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Greetings!
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 Are your meetings engaging and participatory or do people sit passively by sharing information only when asked? This month's feature article "Participatory Attitudes and Key Principles of Applying Participatory Methods/Tools" will give you the foundational information you need when going from passive to participatory. Our regular columns include: Technology Tools and Tips where you will learn about the virtual collaboration tool Huddle. Or visit our DiSC Savvy corner and learn about the "S" style and take a look at the Facilitator's Toolkit and learn the steps in keeping your meetings on track by using the Parking Lot. This months Facilitator/Trainer highlight is on Robin Amadei. Robin has been a associate of Collaborative Connections since our inception. I met Robin working on my Master Degree at DU where she is their main instructor for courses on Mediation in the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Certificate Program and new 40 hour Mediation Certificate Program.  Robin is not only an excellent Mediator and Trainer she is an excellent Facilitator.
Her mission is to help people become excellent communicators
and problem solvers so that they are empowered to resolve conflict, enhance
skills, meet goals for success, and move ahead in their lives. Robin provides training for corporations and
the government in the areas of conflict management, negotiation skills,
facilitation, mediation skills, diversity, and effective communication. Robin's mediation practice is focused
primarily in the employment (government and private sector), real estate, and
business areas, as well as in family disputes.
A significant portion of her practice is devoted to facilitating public
policy and organizational meetings in a variety of areas. She is certified as an administrator of the
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and uses this instrument to enhance organizational
teamwork. If you need an expert for dealing with conflict and difficult issues Robin brings a wealth of expertise to your organization.
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| Participatory Attitudes and Key Principles of Applying Participatory Methods/Tools
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Generally
speaking, participation is a collective action aimed at achieving
a common objective; it means "taking part" and "getting
involved". The main task of the facilitator
is therefore to encourage and involve people in the process/activity.
In a participatory
process, groups share knowledge, ideas, opinions, votes,
materials, labor, finances etc., in order to reach a common
agreement or reach joint decisions in a transparent way.
There are
different levels of participation, ranging from passive participation,
where people are involved merely by providing information to others
or being told what is going to happen, to active participation/self-mobilization
where people take initiatives independently from external institutions.
Empowerment
describes a progressive process of participation that enables
local stakeholders to take initiative and work actively
in their own interest. This goes far beyond simply widening access
to decision making. It implies making people understand the
reality of their situation, reflect on the factors that influence
the situation, and - most critically - take steps to effect changes
to improve it.
When applying or implementing
participatory methods/approaches/tools, it is of utmost importance
not only to know how a particular participation technique is applied,
but also to understand the key principles that lie behind the technique
and which attitudes are necessary to enhance a participatory process.
Participatory
Attitudes
1. Every
idea counts / everybody's view counts
A simple fact,
neglected by many persons, is to recognize that different individuals
and groups have - according to their respective background - different
perceptions and thus assess situations differently, which then
leads them to different actions. This applies
to each and every single person - including facilitators and promoters
of participatory processes. Everyone's view is heavy with interpretation,
bias and prejudice which implies that there are multiple descriptions
and interpretations of real world phenomena, events and actions..
Accepting
this, leads to an understanding which is a necessary basis for
all participatory processes: everyone is different and can offer
important contributions to a process, as their views can complement others, although they may look worthless or provocative
at first sight. Remember:
Where everybody thinks the same, there is not much thinking!
2. The learning attitude
Facilitators
involved in participatory
processes should adopt a learning attitude, through which they
learn from the persons/groups they are working with - rather than
a teaching or preaching attitude. This "learning
attitude" can be enhanced by acknowledging the person or groups' experiences
in and knowledge of their own context and living conditions,
by considering them as experts in dealing with their own situation
and problems. Thus the role of a facilitator is to enhance
the involvement of all concerned persons or groups by supporting processes
(such as investigation, analysis and evaluation of problems,
constraints and opportunities, and making informed and timely
decisions).
3. Transparency
Participatory
decision-making requires readiness to reach a "win-win" outcome if at all possible. An atmosphere of mutual trust is
the basis for constructive co-operation and transparency
by all stakeholders and is a basic requirement.
Transparency
will help to avoid hidden agendas and suspicion amongst different
parties and thus to prevent situations in which all parties try
to protect their own interests rather than finding the most suitable outcome for all parties involved.
4. Flexibility
Being open
to other people's ideas and opinions is often the most difficult
aspect of participatory processes. Often,
their views may be difficult to understand and contradictory
or incompatible with one's own ideas and beliefs. Accepting
this reality requires a high degree of flexibility, as well as courage
to set aside for a moment one's own perception and neutrally
follow the process, being ready to rethink and replan at any stage,
if necessary.
Key
Principles of
Applying Participatory Methods and Tools
1. Leading
to action and debate about change
Participatory
processes lead to debates about desired changes in existing conditions
and hence changes in the perceptions of the actors and their readiness
to contemplate action. The process of joint analysis and dialogue
helps to define desired changes and seeks to motivate people
to implement them. This action includes local institution-building
and strengthening, thus increasing the capacity of people to initiate
collective self-help action aimed at improving their own futures.
2. Iterative
Action and Stepwise Analysis
Participation
is an iterative process which should continue throughout
the project cycle. Decisions and agreements should be revisited
periodically and checked for validity, and adjusted to changes
that may have occured in the situations or needs in
the meantime. This implies
that analytical processes should follow a stepwise procedure.
That means: to focus on general information gathering in the beginning,
then on specific topics, and finally enter into a detailed
(in-depth) analysis of local problems, needs and potentials. Additionally,
the facilitation team should constantly review their findings
in order to determine in which direction to proceed.
3. Multiple
perspectives / triangulation
Once the different
points of view have been taken into consideration, the output
of the analysis or discussion will provide a more complete and
accurate picture of the situation under review.
Therefore, when trying to facilitate a participatory process,
one should seek to mix team composition, tools and techniques,
as well as sources of information and interest groups.
4. Flexibility
in applying instruments and choosing degree of precision
There is no
a recipe nor blueprint on how to facilitate participatory processes.
Methods and tools should not be used mechanically but should be
context specific and appropriate to address the question or topic under
discussion. The selection of a particular tool should also be determined
by the specific characteristics of the society/community/ group
the participation team is working with. For example,
the aim of participatory problem analysis is not to achieve absolute accuracy
(one does not have to know/discuss everything), but an appropriate
or adequate degree of precision. In order to determine what is
"adequate", facilitators should ask themselves "What kind of information
is required, for what purpose, and how much information will people
need for their analysis?"
5. Visual
Sharing
Through visualization
within a participatory process, participants have the opportunity
to follow a discussion easier, especially people with different levels of education or literacy and
people who join a session later than others. Maps, diagrams, rankings
and other forms of visualization tools also promote consensual decision-making
since everybody is able to directly express their opinion on
a chart or on the ground.
6. Group
Learning
Participatory
workshops and other complex participatory processes are best facilitated
by the use of interdisciplinary teams, since the complexity of
most situations will only be revealed through group analysis and
interaction, thus allowing for different experts to contribute.
7. Self-critical
Awareness
Facilitators
of participatory processes have to be extremely careful to constantly
analyze their own biases. This means to constantly reflect upon the phenomena they feel they have perceived, actually heard and
observed and which they have already judged
or interpreted.
Adapted from Authors: FAO (Bernd Seiffert and Anja Katrin Fleig) with permission to reprint.
Source: FAO Participation Website
(http://www.fao.org/Participation/ft_princ.jsp)
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The DiSC Corner
Are You DiSC Savvy?
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In our last two newsletters we explored the "D" and "I" style of behavior, this month we look at the "S." You will notice the "S" or Steady style by their friendliness, cooperation, patience and great teamwork. They care about people and getting the job done which is why they are great to have on your team. When
working with the "S" remember to be friendly, relaxed and calm. S's are steady and move and speak at a slower pace than D's or I's, so slow it down a little. They like security and time to adapt to change. When communicating with the S start with a personal connection, listen to their ideas and don't interrupt. This can be a challenge for you D's and I's who want to jump in and finish their sentences. Appreciate your S's and they will reward you with consistent performance and loyal support. If you are an "S" you can increase your flexibility by learning to delegate more, you don't have to say yes to everyone. Take more risks and expand your comfort zone.
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| Save 15% |
Register for Herding Cats Basic Facilitation Workshop and mention this coupon for a 15% Discount off the full price of the course
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Offer Expires: June 24, 2009
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Public Workshops in Denver:
Herding Cats Basic Facilitation
NEW DATE!
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 Are your meetings like Herding Cats?"
How much time do you spend in meetings? Ineffective
meetings may be costing you time and money? If you
want your meetings to be engaging, focused, purposeful and to produce the
results you want this workshop is for you.
Date: June 24-25, 2009
For more information or to register click here
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| Technology of Participation (ToP) Group Facilitation Methods Workshop
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 Advanced
Skills
Learn three specific methods:
1. Focused Conversation
2. Consensus Workshop
3. Action Planning
September 23-24, 2009 in Denver - Sponsored by ICA Denver
$645.00, Public Sector Discounts available
For more information click here |
| Facilitator's Toolkit |
How do you honor people's comments when clearly they are off topic? THE PARKING LOTThe parking lot is a technique to deal with non-agenda items that arise during meetings and not lose the idea yet still keep the meeting on track.
Steps:
1. Place a flip chart labeled "Parking Lot" on the wall. You can be creative and draw a picture of a parking lot or some other picture to add spice.
2. Keep blank post-it notes on the tables and on the flip chart to record parking lot items as them come up.
3. When issues arise that are off topic thank the person for the comment and suggest this might be a parking lot issue to be dealt with later. Ask the person making the comment or another participant to write down the comment on the a post-it note and put it on the flip chart.
4. At the end of the meeting review each post-it note and decide how and when to address the issue. Options include dealing with the post-it now, putting it on a future agenda, assigning it to a group or individual to take care of, or decide if it's no longer an issue and can be deleted.
5. Include the items and decisions about where they go in your meeting minutes
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Technology Tools & Tips Corner
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Online collaboration tools are exploding in Web 2.0. Many have multiple features which help groups work together virtually. One such collaborative tool is HUDDLE. Huddle is a simple secure online workspace containing powerful project and collaboration tools. You don't need to install any software and they have several plans depending on the storage space and features you want. There is a very robust free version which you can try and see how you like it. Huddle can help you: - Manage Projects
- Share and store files online
- Create and edit documents in Word and Excel online
- Hold group discussions
- Alert members and send out notifications
- Use a whiteboard virtually
- Manage documents and provide automated versioning and audit trails
- Much more
Huddle is being used by business, government and nonprofits. In addition to the free account, prices are low on other accounts and the Huddle Foundation offers free expanded accounts to nonprofits who are approved. Check it out at www.huddle.net, or use this link Check huddle out here |
Quotes to Ponder on Participation:
"Do
more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than
believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive:
forget. Do more than dream: work."
William Arthur Ward
"Conflict cannot survive without your participation." Wayne Dyer
"We
ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But
the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
"The world is too dangerous to live in - not because of the people who do evil, but
because of the people who sit and let it happen."
Albert Einstein
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