How to plan and set the agenda for a session?


This blog is one of a series of Facilitation Thoughts which look at various aspects of facilitation. 

"Plan and prepare well and then surrender to the moment, knowing that it is a learning experience for both you and the participants" Rolinda Kirton

There are different ways to plan for any kind of session (workshop, discussion, etc).  The following questions in my experience guide the planning :-

  • Why is the session being held?
  • What can we assume about the people who are coming to the session? What do we know about the age group, ability, literacy level and  prior knowledge of the topic or issues? What are the prerequisites for persons to participate in the session?
  • How many persons are expected to attend?
  • What are the objectives (learning objectives if an orientation or training session) and expected outcomes of the session?
  • How much time is available for the session?
  • What resources are available - budget, equipment etc ?
  • What kind of activities will form the session  ?
  • How will the session be evaluated?

The facilitator's plan is a useful tool for establishing agreement with the organisers of the session so that all expectations are clear. Ideally, some participants should be involved in helping to plan the session.

The agenda of activities is intended to be a guide, and helps especially with designing different types of activities with appropriate scheduling of time.

Interactive activities should be planned carefully to ensure that enough time is available. For example, small group discussion should be about 15 to 20 minutes per group with at least 4 minutes per group for plenary feedback and an additional 15 minutes for summary.  In depth case study analysis and discussion might require longer time per group. 

Facilitation in a virtual environment
I follow the recommendations that virtual sessions should be 75 to 90 minutes, with encouragement for participants to stand up and stretch. There should be breaks away from the screen and headsets in between sessions in a longer day.  Check on an alternate plan in case you lose electricity and/or Internet. 

Check on the tools available for accessibility - captioning for the hearing impaired. In the agenda, include time to check that users will be familiar with the interface and the tools you will use.
If you plan to record the session, ensure you have the consent of all participants.


 
Sample plans
 
These are some of the plans I have proposed/used for different kinds of face to face sessions.  These plans have been derived from other sessions so I do not own the content or templates. Please feel free to use.

These are plans I have used for virtual sessions


What other elements do you think should be involved in a session plan?


Have a look at the other Facilitation blogs
 
Author : Vidyaratha Kissoon  contact : vidyak1 (at) gmail (dot) com

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