Writing that Influences: e-O&P; Autumn 2010

‘Very useful, made me reconsider my approach when dealing with communities’Brian Dunne (Scottish Natural Heritage) ‘Extremely helpful to go through the whole process of facilitation’Ruth Campbell (Waste Aware Scotland) ‘Lots of meaty content - very engaging!’The Eden Project The need for good local engagement is becoming ever more important as work develops around empowerment and the ‘Big Society’. The CourseThis interactive course will look closely at the roles a facilitator may play and how and when a facilitator’s role may link in to work on longer term community development. It will build the confidence of anyone keen to be a good facilitator and give them a solid basis on which to develop their own skills. Local meetings and engagement processes can too often be un-involving, unproductive and even confrontational. Good facilitation can help tackle these problems and help people to make local discussion and planning an enjoyable and productive process.It is also important for the development of better policy and practice, for understanding local needs and developing more sustainable communities. People attending this course will learn how to:1. How and when to hold meetings and when to use other approaches2. Build a working relationship with an existing organisation or a group of individuals3. Use appropriate tools and techniques4. Develop facilitation work in ways appropriate to a range of diverse communities5. Deal with problematic situations6. Evaluate facilitated processesWho should attend this course?The event will benefit anyone working with groups of people in formal or informal settings. Whether a novice starting out, or an experienced facilitator wishing to expand on their techniques, the course will be tailored to the participants’ needs. 100% of the participants of the last course thought it was ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. Facilitated by:Chris ChurchChris Church has worked in the voluntary sector and as a consultant for over 25 years. He is an experienced advisor on community and sustainable development issues, with a wide range of experience at international, national, and community level. He is an associate of the Community Development Foundation and a member of the London Sustainable Development Commission. Chris is chair of the UK Local Carbon Communities Network. Chris has previously worked with the Community Sector Coalition, the National Trust, BTCV, Defra, Groundwork, the European Union TACIS programme, Surfers Against Sewage and many local councils. He is trained as a teacher and has been developing and running training programmes for 22 years. Cost: £395: Business Rate £288: Large Charities, Public Sector and Small Businesses £130: Small Charities and Independent ConsultantsConcessionary rates available for students, pensioners and unemployed. Please contact Anna at anna@talkaction.org.   Bespoke courses can be arranged for groups at a date and location to suit you. Prices include a vegan/vegetarian lunch, fair-trade refreshments and networking time. For bookings and further information, please contact: Talk Action Anna Hughes Tel: 0207 324 4775 Email: anna@talkaction.org The venue is fully accessible with wheelchair-accessible lavatory facilities. Supported by: Environment Job (www.environmentjob.co.uk). See More