2013
STEPS TO CREATING NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAMS
Janet Gasparini
Social Planning C1ou|nPcilaogf Seudbury
7/15/2013
Steps to Creating Neighbourhood Teams
Learn About the Neighbourhood
What is the make-up of your neighbourhood?
What is already going on?
Who are your potential partners?
What are the issues?
Steps to Creating Neighbourhood Teams
Listen to the Community
Who can you be “listening” to right now
Who might you have to go out of your way to listen
to?
Who will you invite into the conversation in the fall?
What is our ongoing plan for listening?
Steps to Creating Neighbourhood Teams
Creating the Vision
Planning for a fall meeting
Who to invite
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When to have it
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Where to have it
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Steps to Creating Neighbourhood Teams
Creating the Vision
Creating the vision for the neighbourhood team will
be an ongoing exercise as the team grows and gains
experience working together. In this early stage
you want to get some general agreements on how
you will work together; what you want for the
team; what other partners want from the team
(everybody has to be getting something in order to
maintain interest); what are your next steps.
What to do at the first meeting!
Introductions – start with making sure everybody
knows everybody – ask people a question in the
introduction that makes it more personal i.e. name,
what you do, what do you love about working with
children?
Explanation of the purpose of the neighbourhood
team – what the HUB wants to get out of it – ask
what others would like to get out of it?
(Record responses!)
Steps to Creating Neighbourhood Teams
Creating the Vision
What do you want to get from a neighbourhood
team?
What do we want to accomplish?
What will it look like if we are successful?
A common vision is important to keep people
engaged and focused on the work at hand!
Steps to Creating Neighbourhood Teams
Creating the Vision
Let’s practice! – What did I learn?
Brainstorming
Using Flip Charts/Sticky Notes
Finding common themes
Steps to Creating Neighbourhood Teams
Asset & Resource Mapping
Once your team has met and decided on your vision
and purpose you will move on to next steps.
This will include a mechanism to look at your
neighbourhood and create an action plan. This will
include looking at neighbourhood data provided by
the DAC and the Best Start Coordinator. You can use
a number of techniques to move forward with your
action plan. A SWOT analysis looks at the strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Asset
mapping will include looking at the neighbourhood
from a physical perspective – what is here i.e.
schools, playgrounds, churches, food banks etc.
You may want to survey parents or host a focus
group. The social barometer might help determine
where you focus your energy. Once you have
decided on an issue/project you will create an action
plan.
Steps to Creating Neighbourhood Teams
Creating your Action Plan
What will you focus on?
Who will do what?
What is the time frame?
How will you measure success?
eg. As a result of the review of data the group
decides it wants to launch a community kitchen.
Action to be taken
By whom
Actions should be
Name the
concrete and as
person
specific as possible responsible
i.e. find a location to
cook in
By when
Get
agreement
on when the
task will be
complete
Outcome
What will
you
measure i.e.
space at
ABC is
secured
Steps to Creating Neighbourhood Teams
Implementing your Action Plan & Keeping track of Outcomes
Hub leads will keep track of the action plan – who is
doing what/when. Check in – are folks doing what
they said they would do? Do they need more
support? How often do you want to meet? Is the
plan moving forward?
What did you decide to measure? What is the
system for keeping track – i.e. if you are counting
the number of people what is the process for doing
that? – if you are counting on others for measuring
are they doing that? i.e. DAC/CIMS
Don’t wait until the end of a project to make sure
the measuring system is working!
Steps to Creating Neighbourhood Teams
Evaluating & Moving Forward
Examine your results – how did you do?
Are you on track with your vision?
Did people do what they said they were going to
do?
Has this activity moved your team forward? If not –
what got in the way?
Are you ready for the next activity?
What does your data say?
Is there somebody missing from your team?
Next……
Steps to Creating Neighbourhood Teams
Practical Skills
Decision Making
A group must decide how it will operate – how will
decisions be made. Terms of reference (TOR) are a
useful way to create agreement. How often will
the group meet? What will the rules of
engagement be? Who will do what?
As the group progresses these questions will need
to be answered. Preferably we will have some
consistency amongst neighbourhood teams that
can be discussed at the Hub Leads meetings
however the players have different roles (i.e.
school principal/teacher involvement could
determine decision making). Requests have been
made for some training in skills in running
meetings and dealing with group conflict or
difficult participants.
Things to think about: did we have
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shared vision and purpose
concrete, attainable goals and objectives
sufficient funds, staff, materials and time
skilled, participatory leadership
clear roles and policy guidelines
mutual respect
open communications, including both formal and
informal methods
recognition that there are "process" people and there
are "action" people; ensure there is a variety of ways
of participating in or contributing to the initiative
time and resources management; don't take on more
than you can handle at one time; set priorities
conflict management; don't let problems slide address them in an open, honest and timely manner
good record-keeping; e.g. financial reports, meeting
minutes, successes
celebration of successes
fun; don't forget to celebrate your successes - even
small ones!
FACIUTAliON
RESOURCES
6. Dealing with Group Conflict
Problem Meeting Behaviors
WHAT
GO'l'CHA
• Cuts off others who
are speaking
• jumps into a conversation too soon
• May be verbal or use
highly distracting
nonverbal expressions
WHAT TO DO
• Enforce the related ground rule.
• Stop the interrupter and ask him or
her to wait while the group allows
the speaker to finish his or her
thought.
• Ask people who feel impatient to
write down their thoughts rather
than blurt them out.
• In larger groups, as people raise
their hands, say "We'll hear first
from (member's name), then
(member's name), then (member's
name), and so on. Make sure you
follow through on having people
speak in sequence.
"" !-\- rson rnay overuse
humor, act silly, or joke
about everything
" Attention--getting
behaviors are regular
• Humorous behaviors
may infuse the group
with energy, or they
may distract the group
• May suffer from
analysis paralysis
• May be overly
compulsive
• Ask the person to stop the behavior.
• Describe what is going on and point
out its distracting quality.
• Talk to the person privately, after the
meeting or during a break.
• If the person has readily disrupted
the meeting, take a break. Talk to
him or her. Come back with a structure and focus on the agenda.
• Bring back to agenda.
• Suggest person work on that item
after meeting.
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6.19
FAC!LITATlON
6. Dealing with Group Conflict
RESOURCES
Problem Meeting Behaviors
FILA-BUSTER
WHAT
WHAT TO DO
• Repeats the same point
over and over
• Acknowledge the importance of
the point and the person's passion, advocacy, or determination.
• Gets caught up in something so sounds like a
"broken record"
• May insert personal
agendas
• Demonstrate that he or she has
been heard and the point recorded.
• Explain how and when the point
will be dealt with.
• Ask directly if the person can "let
go of it for now."
• Provide a final time--limited
opportunity Lo make the point.
AG!ENDA GRAI:IIi'!EW!. ------] • Talks otT the subject
• Out of sync with the
agenda and talks regularly about things that are
irrelevant to the group's
task
• Is out of sequence with
lhe cwenda
"
.-------------·
, May think he/she is a
super-star and may be
expressing through
hostility
• May feel ignored
" May be influential in the
group (most authority)
ancl abuses rather than
uses it by "taking shots"
at others.
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6.20
• Ask them to relate what they are
saying to the current agenda.
• Ask if the group can come back
to their point and record it on a
"parking lot" sheet.
• Ask if others have anything to
acid to what the person said.
• Stop them. Tell them it's not
appropriate now. Bring it up later
under a different part of the
agenda.
• Boomerang comment back to
group: "What do the rest of you
think 7 "
" Call the shot, "That one was
loaded, anyone care to take a
crack at it?"
• Restate the statement/question
in neutral way, fish for content
behind the statement: "Is what
you are trying to say ... ?"
• Use humor (if you've still got
your cool).
FACILITATION
RESOURCES
6. Dealing with Group Conflict
Problem Meeting Behaviors
SIDE CONVERSATIONS
WHAT
WHAT TO DO
• Makes private comments to another
person
• Invite them to share what is
being said.
• Carries on another
meeting with their
neighbor
• Stop the conversation, be quiet,
and look at the people talking.
• Ask them to stop.
• Move closer to the people
having the side conversation.
• Say, "Let's have one conversation."
• Point out that the whispering or
talking is distracting.
• Attacks, criticizes, or
picks an argim1ent with
other members or the
facilitator
• Attempts to discredit
someone
• Tries to change what
the group is doing by
focusing on individual
behavior
• Describe, nonjudgmentally, what
the person is doing.
• Ask if the criticism is based on
something that has occurred in
the meeting.
• Stop any argument. Ask for and
record a statement of each
position. Engage other group
members in discussing their
positions.
• Ask the person what the group
could do to respond to his or her
concern.
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8
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• Remains silent in the
meeting
• Seems unable or unwilling to speak up
• May be timid, fearful of
something, or unsure of
themselves and what
they have to offer
• Sometimes drops out,
withdraws, or works on
something else
• Talk to them privately at another
time.
• Call on them by name.
• Thank them when they do
contribute.
• Turn to them when the agenda
moves to an area that you know
they can address with confidence, conviction, or expertise.
• Early in key conversations, have
everyone respond briefly to a
specific question.
:g
{i
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6.21
FACILITATION
RESOURCES
6. Dealing with Group Conflict
------------------------------
Problem Meeting Behaviors
WHAT
WHAT TO DO
• Inserts personal agendas • Ask the person how what he or
she is saying relates to the current
• Continually inserts a
agenda item.
concern, a disagree• Record the point, thank the perment, or an alternative
son, and move on.
or additional agenda
item
• Ask the person what he or she
wants the group to do with the
• Repetition of a statement
input.
may become annoying
and distracts from the
• Give the person a time limit.
group task
• Member incorrectly
states the facts
• Confront delicately: "That is one
way of looking at it, but according
to ... "
• Say, "I see your point, but we need
to reconcile that with (fact)-"
• Talks too often
• Talks too long
• Talks very loud
• Makes it difficult for
others to participate
• Stop the person, thank him or her,
and say you'd like to hear from
someone else.
• Call attention to the agenda and
time frames.
• Break eye contact.
• Move closer to the person, getting
in front of him/her.
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6.22
• Introduce an inclusion activity to
get everyone talking.
fACIUTATION
RESOURCES
6. Dealing with Group Conflict
Problem Meeting Behaviors
BUSY BODY
WHAT
WHAT TO DO
• Repeatedly arrives late
or leaves early
• Ask members to announce if, when,
and why they have to leave, come
late, or miss a meeting.
• Frequently ducks in and
out of meetings
• Misses meetings
• Suggest a ground rule: members
agree to support decisions made in
their absence.
• Ask one of the group members to
update someone on a break instead
of reviewing during the meeting.
• Set a standard of attendance and
find a replacement for those who do
not come to meetings regularly.
.-----------• Constantly says, "That
will never work"
• Nothing is OK with
them
• Negative expressions
may be verbal or
nonverbal
• Paraphrase their view and stick
very close to their original
wording.
• Ask if there is any part of the work
that they feel good about.
• Ask for their opinion about what is
needed, record the opinion, and
ask the group to respond.
,.--·--------• Does many of the
above behaviors
'B
"E'
• Persists even with
gentle and forceful
facilitator intcrvcn
Lions
• Call a strategy meeting.
• Uninvite the person.
• Usc the rest of the group to help
discipline.
.2
tO
2
"'
-
&
Adapted with permission from Tom Juslicc and David jamiesen,The
Complete Guide to Facilitation, 1998.
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6.23
FACILITATION
RESOURCES
6. Dealing with Group Conflict
Handling Common Problems
Instructions: In groups of three to four people, discuss what strategies you would use as
a facilitator when facing the described common problem. For each common problem,
have small group share their recommended strategies. Following the exercise, refer to
the written text about handling common behaviors.
Common Grou:p
_
Problem
'-
R ecom
men
ded Strate:g._i_es
-
--
----------j
Group energy, interest, or attention is waning.
e.------------------··------------------------------The group keeps getting off the
agenda.
'---------------1----------·-----------------------Only part of the group participates.
An activity falls flat; the group is
unresponsive.
The group is getting highly
emotional.
6.24