Staff Training

Mary Jo Peavy, CSADP, CPPEPrevention CoordinatorOperation Snowball, Inc.

Funding provided in part by the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS)

Training ComponentsSelecting StaffStaff Training RequirementsCo-Facilitator RolesGroup ConceptsActivities that TeachProcessing ActivitiesFacilitation SkillsQuestions and Answers

Your Winning TeamLeadership TeamCo-DirectorsParticipant ConsultantsStaff ConsultantsAdministrative CoordinatorsActivity CoordinatorsVolunteer StaffRisk ManagementNurseParamedic

Selecting StaffApplying for StaffApplication ProcessDrug-Free ContractRole ModelingAttend all sessions and activitiesParticipate fully!Learn and have fun at the same time

Staff Training RequirementsTeam BuildingMandated reportingRules for staff and participants during eventRole modelingFacilitation responsibilitiesScenario Review

Co-Facilitator RolesPairingYouth/adult staffPlanningUnderstand each others rolesAssign who will cover each part of the agendaSelect ice breakers and other activitiesGet supplies and materialsDecorate name tags, room, make warm fuzzies

Co-Facilitator Role (cont.)Registration carry out assigned job, assist participants, spot lonersGeneral Sessions be a role model, sit with participants, superviseMeals be a role model, sit with participants, superviseFree Time be available to support activities, share your talents, take care of youSmall Groups review agendas, follow all mandatory directions in the agenda, use suggested activities, be creative, have fun

Characteristics of Good FacilitatorsPatientAble to identify the phase the group is inAble to adapt activities/questions to meet the group where it is atHas a good understanding of who they are and what their issues or motives are and be able to separate from needs of the groupFLEXIBLE

What do you see?

A young lady or an elderly lady?

Set Group RulesHave group make its own rules in first meetingBrainstorm on flip chart paper or chalkboard and leave postedConfidentiality3 Hurts RuleRespectHonestyListening to each other

Small GroupsAs a small group leader you should keep the following things in mind.Owning it group should own itselfIt is their group you should not talk about yourselfControl your job is to facilitate and keep the group movingNo therapy you are not qualified and give no adviceEye Contact make eye contact as you speak and listen

Small Groups (cont.)Common Sense use your common senseOn time explain why being on time is importantFolders participants are responsible for having their folders with them at all times.Name tags encourage them to wear their name tags at all times. Check in with leaders in large groupRespect the property of others stay off others beds

Challenging PeopleMonopolizerInterrupterWallflowerDumper

Other Challenging SituationsParticipants who dont get alongSomeone tries to do your job for youDifficulty with adult leadersSide conversationsComparing this year to last year

Games...Activities That Teach?Relax the groupBreak the ice and get group interactingCommunicationCooperationTrustSpontaneous and allencompassingGroup Problem SolvingClosing/Wrap-Up

Processing ActivitiesWhatSo WhatNow What

Facilitation SkillsGroup DynamicsInclusion (form) What is this group about and how do I fit in? Is this group safe?Influence (storm) Whos in charge? How are we going to work together and decide what to do? Affection (norm) We are a group, not just a collection of people.Segue (conform) Reflection occurs, validate experience and feelings.

Group ConceptsDemocracy: each person has equal opportunity to participateEgalitarianism: each person has something unique to shareResponsibility: each person is responsible for their own behavior, life, and experiences, develop sense of ownership of group

Group Concepts (cont.)Cooperation: work together to achieve group goalsHonesty: members must be honest with themselves and each otherRespect: all values & opinions of each group member must be respected in order for trust to develop

Group Concepts (cont.)Confidentiality: concept that everything said in the group remains in the group, with exception of disclosure of something that will harm themselves or others, upon which the proper authorities need to be contactedListening: not give advice, but listen and validate what has been communicated, listen verbally and nonverbally

Group Decision ProcessingGroup conflict is normal and goodEncourage group participationin decision-makingStay on taskAllow for participant inputAllow plenty of time fordecision-making

Communication SkillsCement of the group-holds bricks togetherUse a language all can understandTry to hear the other persons perspectiveDo not use communication stoppers

Communication Skills (cont.)Eye ContactBody PostureFidgeting

Body ProximityFacial ExpressionsBody MovementEmpathy attending to the other persons needs.Attending Skills an awareness of your behavior and that of the person with whom you are speaking.Verbal Attending Skills minimum response is the key

Communication Skills (cont.)Open & closed-ended questions and statementsClosed questions & statementsYou feel badly, dont you?Its hard to think about, isnt it?I know that youre sad.Open-ended questions & statementsHow do you feel about it?What do you think?Tell me about it.

Communication Skills (cont.)Purpose in asking questions areTo stimulate discussionTo analyze an exercise or presentationTo evaluate the groups progressAvoid leading questions Dont ask yes or no questionsPhrase questions in a positive mannerPrepare questions in advance

Communication Skills (cont.)Reflection and ParaphrasingEmpathy, caring, genuineness

Reflection is mirroring a persons words for them.

Paraphrasing is picking up on the feelings the person is presenting. Surface feelingsHidden feelings

Communication Skills (cont.)Summarizing is a form of parphrasing.

A reflection on feelings, thoughts and factsNot only done at the end of a conversation. Can be used throughout conversation when feeling stuck.Points out important statements and feelings brought up

OS TraditionsWarm FuzziesSongs banana song, car song, etc.Games - M&M Game, human knot, etc.IALACHand goes up mouth goes shutSmall group rights said here, stays here

Supports out there!IADDA/Operation Snowball, Inc. 1-800-252-6301 or www.os-iti.orgMentor ChapterInTouch OfficesLocal Prevention ProviderOther Operation Snowball ChaptersOS Board of Directors RepHelp!!Anyone?Contact IADDA/OS, Inc. for contact names and phone numbers.

Questions and Fears...

I. Welcome to Staff Training from Operation Snowball, Inc. and IADDAII. Introduction of TrainerA. BackgroundB. Connection to OS, IADDAC. Prevention ExperienceIII. Group Energizer/Ice BreakerA. Hello, handshake, hug IV. Parking Lot for QuestionsV. LogisticsA. BreaksB. RestroomsReview agendaUse Staff Policies and Procedures in manual

Go over LT members and their roles

Some chapters elect to have a nurse and/or paramedic on staff. This depends upon the size of the group and school rules. A staff member will need to be responsible for medications. Medications should be turned in at registration and dispersed throughout the event by a qualified staff member.

Use sample application and drug free contract

Discuss appropriate role modeling walking the talk

Do case study activity break into groups

Restroom breakThese are things that must be addressed during staff training.

Staff must become a team before event.

All staff are mandated reporters. Co-facs must let their groups know they are mandated reporters.

Set rules before the event (I.e. attend all sessions, registration responsibilities, free-time responsibilities, etc.).

Facilitation responsibilities discussed in detail on another slide.

Do staff training scenarios in groups

OS is conducted on a youth/adult partnership model. Each small group should have 2 co-facs who work together for the benefit of the group.

Staff pairing and training should be done at least two weeks before the event to allow co-facs to prepare for groups.

Do true colors activity.

Prepare activities to work with general session topics. (i.e. group juggle with ATOD)

Use checklist handout.

Use Role of the Facilitator in manualSome people see a young lady while others see an elderly one.

If you look closely you can see them both.

Cant see it, look at the next slide.People see things from their own perspective. Remind participants that we will not always see things from the same point of view as others, and need to respect others points of view.

Even when we can not see the other persons point of view, we can agree to disagree agreeably.

What co-facs need to know about participants.CharacteristicsAttention spanEnergy level

Activity: In small groups draw a participant surrounded with its environment and report out to group. When processing discuss how things are same and different for different people.Use discussion group rights

Do not read from the list let group create their own rules. Brainstorm using flipchart and pages 14-15 of handbook

Occasionally you will have a member of your group that is especially challenging. Here are some descriptions of people you might come across and suggestions on how to deal with them.

Review descriptions from staff manual.

Activity: Small group role play

In addition to challenging people, you may face challenging situations. Use staff manual for details.Why are games and activities so important for OS events?

Ice Breakers and Energizers loosen the group, put people on an even plane, allow for interaction in a fun way

FUNN Functional Understanding Not NecessaryTom JacksonWeb Site postings - ITI Staff Manual Games and moreSnow Stuff handoutSong handout

Games to help build communication, cooperation, trust, spontaneous and all encompassing involvement from group

Choose a game to use throughout this activity as an example. (I.e. group juggle)

WhatWhat happened?Different PerspectivesReflectiveDescribe what they saw

So WhatDiscussion comes from the whatAssessment of whysAllow group to speculateWhat were the causesDiscussion of alternatives

Now WhatClosure of discussionRelate experience/thoughts to other real life situationsHow can we.?What can we do.?

Use group dynamics in staff training manuals.

Groups develop a sense of team at differing rates depending on the level of prior experience together, sense of purpose, role of facilitator, type of setting, etc. These steps tend to build upon one another, however, some groups may skip around and incorporate other steps at different stages.

Do What To Do About World Hunger? activity

Communication is the cement that holds the individual bricks together. A facilitator must have the ability to communicate with the group and help the group communicate among themselves.

Use a language all can understand dont assume everyone knows what the term war stories means

Do not immediately evaluate what is being said. Try to understand what it means from the other persons perspective.

Communication stoppers use flip chart to brainstorm from page 23 of Small Group Leader handbook

The key to effective facilitation is to be empathic. To be attending to other persons needs.

Attending Skills is awareness of your behavior and that of the other person with whom you are speaking. This awareness will help you listen to the other person and show him/her that you are indeed LISTENING. The following skills will help show that you care. TOO MUCH of anything is INEFFECTIVE. Strike a balance between too much and too little while maintaining a natural and genuine appearance.

Verbal Attending Skills words such as uhuh, yeah, oh, yes, really, go on and can you say more are ways of encouraging communication and sharing without distracting and talking about yourself. Open and closed-ended questions and statements help move conversation along and get people talking. A facilitator can gather info and show that they are concerned, empathetic and that they are listening by using questions and certain types of statements.

Closed is one that can be answered with yes, no, one word answer. Used to gather facts or steer conversation.

Open-ended are conversation movers. They allow the speaker to decide what the speaker wants to share and how he or she feels about a certain topic.

Group leaders will ask many questions of the group to stimulate discussion, analyze an exercise or presentation and evaluate the groups process.

Avoid leading questions It is better to ask How did you feel about this exercise? There are many answers possible. If yo ask, Did the exercise make you feel uncomfortable? you are steering them into a yes or no answer. The second questions traps the discussion into the topic of discomfort.

Dont ask yes or no questions phrase questions in such a way that a simple yes or no isnt possible. Your goal is to get a more in depth answer.

Phrase questions in a positive manner instead of saying why wont this plan work? ask what problems will we have to overcome if we adopt this plan?

Prepare questions in advance during large groups you should jot down ideas or questions to pose in the next small group. Make sure questions have a purpose. This is called processing.

Reflection and Paraphrasing based on the belief that the person with a problem or who wants to talk is capable of solving his/her own problems and taking care of his/herself.

Reflection is mirroring a persons words for them. By reflecting back to the person their own words they 1) know they have been heard, and 2) have the opportunity to hear what they are really saying. participant: Today has been horrible, nothings gone right. facilitator: Todays been really bad, huh?

Paraphrasing picks up on the feelings a person is presenting. This can be done by rephrasing their own words. This helps the person become more aware of their feelings, shows that you understand what is being felt and moves the conversation to a deeper level of awareness.Surface feelings are expressed by their own words.Hidden feelings are not outwardly conveyed or might not be fully aware of.

Summarizing is a form of paraphrasing. A reflection of feelings, thoughts and facts that have impressed him/her. This is done by using some of your own words as well as by paraphrasing in the participants words.

Can be used throughout conversation when feeling stuck.

Points out important statements and feelings brought up throughout the conversation to that point. Allows you to hear what has been said, to remember and prioritize solutions or future actions, and clarify conflicting thoughts and feelings. Also allows you to continue in the direction desired, grasp a clearer understanding of everyones thoughts, feelings and facts and show them that you are indeed listening.

Let me see if I understand what youve been saying so farSo far youve saidOK, what youve told me so far isUse Mirror StatementsCould it be that.I wonder if.Is it possible that

You are not alone!

Benefits of accreditation is membership to a statewide prevention program with lots of resources willing to share information and help you achieve success.