strategies for planning effective scientific workshops amanda staudt national wildlife federation...
TRANSCRIPT
Strategies for Planning Effective
Scientific Workshops
Amanda StaudtNational Wildlife Federation
Friday, April 13, 2007
Introductions and opening remarks Introductions:
Who are you? What do you work on? Tell us about a memorable
scientific workshop experience (positive or negative)
Opening remarks What is a scientific workshop? What makes scientific workshops challenging to plan? Managing expectations Everyone is busy!
Outline: Setting clear objectives Crafting the agenda
Practice activity Guidance to speakers and participants Advertising
BREAK
Seamless logistics Facilitating discussions
Practice activity Follow up
What are some topics of workshops that you would like to attend? Pick top 5 ideas for use during practice activities
PLANNING
DURING THE WORKSHOP
AFTER THE EVENT
Setting clear objectives for the workshop Meeting some stated need Some common goals of workshops include
sharing info among colleagues sharing info among different groups of experts
(e.g., cross disciplinary; science-policy) examining a problem and looking for a solution scoping a new area/project
Attainable Communicated to everyone at the outset
Setting clear objectives for the workshop: Some examples2. Understanding and Improving
Forecasts of Rapid Changes in Hurricane Intensity
4. A National Integrated Drought Information System
9. Assimilating Ecological, Biological, and Geosciences Process Studies and other Data Sources into Climate Models
10. Intersection of the Carbon and Water Cycles
18. Space Weather Forecasting
19. Improving the Skill of Precipitation Forecasts
A1. Developing a National Strategy for Seasonal-to-Interannual Forecasts
A5. Oceanic Drivers for Seasonal-to-Decadal Climate Variability in the Mid- and High-Latitudes
sharing info among
colleagues
sharing info among
different groups of experts
examining a problem and looking for a
solution
scoping a new area/project
Crafting the agenda (1) How best to meet the objectives?
Some different variants, which you can mix and match: Seminar style
a long presentation followed by Q&A good for conveying background context, setting the stage
Conference style 12-15 minute talks, followed by 1-3 minutes for discussion/Q&A
Panels 3 or more panelists who give short remarks followed by a monitored
discussion/Q&A period good for topics that need a lot of discussion
Breakout groups good for working sessions to refine themes, discuss implications,
develop action items, etc. from plenary discussions Concurrent sessions on different topics Respondents/discussants Paper/abstracts in advance Training sessions/opportunities interspersed
Crafting the agenda (2) Intro/stage-setting presentations
Welcome/logistics: typically best done by the master organizer
Ensuring that everyone understands the objectives: typically best done by the chair/facilitator
Setting the right tone and giving background context: typically best done by an invited, “keynote” speaker or two
Positive Constructive Energizing Outraged Others?
Tiny tip: Calling it a “keynote presentation” can help you to get a bigger name speaker who might not otherwise be interested in attending the workshop!
Crafting the agenda (3) Building in time for discussion
One reason why everyone is gathered (we could all read about each other’s work from the comfort of our homes)
Tendency to shortchange this part of a meeting because Individual presenters always want more time Large time chunks on the schedule with no
specific agenda make organizers nervous Have faith that participants
will participate: they are there because they WANT to talk about this stuff
Don’t overbook
Workshop Woe:So many talks
crammed in thatthere’s no way to
digest theinformation!
Tiny tip: Speakers usually will fill all of their allotted time, even if some is designated for discussion. Give them a shorter time to speak and build in 20-30 min. specifically for discussion after every 3-4 speakers.
Crafting the agenda (4) Build in breaks
No more than 2 hours between breaks 15-20 minutes is a good amount of time
Long enough to use restroom, get a beverage/cookie, chat with colleagues briefly
Not so long that there’s a temptation to squeeze in a conference call or get distracted by other work
It’s not wasted time! Participants have a chance to recharge Participants have a chance to interact
Tiny tip: If you notice lots of folks starting to slip out, it’s time for a break!
Crafting the agenda (5):Some examples Earth-Atmosphere Interactions: Understanding
and Responding to Multiple Environmental Stresses
Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Strategic Planning Workshop
Climate Research Committee Forum: Development of Integrated Earth System Analysis Capability
Archiving and Accessing Environmental and Geospatial Data at NOAA: NOAA Data User – Manager Forum
Climate Change and U.S. Transportation
Practice Activity:Design your own agenda! Groups of 5-6 people for each topic
Join a group on a topic that you know something about
Develop an agenda for a 2-day workshop on your topic What are the objectives of your workshop? What perspectives and information will be
necessary to meet those objectives? How will you organize the workshop time (e.g.,
presentations, panels, break-out groups)?
Guidance to speakers in advance One-on-one interaction with speakers
to ensure clear expectations
What does this involve? At least: Written (e-mail is fine) + oral invitation Follow up ASAP with travel information (if needed) Follow up about 1 month before
Who else is on the agenda Reiterate details about timing, logistics What are some topics/issues that you
want to make sure are brought out during the workshop
Follow up about 1 week before Final agenda And last minute questions
May need to work more closely with speakers if it is important to meet certain objectives during the workshop.
Workshop Woe:Speaker gives a
standard talk that has little to dowith the stated
objectives
Tiny tip: Setting a limit to the number of slides can ensure that speakers stay within time limits and stick to the topic
Guidance to participants in advance Briefing materials for participants
Are they necessary? How much?
Assume that they will be read (more likely skimmed!) on the airplane
What? Might need more information if bringing together
people from different disciplines/perspectives: background material helps ensure that participants are bringing some shared knowledge to the table
If many speakers are going to be referring to one or more landmark studies, include some info about it
Advertising to ensure good participation Short and focused e-mail contact, with additional
materials available upon request or online Targeting desired participants How frequently to advertise
1. As soon as you know the workshop is definitely happening, send out a “Save the Date” and perhaps inquire as to interest/availability
2. 3-6 months in advance, contact potential attendees with information about logistics (registration, accommodations, travel, etc.) and preliminary details about the agenda
3. 2 weeks before any deadlines for accommodations, registration, etc., send out a reminder
4. 2 weeks before the workshop, send out final (or near final) agenda
5. 2-3 days before, send out a final reminder
BREAK
Seamless logistics (1) Attention to details is key!! Seems obvious, but common source of problems Choose a location that is conducive to attaining meeting
objectives Focused on a specific deliverable: avoid distractions Getting creative juices flowing: relaxing but invigorating
setting If topic is controversial, pick a neutral setting Enough space, but not too much
Where will people sit and how will it affect the dynamic? Name tags, tent cards, signing in Start on time, keep to the schedule How will one contact the
organizers during the meeting? Meals, coffee, water, snacks
Tiny tip: If participants need to go offsite for lunch, then you need to build in extra time
Seamless logistics (2) Internet availability: pros and cons A/V: minimize time wasted by being
prepared Advancing slides Loading presentations
in advance Speaker see the slides
and the audience Laser pointers
Workshop Woe:Everyone is excited toget started, but has to
wait for the speakerto load his presentation,
figure out how toadvance the slides, &
work the pointer.
Seamless logistics (3) Delegating responsibilities during the
workshop Logistics Master organizer Chair/facilitator Recorder/note taker
Sometimes good to have different people for different sessions
Doorkeeper/meeter-and-greeter
Facilitating discussion (1) Setting ground rules
How does one get recognized to speak? Is interrupting presenters okay? Managing the time
Ways to engage the full group Round robin Make sure everyone has a
chance to speak at the beginning (less daunting to speak later)
Breaking into smaller groups Active agreement
Tiny tip: If participants have tent cards, then standing them on end can be a good way to indicate when one wants to talk.
Facilitating discussion (2) Important role of the chair/facilitator
What the chair/facilitator should do: Set a positive, constructive tone Make sure the discussions don’t go off track Remain content neutral Listen actively to all group members Seek involvement and participation from everyone Seek agreement and understanding among group
members by effectively paraphrasing or synthesizing major themes of discussion
Navigate the way by guiding the process toward desired outcomes
Help maintain ground rules Keep to the time specifications of the agenda OR
clearly explain reasonable changes to agenda
Facilitating discussion (3) Important role of the chair/facilitator
What the chair/facilitator should NOT do: Be a presenter Be responsible for logistics Take advantage of position and
dominate the conversation Judge or evaluate ideas
generated by the group Play favorites
Workshop Woe:Chair who has
predetermined the outcome of thediscussions and
refuses to consideralternative points
of view.
Practice Activity: Have a Facilitated Discussion Rejoin your group from earlier Pretend that you’re attending the
workshop that you planned Pick one of the discussion periods and
have a discussion on the topic. One person should be the facilitator, making
sure that everyone gets an opportunity to contribute
Another person should be the recorder, looking for opportunities to synthesize the group’s comments
Follow up Thank you notes to speakers Thank you and/or update to sponsors E-mail to all participants thanking them for their
involvement and perhaps recapping major outcomes/action items
Make meeting materials and outcomes available to participants and possibly other interested parties who were unable to attend
Follow through on any action items Workshop evaluation
Were the objectives met? Surveys to assess participants opinions
Development of deliverables
Deliverables (1) In general, participants like to have longer-lasting
value/outputs Presenters tend to be better prepared Participants tend to be more engaged (because they
know their comments can have an impact on the output) Provides some focus to the discussions
In some cases, knowing that there are no written outputs can create a sense of intellectual freedom (e.g., Gordon Conferences)
Consider how formal the outputs need to be
Deliverables (2) Some options for deliverables
Rapporteur presentations/reports e.g., CCSP workshop
http://climatescience.gov/Library/workshop2002/default.htm
Minutes e.g., CRC meetings
Reports e.g., BASC summer studies, AMS policy colloquiums
Webposting lots of examples
Summary Workshops are an excellent way for scientific
experts to interact and collectively work toward stated objectives
Careful planning of the agenda can enable a workshop to meet the objectives
Attention to logistical details can improve the workshop experience for all participants
A well facilitated discussion is an important component of an effective meeting
Consider developing workshop deliverables to create longer lasting value