Difficult meetings and challenging conversations – an opportunity to develop your facilitation skills

Bringing people together in any form of meeting whether one-to-ones, supervisions, group meetings, forums, or networks can both be fruitful but also sometimes challenging.  Everyone participating may need to work with complex issues, different approaches, multiple agendas, differing decision-making authority and contrasting views. However, everyone has a role in ensuring that any meeting is as effective as it can be and confident and competent facilitation skills sit at the heart of this.

The overall aim of this two day action-oriented workshop is to support you to be proactive and creative about how you use, adapt and develop your facilitation skills. It is an opportunity to develop your approach in order to get the best out of any meetings you participate in whilst also maintaining and boosting the morale of everyone involved.

Over the course of the two sessions we will:

• Identify facilitation skills – how to ensure meetings are focused, inclusive and an opportunity for everyone to reflect, think, plan and work together in addressing the issues on the agenda
• Look at ways of managing complexity, differences of opinion and approach
• Reflect on your approach to facilitation and identify how you will develop your facilitation skills
• Share insights that will inform how you use your facilitation skills whether you are facilitating or attending a meeting

This training will be led by Yvonne Rivers

Dates & times:

This workshop takes place over 2 days as follows:

Thursday 23 November, 9.30-4.30pm
Tuesday 12 December, 9.30-1.00pm

Venue: Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton BN1 1AF

Please note if you book a place you will need to attend on both days

Course Fees:

 * Organisations who are not a member of Community Works, but are a charity or community group operating in Adur, Brighton and Hove, or Worthing.

 Some free bursary places are available to groups in Adur, Brighton and Hove, or Worthing with an income below £35,000 per year.

To book on:

For more information or to book your place, please visit http://bhcommunityworks.org.uk/difficult-meetings-and-challenging-conversations/

Community Works’ next Governance Briefing provides an overview of the key responsibilities of trustees with Moira Protani, a Charity Lawyer and expert in governance. Whether you’re new to your trustee or committee role or well-seasoned, this is a chance to meet and share experiences with other trustees and committee members and reflect on the job at hand.

Where: Stanmer Room, Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton, BN1 1YD
When: Thursday 19 October, 6.00-8.00pm

For more information and to book your place

This event is free to Community Works members. If you have any questions, please get in touch with Community Works on [email protected] or 01237 234023

Safety Net have published their Autumn 2017 training programme. They offer courses on Safeguarding and Child Protection, Protective Behaviours and Mindfulness.

Particularly useful for volunteers in small community groups, the Introduction to Safeguarding and Child Protection training is a half day course, which is running three times during the autumn and winter:

• Tuesday 19th September
• Thursday 9th November
• Tuesday 16th January

This course is an introduction to safeguarding and child protection issues for those working in small community groups. You will gain a basic understanding of your role in establishing a safe environment and safe working practices in protecting children and young people from harm and abuse.

The course costs £15 for organisations with an annual income below £35,000 and £25 for organisations with income above £35,000.

Follow the links above for more details and to register.