Training Tomorrow's Leaders Today: Our Unique Co-Chair and Facilitator Roles

There’s a remarkable aspect to everything we do, our unique "train-the-trainer" approach. This approach isn't just about doing; it's about learning and then teaching, creating a ripple effect of knowledge and empowerment.

Co-Chair Role: Leading with a Purpose

Guiding with a Growth Mindset: Our co-chairs do more than lead meetings. They're also learning the ropes, understanding the group dynamics, and appreciating the areas of opportunity so they can pass this knowledge on to the next co-chair. It's about guiding discussions, keeping everything on track, and ensuring we cover all the essential points that we need to cover to keep the research moving.

Choosing Topics Together: Co-chairs collaborate with everyone to pick discussion topics. They're not just deciding what to talk about; they're learning the best ways to make these decisions in a group setting with time and resource constraints. They are figuring out what we should talk about today and what we should defer to another time or another gathering.

Summarizing Skills: Wrapping up each topic and meeting with clear summaries is an art. Our co-chairs learn and later teach this art, so future meetings are always productive, effective and meaningful.

Facilitator Role: Smoothing the Way and Encourging All Voices

Running Smooth Meetings: Our facilitators focus on the how of meetings. They keep things on time and introduce new ways to discuss topics. They also master these skills to teach future facilitators.

Inclusive Participation: Facilitators make sure everyone's involved. They learn and later teach how to encourage full participation, making our meetings vibrant and inclusive.

Handling Disagreements: When differences arise, our facilitators are there to help navigate. They learn conflict resolution strategies and pass these skills on, keeping our discussions healthy and constructive.

Watching Over Group Dynamics: Facilitators keep an eye on how we work together. They learn to spot and address any issues, ensuring everyone feels part of the team. These observational skills are then taught to new facilitators.

Feedback and Improvement: Gathering and using feedback is crucial. Our facilitators learn to collect and apply feedback to make our meetings even better. This skill is then passed on to ensure continuous improvement.

Our Train-the-Trainer Approach

In our group, everyone gets a chance to be a co-chair or facilitator. But it's not just about taking a turn. It's about learning these roles deeply and then teaching the next person and taking this with you beyond the research. This way, we're not just building leaders for today; we're preparing leaders for tomorrow. Our approach ensures that skills and knowledge are always growing, creating a strong, self-sustaining community.

Final Thoughts

Through our train-the-trainer model, we're not just conducting meetings; we're building a legacy of leadership and collaboration. By learning and teaching, each member becomes a vital part of our journey, ensuring the long-term success of our partnership.