January 23, 2024
Calling All Extension Professionals
We never know when a request will come, but we know that Kansas extension agents have the skills to meet the challenge.
A recent request is for extension to facilitate the upcoming 3rd Ogallala Summit, in Liberal. K-State Research and Extension faculty facilitated this event previously and received extensive recognition, as a valued partner. Water issues impact everyone in every community, and are incorporated into each of our grand challenges.
Again, this year, the organization was asked to facilitate table discussions for the summit on March 18-19. You may have seen previous communications from Deborah Kohl, but I wanted to dedicate this Tuesday Letter space to highlight the importance of this event.
If you are interested in helping with this year’s summit, the registration fee will be waived for anyone who serves as a round table leader, and there is funding available to offset travel and hotel ($500). We are not writing the protocol for the round tables, but will have an opportunity to review and become familiar with it prior to the sessions in March.
If you have not taken facilitation training, we will provide some training prior to the event so that our entire K-State Research and Extension team is on the same page. These two trainings will be over Zoom and should be no longer than an hour. We will schedule several opportunities for training toward the end of February and beginning of March.
If you are interested in serving as a table facilitator for the Ogallala Summit, please reach out to Deborah, dkohl@ksu.edu. If you have questions about what the role entails, she would be happy to share her own experiences.
As an extension agent, you are often called to facilitate with the local groups during meetings and brainstorming sessions. Facilitation is about asking, rather than telling, listening, recording, and building consensus, which is an essential tool for anyone who works collaboratively. Additional training will help you hone your skills and become confident in your abilities. Upcoming trainings are available to all agents, specialists and administration.
Join extension professionals across the state for a virtual professional development opportunity and earn a micro credential badge while building your skill set and your network! Each of the three micro credentials begins February 5.
Facilitation Basics - An overview of facilitation and facilitation skills (non-verbal, verbal, administrative). Learn strategies to lay the groundwork for successful facilitation. Enroll here: https://www.enrole.com/ksu/jsp/session.jsp?sessionId=432404B&courseId=FACBASICS&categoryId=ROOT
Divergent Tools - Learn and apply tools to help stakeholders generate ideas, create possibilities, create buy-in, and honor diverse perspectives to move past limitations and find possible solutions. Enroll here: https://www.enrole.com/ksu/jsp/session.jsp?sessionId=432405B&courseId=DIVFACTLS&categoryId=ROOT
Convergent Tools - Learn and apply tools to help groups analyze ideas, narrow, and refine thoughts and options, and progress logically to their top solutions. Enroll here: https://www.enrole.com/ksu/jsp/session.jsp?sessionId=432406B&courseId=CONFACTLS&categoryId=ROOT
In April, an in-person intensive training will be held in Great Bend. Please check the professional development section for more information on how to sign up for that training.
You can also contact Deborah Kohl with any questions.
The long-term goal is to have at least one agent in each county trained to meet the needs of facilitation in the state. This will enable us to help our communities with difficult issues. It is important to have agents nearby that can support each other in facilitation sessions, or allow the local agents to be a full participant. Don’t miss this opportunity to make a difference and to be a valued resource for our system and fellow agents.