Workshop Objectives
Participants will be able to design and facilitate meetings more effectively with lower anxiety and better meeting outcomes. This course is intended to be a practical approach to improving group meetings. It is oriented specifically to the needs of those working with natural resources. Participants 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, 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: maintaining rapport; framing, reframing, and paraphrasing; managing personal states of being
• Basic Facilitation Processes and Their Use - Use the right process: agenda; ground rules; open participation; presenting information; collecting information; analyzing information; decision making; closing the meeting; evaluation
• 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

Intended Audience
Regulatory agency personnel, scientists, non-profit conservation organization personnel, and any others dealing with land use planning, conservation, and natural resource management issues requiring that they organize and implement meetings with workmates, the public, and/or diverse stakeholders.

Outcomes
Participants will be able to design and facilitate meetings more effectively with lower anxiety and better meeting outcomes. Participants will be provided an overview of the competencies required for effective meetings. These competencies include:

• The ability to assess needs and design meetings to serve the purpose of the meeting and the interests of meeting participants.
• Understanding the roles and responsibilities of the facilitator, assist team, meeting leader, participants, etc.
• Managing and facilitating meetings.
• Information gathering and presentation techniques
• Basic visual facilitation techniques
• Decision-making processes
• Evaluation processes

Quotes from Prior Participants:

• Good flow of information, demonstration of flexibility with agendas and awareness of the group's state of being. Best training course I have attended.
• I learned many new skills and perspective and was able to put them into practice during the workshop.
• I thought it was very well organized and prepared. I enjoyed watching the learning in the moment process and really appreciate Jim's flexibility.
• Excellent modeling of skills, great recognition of the value of each participant!
• I liked the opportunity to practice facilitation in small groups and be surrounded by great people.

Workshop Objectives
Participants will develop a greater understanding of negotiation principles and practices leading to greater confidence and more successful negotiation outcomes. This workshop presents basic negotiation concepts (e.g., Fisher and Ury's "Getting to Yes" series) and specific environmental issue applications. Participants will learn simple processes to prepare for negotiations and reinforce skills through practice negotiations of increasing complexity. This course emphasizes using principled (ethical) negotiation approaches to build trust and relationships. The participants are taught to recognize commonly encountered tactics and shown productive responses. Instructors will provide examples of successful negotiations

Course Topics

• Basic negotiation concepts and terminology
• The difference between simple negotiations and complex environmental negotiations.
• How to prepare and be ready to negotiate before bargaining begins.
• How to clarify your interests and alternatives to negotiation to create better outcomes.
• To negotiate in an ethical manner consistent with your principles.
• How to manage negotiations and to work on a negotiation team..
• Improved listening and questioning skills for an improved outcome..
• How to close negotiations with agreements that last.

Intended Audience
This workshop will provide useful tools to the following groups:

• Planners
• Agency representatives
• Scientists
• Land managers
• Supervisors and program managers
• Environmental Groups
• Citizen participants in public processes

* Prior training in negotiations is not necessary.

Outcomes
Participants will be able effectively participate in environmental negotiations. Participants will be exposed to a variety of tools for approaching complex negotiations. With new tools in hand, attendees face future negotiations with many new options for problem solving. Participants will gain the following competencies:

• Confidence in environmental negotiations
• The ability to assess difficult situations and recognize commonly used tactics
• The skills to build trust amongst diverse stakeholders
• Manage difficult situations and individuals

Quotes from Prior Participants

• "Combination of lecture, class participation, and exercise helped reinforce concepts and add an element of confidence to attendees."
• "The instructor and materials were excellent! The interaction was so appropriate and helpful. Not boring, very educational and the group dynamics and participants were awesome!!"
• "Mixture of theory, practice and personal experience."
• "Hands down - instructor practical exercises with relevant content, fantastic guest speakers (were also phenomenal). Opportunity to work with variety of other resource managers is invaluable and all of the participants enriched this experience. Simply incredible!"
• "I loved that all the class participants came from different backgrounds yet we all came together and were open to the learning process."
• "Everything - all senses were used."
• "Real-world exercises."