By Ann Lukens

Attended our Group Facilitation Methods course? Looking to build upon these methods – look no further than our Participatory Strategic Planning course…now scheduled online!

Create strategies and plans in the online world to move forward from these tricky times

WOW!

Requests for online facilitation are ramping up – especially around creating visions, strategies and plans to move forward from these tricky times. Charities, councils, businesses and groups of all kinds are looking for extra support to bring the right people together using the right processes to carve out new paths, new ways forward…  See our mini case study in the box below as well as a range of other case studies here under the Participatory Strategic Planning resources tab.

HOW?

We can help! Our Participatory Strategic Planning Course will run in just a few weeks – it will help you take all you know about the Focused Conversation and the Consensus Workshop methods and turn them into a full strategic planning process starting with a vision and working through to detailed plans to get things started – your organisations/clients will love it! 

During a time when it seems impossible to make decisions around the very moveable future, we can help them to find ways to think about what they need and want, put strategies in place, and take small steps … 

And NOW…

Not only will you get a whole new approach, you will be able to practice it all the way through – ONLINE!  We will support you in enhancing your use of those familiar ToP methods – using current technology and having templates to walk away with to bring to your own organisations and clients.  Currently we will be delivering using Zoom and Mural, with some added extras, and ideas about other possible tools.  

SO…

Why is this the right time and the right course? 

  • You will be practicing the methods you already know (but online!) – this will deepen your understanding of these methods for lots of uses including this one….
  • You will learn a new approach that will support face to face work when we finally get there…(your trainers have been using this method for over 20 years face-to-face)
  • AND you will have the opportunity to take it online – as noted, your trainers have recent experience using it with councils and organisations doing covid recovery planning and more…and they will share those experiences with you
  • Your clients (or organisations) will be relieved to have concrete and engaging processes that help put some structure around their futures …  and bring in lots of people even when they can’t sit at a table together.

SIGN UP!

Book your place as soon as you can here. We will send some early information so you can have a look at some tools and then get you busy on the course putting things into action with full support…  

We can’t wait to see you…

‘During the first Covid-19 lockdown Nailsworth Town Councillors observed that there was a marked increase in community involvement, cohesion and spirit in their town which they very much wished to harness and incorporate into their ongoing strategic plan. Over the period of four weeks, eight town councillors and three employees with the aid of a facilitator and facilitator/producer, came together online to agree a post Covid-19 vision, identify potential blocks and barriers, recognise the resources (both financial, people and material) they have at their disposal, identify their key strategic directions and produce a plan of the necessary actions required to deliver their vision over the next year. A total of four two-hour online sessions were run, using Zoom as the main platform. Data was collected using Google docs and Mural. The process produced four clear strategic directions plus a detailed Quarter One Action Plan that have enabled the town council to begin to effectively and flexibly plan a post Covid-19 strategy for their community. The planning continues as they face more tricky moments in the months ahead…’