Workshop: Developing Policy Advocacy Strategies—Facilitator’s Manual

The purpose of this session is for each small group to present their draft advocacy strategy and receive constructive feedback from participants and facilitators. By the end of this session, participants are expected to present their advocacy strategy and provide constructive feedback to other groups on their draft strategies. The total time allocated for this session is approximately 1.5-2.5 hours, contingent on the number of groups and presentations. To prepare for the session, logistics must be arranged for external audiences, and materials such as the PowerPoint file, completed schedule of presentations, and presentations from each group must be preloaded onto a computer. The room setup should include small groups at tables or in a theater-style arrangement, with laptops for participants to capture constructive feedback on their advocacy strategies. The presentation process begins with an overview of the presentation process, where the facilitator explains that each small group will present their strategies, and all participants will observe the presentations and provide constructive feedback. The facilitator also reminds participants to observe time limits and save questions and feedback until the end of each presentation. During the presentations, the facilitator will display five-minute and one-minute cards to alert presenters of the time remaining for their presentations. One facilitator will act as a timekeeper, and the other will facilitate the question-and-answer session after each presentation. The facilitators will also make note of any components that are missing or could be strengthened to facilitate the feedback session. After all groups have presented, the facilitator will ask participants for their general impressions across the presentations, using prompts on the slide to encourage discussion. The session will conclude by thanking all participants for their presentations, reviewing the learning objectives, summarizing the key concepts, and clarifying any participant questions. The facilitator's manual emphasizes the importance of providing constructive feedback, which should be balanced with comments that highlight strengths within the strategy. Feedback should focus on the content of the strategy rather than the politics of the issue, and should be specific rather than general.