Organizing effective events
and conversations
Ewen Le Borgne
Komms Klinic Session
ILRI, Addis Ababa, 20 April 2012

Overview
• What are we talking about?
• Basic ingredients
• Effective conversations
• Effective events
• Need a Komms Klinic session?

1. What are we talking about?
• Professional face-to-face
conversations
• Meetings, workshops, events…
• And what’s going on around them
• What makes a conversation
effective? Let’s find out!

1. What are we talking about?

2. Basic ingredients
1. Clear purpose and outcomes
2. Great content
3. A clear, flexible process
4. The right people
5. Strong logistics
6. Learning and follow up

2. Basic ingredients
Three activity phases
2. Design and organize
(prepare)
3. Facilitate and manage
(collaborate)
4. Document, capitalize and
follow up (archive and act)

3. Effective conversations
1. What makes an effective
conversation?
• Inviting
• Relevant
• Outcome-oriented
• Mutually beneficial
• What about events???

4. Effective events
1. Design & thinking
2. Content
3. Process
4. Participants & facilitators
5. Venue, set-up, equipment…
6. Results

4.1 Effective events:
Design and thinking
• Achieve clear purpose and
outcomes
• Mind the BOSSY HERALD!

4.1 Effective events:
Design and thinking
• Big picture
• Ownership
• Sharpness
• Spectrum
• Yearnings

4.1 Effective events:
Design and thinking
• How-to & heuristics
• Extent
• Running the event
• Attendance
• Location
• Dynamics

4.1 Effective events:
Design and thinking
The agenda
ien te d
-or
ome
utc r
O
lea ant
C ev
R el ted
nte gra
Known to all!!! I
lex ible
F

4.2 Effective events:
(Great) Content
1. Inputs from previous work
(publications)
• In various formats?
• On the spot inputs
• Good questions!
• Documentation of insights

4.3 Effective events:
(A clear, flexible) Process
1. What work methods?
2. Time management
3. Before–during–after
4. Adapt for adult learning
5. Review, learn, improve
6. Interactive, engaging, dynamic

4.4 Effective events:
The right people (participants and
facilitators)
1. The chair
2. The facilitator
3. The resource person(s)
4. The minute-taker
5. The social reporter
6. The participants

4.4 Effective events:
The right people
Authoritative
• The chair
Sees to the outcomes
Timely
Respectful

4.4 Effective events:
The right people
Observing
• The facilitator Good
communicator
Facilitates the
process Refrains from
intervening
Creates a space
Dynamic
Remains flexible
Balances needs

4.4 Effective events:
The right people
• The resource person(s)
Presents content Knowledgeable
Good speaker
Interested
Trustworthy

4.4 Effective events:
The right people
• The minute-taker
Documents the meeting
Asks questions
Conversant
Quick (blind types)
Fast (to share
minutes)

4.4 Effective events:
The right people
• The social reporter
Listens carefully Conversant
Teases out issues
Multimedia-
and keeps it all in
savvy
one place
Fast Writes well

4.4 Effective events:
The right people
• The participants
Active
Motivated
Curious
Play the game
Keen on sharing
Humble
Respectful

4.5 Effective events: Venue, set-
up, equipment (Strong logistics)
• Venue: Booked? Capacity?
Acoustics? Easy to reach?
• Transport All arranged?
• Equipment Audio/video? Venue
equipment? Test it all out!
• Information Does everyone know
where to go, what it’s about, whom
they will meet, what they’re supposed
to do before, during, after?

4.6 Effective events:
(Learning and follow up) Results
• Learning
• New insights?
• Critical issues?
• Critical questions?
• After action review?
• Log book?

4.6 Effective events:
(Learning and follow up) Results
• Documentation and (social)
reporting
• Live document (Twitter,
Yammer, pictures, audio/video,
tags)
• Capture signals (interviews)
• Reflect (blog)
• Document and archive

4.6 Effective events:
(Learning and follow up) Results
• Follow-up
• Clear commitment
• Accessible to-do list & minutes
• Check for comments
• Double-check understanding
• Come back on it next time
• Build on it: what’s next?

4.7 Effective events: examples
1. IPMS Experience-sharing
workshop (‘IPMSGTP’)
2. AgriGender 2011
3. AgShareFair
4. USAid ‘Africa RISING’ design
workshops

4.7 Effective events: examples

4.7 Effective events: examples

4.7 Effective events: examples

4.7 Effective events: examples

4.7 Effective events: examples

4.8 Effective events: So what?
• Design smartly for maximum impact
• Facilitate flexibly and interactively
for maximum inputs
• Document to maximize outputs,
follow-up activities and…
1.…share information for the best
outcomes

5.Need a KommsKlinic session?
• We can support you with:
• Design
• Facilitation
• Public speaking
• Documentation and social
reporting
• Contact p.ballantyne@cgiar.org

Resources
• Every presentation ever (video)
• Examples on Maarifa
• Organizing meetings effectively
• Ewen’s bookmarks on del.icio.us
• The chemistry of magical facilitation (1)(2)
• An overview of Facilitation techniques
• Find support on this and more on the
ILRI Comms wiki (FAQ)

International Livestock Research Institute
Better lives through livestock
Animal agriculture to reduce poverty, hunger and
environmental degradation in developing countries
ILRI
www.ilri.org