Below are some critical considerations while planning the structure and designing the physical layout of the community conversation. You will also find helpful characteristics and tips for the role of the facilitator.
Most Importantly, and before the conversation takes place, you have to figure out a method to document, collect and save the information gathered during the event. This is a crucial step in the work after the conversation.
Accessibility
Do the days of the week and time of day of the conversation make sense and allow for maximum participation?
Is the location central to participants?
Is the location accessible by different modes of transportation (car, bus, train, ramp for physical disabilities, etc)?
Is translation needed?
Amenities
Are there appropriate amenities available based on who will be attending?
Childcare
Is childcare needed?
How could childcare be provided?
Learning Styles
Does the design of the community conversation address different learning styles and personalities?
Is there a need to offer fidgets, blank paper for doodling, or other strategies to help participants stay focused?
Community Benefit
How will the community benefit from the community conversation?
Providing food is both conscientious and helpful for attendance/participation.
Give some thought to local restaurants/businesses related to the creative economy.
If they are related to the creative economy, should they also have a representative to be included in the community conversation?
Be cognizant of inclusion with respect to allergies, dietary restrictions, religious observation, etc.
It may be helpful to survey intended participants for restrictions/preferences beforehand.
Think about the structure of the conversations that will happen and how to best place participants and food in a way that will be most effective.
For example, round tables is a good fit for small group discussions and for the World Cafe activity.
Is the space conducive to having large open discussions, round table discussions, small group conversations?
How will the community conversation be recorded and processed?
Thinking about how data will be collected and used after the community conversation during the planning phase rather than an afterthought makes the conversation results more intentional and meaningful. Harvesting the data correlates with the discussion questions and activities in Day 1 and Day 2 to meet the desired outputs. For example, harvesting data could take the form of recording a list of ideas from participants during group discussions, creating visuals such as the creative economy framework, and taking pictures of the event.
Be non-judgmental, unbiased, objective
Learn to say "Okay"
Don’t ask WHY, there are no wrong answers
Pay attention to your own verbal and body language, physical reactions and expressions
Stay positive
Make eye contact
Be present
Asking clarifying questions
Move around during discussions
Use a timer, bell, or other object to stay on track of time
Announce how much time will be dedicated towards an activity
Remind participants to finalize thoughts during the last minute that is left
Also, be mindful if the pace is moving too fast or too slow
Use the Step-up, Step-back strategy: creates a space where those who speak more often can step back and those who speak less to step up and share
Call on people when necessary to encourage equitable participation
Keep a parking lot of ideas
Progress checks: Is the goal of the conversation being met?
Process checks: Is the method working?
Stalled discussions: Summarize group progress to re-engage participants, offer new connections between ideas
Write legibly and large enough for everyone to see
Paraphrase ideas to ensure accuracy
Summarize ideas
Use participant words, not your own words
Ask the group if it's okay to change language when needed or confirm what was written down
Make connections between ideas
Be adaptable or flexible
Not everything may go smoothly. For example, some activities may take longer than expected. This could mean letting the participants know that we have gone over time and need to wrap up the activity in order to have time for other activities, or having to cut time from other activities to enable more time to continue working. However, the facilitator can also ask the group to make a decision on what is preferred moving forward.
How to handle contentious situations
Point back to group norms that everyone agreed to in the beginning
Private intervention (i.e. during break times)
Let the contentious air out if appropriate by allowing participants to vent, empathize, and resolve the situation.
3. Don't:
Avoid or ignore conflict
Let a few people dominate the discussion
Let discussions get too side-tracked