Navigating in Rough Seas: Public Issues and Conflict Management (PICM)

May 23-24, 2012

8:30 until 5:00 pm each day

Pensacola State College, Milton Campus

Building 4900, room 4902

 Presented by:

NOAA Coastal Services Center

Hosted by:

IF/IFAS Sea Grant Extension and the

Pensacola Bay Watershed Environmental Education Coordination Team

 This two-day instructor-led course is designed to increase participants’ ability to design, conduct, and control public or targeted meetings. Participants will learn techniques to reduce conflict, enhance cooperation, and achieve meeting objectives in a timely manner. They will also learn how to use and practice facilitation skills to enhance communication between diverse groups with multiple perspectives. A session on working with the media will be included on the second day of the workshop.

Agenda:

 May 23, 2012

8:30 Welcome.

Meeting Management

Meeting Design and Planning

Objectives: Participants will know the responsibilities of various meeting roles

and the concepts of “process” vs. “content.” Participants will know and practice

using some of the communication skills that are essential for facilitating public

meetings. Know the facilitators role in effectively managing meetings.

Break

Managing Time

Objectives: Identify the value of having both a participant and a facilitator/leader

agenda. Be able to construct an informative agenda that reflects appropriate time

allotment to achieve goals and provide sufficient information for participants to

arrive at the meeting fully prepared to participate. Discuss various methods to

help better manage time in meetings, including the use of process agendas.

12:00 Lunch (on your own)

1:15

Managing Groups and Teams

More Facilitation Skills and Tools

Objectives: Understand why group discussions have pitfalls. Know and use

additional facilitation skills and tools to manage group participation in meetings.

Decision Making Options

Objectives: Determine when to use the appropriate group decision-making

option.

Break

Team Development.

Objectives: Learn the stages that groups go through to become an effective

team, and why this is important in managing conflict in public issues.

Conflict Management and Your Conflict Management Style

Objectives: Participants will describe some causes for conflict at various levels

(individual or one-on-one, small groups, large groups) and ways to minimize

these conflicts. Discuss potential for conflict in public issues management and

education, and ways to deal with it.

Understanding Change and Resistance to Change.

Objective: Understand and articulate the dynamics of change and some

strategies to help overcome resistance to change.

Dealing with Difficult People

Objective: Be able to identify problem people in group processes. Articulate and

understand some criteria for handling problem situations; and learn/practice

methods for dealing with them.

4:30 Wrap-up, review and preview.

May 24, 2012

8:30 Collaborative Processes

An Overview of Collaborative Processes

Objectives: Understand the various methods of structured conflict management

techniques and when they are appropriate. Know the benefits and limitations of

collaborative processes. Know the steps in designing and conducting a

collaborative process. Discuss collaborative processes in the context of issues

that you are currently working on.

Break

The Meeting Planning Phase

Objective: Provide experience and practice in framing the problem, and

conducting the planning phase of a public issue meeting.

12:00 Lunch (on your own)

1:15

Designing your Collaborative Process Strategy using processes and tools

Objectives: Review of people and meeting management tools. Recognize when

and how to use process tools to get input, generate options, and evaluate those

options. Participants will discuss the collaborative process tools, methods, and

skills that will be needed to address the issue//topic they selected. Develop a

collaborative process plan for the selected issue.

Break

3:15

The Decision Implementation Phase

Objectives: The ultimate outcome of any collaborative process to address a

public issue should be a decision. The process doesn’t end there. The final

phase of the three-phase collaborative process is the implementation phase.

Participants will know the elements of the implementation planning phase of a

collaborative process.

4:00

Dealing with the media – a panel discussion.

Objectives: Learn and understand what is “newsworthy.” Provide and

opportunity for participants to ask media experts how to get their story covered.

Participants’ will get “tips” on how to improve their working relationships with the

media.

Closing remarks, questions and answers, evaluation

4:30 Thank You! Adjourn