Facilitation, Training and Communication
Learning from my elders and betters
I love to teach and learn and always try to integrate some form of training/mentoring into everything I do. I had done a lot of teaching during and immediately after finishing my PhD - lab demonstrations, teaching on field courses, student supervision and the odd lecture. I got the chance to build on this base with some contract work to teach at Bournemouth University and Birkbeck College (University of London). Many of those I taught were mature students, who for a variety of reasons, had not gone to university straight after school. This group came from diverse backgrounds, had a great deal of life experience and had sacrificed a lot to return to education. Not surprisingly they were extremely motivated to learn and wanted to actively participate in their education. With this in mind, It was clear to me, therefore, that my erstwhile chalk and talk style had to evolve into something more interactive. I began to learn about the power of participatory facilitation approaches!!
Discovering discovery-based learning
I had the opportunity to develop these skills further in 1995 during my four months in the Philippines working as a volunteer farmer trainer in farmer field schools (FFS). FFS were pioneered in South-East Asia to help farmers to farm in an environmentally sensitive manner, notably by reducing pesticide use though integrated pest management (IPM). FAO defines IPM as "the careful consideration of all available pest control techniques and subsequent integration of appropriate measures that discourage the development of pest populations and keep pesticides and other interventions to levels that are economically justified and reduce or minimize risks to human health and the environment. IPM emphasizes the growth of a healthy crop with the least possible disruption to agro-ecosystems and encourages natural pest control mechanisms."
The FFS approach was quite radical when it was first implemented in the 1980s and was still fairly novel in the 1990s when many experts still emphasised top-down recipe book-type approaches to farmer training. In contrast, the FFS approach emphasises participatory learning underpinned by the simple premise that people learn better by doing (experiential or discovery-based learning) than being told what do! The approach also emphasises the fact that we all bring something to the table – “nobody knows everything and everybody knows something.” The FFS approach is the perfect illustration of the potential of bespoke combinations of top-down and bottom-up approaches for effective learning and sustainable development. The bottom line is that it works! Following their FFS experience farmers to were making informed decisions about pesticide use leading to healthier crops, healthier farmers and healthier bank balances.
Getting through The Groan Zone
Following my experience in the Philippines, I have always tried to include a strong participatory and discovery-based learning component in all the training, facilitation, planning, management, monitoring and evaluation, and communication work I have undertaken … and in my home life. In other words I have tried to include a strong participatory and discovery-based learning component in all of my non-routine interactions! This approach has not always gone down well initially as it can take people out of their comfort zones. I have learned a few facilitation concepts and tools over the years to help ease this discomfort but the facilitation/group dynamics concept that has had the most powerful impact on me to date is the idea of “the groan zone” so clearly explained in Sam Kaner et al.’s (2007) Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making aka “The Facilitators Bible”.
Kaner et al. describe the Diamond of Participatory Decision Making (illustrated below) as a model to represent the process whereby decision-making by consensus is built.
I love to teach and learn and always try to integrate some form of training/mentoring into everything I do. I had done a lot of teaching during and immediately after finishing my PhD - lab demonstrations, teaching on field courses, student supervision and the odd lecture. I got the chance to build on this base with some contract work to teach at Bournemouth University and Birkbeck College (University of London). Many of those I taught were mature students, who for a variety of reasons, had not gone to university straight after school. This group came from diverse backgrounds, had a great deal of life experience and had sacrificed a lot to return to education. Not surprisingly they were extremely motivated to learn and wanted to actively participate in their education. With this in mind, It was clear to me, therefore, that my erstwhile chalk and talk style had to evolve into something more interactive. I began to learn about the power of participatory facilitation approaches!!
Discovering discovery-based learning
I had the opportunity to develop these skills further in 1995 during my four months in the Philippines working as a volunteer farmer trainer in farmer field schools (FFS). FFS were pioneered in South-East Asia to help farmers to farm in an environmentally sensitive manner, notably by reducing pesticide use though integrated pest management (IPM). FAO defines IPM as "the careful consideration of all available pest control techniques and subsequent integration of appropriate measures that discourage the development of pest populations and keep pesticides and other interventions to levels that are economically justified and reduce or minimize risks to human health and the environment. IPM emphasizes the growth of a healthy crop with the least possible disruption to agro-ecosystems and encourages natural pest control mechanisms."
The FFS approach was quite radical when it was first implemented in the 1980s and was still fairly novel in the 1990s when many experts still emphasised top-down recipe book-type approaches to farmer training. In contrast, the FFS approach emphasises participatory learning underpinned by the simple premise that people learn better by doing (experiential or discovery-based learning) than being told what do! The approach also emphasises the fact that we all bring something to the table – “nobody knows everything and everybody knows something.” The FFS approach is the perfect illustration of the potential of bespoke combinations of top-down and bottom-up approaches for effective learning and sustainable development. The bottom line is that it works! Following their FFS experience farmers to were making informed decisions about pesticide use leading to healthier crops, healthier farmers and healthier bank balances.
Getting through The Groan Zone
Following my experience in the Philippines, I have always tried to include a strong participatory and discovery-based learning component in all the training, facilitation, planning, management, monitoring and evaluation, and communication work I have undertaken … and in my home life. In other words I have tried to include a strong participatory and discovery-based learning component in all of my non-routine interactions! This approach has not always gone down well initially as it can take people out of their comfort zones. I have learned a few facilitation concepts and tools over the years to help ease this discomfort but the facilitation/group dynamics concept that has had the most powerful impact on me to date is the idea of “the groan zone” so clearly explained in Sam Kaner et al.’s (2007) Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making aka “The Facilitators Bible”.
Kaner et al. describe the Diamond of Participatory Decision Making (illustrated below) as a model to represent the process whereby decision-making by consensus is built.
The divergent zone represents an early stage when ideas are being generated and diverse points of view sought. Misunderstanding and miscommunication are likely where the subject is complex and the group is diverse and divergence inevitably transitions into the Groan Zone where participants struggle to understand the perspectives of others and fear that their own point of view is not being heard. Introducing Kaner et al.’s model from the outset and acknowledging and honouring the creative tension of the Groan Zone has helped me, and the groups I have worked for, to keep with the process and tolerate the stress in order to discover common ground that is the basis for participatory decision making. I only wish I had discovered and learned to embrace the Groan Zone before 2009!!
Some of the training, facilitation and communication activities I have been involved in are listed below.
Some of the training, facilitation and communication activities I have been involved in are listed below.
2017
2017 2016-present 2016 2016 2015 2015 2014-2015 2014
2014 2013 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2010 2010 |
Trainer: Introduction to Reference Management Software, Mauritius (click here for the workshop PowerPoint presentation, 2700 KB).
Trainer: Adobe Lightroom, Mauritius (click here for the workshop PowerPoint presentation, 25300 KB). Training team member (with Richard Smith and Goele Scheers): Development of courses in Outcome Harvesting. Facilitator: Outcome Harvesting Training for the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Group. Trainer: Development and facilitation of a comprehensive IAS management training course in Sri Lanka. Trainer: Training of Trainers in detection, diagnostics and monitoring of biological invasions, and the development of a manual in detection, diagnostics and monitoring in Cameroon. Trainer: Image Manipulation and Organisation Workshop, Mauritius. (click here for the workshop PowerPoint presentation, 25200 KB). Consultant: Development of a Training Needs Assessment for Protected Area Network Management in Mauritius. Development of a Training Needs Assessment for Protected Area Network Management in Mauritius.
Facilitator: Capacity-building workshop for Small Island Developing States to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 9 on invasive alien species organised by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity – Montreal, Canada. Facilitator: Cameroon Biosecurity Project species listing, database and monitoring workshop - Yaoundé, Cameroon. Facilitator: Workshop on the use of Appreciative Inquiry to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Centre for Pollination Studies (India) - University of Calcutta (click here for the workshop PowerPoint presentation, 10147 KB). Facilitator: Developing a project planning monitoring and evaluation system for the Cameroon Biosecurity Project - Yaoundé, Cameroon (click here for project partner workshop PowerPoint presentation, 11928 KB). Facilitator: Developing a planning monitoring and evaluation system for the Centre for Pollinator Studies (India) - Exeter, UK (click here for CPS Webinar PowerPoint presentation, 8454 KB). Trainer: Biological invasions, prevention and control - Yaoundé, Cameroon (click here for training course programme, 226 KB). Workshop Facilitator: Building BioNET's future - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (click here for report, 3302 KB). Workshop Facilitator: Development of a communication strategy for BioNET-EAFRINET - Nairobi, Kenya (440 KB). Trainer: Introduction to interactive taxonomic keys for staff of the National Museums of Kenya - Nairobi, Kenya (click here for training course programme, 224 KB). Lead Developer: BioNET-EAFRINET keys and fact sheets for invasive plants, bee species and maize pests in East Africa. Trainer: Outcome Mapping training course for conservation practitioners in Kenya - Nairobi, Kenya (click here for training course programme, 222 KB). Facilitator: Development of a strategic plan for BioNET-EAFRINET - Kampala, Uganda (359 KB) (click here for a two page summary (147 KB). |
2010
2010 2009 2009 2008 |
Facilitator: Development of a strategic planning framework for BioNET-ASEANET - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (514 KB)
Facilitator: Strategy meeting of BioNET-NAFRINET - Tunis, Tunisia (click here for report, 313 KB) Facilitator: Project development workshop for the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity - Nairobi, Kenya (click here for report, 2023 KB) Facilitator: BioNET global strategic planning meeting - London, UK (click here for report, 668 KB) Trainer: Training course on the economic analysis of invasive species - Dakar, Senegal (click here for training course programme, 112 KB) |
2005
2004 2003 2002 2001-2002 1997-2001 1996-1999 1995 1994-1995 1994-1995 1993-1995 |
Trainer: Training course in invasive alien species management in the Southern and Eastern African Region - Maputo, Mozambique (click here for report, 668 KB)
Trainer: Pilot training course in invasive alien species management for delivery in the Southern and Eastern African Region - Nairobi, Kenya (click here for training course programme, 112 KB) Organiser and Lead Facilitator: Regional workshop on invasive alien species and terrestrial ecosystem rehabilitation for Western Indian Ocean Island States - Mahé, Seychelles (click here for workshop proceedings, 3355 KB) Lead Facilitator: Consultative stakeholder workshop for the production of National Capacity Self Assessment project proposal to evaluate capacity levels in biodiversity conservation in Mauritius - Port Louis, Mauritius Trainer: Development of Global Environment Facility project proposals and logical frameworks for stakeholders in the Indian Ocean Region - Mauritius Lead Facilitator: Biodiversity assessment workshops for students and practitioners - Réduit, Mauritius: Topics taught included environmental science, vascular plant biology, pure and applied entomology, conservation biology, ecology, and mathematics for biologists Lecturer in Biological Sciences - University of Mauritius: Volunteer Farmer Trainer: FAO Regional Vegetable IPM program - Luzon, Minanao and Cebu Islands, Philippines Part-time Lecturer in Environmental Sciences - University of Bournemouth: Topics taught included landscape restoration, insect pest management and environmental monitoring and impact assessment Part-time Lecturer in Biological Sciences - Birkbeck College, University of London: Facilitated field courses in ecology and biodiversity monitoring. Trainer: Led three week-long environmental studies courses for sixth formers at Villiers Park Educational Trust, Cambridge |