Colloquia - Sharing through Discussion

The outputs from an effective colloquium

	Guided self discovery
	Facilitated self discovery

A common training method is when the trainer talks and the trainees sit and listen. This has its uses but here we will consider some of the more interactive methods which make it possible for trainees to share ideas through discussion. (co-loquium = together talk)

Mature trainees tend to have experience of the topic of their training. This experience is a valuable training resource which is why we want to share it.

You might argue that there is no need for a trainer at all - just put a bunch of mature people together for a while and leave them to share their ideas.

The argument here is that when the trainer adds structure to the sharing-through-discussion process then the amount of sharing and understanding that takes place is much higher than it would be if the trainees were just left to blether amongst themselves.

The outputs from an effective colloquium

After an effective colloquium the trainees should have a good feeling about the process of sharing and about the benefits of structuring the process. To chat is good but to structure the chat is even better. To paraphrase the old Chinese saying, 'Many brains make light work'.

The specific outputs will depend on what was being shared but possibilities include

	a shared vision,
	a negotiated consensus or agreement,
	a comprehensive checklist (of items or procedures),
	an action plan (who does what by when) or
	a well articulated and understood concept map.

Discussion rather than Debate

Debates have their uses in terms of clarifying thoughts about for/against, good/bad, right/wrong, agree/disagree, pros/cons. The problem is that the mood of debating forces people into either/or thinking styles where, 'I am right and you are wrong'.

In most cases this is unfortunate because both parties are likely to be right to some extent in their own way. The debating process tends to simplify everything into rigid black and white and therefore all the useful and more flexible grey areas get ignored.

The mood of a good discussion is that everybody wins - everybody puts something in and everybody gets something out. In the end people may agree to disagree but they do so in a friendly way and after having understood each other's point of view.

'Different strokes for different folks' is a key guide to action in the Caring business. The question is not whether something is right or wrong but rather whether or not it is useful in the context in which it is used. The mood is not, "You must do such and such," but rather, "You might like to try such and such because we have found it to be very successful".

In the 'real' world, however, there are many you musts. There are Health and Safety and various other Legal requirements. Colloquia can help. Trainees can share their problems and successes and their fears and triumphs such that everyone is more comfortable in dealing with bureaucratic requirements.

Variations on the Colloquium Process

The essence of a colloquium is Interactive Mindmapping which, in its purest form, involves the three stages of Brainstorming, Categorising and Linking. The mechanics of this process are dealt with in detail elsewhere. Here we will look at some variations on the basic theme.

Guided Self Discovery

In the pure brainstorming process the trainer acts solely as a facilitator ie she does not know in advance what the outcome will be. Sometimes, however, the trainer will be leading the trainees towards an already established conclusion. In this case the trainees will be asked to brainstorm within a given set of topics and/or they may be asked to think of items which fit inside a given set of categories.

A less extreme variation of this approach is when the trainer gives a mini talk before the discussion begins in which she maps out the concept to make sure that the trainees do not stray too far afield when they begin their discussion.

	Note that this approach is very useful when time is short.
	Note also that in this approach the trainer will have prepared her mini talk in advance and perhaps will have pre-prepared some flip charts and/or handouts.

Facilitated Self Discovery

Sometimes the trainer does not know in advance what the outcome is going to be but she is concerned that the discussion should have been wide ranging and that the conclusion is well thought through.

In these cases she has to ensure that the trainees are

clear about what they are trying to do and also that
they are using creativity enhancing techniques to help them get out of the ruts of their normal thinking.

The purpose will normally be to produce some of the outputs which were mentioned above eg action plans or checklists or whatever. The discussion will go more smoothly if the participants are clear about, and have agreed on, what they are trying to produce.

It also helps if the participants are clear about the type of task in which they are engaged. Here are some common types of task.

Brainstorming	Making comprehensive lists of items
Contrasting	Seeing similarities and differences
Classifying	Sorting items into categories - with different levels ie hierarchies
Analysing	Breaking the big idea into its component parts
Synthesising	Seeing how all the little bits fit together
Identifying problems	Defining the problem accurately is half way to finding the answer
Generating solutions	How many different solutions can you think of
Prioritising	Deciding which items or issues are the most important & ranking them
Imagining	Deliberately coming up with new perspectives (imagineering)
Lateral Thinking	A specialised type of imagineering (see Edward de Bono)
Evaluating	How valuable is it - on its own or relative to other things?
Networking	Getting to know the strengths and weaknesses of others in the group
Application	How could this idea be used in my situation? (101 ways to use a brick!)

The outputs from an effective colloquium

Discussion rather than debate

Variations on the Colloquium Process

	Guided self discovery
	Facilitated self discovery