Facilitate
/fəˈsɪləˌteɪt/
verbB2
Definition
Facilitate means to help something happen by making it easier or less difficult. When you facilitate a task, you support or guide it so that people can do it faster or with less trouble. It is often used in work, learning, or group activities.
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See It in Action
To make a task or process easier
- •The new software facilitates communication between team members.
- •Good lighting facilitates reading in a dark room.
- •The guide facilitated the tourists’ visit by explaining the history clearly.
To help organize or lead a group activity or discussion
- •She facilitated the meeting to ensure everyone had a chance to speak.
- •A trained facilitator helped the group solve their problems.
- •The teacher facilitated the class project by providing materials and instructions.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of 'facilitate' like 'help,' but more about making a process easier, not just giving direct help
- ✓Picture a teacher who guides students through a difficult problem, making it simpler for them to understand
- ✓It's the feeling when someone opens a door for you, so you don’t have to struggle to open it yourself
- ✓Sounds like 'fuh-SIL-uh-tate' → imagine a friendly 'facility' (place that makes things easy) helping you move forward
- ✓Think of a meeting where a leader helps everyone talk and share ideas smoothly without problems
- ✓NOT like 'do' (which means to do the task yourself), 'facilitate' means to help others do it easier
- ✓NOT like 'force' (making someone do something), 'facilitate' is gentle help, not pressure
- ✓NOT like 'teach' (giving knowledge), 'facilitate' can include organizing or making things easier, not just teaching
Try Other Words
- •Assist: to give support or aid (Use when you want to say giving direct help)
- •Ease: to make something less difficult (Use when focusing on reducing difficulty)
- •Support: to hold up or help (Use when emphasizing encouragement or backing)
- •Enable: to make possible (Use when focusing on making something happen that could not before)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: 'facil-' (from Latin 'facilis' meaning easy) + '-itate' (a suffix forming verbs)
- •Etymology: From Latin 'facilitare,' meaning 'to make easy'
- •Historical development: Entered English in the early 17th century, originally meaning to make easier or less difficult
- •Modern usage: Commonly used in business, education, and everyday language to describe making tasks or processes easier or smoother
Reflect & Connect
•How can you facilitate learning for someone who finds a subject difficult?
•In what ways can technology facilitate communication in your daily life?
Fill in the blanks
1.The teacher used clear instructions to facilitate ___ learning during the lesson.
2.Good teamwork can facilitate ___ the completion of a project faster and better.
3.Unlike doing the work yourself, to facilitate means to ___ others in doing it more easily.
4.The manager facilitated ___ the meeting so everyone could share their ideas.
5.New tools can facilitate ___ communication by making messages faster and clearer.
6.When a problem is difficult, finding a way to facilitate ___ can reduce stress.
7.Facilitating a discussion often involves helping people listen and ___ to each other.