Facilitation Methods & Strategic Planning

Lead more productive conversations and develop more actionable strategic plans

We customize a facilitation design plan based upon a shared understanding of your desired outcomes. Whether in-person or virtual, we leverage a range of facilitation tools and methods specifically selected to meet the needs of your group and their identified discussion topics.

Additionally, we partner with organizations of all sizes to either refresh your existing strategic plan or to develop an entirely new one that’s succinct, sharable, and actionable.

Following are just a handful of examples describing how the Event Garde team can utilize our knowledge and expertise to meet the needs of you and your audience through facilitation methods and strategic planning:

  • Lead a group through a challenging discussion (e.g., sunsetting an initiative) that elicits facts, personal reactions, meaning, and, ultimately, resolution.

  • Engage all group members around a single question (e.g., organizational core values) to generate and organize ideas, reveal consensus, and confirm next steps.

  • Develop a short-term plan for events or projects that envisions success, acknowledges the current reality, affirms commitment, identifies tasks, and establishes a coordinated timeline.

  • Support stakeholder mapping for an upcoming planning exercise through at least two lenses: industry/organization segmentation and social identity groups.

  • Design a collaborative strategic plan that’s rooted in a member-centric environmental scan and results in a practical vision, underlying contradictions, and strategic directions.

  • During the hand-off from Board to staff, ensure the group is prepared to overcome the so-called implementation gap through simple, but practical actions.

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Technology of Participation (ToP) Focused Conversation Method

Consider the number of unproductive conversations that happen each day among Boards, learners, members, staff, or volunteers. Using this method, we provide an effective structure for collecting data and ideas, reflecting on accomplishments and setbacks, and discussing tough issues without heated arguments.

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Technology of Participation (ToP) Strategic Planning Process

We often get asked: Is strategic planning still relevant in today’s business environment? Hasn’t the pandemic flipped the script in terms of both short­ and long-­term planning? Is the effort and investment still worth it? Won’t our plan be outdated the minute we publish it?

Event Garde believes that every organization needs a roadmap. In times of certainty, a strategic plan serves as a North Star and occasional reminder of intended outcomes and success measures. In times of uncertainty and change, it helps remind us of who we’ve set out to be, the paths available to us, and context for when course corrections are needed.

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Meetings don’t have to be painful experiences

Are your meetings consistently dominated by the same couple of voices? Have you tried, unsuccessfully, to engage participants from historically underrepresented groups? Is there a lot of discussion that never really results in clear consensus or actionable next steps?                                        

If you’re looking for professionally facilitated meetings that recognize and honor contributions from all group members, create a safer space to share through equitable and anti-oppressive facilitation practices, and result in action plans with ownership and accountability, then you’ve come to the right place.

Not only do we understand facilitation, but we want you and your stakeholders to become better facilitators and participants, as well. By attending the facilitated conversations that we’ll develop for your group, you’ll begin to identify some of the fundamental techniques and best practices that you can begin incorporating in your own meetings.

Why organizations rely on Event Garde

The Event Garde team has experience facilitating with a variety of stakeholders and creating uniquely designed plans to meet each client’s needs. Our facilitators have deep knowledge and expertise of various facilitation methods, first­-hand experience using them in a variety of real­-world situations, and additional practice teaching others how to use them in their own settings.

With this training, practice, and experience, the Event Garde team is proficient in the art and science of facilitation. The stakeholders selected to be a part of the meetings we lead bring their industry knowledge, historical perspective, and forward-­looking ideas and passion. Together, with a sound process and a genuine care for the participants (and how they engage with one another), we co­-create a realistic and actionable plan to establish the future direction of your organization.

Find Your Solution with Event Garde >

Case Study

American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)

Laying the groundwork for the future of emergency medicine policy and research

Challenge

To mark the beginning of a new policy institute focused on advancing emergency medicine, the organization’s leadership convened a summit of renowned emergency physicians and emergency medicine researchers. The goal of the summit was to determine how to ensure relevant research, data and information about emergency medicine gets into the hands of key decision-makers.

Solution

The wrap-up report, which outlines the key ideas and recommendations stemming from the summit, will help guide the strategy of the new policy institute.

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Interested in learning more?

To discuss your upcoming facilitation methods or strategic planning needs, please contact Dilhara Muthukuda, Event Garde’s Director of Facilitation Services.

Contact Dilhara Muthukuda

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