Background

This year at the IVAW Member Meeting in Chicago, we discussed Strategic Planning (Strategic Priorities and Rebranding.) Following the workshop, participants were asked to fill out index cards stating what they would like the facilitators to Keep, Start, and Stop. The following is a summary of what was learned from those responses as well as a record of each individual response.

Summary

There was an overwhelmingly positive response to working in small breakout groups in order to really dig into the material, which was fairly complex. People enjoyed interaction, creativity, and variety and a generally interactive environment. Despite our best efforts, we could have been more clear about the goals and objectives, and we failed to revisit them at the end of the workshop.

I think everyone agreed that we need more time to discuss complex and important organizational work. We should continue to strive for this when we plan agendas. Some people desire a more concrete, real life approach to this work including examples and visual elements. I think we can do a better job of helping people understand complex topics with more clarity if we take these suggestions into account in the future.

There were some group dynamics that could be alleviated through better facilitation in the future. These included things like side conversations, tangents, and individuals and groups taking up too much space. Several people pointed out that while the facilitators tried to ensure that everyone was heard, calling out specific individuals (especially individuals who are members of marginalized communities) could be putting those individuals on the spot in a way that is counter-productive.

Keep

• Everyone participating.
• Small groups but not too small (5 or more=good but less than 10.)
• Male and Female facilitators
• Hearing from all voices
• Clear Agenda, Goals, and Process
• Variety of ways to share ideas during workshop
• Giving space for people to have feelings, share them, and move forward in a good tone
• Small and Big group time, partners and personal reflection time
• Break into smaller groups to brainstorm
• Brainstorming
• Discussing the vision in relationship to rebranding
• Varied ways of idea generation
• Being Fabulous
• Popcorn
• Small groups
• Small group work
• prompts
• reportbacks
• word brainstorms
• All of the breakout sessions
• Including everyone
• Holding the space in ways that allows for recognizing anxiety
• Strategy Planning Session
• Small group work
• Keep having small groups breakout to discuss bigger issues
• Openness, calmness of facilitators
• Not giving too much to work with
• Creative exercises
• Small Groups
• Small group breakouts
• Utilizing facilitators that work well as a team

Start

• Maintain better control of the group
• Use more real world examples
• Explain stages/exercised a bit more
• Do a better job of taking from creativity exercises and moving them into ideas. Treat them as building blocks.
• Try to quiet side conversations
• Slightly better transitions and introductions to sections
• Give visual examples of what you are looking to acheive
• Only 1 group section
• Give clearer instructions before breaking into small groups
• Exploring the (unknown word)
• Explaining the workshop goals and outcomes to expect
• Individual intros and icebreakers
• Incorporating more self-care such as stretching and breathing exercises
• Explaining the end goal of group discussion before breaking off into groups
• Framing ideas in the current state of US militarism and the future if possible
• Providing more clarification
• Providing more time
• Ensure group diversity

Stop

• Talking too softly! I can’t hear.
• A few times women were called on in ways that I think are meant to bring out their voices but kind of put them on the spot.
• Talking in Hyperbole
• Allowing off-topic, irrelevant tangents to continue to eat up significant discussion time
• Being negative
• Calling on individuals or women to speak, instead ask to “hear from new people” or go-around
• Being afraid of silence; let people think for a minute to assemble their thoughts.
• Side conversations
• Too much history/background material
• Writing so many words on every display paper. One or two will convey the message.
• Making workshops too short
• Letting men drown (?) on
• Side conversations

Unformatted Responses

I wish it were brighter in here
You did a good job
Great workshop – I wish the strategic priorities got serious attention.
Vitally Important! (And potentially divisive.)
Inspiring
Informative