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In recent years, Partners has been running one or two Creative Facilitation courses each year responding to several requests from facilitators who wanted to share in and learn from the Training for Transformation approach to facilitation. The course is intended for those who are experienced facilitators and want to work in more creative ways or for anyone in a management or facilitative roles who wish to enhance their present approach to their work.
The OVERALL FRAMEWORK of the course includes FOUR DIMENSIONS.
Theory
Understanding
Concepts
Ideas
Insights
Frameworks |
Skills
Techniques
Processes
Methods
Inputs
Exercises |
Exploring Experience
Sharing
Reviewing Experience
Case Studies
Identifying Patterns
Identifying Assets |
Self
Who Am I?
What Do I Work Out Of
Values/Beliefs
Learning Styles
Passions
My Facilitations Style |
On the course we attend to four areas: theory, skills, practice/experience and the self. Each of these elements and the interplay between them is essential to good facilitation. It is our experience that in order to work confidently and competently, a facilitator needs
A clear understanding and strong theoretical grasp of what they are about
An ability to articulate what they are doing and why they are doing it
A commitment to the values underlying facilitation and participatory practice
A familiarity with and competence in a wide range of processes and techniques
A willingness to review experience and reflect on practice.
Our aim is to enable participants to be better resourced (be familiar with and be competent in a range of methods) and more resourceful (have an enhanced ability to creatively respond to the demands and challenges of the moment).
Content
The content of what we do is negotiated with the participants so that it is relevant and pertinent to their needs and context. It is also informed by the experience of the course facilitators. Among the themes and issues chosen by previous groups are: designing learning events and resource material for use in adult guidance, understanding key elements in group dynamics and development, decision-making (individual and group), facilitator styles, understanding and managing change and transition, making the most of adult experience in group guidance, creative processes, power issues, managing conflict, promoting participation and inclusion, supporting/nourishing the self etc.
Process
In terms of process we are mindful of three things. We like to facilitate a high level of participation, we recognise that participants will have a variety of different experiences and we are also aware that there will be a diversity of personal learning styles within the group. So we tend to draw from a wide range of methods and resources. These include case studies, personal reflection, structured exercises, role play, reading, group discussion, design work, questionnaires, drama, art, movement etc. There is an emphasis on participants drawing on and sharing their own experience and working on real-life cases and scenarios.
Outcomes
By the end of the course we would see participants as being better resourced and more resourceful. By better resourced we mean that participants will be more competent in the appropriate use of a wide range of methods and processes, more confident and self-assured in their work with groups and individuals and more committed to facilitating adults in a way that is mindful of their rich life experiences. By resourceful we mean an enhanced ability to respond creatively and spontaneously to the often unforeseen and surprising challenges and demands which inevitably arise in work with groups.
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