On several occasions during the years 2018/2019, Vanessa, Dunja and myself heard how people in our professional networks enthusiastically talked about the method “Working Out Loud” (WOL).
Sandra Gentizon, SDC
Workshop space is precious space we want to use wisely. Creating the right conditions is the facilitator’s job. It is part of the design process to think about how to create these conditions and the ambiance conducive for working and learning together in a productive and inspiring way. In this blog post, we share our reflection on what it takes and why it matters to create a common ground for working together.
By Jany Barraut, Beyond Boundaries and Nadia von Holzen, Learning Moments (more…)
At the beginning of April, Knowledge Managers from diverse backgrounds travelled to Geneva to witness the formal inauguration of the Knowledge for Development (K4D) Partnership and to honor the UN Joint Inspection Unit’s (JIU) report on Knowledge Management in the United Nations system. There was a broad consensus that the lack of ways to measure impact inhibits the potential of knowledge management and that the community needs to raise awareness for the importance of KM in preventing reinventions of the wheel.
By Natalie Frei, SDC
In the last Lunch & Learn, Yvonne Vogel talked – and sang – tips on how to overcome inner constraints and become a better presenter. Key to any successful presentation is an audience-centered approach, which many people struggle with. However, there are some simple exercises to make it easier.
By Natalie Frei, SDC
In SDC learning is taking place in the networks – learning about approaches, about experiences and about good practices. The networks meet regularly in f2f-events in order to engage in this learning. But does it have an effect? What is the outcome of these events? By Beverly Wenger-Trayner, co-author of the Value Creation Framework
The idea behind social reporting during a learning event is not only to jointly produce a report and reach out to a wider audience. The beauty of social reporting is that it adds an additional layer of reflection to the workshop conversation. This blog post gives some tips how to include participants and how to make the task of the social reporting team doable and meaningful. The most important of the 6 tips is: Prepare what you can prepare and be flexible at the workshop.
Nadia von Holzen, SDC
Alfonso Flores is a networker. He definitely has a networked mindset when he has the idea to connect his Latin America team with the Learning & Networking team based in Switzerland. After having participated in the digital storytelling workshop organized by the Learning & Networking team, his aim is to bring not only the idea of short digital stories back to his colleagues, he also wants to connect them with the Swiss team. To do so he asks the Learning & Networking team members to explain their services in short video statements. And what he shares back to the Swiss team is this blog post.
Alfonso Flores Bermúdez, SDC Nicaragua (more…)
In 2008 Maria del Carmen Alarcón Lizón started working as communication specialist with the SDC Cooperation Office in Bolivia. Over these years the communication approach within SDC Latin America has evolved from diffusion of information to a more integrative and participatory approach putting communication in the service of programmes and projects. An essential factor in this shift to communication for development (C4D) was sharing and learning among the communication practioners in SDC, for example in the communication network Redcolatina. A manual named “Comunicación para el Desarrollo – Una guía práctica” is the tangible result of this cooperation.
Maria del Carmen Alarcón Lizón, SDC Bolivia (more…)
The new facilitation book by Viv McWaters and Johnnie Moore for designing and conducting inspiring and creative meetings is available online. It is a book about the art of facilitation. The book is an invitation to reflect our role and our understanding as facilitators. It is not a book about techniques; it is a book about BEING the facilitator.
By Nadia von Holzen, SDC
Bringing together 95 learning practitioners does not provide a guarantee to joint learning nor community forming. Learning together needs space for joint inquiry and deliberation. Learning together needs true and deep conversations. Conversations are connecting and connections are the condition for deep conversations.
Nadia von Holzen, SDC
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Meetings can be fun, interactive and productive. The ‘flipchart-chat’ is a good way to really discuss a hot issue at your next staff meeting.
Corinne Sprecher, Agridea (more…)
The SDC Learning & Networking Blog is about sharing and learning. Every speaker and participant at the 2015 Leaders Forum wanted to both share and learn beyond the forum’s rapid-fire 15 minute presentation format. Sharing and learning require a degree of courage and persistence. At the outset of the dialogue, Doris Leuthard and Yolanda Kakabadse explicitly instructed all participants to discard bashfulness and “Be a pain” to senior speakers and officials during breaks. This open invitation to debate was enthusiastically accepted and insight-fuelled discussions coursed throughout the corridors during breaks.
By Lawrence McGrath, Institute for Media and Communications Management of the University of St. Gallen (more…)
The Leaders Forum is an annual event bringing together thought leaders on sustainable development from businesses, NGOs, public organisations, social enterprises, universities and the general public. This year’s event was held at the University of St. Gallen from February 5 to 7, and the focal point of discussions was multi-dimensional sustainability in Latin America. The first three speakers at this year’s forum were Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard, WWF President Yolanda Kakabadse and ICRC Director-General Yves Daccord. Following this thought-provoking beginning, the pace of fascination did not slacken.
By Lawrence McGrath, Institute for Media and Communications Management of the University of St. Gallen (more…)
The Gender Equality Network as well as the Agriculture and Food Security Network decided to organize their face-to-face (f2f) events in the same week June 2nd to 6th and to have a joint program during three of the five f2f days. The joint days were especially important to demonstrate with practical examples how gender equity in a natural way is always part of any social reality. Felix Fellmann, SDC Agriculture & Food Security Focalpoint
Social reporting from network events is commonly used in the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC). Yet every social reporting process is unique and tied to its context; it is like embarking on a new learning adventure. In this blog post we would like to share the story of the social reporting team at the face-2-face meeting 2014 of the Gender Network.
Isabelle Jost & Danielle Rosset SDC
What results can we expect from a F2F? In the education network (E network), our objectives were to strengthen links between members, the sharing of experiences and lessons learned on key issues. We did not expect the impetus within the network to lead to the drafting of a joint advocacy paper. A concrete result, which reflects the position shared by the people and organisations of the network with regard to the post-2015 discussions.
By Valérie Liechti, Nicole Gantenbein & Lucia Bordone, SDC
Let’s talk visual. Graphic facilitation strengthens communication in meetings and workshops. Visualizing key insights, steps to take or stakeholders involved adds another layer of communication to our workshop conversation. Drawings – be it a storyline, a process or a metaphor – help us clarifying our thoughts, make us ask new questions. Just start drawing. There is no right and wrong. There is only practice.
Charlotte Nager, Nadia von Holzen, Carmen Eckert, SDC (more…)
Face to face meetings are magic moments in a network’s life, full of life, interaction and social weaving. How can networks hold this vibrancy after the face to face meetings? “By creating a virtual face to face ambience,” says Hynek Bures. “With the Internet and today’s social media your colleague actually sits next door.”
By Hynek Bureš, dubbed perceptions
For the SCO Macedonia the networks of SDC are an important tool for learning and sharing. The exchange with peers and the joint reflection of practices is stimulating, instructive and rewarding. Even as lurkers – as the time constraints limit sometimes proactive participation – the benefit is high. And the networks are shaped and co-owned by its members; this makes them so valuable.
Ibrahim Mehmeti with contributions from the SCO Macedonia team (more…)
How can you enhance reflection and learning in workshops by using social media? Hook Touravanh from the Swiss Cooperation Office in Lao was animating a social reporting process during a training workshop in Thailand. Social reporting is a tool to help people digest what they learned.
Hook Touravanh, SCO Lao
Remark: This post is summarizing Hook Touravanh’s key points what it means to do social reporting. You can read the full length of his story on the Mekong blog.
In the eye of the Swiss Cooperation Office (SCO) in Bolivia SDCs thematic networks are an important pillar for strengthening both the capacity of a great number of development actors and the sustainability of their projects. The level of their effort justifies the ‘raison d’être’ of the networks and the results they produce. Therefore we dare the prognosis: “Without networking – less development!”
By Markus Glatz and the SCO Team, La Paz
Social Reporting is not new to SDC. In order to render their face-to-face events more participatory, immediate, relevant and accessible several thematic networks made use of the methodology. Yet, implementation practices differ, some networks delegate the realization to external partners, others have mixed teams with reporting professionals and thematic experts. At the face to face of SDC’s Gender Equality Network the whole reporting process has been delegated exclusively to internal resource persons. In this blog post members of the social reporting and the network’s core group present their lessons learnt. (more…)
How many topics should a face-to-face meeting put on the agenda? The participants of the SDC Health network explored during their 2nd face-to-face meeting one topic: Health Promotion. With this decision for one key discussion topic the meeting had a clear focus; this allowed for in-depth discussions.
The Agriculture and Food Security Network recently organized its face to face meeting. Planning such an event in a network surrounding poses particular challenges. The face to face not only entails the exchange of content but should also foster community building and give participants a chance to share their personal expertise. In today’s blog contribution the network’s core group takes stock of the planning process of their event and its realisation. How is the preparation work best organised and coordinated? How can methodological and thematic coherence be assured? How can quality of inputs be guaranteed?
By Core Group Agriculture and Food Security Network
During the 2nd day of its face to face the SDC network Migration and Development left the meeting room to visit activities in relation to migration in Dhaka. This blog post outlines why and how the “dive” into the context and confrontation with different perspectives can accelerate and nurture the network’s conversation (deliberations, dialogue). (more…)
