For the last several years the Staff Development Association (SDANYS) has sponsored Roundtables at NYPWA (New York Public Welfare Association) Summer and Winter Conferences. These Roundtables have proved to be very beneficial to all people involved in training. It is an opportunity to gather local staff development coordinators, state training contract staff, Bureau of Training contract managers and program staff together to discuss issues about training.
The following guidelines are offered as a means of describing what Roundtables are and how they work. These guidelines were originally prepared by James Brand of Livingston County.
1. Roundtables are a highly interactive way to exchange information, ideas, and opinions in a group on a specific, targeted topic.
2. All attendees are equal and are encouraged to actively participate. There are no formal presentation or speeches.
3. An informal seating arrangement is most appropriate. A good seating pattern for a Roundtable is to have participants seating in a circle or at tables shaped in a U. (There is no podium or speaker's table separate from the participants.)
4. Although there is less structure and fewer protocols for Roundtables than for other types of forums, all Roundtables should have a facilitator. The facilitator helps generate the discussion, makes sure that time frames are adhered to, ensures that everyone has the opportunity to speak, and encourages dialog that is conducted in a neutral and non-judgmental manner. (The facilitator should have some familiarity with the topics that will be addressed and may introduce pertinent issues if it appears unlikely that they will be covered.)
5. The facilitator should arrive early, attend to any housekeeping details, ask people to sign-in so that there is a record of attendance, give a brief introduction at the beginning about the purpose or goals of the Roundtable, and conclude the program with a brief review of what was accomplished or discussed and what plans of action will take place as a result of the Roundtable.
6. If it's a small group the facilitator should ask the participants to introduce themselves. If it is a large group it may be necessary to dispense with this activity in the interest of saving time. However, people wishing to speak should identify themselves first.
7. Additional responsibilities of a facilitator may include advertising (marketing) the Roundtable, securing a room, having necessary aids available, making copies of any handouts or materials, and delegating someone to take minutes. The minutes can act as the basis of a report on the Roundtable that discusses what was covered and, most importantly, any "next steps" that have been agreed to.
8. A principal objective of any Roundtable is to form and secure relationships for a particular purpose. In our case it is to ensure that resources are available to provide high quality training to local districts.
Revised 12/04/03