Skills Development Scotland

Right - Let's Go!! Open Space Stakeholder Engagement Event

Objectives

Maximillion designed and delivered Phase Two of the programme of Stakeholder Engagement events. These events provided a platform for more effective engagement with, and contribution from, Skills Development Scotland Glasgow, Inverclyde & Renfrewshire Regional Learning Group (RLG) members.

With the objective of meeting a number of key outcomes and deliverables, this Open Space Technology inspired event was designed to be interactive, participative and fun, as well as grounded to encourage debate around live RLG issues.

Phase One of the programme - Footsteps to the Future incorporating cartoon creative visioning techniques - took place in December 2008. The key aim of this preparatory phase was to engage a representative cross-section of RLG members to map out a shared vision for the RLGs. The digitised cartoon outputs of this workshop were incorporated into the design and delivery of Phase Two.

Event Outline

Right - Let's Go!! comprised a full day Stakeholder Engagement event for RLG members in February 2009. The brief was to create a safe, non-threatening environment for participants to debate live RLG issues, generate ideas and commit to meaningful courses of action for the benefit of the RLGs. Throughout the day, group discussion sessions supported by key SDS LG staff were complimented and ‘brought to life' by engaging experiential activities such as a "Bridge the Gaps" icebreaker, "Images of the Organisation", "Stepping Stones" and "Breakthrough Bowling"!

The format of the day, which was very much influenced by Open Space Technology thinking, was designed to put in place the building blocks for:

• improving communication across group members
• increasing membership and attendance at RLG forums
• enhancing understanding of each other's target groups, practices and provision
• contributing to the sustainability of the RLG forums
• galvanising the network, build trust and work to common goals
• developing capacity across the network and enhance customer experience through effective referral processes
• encouraging co-design of learner-centred resources and more empowerment to group members in decision making and management of the forums

• identifying mechanisms which evaluate that the learner journey has been improved

Approach

The day was divided into two parts:

Morning:

• Discovery - finding out about the views and options of other people across the wider RLG. Identifying good practice across the region. Discovering areas for personal learning.

Afternoon:

• Endeavour - working with fellow members in each respective RLG to tackle the barriers to effective operations. Making collective and personal commitments to action.

Outcome

At the end of the day, participants in their regional groups discussed the collective action that was required to tackle these team development barriers and prepared a group action plan. Participants also identified individual actions that they would take to support the future development of the Regional Learning Group Network.

This was achieved as follows: participants committed their actions to paper and annotated them on luggage labels. Continuing with the symbolic theme of ‘the journey', participants were then invited to cross the "river of commitment" as a way of acknowledging their ownership of the actions and personal commitment to their realisation. At the other side they attached each label to a helium balloon, colour-coded to denote the nature and focus of the action.

On completion of the activity the luggage labels were collected by SDS in order to produce a manifesto with which the RLGs can move forward. Then after the summary of common themes from the day, key commitments, and ongoing support and follow-up, everyone departed with their balloons as a vivid memento of the day!

Event Detail

• Duration: Full day
• Venue: Beardmore Conference Centre, Clydebank
• Format & Style: Open Space Technology
• Group: Representatives from RLG network members and key Skills Development Scotland staff. 50 pax attended on the day. 

Feedback from Project Sponsor

"Seeing the theory put into practice eliminated any doubts as to the potential effectiveness of the programme"

"Keith Garside (Lead Facilitator) - reassuring and authoritative delivery"

"We were very satisfied that the learning outcomes were reached - the delegates took responsibility for delivering on future actions"

Delighted with:

• Style and quality of presentation
• Relevance of session content to the organisation
• Effectiveness at summarising outcomes and action planning

Maximillion is an event management company which organises conferences, live events and team building activities across the UK. To find out more about our range of services, see our team building events section or get in touch.