My name is Amanda Richards and I work at Possip to lead the Reporting team and help facilitate professional development. I am a former school principal and teacher. I’m here to share a resource that I consistently used to involve community members at my school.
A few years ago, I was able to attend one of Elena Aguilar’s conferences on her book “The Art of Coaching Teams”
Her focus is to build strong school teams and use the power of people to make collaborative decisions.
The resource that you’ll go through today is based on Elena Aguilar’s Consultancy Protocol. While I was a principal, I mostly used this with my grade level teacher leaders and our school leadership team. It provides a structured agenda to problem-solve and make decisions with trusted community or team members.
As a result of using this protocol, I found that it helped my teachers, school leaders, and myself. When we are able to hear more voices and perspectives it leads to more equitable decision-making for everyone.
I hope you find this group work time helpful and you’re able to use this tangible tool.
Consultancy Protocol Steps
While you’re walking through these steps, make sure to check out this resource you can use as well!
- Firstly, a presenter prepares a dilemma or decision for the consultancy meeting.
- The first part of the meeting, the Presenter shares the dilemma or decision verbally or through artifacts like data, emails, or other information. The Presenter can ask for feedback or input on one key question or decision.
- Group asks the presenter clarifying questions that require yes–no or short answers only so everyone can get clarity on the decision or dilemma efficiently.
- The group silently reflects on the presenter’s dilemma or decision and prepares for discussion.
- Next, there’s a Group Fishbowl Discussion where the Presenter doesn’t participate and just take notes. In the discussion, group members can ask probing questions, share insights they gained, and voice any other ideas or reflections they came up with.
- The presenter takes One Minute of Silence to reflect and share their takeaway with the group.
- Lastly, the Presenter shares any reactions, insights, or next steps they want to take based on the community input during the consultancy.
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