Training Ideas, Resources, Tools

The face of volunteerism is changing globally and our field is being challenged to respond in new and innovative ways. How do we create programs that welcome and affirm the variety of experiences our volunteers bring to the table? How do we meet the needs of our organization and mission in the process of change?  In this Training Design, we focus on considerations and strategies for building cultural competence within volunteer programs. We provide handouts and activities that encourage and strengthen volunteers’ awareness of their own culture(s), as well as those of their colleagues. This Training Design can be used as a tool for both reflection and action in shaping volunteer programs that are welcoming and attractive to a diverse volunteer pool. 

People are the competitive advantage of the voluntary sector. And yet we seem to concentrate very little time on how to work with this amazing resource. This Training Design presents a workshop that introduces five important tools to help organizations fully engage specifically skilled volunteers.

Gwen Fujie calls it “martial arts ideas for the mind and mouth.”  In this article, Fujie explains why “Tongue Fu!” leads to cooperative communication and more peaceful relationships, both essential elements to success in volunteering. Based on author Sam Horn’s popular book by the same name, Fujie argues that Tongue Fu! is the “constructive alternative to giving a tongue-lashing or to being tongue-tied, a step-by-step process for turning hostility into harmony and aggravation into aloha.”  

There’s The Talker. The Know-It-All.  And, of course, The Silent Type. When it comes to challenging participants during training sessions, we’ve all experienced them. This Training Design offers a review of some of the most common challenging participants, along with tips on how to prepare in advance so that they don’t disrupt the rest of the audience – or the trainer.

When it comes to volunteer training, the secret to success may lie in the approach. In this Training Design, learn how the switch from a problem-focused approach to a strengths-based approach called Appreciate Inquiry can make a huge difference in your volunteer training and ultimately your volunteer program.

How do you avoid having to sell a solution or future direction that the management or leadership team has created? Because it IS a sell job when a few people decide on a new way for the many.  When there are circumstances where any answer is a potential right answer – and there is a large group of stakeholders invested in that answer – there is another way:  large group interventions (LGI).  Instead of training people on a new direction and having to parry objections and dissatisfactions, including them in the creation process avoids the uphill battle.

There are several designs for large group participative events:  Search Conferences, Future Search Conferences, Open Space Technology, Real Time Strategic Change, World Café, and the Technology of Participation, to name some of the most popular.   There are some basic principles behind all of these techniques that are discussed in this article, along with specific design ideas when using the search conference method.

People usually suggest an ice breaker because “we need to break up the atmosphere at the start of a meeting” or “people won’t know each other” or ”we always have an icebreaker to start off.”  Announce that you’re about to run an “ice breaker,” however, and watch the collective groan.

Martin Cowling discusses what the purpose of an icebreaker needs to be and how to apply adult learning principles from the start of training.

It has been said that public speaking is one of the number one fears of people.  Knowing that, how do volunteer program leaders attract volunteers to an organization’s public speaking program?  And then, what do volunteers need to know once they get there?  This article will share tools, activities, and content to create an effective speakers bureau program for volunteers.