Train-the-Trainer

Help Build Extension’s Public Value!

You know how your Extension programs benefit your participants, but your programs also create public value when they benefit the rest of the community. Nationwide, participants in “Building Extension’s Public Value” workshops have learned how their programs create public value and how to communicate this value to stakeholders whose support is crucial to Extension.

Now, you have an opportunity to learn how to conduct these workshops for Extension scholars at your own institution by participating in an online train-the-trainer program for “Building Extension’s Public Value.”

With your registration fee, you get:

• Four hours of instruction in how to conduct “Building Extension’s Public Value” workshops from the creator of the workshops, Dr. Laura Kalambokidis, Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota.
• Access to the Building Extension’s Public Value Presenter’s Guide, the Building Extension’s Public Value Workbook, and accompanying Powerpoint™ presentation to download and print for your use in conducting workshops for University and Extension scholars at your institution.

To register, go to http://www.extension.umn.edu/community/publicvalue.html. The registration fee is $100 per participant. To encourage institutions to send teams of staff to the training, the maximum total registration fee for any institution is $500.

The training will be conducted online, via UMConnect, and will consist of two, two-hour sessions, with all participants attending both sessions. The training sessions will be Tuesday, June 7, and Thursday, June 9, 2011, at 10:00-12:00 Eastern; 9:00-11:00 Central; 8:00-10:00 Mountain; 7:00-9:00 Pacific.

Prior to the beginning of the sessions, participants will receive an email notifying them of how to participate in the two online sessions and how to download the training materials, including the Building Extension’s Public Value Presenter’s Guide, the Building Extension’s Public Value Workbook, and accompanying Powerpoint™ presentation.

Questions about registration? Contact our help desk at [email protected] or 800-876-8636.

Questions about program content and relevance to your work? Contact Laura Kalambokidis at [email protected].

Other questions? Contact Diane McAfee at [email protected].

Last month a group of about 30 Extension professionals from around the country participated in a train-the-trainer course for “Building Extension’s Public Value.” One of the participants, Jonathan Ferris of Purdue Extension, shared his ideas for a public value message for Purdue Extension’s Venison Workshop. The program teaches participating hunters proper techniques for field dressing deer and safe methods for storing and preserving venison. Educators also update participants about chronic wasting disease in Indiana.

Regarding the evaluation methodology for the venison program, Jonathan reports: “For years, we only asked questions like ‘did you pick up some butchering tips,’ or ‘did you learn something about food safety,’ etc. Last year, however, we decided that since we have many return attendees, we would begin asking them if they 1) hunted or fished more as a result of attending our program (we also do fish programs), and 2) do they keep or bring home more fish and game as a result of our programs.”

With affirmative responses to those evaluation questions, Jonathan and his colleagues argue that the hunter/fisherman programs create public value by generating hunting and fishing license fees for the state (provided that the program participants hunt and fish in concordance with state regulations). Moreover, wild game and fish are low in saturated fats and sodium, and are generally part of a healthy diet. Sportsmen and women who bring home more wild game and fish and incorporate it into their diets may see improvements in health. When these health improvements lead to lower public health costs, we can see that the Extension programs have generated public value.

Additionally, if the venison team can produce evidence that program participants identify and report animals that show signs of chronic wasting disease, they may be able to make a “natural resource protection” argument, as well.

Do you have hunting and fishing programs in your state? Have you tried to make a case for public funding for such programs? How do you explain the programs’ public value?

* To register for the March 2010 “Building Extension’s Public Value” train-the-trainer course, go here. The registration fee is $100 per participant. To encourage institutions to send teams of staff to the training, the maximum total registration fee for any institution is $500.

* The training will be conducted online, via UMConnect, and will consist of two, two-hour sessions, with all participants attending both sessions. The training sessions will be Monday, March 29, and Wednesday, March 31, 2010, at 2:00-4:00 Eastern; 1:00-3:00 Central; 12:00-2:00 Mountain; 11:00-1:00 Pacific; 9:00-11:00 Hawaii.

* Prior to the beginning of the sessions, participants will receive an email notifying them of how to participate in the two online sessions and how to download the training materials, including the Building Extension’s Public Value Presenter’s Guide, the Building Extension’s Public Value Workbook, and accompanying Powerpoint™ presentation.

* Questions about registration? Contact our help desk at [email protected] or 800-876-8636.

* Questions about program content and relevance to your work? Contact Laura Kalambokidis at [email protected].

* Other questions? Contact Diane McAfee at [email protected].

You know how your Extension programs benefit your participants, but your programs also create public value when they benefit the rest of the community. Nationwide, participants in “Building Extension’s Public Value”? workshops have learned how their programs create public value and how to communicate this value to stakeholders whose support is crucial to Extension.

Now, you have an opportunity to learn how to conduct these workshops for Extension scholars at your own institution by participating in an online train-the-trainer program for “Building Extension’s Public Value.”?

With your registration fee, you get:

• Four hours of instruction in how to conduct “Building Extension’s Public Value”? workshops from the creator of the workshops, Dr. Laura Kalambokidis, Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota.
• Access to the Building Extension’s Public Value Presenter’s Guide, the Building Extension’s Public Value Workbook, and accompanying Powerpoint™ presentation to download and print for your use in conducting workshops for University and Extension scholars at your institution.

* To register, go here. The registration fee is $100 per participant. To encourage institutions to send teams of staff to the training, the maximum total registration fee for any institution is $500.

* The training will be conducted online, via UMConnect, and will consist of two, two-hour sessions, with all participants attending both sessions. The training sessions will be Monday, March 29, and Wednesday, March 31, 2010, at 2:00-4:00 Eastern; 1:00-3:00 Central; 12:00-2:00 Mountain; 11:00-1:00 Pacific; 9:00-11:00 Hawaii.

* Prior to the beginning of the sessions, participants will receive an email notifying them of how to participate in the two online sessions and how to download the training materials, including the Building Extension’s Public Value Presenter’s Guide, the Building Extension’s Public Value Workbook, and accompanying Powerpoint™ presentation.

* Questions about registration? Contact our help desk at [email protected] or 800-876-8636.

* Questions about program content and relevance to your work? Contact Laura Kalambokidis at [email protected].

* Other questions? Contact Diane McAfee at [email protected].

In the Building Extension’s Public Value workshops, I often refer to a 1995 Nike (TM) ad campaign as an example of a way to craft a concise public value message. Nike’s “If You Let me Play” (TM) campaign used a simple, repeated “if this, then that” structure to persuade viewers of the public benefits that arise from girls participating in sports. I think the ad’s structure can be adapted to convey Extension’s public value message: When people participate in Extension programs, the community is made better off.

 

As a reference for those who have taken the BEPV train-the-trainer course, the script of the “If You Let Me Play” ad is included in the BEPV Presenter’s Guide. Even better, during last week’s train-the-trainer, a participant alerted me to the presence of the ad on Youtube. You can view it here.

What do you think of the ad? Is it compelling? Would a similar ad touting the public benefits of Extension programs be effective?  

Last week about 60 Extension professionals from seven states participated in an online train-the-trainer course for the “Building Extension’s Public Value” program. If you were one of the participants, you should have received an email containing a link to an evaluation survey for the course. It should take only a few minutes to complete the survey, and I really appreciate your feedback. Also, if you participated in the training and would like to listen to the recording, it is available on the permanent BEPV course web page. I apologize for failing to record the second day of training (doh!), but feel free to listen to “part 2” of any of the earlier trainings posted on the course page. The content will be largely the same.

If you missed the email with the survey link and the instructions for accessing the permanent web page, email me at kalam002 (at-sign) umn.edu.

Finally, I am eager to hear how you are using the BEPV training. Feel free to share your plans in the comments here or via email–or even a phone call! 

You know how your Extension programs benefit your participants, but your programs also create public value when they benefit the rest of the community. Nationwide, participants in “Building Extension’s Public Value” workshops have learned how their programs create public value and how to communicate this value to stakeholders whose support is crucial to Extension.

Now, you have an opportunity to learn how to conduct these workshops for Extension scholars at your own institution by participating in an online train-the-trainer program for “Building Extension’s Public Value.”

With your registration fee, you get:

• Four hours of instruction in how to conduct “Building Extension’s Public Value” workshops from the creator of the workshops, Dr. Laura Kalambokidis, Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota.

• Access to the Building Extension’s Public Value Presenter’s Guide, the Building Extension’s Public Value Workbook, and accompanying Powerpoint™ presentation to download and print for your use in conducting workshops for University and Extension scholars at your institution.

• To register, go here. The registration fee is $100 per participant. To encourage institutions to send teams of staff to the training, the maximum total registration fee for any institution is $500.

• The training will be conducted online, via UMConnect, and will consist of two, two-hour sessions, with all participants attending both sessions. The training sessions will be Tuesday, September 29, and Thursday, October 1, 2009, at 11:00-1:00 Eastern; 10:00-12:00 Central; 9:00-11:00 Mountain; 8:00-10:00 Pacific.

• Prior to the beginning of the sessions, participants will receive an email notifying them of how to participate in the two online sessions and how to download the training materials, including the Building Extension’s Public Value Presenter’s Guide, the Building Extension’s Public Value Workbook, and accompanying Powerpoint™ presentation.

• Questions about registration? Contact our help desk at [email protected] or 800-876-8636.

• Questions about program content and relevance to your work? Contact Laura Kalambokidis at [email protected].

• Other questions? Contact Diane McAfee at [email protected]. 

Last week I conducted a “Building Extension’s Public Value” train-the-trainer webcast for Clemson University Extension. During the training, I made up a couple of public value messages that included phrases such as “best management practices” and “beneficial practices.” As in: Participants in our program adopt best management practices for…

Among people with whom we share expertise, “best practices” can be shorthand for a set of behaviors or approaches that we are all familiar with. If you tell a group of Master Gardeners that participants in a program “adopted best management practices” for pest control, those MGs probably have a good idea of what the program participants are doing. The rest of us? Not so much. In fact, during the training, I tried to think of a specific practice to replace “best management practices” in a Master Gardener public value message. Being neither a MG nor an entomologist–I came up blank.

All of this is to encourage you, when you are writing public value messages, to review a draft message for shorthand language, such as the phrases above. Can you replace vague language with something more concrete? Can you replace “beneficial practices” with “built and maintained raingardens” or “stored food at a safe temperature” or “read to their preschool children every day”?

What do you think are Extension’s best practices for talking about best practices? 

I have taught BEPV workshops and the BEPV train-the-trainer course with web conferencing programs, such as UMConnect and Breeze. Here are a few quick thoughts about teaching this way:

*With 50-200 participants in the train-the-trainer course, it is not feasible to allow two-way audio. We have employed one-way audio (participants hear my voice), and have participants type their questions and comments into the comment box on the screen. It can be hard for me to keep up my end of the presentation while also tracking the comments, so I usually dedicate a few spots in the presentation as question periods, and I read and respond to the questions then.

*I appreciate having the assistance of a second presenter who can siphon off participants’ technical questions (problems with audio, problems with downloading documents, etc.). He/she will answer those questions and send the content-related questions to me within the presenter chat, which only the presenters can see. That way, I can ignore the ongoing technical “chatter” in the general chat, and focus on the content-related questions passed on to me in the presenter chat.

*The BEPV workshops include a lot of small group work, which is hard to accomplish in an online training. I will encourage groups of people from the same Extension Service and the same program area to “attend” the training together–even viewing the presentation together in a conference room. That way, they can discuss the material among themselves during the Q&A periods. Also, I try to spread the training over two or more days and give participants an “assignment” to work on between sessions. Teams who attend the training together can do their small group work during that time.

*We record the presentations (audio, slideshow, and chat) and post them on a permanent web page for participants to access after the training. People completing the train-the-trainer course can then consult the recording, if they wish, when they prepare to teach their own BEPV workshops.

* I post the documents participants will need on the UMConnect web page, and we open the page ahead of the meeting time so the documents can be downloaded.

*I do not yet have a web camera in my office, so I haven’t yet taught with a live shot of myself on the UMConnect page. I wonder how important it is to participants to see me as I talk. What do you think?

*I wish UMConnect had a mechanism for participants to download pictures of themselves to the meeting space. I can see the names of participants, and I can ask them to list their affiliations, but it would be nice to put faces with names. It’s fun to run into people at conferences or meetings who have taken one of my trainings, but it would be nice to be able to recognize them by sight!

Have you ever taken a training with UMConnect? Have you taken one that I have taught? What works well? What should I do differently? 

You know how your Extension programs benefit your participants, but your programs also create public value when they benefit the rest of the community. Nationwide, participants in “Building Extension’s Public Value" workshops have learned how their programs create public value and how to communicate this value to stakeholders whose support is crucial to Extension.

Now, you have an opportunity to learn how to conduct these workshops for Extension scholars at your own institution by participating in an online train-the-trainer program for “Building Extension’s Public Value."

With your registration fee, you get:

• Four hours of instruction in how to conduct “Building Extension’s Public Value" workshops from the creator of the workshops, Dr. Laura Kalambokidis, Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota.
• Access to the Building Extension’s Public Value Presenter’s Guide, the Building Extension’s Public Value Workbook, and accompanying Powerpoint™ presentation to download and print for your use in conducting workshops for University and Extension scholars at your institution.

* To register, go here. The registration fee is $100 per participant. To encourage institutions to send teams of staff to the training, the maximum total registration fee for any institution is $500.

* The training will be conducted online, via UMConnect, and will consist of two, two-hour sessions, with all participants attending both sessions. The training sessions will be Tuesday, March 3, and Thursday, March 5, 2009, at 11:00-1:00 Eastern; 10:00-12:00 Central; 9:00-11:00 Mountain; 8:00-10:00 Pacific.

* Prior to the beginning of the sessions, participants will receive an email notifying them of how to participate in the two online sessions and how to download the training materials, including the Building Extension’s Public Value Presenter’s Guide, the Building Extension’s Public Value Workbook, and accompanying Powerpoint™ presentation.

* Questions about registration? Contact our help desk at [email protected] or 800-876-8636.

* Questions about program content and relevance to your work? Contact Laura Kalambokidis at [email protected].

* Other questions? Contact Diane McAfee at [email protected].