Support the spread of “good practice” in generating, managing,
analysing and communicating spatial information
Attitudes, Behaviours
and Ethics
Communication Skills for
Facilitators
By: Wendy Miles, Miguel Castrence and Jefferson Fox
Unit: M02U01
Presentation outline
Focus:
• attitudes, behaviours and ethics for good
practice in PGIS
• communication skills, team building and
group decision-making techniques
Attitudes, Behaviours & Ethics
for Good Practice in PGIS
Attitudes, behaviours and ethics
for PGIS
The “lily pad” model
• lily pad = behaviours that people see from
the surface
• high stalk = attitudes towards the world
• low stalk = values, growing from beliefs
• roots = beliefs, deeply held
Source: Cheek, Brad (webmaster). A general
practitioner's education and training resource.
Gp-training.net. [Last updated Oct 2008]
http://tinyurl.com/8veblj
Attitudes, behaviours
and ethics for PGIS
Mapping beliefs, values,
attitudes and behaviors
Belief: North is up.
Value: Western mapping
standards
Attitudes:
Maps should be made with north facing up.
Educated people know the top of the map is north.
Behaviour:
Telling community members that the right way to
make their map is to have it situated with north on top
Attitudes, behaviours and ethics
for PGIS
PGIS facilitators need to know themselves and
understand how their behaviours are influenced
by their:
• beliefs;
• values;
• attitudes.
PGIS facilitators serve the communities in which
they work.
Attitudes, behaviours and ethics
for PGIS
Valuing diversity
• welcoming
• comfort and safety
• sensitivity
Source: http://tinyurl.com/oa5vef
Attitudes, behaviours and ethics
for PGIS
Valuing diversity
Promote a “learning attitude”:
• Listen and learn from others.
• Accept differences and respect
people and their opinions.
• Recognise people’s experience
and prioritise local and
traditional knowledge.
Attitudes, behaviours and ethics
for PGIS
Valuing transparency
• honesty and openness
• building trust
• compromise & consensus
Source: http://www.fao.org/Participation/ft_princ.jsp
Attitudes, behaviours and ethics
for PGIS
Valuing flexibility
• being open to other ideas and perspectives
• being adaptable in diverse settings
• being understanding of others’ situations
Source: http://www.fao.org/Participation/ft_princ.jsp
Attitudes, behaviours and ethics
for PGIS
Ethics: norms for conduct regarding acceptable
and unacceptable behaviours
Ethical principles for PGIS facilitators include:
• being open and honest;
• obtaining informed consent;
• avoiding raising false expectations;
• avoiding exposing people to danger;
• putting local values, needs and concerns first.
Ground Rules for Group
Behaviour
Developing ground rules
for group behaviour
What are group ground rules?
• developed by the group
• guidelines for group behaviour
• examples
Developing ground rules
for group behaviour
Examples:
• Test assumptions and inferences.
• Share all relevant information.
• Use specific examples & explain what is meant.
• Explain reasoning and intent.
• Focus on interests, not positions.
Source: Schwartz, RM. 2005. Ground
Rules for Effective Groups. In The
Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook.
Developing ground rules
for group behaviour
•
Share thoughts and ask questions with the
purpose of learning as a group.
•
Design group strategies collectively.
•
Discuss important issues, even if it is difficult.
•
Use decision-making rules that meet the needs
of the group and encourage commitment.
Source: Schwartz, RM. 2005. Ground
Rules for Effective Groups. In The
Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook.
Counteracting the
Challenges of Listening
Through careful meeting preparation, facilitators
can help people participate more fully
Challenges for meeting participants
Facilitators… find ways to help
participants feel comfortable and
confident engaging more fully.
Common challenges in meetings
• being unable to see the speaker or writings
• being unable to hear another person talk
• thinking about something else
• thinking about how to respond (or thinking about
a question but not asking it)
• having difficulty understanding the level of
material being discussed
• being tired
Source: University of Hawaii,
Program on Conflict Resolution
Training Files, undated.
Further challenges for listeners
• having difficulty understanding another person’s
language or accent
• being distracted by noise, interruptions, etc.
• needing to use the restroom
• being hungry or thirsty
• being too hot or cold
What can PGIS facilitators do to help participants
overcome these common distractions and make
meetings more interactive?
Source: University of Hawaii,
Program on Conflict Resolution
Training Files, undated.
The Art of Listening
Communicating effectively
Active listening
• PGIS facilitator reflects back what the speaker
has just said.
• Facilitator helps speaker feel understood and
heard.
• Facilitator encourages participants to talk and
helps them feel at ease.
Communicating effectively
Types of active listening questions:
• open-ended
• encouraging
• clarifying
• restating
• reflecting
• summarising
• validating
Non-verbal communication
People communicate with body language
and words
• emotions
• culturally-specific interpretations of body
language
• culturally appropriate body language
Non-verbal communication
What to keep in mind
• body: body position (especially arms and legs),
orientation and movements (e.g. fidgeting)
• face: level of eye contact, expression
• voice: speed and pitch of speech
Verbal language
A PGIS facilitator needs to:
• talk in a language easily spoken by everyone, or
get well qualified translators;
• speak clearly and at an appropriate volume;
• stand/sit where everyone can see and hear.
• pay close attention to people’s body language.
• verify that people understand what is being said.
Making Decisions as a Group
Thinking as a group
Group memory:
• provides the group with a visual record;
• can be used as minutes;
• helps the group focus;
• legitimises people’s ideas;
• depersonalises ideas;
• provides a non-human target for criticism;
• prevents repetition;
• is low cost and easy.
Source: Barkai, John. Undated.
"Group memory and recording"
from Meeting Facilitation,
University of Hawaii Law School.
Group memory
The “recorder”:
• captures ideas in the “group memory”;
• uses the group’s key words and phrases;
• remains neutral and does not participate;
• asks the group to slow down, if necessary;
• helps the facilitator keep track of information.
Source: Barkai, John. Undated.
"Group memory and recording"
from Meeting Facilitation,
University of Hawaii Law School.
Group memory
Recorder’s responsibilities
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Label and number the pages.
Print in big letters.
Ensure everyone can see the writing.
Abbreviate where possible.
Make corrections non-defensively.
Focus not on spelling but on content, speed & legibility.
Bring pens, tape and paper.
If possible, tape pages on the wall as they are finished.
Highlight agreements in some way.
Source: Barkai, John. Undated.
"Group memory and recording"
from Meeting Facilitation,
University of Hawaii Law School.
Photo: Wendy Miles, 2006
Group decision-making
Step 1: Brainstorming
• Encourage contributions.
• Do not evaluate or judge ideas.
• Be positive and encouraging.
• Use imagination.
• Build on people’s ideas.
• Record every idea.
• Aim for quantity – the more ideas, the better.
Source: University of Hawaii,
Program on Conflict Resolution
Training Files, undated.
Group decision-making
Step 2: Prioritising
• Work together to prioritise what is most
important.
Step 3: Narrowing
• Narrow what is not necessary.
• Try to come to a conclusion with which everyone
is happy; combine solutions and make
compromises if possible.
Source: University of Hawaii,
Program on Conflict Resolution
Training Files, undated.
Examples of group
decision-making tools
Clustering
Go around
Voting with stars
Fist of five
Exercise:
Developing group ground rules
Conclusion
Experienced and talented PGIS
facilitators:
• strive to better understand themselves and
others and improve communication among
people;
• continuously work to improve their facilitation
skills to better serve the groups with which they
work.