Meetings are foundational to cooperative culture.
2
levels
of learning
Thane Joyal
Presenter
“Playing together is the best way to learn. We’ve designed these workshops to allow participants to experiment with different roles and different voices and to have fun doing it.”
“I am committed to helping improve the quality of group discourse. In these workshops we share tools and techniques that are foundational to high quality civic engagement.”
Alma Lowry
Presenter
Facilitation Fundamentals
Tools and Techniques for Novice Facilitators
YOU can make every meeting you attend better! Facilitation skills are not just for the front of the room: every meeting participant can benefit! Register now and join us for this fun and practical workshop series.
- Tuesday, February 20th – 7:00pm – 8:30pm EST
- Tuesday, February 27th – 7:00pm – 8:30pm EST
- Tuesday, March 5th – 7:00pm – 8:30pm EST
- Tuesday, March 15th – 7:00pm – 8:30pm EST
Cost per participant: $150 for the 4-part series
Intermediate Facilitation Training
Improving Your Skills in Meeting Design and Handling Difficult Dynamics
This workshop is for cooperators who have some facilitation experience but would like to improve their skills. The workshop will include discussion of meeting design, a review of facilitation basics, and discussion of specific techniques to deal with difficult group dynamics or potentially problematic participants. Workshops will emphasize practice and will introduce a range of interventions and tools to help groups engage, listen to each other, focus, and manage time. (4 sessions, 1.5 hours each)
Sessions will include a mix of instruction and interactive learning.
Session Topics
- The “Why” of Facilitation & Structuring Your Conversation
- Basic Facilitation Skills
- Advanced Facilitation I: Engaging and Managing the “Unruly” Group
- Advanced Facilitation II: Handling Difficult Discussions and Discussants
Enrollment is capped at 24 attendees per session to ensure adequate time for practical application of the skills and concepts presented.
Attendees who complete all four sessions will receive a certificate of completion.
- Tuesday, January 23rd: 7:00pm – 8:30pm EST
- Tuesday, January 30th: 7:00pm – 8:30pm EST
- Tuesday, February 6th: 7:00pm – 8:30pm EST
- Tuesday, February 13th: 7:00pm – 8:30pm EST
Cost per participant: $150 for the 4-part series
Testimonials
Alma and Thane put together a really great workshop. Each session was very informative, challenging but also fun and I definitely had to get out of comfort zone—as I had hoped I would have to. Thank you!
I really appreciate this opportunity to learn from Thane and Alma. Both demonstrated exemplary facilitation in this training while providing real opportunities for participants to practice. If only attendees of future meetings I find myself facilitating are as professional and cooperative as my webinar cohort!
I found the workshop “well rounded”. The right amount of presentation, good examples and then practice. It was nice that our practicing time increased with each session of the workshop. I liked being put into the small group with mostly the same participants every time we practiced, which made it less intimidating when it came down to facilitating :)
Facilitation Resources in the Columinate Library
How to Facilitate Board Meetings
Your board’s culture is established, in large measure, by the way board meetings are facilitated. Here are some key tips for facilitating board meetings that will create strong decisions and a board culture your co-op can be proud of.
The Need for Intercultural Dialogue Facilitation
As the country rises in protest around the issue of police brutality and violence against black people in America, the need to have constructive conversations and effective dialogues with those who have differing viewpoints has never been stronger.
Tips for Effective Virtual Meetings
Boards of Directors may find that they need to conduct a board meeting by phone or using some variation of video conferencing technology. As you consider how to make these virtual [...]
Deliberative Improvements: Facilitation Techniques for Meeting Success
From a director’s perspective, what are the core ingredients of a great board meeting? Starting and ending on time probably top the list for most people, followed closely by everybody arriving [...]
Video Field Guide: Tips for Facilitating Board Meetings
Michael Healy and Mark Goehring are shooting the breeze in this casual (and short) video recording featuring some great pointers for boards and meeting facilitators to help get you through your [...]
Great Idea: Hire a Professional Facilitator
Realistically the board president can’t do everything. No matter how strong someone is at the role, having a hired facilitator may give board chairs the opportunity to lead with their strengths [...]