Organizing effective events and conversations Presentation by Ewen Le Borgne Komms Klinic session

1. Organizing effective events and conversations Presentation by Ewen Le Borgne Komms Klinic session ILRI Ethiopia, 20 April 2012

3. Overview • What are we talking about? • Basic ingredients • Effective conversations • Effective events • Need a Komms Klinic session?

4. 1. What are we talking about? • Professional face-to-face conversations • Meetings, workshops, events… • And what’s going on around them • What makes a conversation effective? Let’s find out!

5. 1. What are we talking about?

6. 2. Basic ingredients • Clear purpose and outcomes • Great content • A clear, flexible process • The right people • Strong logistics • Learning and follow up

7. 2. Basic ingredients • Three activity phases • Design and organize (prepare) • Facilitate and manage (collaborate) • Document, capitalize and follow up (archive and act)

9. 3. Effective conversations • What makes an effective conversation? • Inviting • Relevant • Outcome-oriented • Mutually beneficial • What about events???

10. 4. Effective events • Design & thinking • Content • Process • Participants & facilitators • Venue, set-up, equipment… • Results

11. 4.1 Effective events: Design and thinking • Achieve clear purpose and outcomes • Mind the BOSSY HERALD!

12. 4.1 Effective events: Design and thinking • Big picture • Ownership • Sharpness • Spectrum • Yearnings

13. 4.1 Effective events: Design and thinking • How-to & heuristics • Extent • Running the event • Attendance • Location • Dynamics

14. 4.1 Effective events: Design and thinking The agenda Outcome-oriented Clear Relevant Integrated Known to all!!! Flexible

15. 4.2 Effective events: (Great) Content • Inputs from previous work (publications) • In various formats? • On the spot inputs • Good questions! • Documentation of insights

16. 4.3 Effective events: (A clear, flexible) Process • What work methods? • Time management • Before–during–after • Adapt for adult learning • Review, learn, improve • Interactive, engaging, dynamic

17. 4.4 Effective events: The right people (participants and facilitators) • The chair • The facilitator • The resource person(s) • The minute-taker • The social reporter • The participants

18. 4.4 Effective events: The right people Authoritative • The chair Sees to the outcomes Timely Respectful

19. 4.4 Effective events: The right people Observing • The facilitator Good communicator Facilitates the process Refrains from intervening Creates a space Dynamic Remains flexible Balances needs

20. 4.4 Effective events: The right people • The resource person(s) Knowledgeable Presents content Good speaker Interested Trustworthy

21. 4.4 Effective events: The right people • The minute-taker Documents the meeting Asks questions Conversant Quick (blind types) Fast (to share minutes)

22. 4.4 Effective events: The right people • The social reporter Conversant Listens carefully Teases out issues and keeps it all in one place Multimedia-savvy Fast Writes well

23. 4.4 Effective events: The right people • The participants Active Motivated Curious Play the game Keen on sharing Humble Respectful

24. 4.5 Effective events: Venue, set-up, equipment (Strong logistics) • Venue: Booked? Capacity? Acoustics? Easy to reach? • Transport All arranged? • Equipment Audio/video? Venue equipment? Test it all out! • Information Does everyone know where to go, what it’s about, whom they will meet, what they’re supposed to do before, during, after?

25. 4.6 Effective events: (Learning and follow up) Results • Learning • New insights? • Critical issues? • Critical questions? • After action review? • Log book?

26. 4.6 Effective events: (Learning and follow up) Results • Documentation and (social) reporting • Live document (Twitter, Yammer, pictures, audio/video, tags) • Capture signals (interviews) • Reflect (blog) • Document and archive (presentations, wiki, web etc.)

27. 4.6 Effective events: (Learning and follow up) Results • Follow-up • Clear commitment • Accessible to-do list & minutes • Check for comments • Double-check understanding • Come back on it next time • Build on it: what’s next?

28. 4.7 Effective events: examples • IPMS Experience-sharing workshop (‘IPMSGTP’) • AgriGender 2011 • AgShareFair • USAid ‘Africa RISING’ design workshops

29. 4.7 Effective events: examples

30. 4.7 Effective events: examples

31. 4.7 Effective events: examples

32. 4.7 Effective events: examples

33. 4.7 Effective events: examples

34. 4.8 Effective events: So what? • Design smartly for maximum impact • Facilitate flexibly and interactively for maximum inputs • Document to maximize outputs, follow-up activities and… • …share information for the best outcomes

35. 5.Need a KommsKlinic session? • We can support you with: • Design • Facilitation • Public speaking • Documentation and social reporting • Contact p.ballantyne@cgiar.org

36. Resources • Every presentation ever (video) • Examples on Maarifa • Organizing meetings effectively • Ewen’s bookmarks on del.icio.us • The chemistry of magical facilitation (1)(2) • An overview of Facilitation techniques • Find support on this and more on the ILRI Comms wiki (FAQ)

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