Fiscal Policy Studies Institute
RBA/OBA Accountability
101 Training
Workshop Set-up and Logistics
1.
Equipment needed:
Powerpoint: LCD projector (and plan for a backup if possible). It is
not necessary to provide a computer. The presenter will bring a laptop. No
need to provide a separate projector if the room has a built-in projector.
A large screen (not necessary if there is a large clean wall surface for
projection). If the room has multiple projection screens it is strongly
preferred that there be one main screen in the center at the front of the
room.
2 flip charts, markers and masking tape or Bluetac. Flipchart pads with self stick
adhesive is preferred.
CLIP-ON (lavaliere) MICROPHONE if group is larger than 25 (or if the room
acoustics are problematic). Please RENT this equipment if it is not
otherwise available. A
quality system is, of course preferred, But if cost is a problem, this
equipment can usually be rented for less than $100. And here's why this is
IMPORTANT: It is very easy to lose one's voice speaking in front of a
group for 5 or 6 hours without a good microphone. Try it sometime if you
don't believe me. A lost voice means all workshops for the next 3 days must
be cancelled. Why is a clip-on microphone necessary and not just an
ordinary hand held? It is very difficult to work with
pointers, remote slide changers and
flip charts with a hand held microphone and cord. (It's actually funny to
watch though.) If you have any
questions at all about this, please call.
Hand held microphone for use by the participants for
groups of 50 or larger. Two hand held microphones for groups of 100 or
larger.
2.
Room set-up:
Tables can be set up classroom style (straight or angled), or in round
tables (NOT U shaped if possible).
For workshops with an afternoon session, participants will work around
tables in groups of 6.
LCD projector should be set on a rectangular table, NOT an AV cart, at the
front of the room.
Please place a copy of the workshop materials package given to
participants on this table.
Pitcher of water and glass on front table, please.
Extra credit will be given for arranging a pitcher of hot water, a
small bowl of sliced
lemon and an artificial low calorie sweetener (preferably Splenda). This helps keep me from losing my voice.... many
thanks.
It is very helpful to have chocolate on the tables in the afternoon.
It is also helpful (maybe even fun) to have modeling clay or stress
toys on the tables in the afternoon.
3.
Materials:
The following materials should be copied for distribution at the time of the
workshop. Back to back printing is always preferred as a way to save
paper.
Results Accountability 101 workshop materials
can be printed from Adobe Acrobat format. Click
here. The full version of the workshop workbook should be used
unless use of a shorter version is discussed in advance.
Click here for UK Materials
RBA Brochure either color or black and
white printing. Click here.
One copy of the
Summary Evaluation form for each participant.
These will be retained by the sponsoring organization.
Workshop organizers are strongly encouraged to provide a copy of
the book "Trying Hard Is Not Good Enough" for each participant. The
Results Leadership Group provides significant discounts for
anyone organizing an RBA 101 workshop. Contact Adam Luecking at
adam@resultsleadership.org
.
For workshops with an afternoon Turn the Curve Exercise (using
population level indicators), sponsors may need to prepare actual baseline
data for use by participants. See below under "Preparation."
Contact FPSI if you have any questions about what is needed.
Name tags with FIRST NAMES in large type. These can be pre-prepared
or filled out at the time of the workshop.
Participant list, with identifying information, including email
addresses.
Optional: Sponsors may wish to provide a certificate of
completion for each participant. Click here for a Powerpoint file that
can be printed onto certificate paper: RBA 101
Certificate of Completion. These can be signed by the trainer at the
time of the training.
4.
Workshop description and bio: May be printed from the
Workshops
Page.
5.
Press Release:
Consider issuing a press release about the RBA 101 event.
Click
here for a fill-in-the-blanks draft. Press coverage can help build the
image of your organization and can help spread the word about RBA.
Mark Friedman portrait photo
for use in publicity material as necessary.
6.
Typical agenda:
8:30 - 9:00 Registration
9:00 - 12:00 Results Accountability 101 with a
break around 10:30
12:00 - 1:00 Lunch
1:00 - 3:00 Turn the curve exercise (either
population results or program performance)
3:00 - 3:30 Next steps discussion (see note
below)
Note regarding introducing Mark at the beginning of the workshop:
Please do not read the bio. Generally, the simpler the introduction, the better. Here is one
possible introduction.
Mark Friedman is the Director of the Fiscal Policy
Studies Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a Senior Fellow with the
Center for the Study of Social Policy in Washington DC and author of the book
Trying Hard Is Not Good Enough: How to Produce Measurable
Improvements for Customers and Communities. Mark has over
30 years of experience in public administration and public policy,
including 19 years in senior positions with the Maryland Department
of Human Resources. His Results-Based Accountability™ framework
has been used in over 40 states and more than 10 countries around the
world.
Note regarding "Next Steps" discussion
at the end of the day:
This closing session should be lead by someone in a leadership
position in the sponsoring organization. It is generally not about
announcing next steps (although that is fine if there are next steps to
announce), but rather about what people have learned and more
importantly what they intend to do with that learning. One way to
handle this is to ask people to work in pairs for 5 minutes to
discuss two things:
1. What's one thing I could personally do with
what I learned here today?
2. What's one thing I would like to ask
someone else or some organization to do to support this work?
(Optional: Print the
Next Steps Form
Ask people to write their answers to the two questions and turn
the form in with their
evaluation.)
Then ask who wants to share....and draw out as many ideas as
there is time..... It's a good idea to ask someone to take notes
(quietly on a note pad not on a flipchart), so that there is a
record of the ideas offered.
Then close with any announcements you want to make, thank you's
etc....
7.
Participant Preparation:
No advance preparation by participants is required. However, it is
strongly recommended that participants spend 10 minutes playing with the
website: www.raguide.org. Click on
the Index of Questions and find something that looks interesting.
Results Accountability book: Trying Hard Is Not Good Enough is
available from
www.resultsleadership.org
(best price and shipping times from this site) and
www.amazon.com The sponsoring organization should advise
participants about the availability of this book, and indicate if a copy
will be provided to each participant as recommended above.
8. Data Preparation:
For the Community-wide Population (e.g. all children, all elders) Turn the
Curve exercise: The group will need 4 or more indicator baselines with room on the x and y axis
for forecasting. An existing Children's Report card can be used if it
provides multi-year data for 4 or more indicators.
For the Agency and Program Turn the Curve exercise: If possible (but not
required), staff
should bring a current list of performance measures and real data for at least
one measure.
9.
Special Requests:
Work days should not start earlier than 8:00 AM or end later than 5:00
PM, unless agreed in advance.
If meetings are planned in restaurants or outside of normal work
hours, please find a QUIET PLACE where normal conversational
levels are possible, This may require advance reservation of private space.
Whenever possible, luncheon menus should be arranged to provide for
low fat food options.
10. Cancellations:
Fortunately this doesn't happen very often, but articulation of a policy
seems to be necessary for those rare occasions. Cancellation by the sponsor less that one month before the
event is subject to a $1,000 per day fee plus the amount of travel costs
that can not be avoided. Cancellation less that two weeks is subject to the full
fee plus travel costs that can not be avoided. Waivers or reductions are at the
discretion of FPSI.
If FPSI cancels less than one month before the event and can not offer a
suitable replacement, FPSI will reimburse 50% of actual event related costs that
can not be avoided (excluding personnel costs) upon submission of an invoice with receipts. These
provisions should be included in any proposed contract. Please call if there are
problems or questions about this.
