his non-verbal language which has to be congruent with what he says, and what he says derives directly from what he knows and thinks in a logical thread.
The learners will notice the congruence of the facilitator through his ability to be true and to seriously communicate what he thinks, predominantly through his non-verbal language that will hit him in a positive way only if they see a coherent attitude in him.
The participants must learn messages that are very delicate because they affect people’s lives. If this is the case, then the learners demand a lot from their instructor.
The message will be received, both technically and not, if the facilitator respects the participants but also himself, his ego and his soul. He will be able to give the line and indicate the nerve centers of the action taken by the participants.
If the facilitator can communicate his happiness of being there at that moment to convey messages that they deem important, the participants will ‘hear’ it, and this will produce a strong and powerful active listening. In simple terms the simulation facilitator is a leader in a team which works to learn.
Such a person is an affirmative and assertive person, a person who passionately believes in himself. So, we are talking about a leader who has no dislikes or likes and who has no weaknesses or ambitions.
Such a person is necessarily a curious person who arouses curiosity in the listener. He is a seeker of truth.
Written by F. Barberio & R.R. Caporusso – Department of Anesthesia and ICU, University of Foggia
