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SELECTING PARTICIPANTS

After you have set your specific objectives, you can now select the right participants to achieve your workshop aim.

What to expect from participants

“Participation” is a culturally relative word. Some people think they have participated if they simply attend an event. Others think they’ve participated only if they’ve asked questions at every opportunity and won every debate in the workshop (perhaps you shouldn’t invite either of these types of participant to your workshop). It is reasonable to expect that each participant:

Has something valuable to offer to and learn from the workshop.
Will engage in all group activities in order to achieve the workshop aim.
Will respect the voice, skills and knowledge of other participants.

Make these expectations very clear when you invite participants; at the beginning of the workshop; and throughout its duration.

Who?

Community volunteers? Station managers? Social workers? Village elders? Funding body representatives? Young people? The list of who you could invite to participate in the workshop can be a very long one.

However, the participants you should invite will be the key stakeholders identified by your workshop aim. In other words, those people most involved with the outcomes of the workshop. All participants should have a clear and significant contribution to achieving the workshop’s aim and objectives. So invite those who have both the right skills to contribute; as well as skills in contributing.

How many?

The right number to achieve your aim and objectives. The final number of participants will usually depend on budget, venue and duration. A large group may well require multiple facilitators.

How long?

The duration of the workshop will be dictated by participant availability and your budget. In general, the more senior the participants, the shorter the workshop duration will be.

You can perhaps extend the duration of your workshop (or at least reduce your travel budget) by attaching it to an existing event such as a major conference or regional or national meeting which you expect some of your participants will attend. This means that some of your participants may already be traveling to the same place.

Task: selecting participants

Below, list the names of up to ten participants who should be invited to the workshop for the aim to be achieved. Add the name of their organisation. You can add more participants later as needed.