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TRAINING SERVICES

TRAINING PROGRAM

Nelson Facilitation LLC offers a number of courses that increase the effectiveness of natural resource professionals. These courses are offered periodically through a number of different public training programs and can be provided to agencies and organizations for internal staff development.

Classes that are open to the public are offered through several vendors.
Please contact us for offered courses at our email: nelsonfacilitation@gmail.com

For examples of courses taught and who has attended please click here

Facilitation skills for Scientists and Resource Managers
Course Length: 3 Days
Instructor: Jim Nelson and invited associates

Facilitation skills are used by scientists and natural resource managers to form productive teams, plan programs and projects, and to implement controversial projects and programs. Facilitators help groups to communicate productively, honoring diverse points of view and respectfully creating options that provide the richest suite of benefits for all.

The success or failure of programs and projects often depends on the support of a variety of interested parties--staff, management, agencies, environmental groups, the general public, and other stakeholders - with diverse perspectives. Productive communication among project stakeholders is essential for successful implementation. In some cases, worthy projects have been blocked by disenchanted stakeholders who felt they had no voice or had been treated badly by public officials. Perhaps as bad is a missed opportunity because of the loss of meaningful participation that could have improved a project's design and implementation.

This course is intended to be a practical approach to improving group meetings. It is oriented specifically to the needs of scientists and resource managers. After practicing basic facilitation skills, the class is tailored to the students' development needs. Participants will be asked to complete a pre-workshop skills profile. Students are presented with a wide array of tools and opportunities to practice new facilitation skills.

Course Topics:

  • Perspectives - Why doesn't everyone think like me?
  • Meetings - Different meetings for different needs
  • Roles and Responsibilities - Who wears what hat?
  • Planning Meetings - Assessing needs, clarifying objectives, and purpose
  • Process and Content - The two parts of effective meetings
  • Logistical considerations - The right room, the right set up
  • Basic Facilitator Skills - Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Skills
  • Basic Facilitation Processes and Their Uses - Use the right process
  • A facilitator's tool kit - Tools that make meetings better and easier
  • Managing Group Dynamics - Tracking and assessing audience needs
  • Skills practice and feedback - Creating a safe place to explore
  • Discussion on challenges - How to prevent or deal with problems

Environmental Negotiations for Scientists and Resource Managers
Course length: 3 days
Instructor: Jim Nelson and invited associates

This 3-day course helps attendees to improve skills for effectively participating in environmental negotiations. This course provides basic negotiation skills and a framework for participants to grow into successful negotiators. Participants will learn simple processes to prepare for negotiations and reinforce skills through practice negotiations of increasing complexity. Negotiation simulations are used to provide a fun and safe way to learn negotiation principles. In addition, participants are encouraged prepare for upcoming negotiations during this course. This course emphasizes using principled negotiation approaches that fit any situation. The attendees are taught to recognize commonly encountered tactics and are taught productive responses.

Environmental negotiations are often more challenging than other negotiations because of technical complexity, regulatory requirements, interest from many parties, and often, the emotional responses to issues. Skills taught in this class help many reduce anxiety about negotiating while helping to achieve successful outcomes. Course materials provide useful tools for future negotiations.

Course Topics

  • Negotiation defined
  • A balancing act.- Process, substance and relationship
  • How do environmental negotiations differ from normal negotiations?
  • My negotiation style. Where is my comfort zone? How do I work with different negotiation styles?
  • Multiple issues - multiple parties. A problem or an opportunity?
  • How can I prepare? - Clarifying interests, alternatives, and strategies.
  • How do I structure a negotiation? - Convening, opening, bargaining, closure.
  • Getting there. - Options, Packages, criteria, objective evaluation.
  • Lone Ranger or team. - Managing your side of the table.
  • "They don't play fair." - Recognizing and managing tricks and tactics.
  • Communication is a key. - Using the power of verbal and non-verbal skills.
  • Writing sustainable agreements.
  • Managing Scientific and Technical Information.
  • Third Party Assistance. When we need an objective neutral party to assist.

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FACILITATION SERVICES

Facilitation is the process of helping groups, or individuals, to learn, find a solution, or reach a consensus, without imposing or dictating an outcome. Facilitation works to empower individuals or groups to learn for themselves or find their own answers to problems without control or manipulation.

Facilitation is used in a variety of contexts including training, experimental learning, conflict resolution, and negotiation. Facilitators act in service to the group.

We provide meeting facilitation services to support a range of meeting objectives.

Each meeting is designed to meet the needs of your specific group.
Pre-meeting effort is placed on identifying objectives and processes that will create the outcomes you seek.

We can help you with:
Meeting Facilitation
Public Meetings
Project Scoping
Technical Review
Work Group Organization
Strategic Planning

Meeting Services Include:

  • Assessment of interests, client and participant
  • Meeting planning
  • Clarifying meeting purposes and objectives
  • Meeting planning and design of agenda and processes
  • Preparation of displays
  • Management of technology (projectors, public address systems, etc.)
  • Conducting meetings so that each participant's comments and viewpoints are heard and understood by the others
  • Evaluation
  • Documentation
  • Recommendations for follow-up and implementation

Types of Meetings We Facilitate

  • Public meetings on natural resource issues
  • Scoping meetings for NEPA and CEQA processes
  • Project planning for interagency (or internal multi-function) groups
  • Program planning
  • Strategic planning for programs or issues
  • Collaborative group efforts
  • Technical workshops
  • Recovery team meetings
  • All-staff meetings and retreats
  • "Team building"
  • Focus groups
  • Database planning and design

© Copyright 2010 Nelson Facilitation All Rights Reserved. Webmaster Martin Horn at Martin Horn Creative Media. Contact at mh@martinhornmusic.com