resources

The Ultimate Meeting Logistics Checklist

Jason Diceman — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:46:36 -0600

Meeting logistics are all the details that help a meeting go well, beyond who is invited, the agenda, facilitator and content. A good logistics plan describes information such as:

room set-up, including numbers of chairs, tables, flip-charts, etc.
items for the registration table
materials for break-out groups and activities
audio/video system requirements
catering and refreshments

…and who is responsible for which items.

This form I provide includes over 40 checklist items and useful responsibility and contact references. This free 2 page template is in Microsoft Word DOC file format, so you can easily customize and fill-in the information that relates to your specific meeting needs.

DOWNLOAD: Meeting_Logistics_Checklist_v04.doc

The items I have included cover almost everything you could imagine wanting to bring. Just delete those you don't need and add items unique to your meeting. If you can think of other general items you think should be on the list, please post a comment below to let me know.

(Thanks to LURA Consulting who provided the original example template this checklist was based on)

If you found this form helpful, you will likely want to download my free Dotmocracy Handbook, which provide simple instructions and tools for facilitating large group decision-making meetings. Visit Dotmocracy.org to get the handbook now.

10 Question to Ask Before Starting a Public Consultation

Jason Diceman — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:08:13 -0700

Recently Joseph Peters (Partner at Ascentum) and Joe Goldman (Vice President of Citizen Engagement at AmericaSpeaks) published an excellent two page article called: Open Policy Making 101: 10 Questions To Ask Before Launching Your Online Public Consultation

While their well thought out list is focused on online consultation, the questions also apply to creating plans for effective offline public consultations.

Here are their 10 questions:

What do you want to know?
What is your commitment to participants?
Who needs to participate?
How hot is the issue?
What type of contribution are you looking for?
What type of data will you collect and analyze?
What are your timelines?
What resources are available to support the process?
How can participants stay involved?
Which online tools should you use?

Read the full article for concise explanations of each question.

Action Implementation Plan - a two page template

Jason Diceman — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:36:58 -0600

For BikeCamp TO I created a simple one page (two-sided) form to help small groups to document a plan to get something done.

Sections included in the form are:

Name for the plan
Desired results to be achieved and strategies to be used
Key strengths, challenges, opportunities and threats (aka a SWOT analysis)
Contact information for team members
Timeline of important tasks and major milestones

This simple template can help focus ad-hoc teams and give concrete outcomes to open space conferences. I hope you find it useful!

Download the Action Implementation Plan form (PDF)

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Does your group struggle with prioritizing issues and ideas? Do you find it challenging to reach agreement among a large number of meeting participants? Try using Dotmocracy Sheets, another free resource by Jason Diceman.

Dotmocracy is a simple, transparent, equal opportunity, and participatory large group decision-making tool.

>> Download the free Dotmocracy Handbook

Consensus Decision-Making Workshop Matierials

Jason Diceman — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:18:31 -0600

On September 29th 2009, my self and Simone Arsenault-May presented an evening workshop for parents at the Grove Community School, a new alternative school part of the Toronto District School Board.

This workshop focused on teaching the basics of a consensus process that uses cooperative dialogue. It also covered techniques for an efficient council and tools for effective community engagement.

A Public Involvement in Decision Making Toolkit

Jason Diceman — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:07:14 -0600

Back in 2000 Health Canada published an excellent resource called The Health Canada Policy Toolkit for Public Involvement in Decision Making.
It is a complete toolkit with guidelines, about 50 techniques described in concise details and with useful suggestions, and also case studies and references. I highly recommend it as a definitive reference on the various options for effective public engagement within the Canadian context. You can access other free resources in my links section.

Project Charter Templates

Jason Diceman — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:27:04 -0600

Project charters define how a team will collaborate to achieve its goals. Below are a few examples of headings in typical project charters.

Project Charter Elements - from USDA template

Purpose of the charter
Project objective
Summary Scope Statement
Project Authority
Project Manager
Roles and Responsibilities
Project Constraints
Project Assumptions
Preliminary Schedule and Cost Estimates

Project Charter Elements - from Business Justification template
Section 1. Project Overview

1.1 Problem Statement
1.2 Project Description
1.3 Project Goals and Objectives
1.4 Project Scope
1.5 Critical Success Factors
1.6 Assumptions
1.7 Constraints

Section 2. Project Authority and Milestones

2.1 Funding Authority
2.2 Project Oversight Authority
2.3 Major Project Milestones

Section 3. Project Organization

3.1 Project Structure
3.2 Roles and Responsibilities
3.3 Responsibility Matrix
3.4 Project Facilities and Resources

Section 4. Points of Contact
Section 5. Glossary
Section 6. Revision History
Section 7. Appendices

Project Charter Elements - from Key Consulting template

Mission
Objectives
Deliverables
Stakeholders
Roles and Responsibilities
High-Level Work Breakdown Structure
Assumptions
Communications
Risks
Documentation
Boundaries
Decision Making Process
Signatures

Project Charter Elements - from Microsoft template
1 PROJECT CHARTER PURPOSE
2 PROJECT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
3 PROJECT OVERVIEW
4 PROJECT SCOPE
4.1 Goals and Objectives
4.2 Departmental Statements of Work (SOW)
4.3 Organizational Impacts
4.4 Project Deliverables
4.5 Deliverables Out of Scope
4.6 Project Estimated Costs & Duration
5 PROJECT CONDITIONS
5.1 Project Assumptions
5.2 Project Issues
5.3 Project Risks
5.4 Project Constraints
6 PROJECT STRUCTURE APPROACH
7 PROJECT TEAM ORGANIZATION PLANS
8 PROJECT REFERENCES
9 APPROVALS
10 APPENDICES
10.1 Document Guidelines
10.2 Project Charter Document Sections Omitted

A quick template to follow for drafting a project plan in one meeting (from anecdote.com.au)

Project Name
Team Members - Name, contacts and roles if applicable.
Purpose - Why should we do this project?
Outcome - What would a good outcome look like?
Brainstorming - Get your ideas out.
Organize - How will the project get done? What are the components, sequences and priorities?
Next Steps - What are the immediate next actions and who will do them?

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Dotmocracy is a simple, transparent, equal opportunity, and participatory large group decision-making tool.

>> Download the free Dotmocracy Handbook

Visualize information to make it accessible

Jason Diceman — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:36:50 -0700

Public consultation and engagement requires a two-way flow of communication between the proponent (the organization doing the consultation) and the public. The public needs to have information presented in a way that is easy to understand and this can be done, in part, by using good visuals. I recommend the booklet "Visualizing Information for Advocacy: An Introduction to Information Design" as a good resource to review before creating your public information materials. It's written for NGOs who do advocacy, but the suggestions apply just as well to public consultations.

A great guide to public consultation

Jason Diceman — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:11:50 -0700

I recently found this manual...

PUBLIC CONSULTATION GUIDE:
CHANGING THE REIATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND CANADIANS
By Peter Sterne with Sandra Zagon
http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/SC94-62-19-1997E.pdf

I am finding it very useful for planning public consultations required for environmental assements. The detailed Roadmap Model gives 51 key steps one should carry out to conduct a successful public participation process. Written in 1997 it's a bit out of date in terms of more conteporary approaches, such as the use of online tools, but it is still very worth while and insightful for consultants and government folks in Canada and beyond. Pass it on!

An excellent list of governance dialogue techniques

Jason Diceman — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 16:42:44 -0600

Thanks to Alice Byers of ISEALl Alliance for a link to quantumgovernance.ca, which lists a wide variety of descriptions and resources for planning and managing governance dialogue. Visit quantumgovernance.ca/QuantumManagerialToolkit

Below I have copied their links to various governance dialogue options...

Broad-based Stakeholder Advisory Panels

Centralized Enabling Agencies

Citizens' juries

Consensus conferences

Deliberative polls

E-rulemaking

Focus groups

Input accountability

National Issues Forums

Online Dialogue/Public Forums

Participatory Budgeting

Partnerships

Scenario Workshops

Town Meetings

Learning and Design Forum

CHAT

Q Methodology

Managerial Toolkit Inventory

I have added this link to my links section.

Collections of Engagement Techniques

Jason Diceman — Fri, 18 May 2007 16:29:22 -0600

Beyond the short list of techniques suggested in the Co-op Tools List, there are a wide array of popular and proven methods for engaging citizens in public policy development or members in organization change. Here are some of the best resource collections for learning more about the various approaches. All are free to access online, unless stated otherwise.

People & Participation Methods Database
Detailed descriptions of over 30 participatory methods including their strengths and weaknesses. (Involve, UK)

The Health Canada Policy Toolkit for Public Involvement in Decision Making
A complete toolkit with guidelines, about 50 techniques described in concise details and with useful suggestions and also case studies and references. An excellent free resource.

Quantum Governance Toolkit
Concise lists of descriptions and resources for planning and managing governance dialogue. (Institute of Public Administration of Canada's Centre for Governance Dialogue)

Urban Research Program / Citizen Science Toolbox
Over 60 community involvement tools, many case studies and with useful searching tools. (Coastal Cooperative Research Centre, Australia)

Dialogue and Deliberation Models and Techniques
Over 400 resources on about 25 different approaches. (National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation, USA)

Co-Intelligent Practices, Approaches, Processes and Organizations
Over 50 items listed with many links to related resources.

The Change Handbook
A textbook that summarizes and compares 60 of the most popular methods (for purchase).