Seeds for Change has a a collection of tools that may be useful for participatory meetings and workshops. When choosing tools you might want to think about:
Variety: Using a variety of techniques will help a much wider range of people engage fully in your workshop or meeting. We all vary in things like how we take in information most easily, whether we prefer to speak in large groups or small ones, whether we need to move our bodies for our minds to stay active, how much reflection time we need to make up our minds on a topic… Building in a range of different activities will enable more people to stay involved.
Accessibility: It is important to remember that not every activity will be accessible to every individual or group. Wherever possible, ask people to give you information in advance about any access requirements that are relevant to the workshop. Make sure you are only asking for information you really need in order to facilitate – no-one should feel expected to share personal information unnecessarily. Ask people to be specific about how to make things work for them, rather than you making assumptions. Try to choose tools where everyone will at least have a choice about whether to participate.
Consent: Even if everyone could take part in all the activities you’ve planned, be aware that not everyone will want to! Give people a rough idea of what a tool will involve and why you are suggesting it so they can decide how / whether to join in. For example, you could let people know that a game involves some physical contact, or lots of moving around. If people are having personal conversations in pairs, tell them in advance what kind of feedback you will be expecting in the larger group.
