Instructions for Small Groups - Govlink



Instructions for Small Group Work

Legislative Agenda Workshop

Joint Watershed Assembly September 18, 2008

TASK #1: Identifying common federal and state legislative priorities for 2009

1) Review the section of the “Resources for Small Group Work” that pertains to the subject of your small group (e.g., “State Funding Priorities”).

2) Using a marker and 8½ x 11” sheet of paper, write what you think a legislative priority should be. Try to capture the intent of the priorities offered in the survey. Use the following guidelines:

• Consider the context of the typical city legislative agenda (see City of Bellevue example provided)

• Be brief

• Be specific

• Focus on one subject (or closely related subjects)

• Use plain language and limit jargon

3) Next, tape your first legislative priority to the wall. Once everyone has posted their first sheet, do a group review:

• Are there any important ideas listed in the “Survey Results” that weren’t captured? If so, select one or two people to develop language and add it to the ideas on the wall.

• Are there ideas that are related? If so, group them together. Does one stand out as being particularly clear and compelling? If so, remove the alternatives. If not, write down a new idea that captures the best of the existing ideas.

• Limit discussions focused on the merits of specific language. If you don’t like specific language, draft alternative language and post it on the wall to see what the group thinks.

• Are there any gaps or missing priorities? If so, add them to the wall.

4) About 10 minutes before the end of this task, each person gets three SMALL sticky dots. Use them to “vote” on those priorities that are most important. You can apply one, two, or three dots to a given priority.

5) As a group, review the support for the priorities discussed and prioritized with the sticky dots. Select the top FIVE (maximum) priorities that capture the best thinking of the group about the most important COMMON priorities. Transfer or write each on an 8½ x 11” sheet of paper. Place the five sheets of paper on a flip chart titled: “Top Priorities: _________” [insert subject of small group topic].

TASK #2: Acting on common legislative priorities: Identifying the techniques, tools, messages, opportunities, and partners we can work with.

1) Appoint two people to record ideas on flip charts.

2) Brainstorm answers to the question: How can we act on common legislative priorities? Do not critique ideas. Record the ideas on the separate flip chart pages for the following categories:

• Techniques/Tools

• Messages

• Opportunities/Events

• Partners/Partnerships

• Other

Note that action can be devoted both to lobbying on specific legislation as well as building a longer-term relationship with decision makers. You may find some thought-provoking suggestions on the final page of the “Resources for Small Group Work.”

3) Post the completed flip chart pages on the wall if they are not already hanging there. You are now done with this task – there is no prioritization step.

TASK #3: Review the work of the other small groups. When notified by the meeting facilitator, your entire group will move CLOCKWISE around the room to the next group’s area.

1) Review the “Top Priorities” of the first group you visit.

2) You will have two LARGE sticky dots with which to “vote” at each station. You may give both to one priority or vote for two priorities. (Different colors of dots have no significance.)

3) Review ideas of Task #2 for good ideas that you would use.

4) After three minutes at a small group station, move on to the next one.

5) When you get back to your “home” small group station, vote among your own priorities.

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Tips for Legibility

• Write large

• Use ALL CAPS

• Adjust the size of your text to fill the entire page

• Limit text to 10 words

Task Duration:

30 minutes

Task Duration:

15 minutes

Task Duration:

15 minutes -

3 minutes per small group station

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