Facilitator Guide
Facilitator Guide
This guide is intended to help facilitators to plan and run the workshop.
Logistics
Will the workshop be in-person, online, hybrid? How might groups in different spaces work or talk together (or not)? And how to ensure equitable access for all regardless of location?
Will the workshop be open to everyone or for a particular group? Do you need participants to book a place?
Do you want to curate and showcase any creations from the workshop? If so, where will this take place and will it be available just to participants or more widely? How will you collect consent to do this?
Provocations
The original provocations were created prior to May 2024. You may choose to use the original provocations or you may prefer to create or source your own.
Provocations should be ‘generative’ - that is, they should not provide a conclusive argument or a call to action, but should open up a variety of possible responses. This matters more than the medium in which they are produced.
Setting intentions / tone
It is important to create a safe and respectful space for participation.
the statement of care and statement of cultural acknowledgement can assist in creating a safe and respectful space.
safe spaces can look different for different people. Some people may wish to work together, others prefer working individually, some may prefer a busy space, others prefer quiet - think about what you might choose to offer so that everyone feels safe to participate.
Participants are likely to have a range of experiences and knowledge in relation to GenAI. It is important to set a tone where this diversity is welcomed and participants can make, share and question together.
Understanding making / participating in a make-athon
The invitation to create as part of the workshop is one which participants can choose to accept or refuse.
Making can take a wide range of formats or expressions. It's also OK if people share found content i.e. created by others but which resonates for them in relation to the workshop.
If you have not facilitated a make-athon before, explore how to set up and run a makerspace, to help you understand how to do this.
Familiarise yourself with the workshop resources:
Edit the workshop slides to suit your context.
The invitation text can be used to invite participants to the workshop.
The image bank provides additional images which can be used for promotion and development of resources.
Get to know the video provocations and create additional / alternative provocations if required. (remember to include captions and transcripts).
Read the participant guide and (if required) update to suit your context.
The online workspaces are blank slides which are an easy place for participants to share their thoughts are creations. Other online spaces work too e.g. Padlet, Miro, LibreOffice. Choose what it most appropriate for your context.
Note: To download editable copies of any of these documents, click on the 'pop out' button, and go to File > Download, OR if signed into Google, File > Make a Copy
Prepare to be creative & inclusive
Check for participants' accessibility requirements (requiring participants to book a place is useful for collecting accessibility requirements but requiring booking can create a barrier for some participants too).
Collate / prepare resources for making e.g. wool, fabric, paper, text, pens / pencils, scissors, tape, glue etc. We particularly encourage reuse of existing materials or use of recycled materials as this enhances the sustainability and lowers the environmental impact of the workshop. Having a core supply of materials available at the workshop is useful.
Print workshop resources from activities and materials (if required).
For digital making, ensure that the internet is stable and ask people to bring their own devices, or have devices available for use. Provide links to the digital resources from activities and materials (if required).
Think about how the workshop will run
You may find it helpful to write some notes or a session plan for how you intend to run the workshop.
Read the project team's reflections on the workshop to understand some of our considerations in design and delivery
The workshop is designed so that no participant preparation is required.
Participants may wish to bring their own materials for making. If you are running the workshop online it is useful to invite participants in advance to have materials for making to hand.
The workshop is set up in four parts:
Introduction and instructions (10 minutes)
Provocations 1 and 2 and responses (30 minutes)
Provocations 3 and 4 and responses (30 minutes)
Plenary reflection and sharing (20 minutes)
Key points to note
Present the workshop slides from the start of the workshop, these support the workshop delivery and provide prompts for the activities.
The provocations are split into two parts for ease of access, within each part participants can watch both provocations then respond to the provocation(s) that resonate with and / or challenge them. Between the first and second round of provocations, participants may change their medium, location and start afresh or they may continue with their response, adding to it in response to a second provocation.
There are several options for how people can respond to the provocations e.g. make something physical or digital, create a slide, chat with a generative agent. They can also decide to do something of their own choosing.
Light facilitation of timing is suggested. Timings are indicative, people can choose to move onto the next activity or not, provided everyone returns for the plenary.
It is helpful to play the provocations in the workshop so that everyone experiences them in the same time and space. Remember to have the sound and captions switched on. (The individual links are included in participant guide so that participants can return to them again if required, as well as accessing the transcripts if preferred).
The plenary provides an opportunity to come together to share reflections, ideas, questions which the provocations and the process of making have generated. People may wish to share what they've made but this should not be a requirement.
Having a backchannel for facilitators is helpful. We recommend using a secondary device such as a mobile phone to facilitate such discussions.
If you have permission, showcase any workshop items with participants and / or more widely.
Reflect on the workshop as a facilitator and (if you feel comfortable to do so) share your reflections more widely.
Share any feedback on the toolkit with us.
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