Participatory Leadership is an experiential workshop in which participants explore and practice a variety of interrelated methods and tools focused on convening people for meaningful conversations and co-creating a desired future. This approach to leadership activates the collective intelligence of a group to find new solutions to the increasingly complex challenges we face today. 

This course utilizes a combination of instruction, individual reflection, small group dialogue, and during-class practice exercises. There is relatively little teaching from the trainers; rather, participants reflect on the different experiences and form their own insights regarding application. 

Key methods experienced in the course include hosting effective meeting check-ins and check-outs, World Café, Circle Practice, and Open Space Technology. Depending on the needs of the client, concepts and principles and tools explored might include systems thinking, Liberating Structures, working with differences and conflict, powerful questions, Appreciative Inquiry, and effective meeting design. 

Participants choose ways to contribute and receive coaching to facilitate the key methods and to help open and close the days in ways that promote connection and inclusion. 

Performance Objectives: Upon completion of this course you should be able to: 

·       Confidently and effectively convene groups for meaningful conversations

·       Design powerful and purposeful agendas that meet the client’s or the situational need

·       Select facilitation tools and methodologies that are most appropriate to the situation

·       Facilitate diverse groups of people around a wide range of complex or challenging topics

·       Work confidently within uncertainty, ambiguity, and complexity 

Competencies Covered: Leadership development, Personal skill development, Team building, Facilitation 

Intended Audience:  Anyone who would like to learn about a way of leading that is different from traditional top-down command and control. We think this learning experience is most impactful when multiple members of a team or organization or community participate together and then continue to support each other’s learning and practice.