MOVE - Moderation and Visualization for Group ... - INSPIRATION

process and results of the workshop, elaborating
recommendations for follow-up events – all in
close cooperation with the other team members
and the organizers
Event Event Assistants
Assistants
Qualif Qualification
Qualif ication – basic understanding of the
requirements to organize a participatory group
event, flexible working approach, good communication
skills and high organizational capacity
Tasks asks asks – responsible for the micro-organizational
dimension of the event, assisting the moderator,
participants and organizers during the workshop,
managing the MOVE materials, especially
pin boards, distributing workshop materials,
photocopying, photo documentation, computer
services, running errands with travel and other
agencies etc
Resource Resource P PPersons
P ersons
Qualif Qualification
Qualif ication – called ‘trainer’ or ‘experts’ in
conventional training, practical and theoretical
knowledge and experience in the subject matter,
ability to communicate effectively with participants,
flexibility, openness and willingness to
tackle all questions of participants, experience
with teamwork, visualization and interactive
learning
Tasks asks – responsible for the contents and the
technical state-of-the-art dimension of the event,
providing detailed input on the subject matter,
elaborating appropriate exercises, group work
tasks, field trips and support material in close
cooperation with the moderator
In workshops or training events with a larger
number of participants, the role of a moderator
and a resource person is often differentiated.
■ Moderators
Moderators Moderators help the group define its
objectives and intentions, formulate precise
questions and tasks, and facilitate working out
solutions. Hence, they are the catalyst in the
learning and decision-making process, but
they do not interfere with the subject matters
of the discussions.
■ Resource Resource persons persons provide the group with
specific, often sector-specific know-how and
information. They help in understanding the
topics dealt with and assist in finding
alternative solutions.
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You may notice that there is no explicit ‘trainer’,
the dominant figure in conventional events.
MOVE, as you know, puts as much emphasis on
methods as on contents. That explains the
differentiation of roles between the moderator
who looks after the pedagogical and social
matters and the resource person who serves as a
technical expert in the field in question. In case
the resource persons do not yet have enough
experience with moderation and visualization
methods, the moderators should plan for enough
time for a detailed meeting on the basics of
MOVE. If possible, the resource persons should
stay present throughout the entire event because
the (soft) group process is as important as the
(hard) information input. In practice, this will
often be too costly. There are three potential ways
out of this dilemma:
■ The The subject subject matter matter specialists specialists are are among
among
the the participants. participants. This is a preferable solution
as it is in line with the MOVE philosophy:
Nobody knows everything, but everyone
knows something”. But this requires a balance
of participants experienced in particular fields
or methods. Also, the curriculum and
background material for this kind of event
needs to be prepared in great detail.