Duration: 1 day

Overview: FAO is committed to effective Multi-stakeholder processes (MSP) as part of its capacity development work at country level. High quality facilitation and a structured approach are essential for the success of MSPs. This course provides FAO staff with a core set of approaches, skills and tips to facilitate MSPs in the context of capacity development. It consists of a series of highly participatory and experiential sessions in which participants will practice facilitation tasks along each step of the facilitation cycle, including assessing needs, planning, designing, delivering multistakeholder initiatives/processes as well as monitoring and evaluating them.

Objectives: at the end of the course, participants will:

• Create participatory and inclusive learning environments for effective Multi-Stakeholder Processes (MSPs)
• Discuss the facilitation cycle
• Plan and deliver actions in each of the facilitation cycle moments

Target audience: The course is designed for Assistant Representatives (Programme), Technical Officers, Project Managers and staff who are involved with facilitating multi-stakeholder processes at country level.

Methods: The course is highly experiential and hands-on, with no front delivery of PPT presentations. Throughout the day, participants will be asked to engage in self- and group- reflection and actively participate in practical sessions to practice needs assessment, designing and delivering short sessions, monitoring and evaluating them. Each practical session will be followed by a short debrief, to allow participants to capture key learning points. An assessment of expectations and skill levels, undertaken a few days before course start, will allow course organizers to customize course contents and ensure correct targeting.

Synthesis of the sessions:

Morning session

• Self-Assessment/Goal setting - Participants will reflect on their strengths and weaknesses as CD facilitators and will practice defining SMART learning objectives for themselves.
• Approaches and techniques to build inclusion – participants will discuss and practice the process of defining ground rules for the group . A debrief will follow.
• Facilitating stakeholder analysis – participants will practice facilitating a stakeholder analysis exercise, including facilitating brainstorming in large group, consensus building and managing disagreement in smaller groups. A debrief will follow.

Afternoon session

• Problem-tree analysis – participants will experience and watch/shadow lead facilitators facilitate a problem tree analysis. A debrief will follow.
• Session design and delivery – in small groups, participants will practice designing, delivering and facilitating a short participatory session using selected facilitation tools and ensuring a collaborative approach amongst facilitators. Each session will be followed by short debriefs.
• Monitoring and evaluation of events – participants will practice quick monitoring moments throughout the session as well as using a variety of evaluation tools.

Pre-requisites: Participants will be asked to take the two day core CD course