Dialogue Matters’ Online Training Courses
In the face of Covid-19, we started to innovate how to apply our award-winning best practice design, facilitation ethics and practice online. We are now on the leading edge of great practice deliberative online workshops. To do this we use virtual platforms and tools that enable us to run plenary sessions, break-out groups and facilitate our usual techniques (e.g. knowledge sharing, brainstorming, prioritisation, consensus techniques, timelines, ideation methods and action planning) – it’s just all virtual now.
Need to do the same?
We are now offering all our training courses online, so you and your team can continue to build momentum and skills, no matter where in the world you’re working from. This includes a brand new short course in running ‘Effective Online Engagement and Meetings’ aimed at helping organisations rapidly adapt to remote working in the context of Covid-19.
Our Online Courses
We offer several courses to suit different situations or organisational needs. See a brief overview of each in the table below. If none of these seem perfectly suited to your requirements, we can also tailor modules to match your desired content, budget and timeframes.
| Title | Focus | Length | ||
| Effective Online Engagement and Meetings | This course trains in how to design and run efficient and engaging events or meetings in an online context | 0.5 days | ||
| Best Practice Stakeholder Participation with a Focus on the Environment
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The focus of this course is:
Helping you understand the principles and concepts of stakeholder participation Training you in practical facilitation skills and process design Helping you explore the benefits and challenges of involving stakeholders |
3 days | ||
| Stakeholder Participation – Why Bother? | The focus of this course is on good practice participation and the benefits and challenges of running effective processes. | 1 day | ||
| Online and Face-to-face Facilitation Skills | This is to skill people as group facilitators to form a team to facilitate workshops within stakeholder processes.
We train in both face-to-face and online facilitation skills |
1 – 2 days | ||
| Participatory Knowledge Exchange | This course is based on our 3-day foundation course but is tailored more to researchers and academics, as they work to maximise the reach and impact of their studies. | 3 – 4 days | ||
| Best Practice Evidence-Based and Participatory Policy Making | This course incorporates elements of other courses but is focused on the context and phases of policy making; of public policy making and the role of scientific and other forms of evidence. | 1 – 2 days (condensed)
4 – 5 days (detailed) |
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| Writing for all | This course is about writing in everyday and accessible language – a vital skill for science trained staff who want to communicate with communities and other specialists. | 1 day | ||
| 1:1 Negotiations (in development) | This course is aimed at environmental professionals who need to have constructive 1:1 conversations with others to agree better ways of managing natural resources | 1 – 2 days |
For further information on course contents, pricing and availability, please contact us at enquiries@dialoguematters.co.uk
Positives
Aside from being an alternative to face-to-face events during the Covid-19 outbreak, there are many standalone benefits to online training courses. See some of these, below:
- Being able to access the course from home removes any physical barriers for those who might normally find it difficult to leave their home (e.g. those with disabilities)
- Participants are never attributed to points made in Dialogue Matters’ processes, but online working adds another layer of anonymity and privacy (e.g. age, gender and even hair colour is private unless participants choose to share their video)
- Participants can take part from anywhere in the world (with internet access)
- With increased ease of access, there may be greater appeal to get involved = more attendees
Feedback
Some recent feedback on our online courses
- Really excellent – I liked your collaborative approach. We’ve had some pretty poor online experience in the past but this was really good.
- The people running the session all came over as genuine individuals who want to help, I think this is important, and just as much so online. I’d attend another workshop like this if one were organised
- Good pace, engaging instructors, friendly and understanding
- Good to see quite ambitious use of the technology
- I was very impressed how the team quickly pulled this together for an online audience as opposed to a face to face. Really enjoyed the course – lots of food for thought
- Session was well structured and with the many different group-small-group and trio activities, ran smoothly and dynamically.
- It was a great pleasure to be in this online consultation workshop
- Really friendly, positive and open environment for us all to participate in and raised many important points
- Great training course, nice mix of active and passive events to keep things interesting. Really useful to help generate ideas for some of our own workshops now we have to hold them online!
- Great team, very knowledgeable in hosting