Workshop Leader Guide: Northwatch Volunteer Skills Workshop
Guide for
Workshop Leaders
Prepared in consultation with
Growing Places
February 2007
Table of Contents
1. How to Use this Guide 3
2. Meetings That Work – Effective Meeting Basics 6
Workshop Outline – Effective Meetings 6
Workshop Leader Detailed Guide 8
Introduction of Workshop & Facilitator 8
Introductions of Group 8
Ground Rules 9
Meeting Preparation 9
Facilitation 10
Meeting Follow Up 15
Workshop Evaluation 15
Materials Needed: 16
Resources 17
3. Getting Your Message Across – Effective Communication 18
Workshop Outline 18
Workshop Leader Detailed Guide 19
Introduction of Workshop & Facilitator 19
Introductions of Group 19
Ground Rules 20
General Communications 20
Basic Communications Planning 21
Workshop Evaluation 26
Materials Needed: 27
Resources 27
4. Growing Your Group – Attract & Retain Active Volunteers 28
Workshop Outline 28
Workshop Leader Detailed Guide 29
Introduction of Workshop & Facilitator 29
Introductions of Group 29
Ground Rules 30
Attracting Volunteers 30
Preparing for Volunteers – Are you ready for volunteers? 31
Involving Volunteers 32
Keeping Volunteers 34
Workshop Evaluation 36
Materials Needed: 36
Resources 37
5. Dealing With Differences: Effective Conflict Resolution 38
Workshop Outline 38
Facilitators Detailed Guide – Effective Conflict Resolution 39
Workshop & Facilitator Introduction 39
Introductions of Group 39
Ground Rules 40
Good Conflict and Not-So-Good Conflict 40
Identification of Conflict 41
Steps to Manage Conflict 41
Role Play 46
Workshop Evaluation 49
Materials Needed 49
Resources 49
1. How to Use this Guide
Welcome to the Workshop Leader’s Guide to the Northwatch Volunteer Skills Workshop Series!
There are four workshops in this series:
1. Meetings that Work: Effective Meeting Basics
2. Getting Your Message Across – Effective Communication
3. Growing Your Group – Attract & Retain Active Volunteers
4. Dealing With Differences: Effective Conflict Resolution
These four topics were chosen by Northwatch in response primarily to the challenges met by Local Citizen’s Committees on Forestry. Developed by Northwatch in consultation with Growing Places in order to provide support and training on the “soft” skills required to build and maintain effective groups, including both the LCC, LCC members’ groups and others, this workshop series is focused on developing some of the essential skills volunteers need to be effective in organizations.
Northwatch is a regional environmental non-governmental organization, founded in 1988 to address environmental and related social concerns in Northeastern Ontario. In 2003, Northwatch re-launched the Forest Project, aimed at building skills and experience in forest management planning across Northeastern Ontario. The Project works with Local Citizens Committee members and others interested in forestry conservation and forest management planning, and provides support for the public involvement in the forest management planning process. The Projects goals are:
§ To increase levels of public participation in forest management planning and decisions,
§ To support members of Local Citizens Committees by providing access to information and expert advice, and
§ To develop a network among forest management planning participants across Northeastern Ontario.
This workshop series has been developed in consultation with Anna Gibson-Olajos in order to provide support and training on the “soft” skills required to build and maintain effective groups, including both the LCC, LCC members’ groups and others.
Volunteers are an essential part of countless organizations. The Volunteer Skills Workshops are designed to be delivered as a group, individually, or in whatever combination makes sense for your group. The workshops are free and are open to all members of the public. They can be held in any community in Northeastern Ontario. Each interactive workshop is between 1-2 hours long and handout materials are provided for participants.
These workshops can be delivered as a group of 4, in 2 sessions, or as individual workshops. This guide is designed to help you deliver these workshops after being a participant in a train-the trainer session with Northwatch.
Please read this section as an orientation to the guide.
Workshop Leader Guide Contents and Related Materials
Each workshop section contains the following items:
Workshop Outline
o This is a one or two page outline of the workshop
o The outline sheet is organized as follows:
Time / What / How / Materialso Time: Times for each workshop topic are indicated
o What: What is covered in that section
o How: The method of delivery (brainstorm, go round, what sheets you will refer to)
o Materials: Points you to what to refer to (powerpoint slides, participants worksbook or flip charts)
Tips for Using the Workshop Outline
§ We recommend that you have these sheets separate from the rest of the Guide material while presenting.
§ Please fill in the actual times on this sheet for every workshop you present (ie 9:00am Introduction of Workshop, 9:05 Introductions of Group)
§ Filling in the actual times will give you a guideline and quick visual to adjust your coverage of the different workshop topics to stay within your available time while you are actually delivering the workshop – an easy to read clock or watch will be an essential aid!
§ These times are approximate. Note that the participation level of the group will significantly affect the length of the workshop
§ TIMING TIP – if the workshop is taking less time than indicated, ask more questions. Get the group to participate more. Don’t be afraid of allowing some moments of silence for people to think. If there is a lot of participation and you are going significantly over the times indicated, ask fewer questions, or let the group know that you will only be allowing 5 minutes of discussion to stay in time.
Workshop Leader Detailed Guide
o This guide contains the detailed presenters notes for these workshops
o There is a section for each workshop. These sections are all laid out in the same way and correspond to the workshop outlines.
§ Each workshop is divided into main topics. You can see these in the Outline as the separate boxes for each main topic. In the Guide, these topics are bold and shaded across the whole line like this:
Introduction of Workshop & Facilitator
§ The segments within these sections are identified in the Outline by bullets and in the Guide by bold, underline and an arrow ð like this:ð Effective Meetings
§ There are Ask: and Brainstorm Activity: icons throughout. These indicate questions to ask the group. The brainstorm activities are usually to be recorded on flip charts. Almost any of these are appropriate to do as a brainstorm if you need more time.
o Reference answers (if the group doesn’t come up with many) are usually included in italics under the questions.
o References to the power point and workbooks are in bold, italic and highlight like this.
Materials Needed
o This is important to check several days in advance of your workshop to be sure you have time to assemble and print and prepare everything you will need.
Resources
o This material is good to review before leading the workshop. It will provide a good refresher for you before you present the workshop.
Enjoy!
2. Meetings That Work – Effective Meeting Basics
Workshop Outline – Effective Meetings
Time / What / How / Materials5 min / Introduction of workshop & Facilitator / Name, background,
agenda overview, housekeeping / PP slide 1
PP slide 2
10 min / Introductions of group / Pairs intro - Go round
3 questions / PP slide 3
5 min / Ground Rules / Present list on flip chart / Flip chart,
WB pg 3
10 min
10 min
15 min / Meeting Preparation
Brainstorm – Why do we have meetings?
Brainstorm - what makes a meeting effective?
- what makes a meeting not effective?
Effective Meetings – Setting up a Meeting
§ Review Set Up Meetings sheet together
§ TIMING!!
§ Questions?
Agenda Activity
§ Fill in Meeting Agenda sheet in pairs
§ Discussion / Questions / First Group brainstorm
Group brainstorm on flipchart
(1 topic per flip chart)
Go through page points
Pairs or individual work (depending on group size) / Flip chart
Flip chart
WB pg 2
WB pg 3+
15 min
25 min / Facilitation
Ground rules – did this at beginning of session
What is facilitation?
§ Process vs content focus – mostly
§ Chair as facilitator
§ Roles in meetings - provides clarity of expectations, guidelines and accountability
§ Session outline – process focus, moving
Facilitation Tools
§ Brainstorm – what are some tools?
§ Do your groups use any or all of these tools?
· Agenda setting – different ways
· Flip charts – great tool!
· Brainstorming – how do we do this?
· Decision making process
o Discuss options
o Consensus
o Roberts Rules
§ Dealing with differences – can’t avoid conflict as ongoing strategy / Point out process
Present Content/Process
Refer to Meeting Roles
Refer to Session Outline
Ask for input – brainstorm
Agenda exercise (if time)
Refer to Flip Chart tips
Ask how we do this
Refer to Decision Processes
Optional slide
Optional slides
Brief discussion – refer to next workshop / WB pg 3
WB pg 4
WB pg 5
WB pg 6
WB3, PP4-6
WB pg 7
PP 7-9
WB pg 8
PP slide 10
PP 11-12
15 min / Meeting Follow Up – Essential!
Minutes
§ Who’s group takes effective minutes?
§ What is effective?
Action Items
§ Who has effective action items?
§ What is effective? / Sample Minutes / PP 13-17
5 min / Workshop Evaluation / Hand out Evaluation forms / Hand out
PP slide 18
1:50
min
Workshop Leader Detailed Guide
Introduction of Workshop & Facilitator
Welcome the participants to the workshop. Get people settled in. Refer to PP slide 1
§ Introduce yourself – include affiliation with Northwatch, your group(s), relevant skills, experience and training for this workshop.
§ Introduce the title of the workshop and explain the Northwatch Forest Project Volunteer Workshop Series
§ Go over the Workshop Outline Refer to PP slide 2
Workshop Development Background:
Northwatch is a regional environmental non-governmental organization, founded in 1988 to address environmental and related social concerns in Northeastern Ontario. In 2003, Northwatch re-launched the Forest Project, aimed at building skills and experience in forest management planning across Northeastern Ontario. The Project works with local citizens committee members and others interested in forestry conservation and forest management planning, and provides support for the public involvement in the forest management planning process. The Projects goals are:
§ To increase levels of public participation in forest management planning and decisions,
§ To support members of Local Citizens Committees by providing access to information and expert advice, and
§ To develop a network among forest management planning participants across Northeastern Ontario.
This workshop series has been developed in consultation with Anna Gibson-Olajos, Principle Consultant of Growing Places in order to provide support and training on the “soft” skills required to build and maintain effective groups, including both the LCC and LCC members’ groups and others.
Why we do these Workshops: These workshops are designed to support community groups in building their organizations and skill level.
Housekeeping
Tell the group what they need to know to meet their basic needs: bathrooms, break times, food, smoking areas, etc.
Introductions of Group
Use an interactive activity to have people get to know each other. Even if they have been in a group together for some time, there can still be some opportunity to get to know different things about each other. Refer to PP slide 3
If this is a workshop being presented with other workshops, take some more time to do this in the initial session.
§ Have pairs talk for a few minutes, with 3 questions as a guide for everyone to ask & answer.
§ Have them introduce each other. Have them use written notes to help remember.
If time is short, you can have each person introduce themselves using the guided questions (though this does not really help break the ice in a group that does not know each other!)
Ground Rules
§ Talk about why ground rules are so important. They are a contract with the facilitator that sets up the way in which people agree to conduct themselves in a meeting/workshop. Once these are made overt and clear, it is much easier for the facilitator (or others in the group) to bring up behaviour that does not follow these agreements.
§ Present the prepared list of ground rules on flip chart paper – refer to pre-prepared flip chart list
Ask: Are there are any points here that the group would like to change or remove?
Ask: Do you all agree to follow these for the workshop?
§ Get active agreement
§ Post this on flip chart paper on the wall where all can see
Meeting Preparation
ð Brainstorm Activity: Why do we have meetings?
§ Probe with the kinds of meetings they have attended and the purpose of those meetings.
§ Write the responses down on a flip chart – post
ð Brainstorm Activity: What makes a meeting effective? Not effective? Probe with the kinds of meetings they enjoyed and the kinds they didn’t. What happened? What was different?
§ Record on flip charts
§ Discuss the differences between effective and not effective meetings. How does this relate to why we have meetings?
ð Effective Meetings
§ Present the Setting Up a Meeting sheet – refer to workbook page 2
§ Go through each of the Points on the Sheet (they will get into small groups next)
EMPHASIZE TIMING!!!
1. What: Identify the issue(s) at hand
2. Why: Clarify the purpose of the meeting and its objective(s)
3. How: Create an agenda
§ Agendas are the path to achieving your purpose and objective(s)
§ Prioritize and design process
§ Set time limits
§ Circulate ahead of time (ask for input?)
4. Who: Determine who needs to be at the meeting
§ Who needs to hear this information?
§ Who needs to be there to make a decision?
§ Whose buy in is needed to move forward?
5. When & Where: Choosing the time, booking the room. What factors are important for this group and this meeting? How far in advance does notice have to go out?