VIPP_Unicef

9 Opening events
The first day has to be planned in every detail. Often there is a felt
need by the organizers to have a few words from the boss or
authority at the beginning of a planning or training workshop.
However, it is better if formal inaugurations can be avoided, especially
if it involves people who will later be participants, for it may emphasize
the different levels of personnel present when the goal of a VIPP
workshop is the opposite. The facilitators may have a lot of difficulty
in introducing a democratic or equal relationship between participants
during the next step of the workshop.
If a formal inauguration has to occur, then it should be divided from
the rest of the workshop in time and space. This can be done by holding
it the evening before with formal speeches and a reception for both
the authorities and participants. The real programme can begin the
next morning in a different location or in a completely rearranged
space. If the inauguration has to take place immediately before the
first session, then a short break is required to arrange the workshop
site, dispensing with the dais and tables, and locating the pin boards
and chairs ready to begin. A specific game or exercise can also take
place to signal the passing to an informal setting.
The "expert
interview" is a
participatory way
of opening an event
without going to a
formal inauguration
with speeches
Sometimes organizers attempt to get the biggest names to speak at
their function without thought for the process or effect on participants.
The list of speakers grows long and the inauguration takes too much
time. It is surprising how many bosses or authorities are actually bored
with frequent, formal launchings where they often have to repeat
words they have said before. Very often the decision to go with a formal
inauguration is made by employees who are second-guessing the boss
and trying to please him or her. It is very difficult to break away from
this dominant "seminar culture".
THE BASICS OF VIPP
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