Needs
Assessment
We like to be well-prepared for
facilitated activities and recommend that all the participants in the
activity be interviewed to determine their goals, concerns, issues and
conflicts with each other; the focus of collecting information is
determined by the overall goals for the workshop. The interviews also
help us maximize our value and effectiveness by allowing us to build
rapport with participants and gather essential information so that we
may clarify issues. In some cases, people outside the participating
group may also be interviewed to provide a larger perspective.
Design
When the needs
assessment is complete, we meet with the client to discuss the overall
approach to the workshop. Every workshop is designed specifically to
meet the needs of the particular work group. Once an approach is agreed
on, we develop and write the final outline for the workshop and see that
it is distributed to all workshop participants.
Workshop
Due to the
sensitivity of the issues that are generally raised during this type of
project, we usually recommend at least two days to work through issues
and develop an action plan. As facilitators during these workshops, our
job is to keep the group focused and on track, as well as build on the
rapport already established through interviews; we work to create a safe
environment where people will begin to speak candidly. A typical
workshop will include all or part of the following elements (although
strategic planning will have a more complex approach):
- Introducing the process
- Opening with an exercise, including a debrief
- Identifying the key issues to be addressed
- Clarifying the meaning of each issue
- Prioritizing issues
- Discussing issues in depth
- Identifying tentative solutions
- Finalizing solutions
- Developing an action plan with dates and
assignments
Action items may include changes in processes,
products, procedures or behaviors. All action items are defined in
sufficient detail that the group is able to give personal examples of
how and when they will carry out the action plan.
Final Report
During the
workshop, every activity is transcribed on flip chart sheets. At the end
of the workshop, participants determine which information they would
like to appear in a final report. Based on this participant input, we
propose a final report that documents the workshop results, including
the action plan. This report is subsequently provided to the client to
be distributed to participants.
