Last week I facilitated the “ Impact Leadership Track ” at the NTEN Leading Change Summit with John Kenyon, Elissa Perry, and Londell Jackson. The Leading Change Summit was more intimate (several hundred people), participatory and interactive, intense, and stimulating. Here’s what I learned: Facilitation Teams. A good facilitator knows how to shift or tweak the lesson plan in real time if it isn’t working as planned. Photo by Trav Williams. MORE

Going beyond content delivery, I also use a lot of participatory and hands-on learning techniques to help students gain a deeper understanding. As a long-time trainer, professor, and teacher, I feel strongly that interactive learning activities – going beyond the death by Powerpoint Lecture – is the key to retention and application for participants. Your room set up can support your instructional activities that engage participants or get in the way. Training Design MORE

Last week I was in Chicago to facilitate a session as part of Knight Digital Media Center’s Digital Strategy for Community Foundations and Nonprofits workshop. Lee Rainie, Director, Internet & American Life Project, Pew Research Center took us through the impact that the use of online digital tools is having on us personally, professionally, and society. His presentation was called “Personal, Portable, Participatory, and Pervasive.” MORE

Recently, a colleague asked me a wonderful question: How did you learn to become a good facilitator and trainer? Evaluate your content, facilitation, and logistical skills against participant evaluations. Conferences are a great opportunity to take workshops and observe the facilitator’s techniques. Many of us do this and take content notes, but it is also great to take notes about instructional design and facilitation techniques. MORE

In a couple of weeks, one of the sessions I’m facilitating at the Nonprofit Technology Conference in San Jose is called “ How To Be A Wizard at Tech Training.” Our session will change the way you design and deliver technology trainings. Whether you are facilitating a session with your board, staff, or hundreds of folks in a room, you’ll find ways to design instructional content that interests, engages, and inspires action. Peer Learning Design. MORE

As a trainer and now adjunct professor, I’m constantly working on and honing these skills sets: assessment, instructional design, curriculum/materials development, presenting, facilitation, and evaluation. There is a lot of learn and refine in each of these areas. And that’s why I love teaching and training because it is all about the learning for both you and the participants. Here’s just a few: Instructional. Networked Facilitation. MORE

In a straightforward way, Marilyn explains how her team developed a participatory project to improve engagement in a gallery with an awkward entry. This is a perfect example of a museum using participation as a design solution. The activity was facilitated by the activity station set up in the lobby just outside the gallery. design participatory museum guestpost usercontent MORE

Last week, during the Google hangout hosted by the Packard Foundation , someone asked me where I get all my ideas for designing and delivering training. Part of delivering instruction is being a good facilitation of people’s learning and there is no better way to learn how to improve your own technique than watching world class facilitators in action. Good participatory design and instructional design for that matter needs a closure exercise. MORE

For the past few months, I’ve been facilitating a Nonprofit Emerging Leaders online peer learning project with Third Plateau Impact Strategies. Reflective listening skills are useful in all group settings, whether it is a team meeting, training, or interacting with co-workers and whether you are the facilitator or a participant. These techniques are described in more detail in “ The Facilitator’s Guide To Participatory Decision-Making ” by Sam Kaner. MORE