ECB Whirlwind Tour Finishes in Indonesia

I have recently completed the March ECB World Tour, beginning with Lisbon, continuing to Jordan and finishing up in Indonesia for the Risk Reduction Learning Event. The event had a wide range of participants from IWG agencies, Caritas, local government officials, UN agencies, a local NGO, and a local community representative. Rich Balmadier, CRS Country Representative, opened the event with enthusiasm for collaborative efforts in the ECB project. The event progressed to a review of the whole project and progressed to the lessons learned from the risk reduction pilot in Indonesia.

A few of the lessons learned that were highlighted in the event are the following:
1) There was incredible insight from the IWG agencies to utilize the expertise of the whole and implement 1 project rather than many smaller projects.
2) It might have been easier to implement a project on Java rather than Sumatra as travel was difficult to have visits by IWG agencies
3) Communities in Sumatra are now much more aware of risks and how to handle them than before
4) Local communities wish to see this kind of project expand to other villages and schools.
5) ECB contributed to the recent joint collaboration to assess needs and damages in the aftermath of the recent earthquake in Sumatra

There are a few other highlights that emerged from this learning event, but it seems these are a few of the major key points. The event finished with an exercise led by the facilitator, Dr. Puji, to solidify a few action points at various levels: local, national, and Headquarters. You will be able to view these in the event notes that will come out shortly. All in all, I believe it was successful in showing us the depth of the challenges and the opportunities that arose during the course of planning and implementation. I am certain that these lessons will be incorporated into Phase II; and I am hopeful that further work in Disaster Risk Reduction by ECB, and certainly by CRS, will be informed by the ECB experience in the 3 different countries.

Charlie Ehle

Emergency Response Specialist

Catholic Relief Services

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Standing Team Thoughts in Doha:

On a long layover in Doha, I decided to plop myself down to write my blog in a very chaotic airport.  This past week was overwhelming.  In fact, ECB overwhelms me in two ways: the first, there is clearly more work there than one Charlie can simply do at any given time of the day; the second, I am constantly re-energized with the extraordinariness that the IWG agencies have created in ECB.  Last week's Training of Trainers (TOT) was just such an experience. 

 

I can certainly recount the various key learning points that all of the participants walked away with:

 

1)     Preparation is critical

2)     There are many things one can do to minimize difficulties such as: bring your own mini-facilitator's tool kit, concentrate on breathing, engage and stroke the egos of the dominant forces in your group, find a co-trainer to help you, have a back-up plan when technology fails you, and there are many more…

3)     As a trainer, it is important to take care of yourself (get enough rest, drink lots of water, etc)

4)     Clarify objectives with your participants

5)     Be familiar with and tailor your training to the various types of learners

 

While there were all of these lessons that came out of the objectives from this particular TOT, there were a few others I would personally like to highlight.  Some of these are not likely to make it into the headlines of any report:

 

On Feeding Back

After our session as "real trainers," we had a feedback session.  I actually remained completely engaged for an entire 3 hour block of time.  I was impressed and enthralled with this stage of our development as future Good Enough Guide Trainers. 

 

Led by Guru Christophe, we walked through a lengthy, but extremely productive process by which we reflected on each individual's strengths, styles, challenges, and weaknesses in their training session.  I was awestruck as to how comfortable and respectful the atmosphere was in the room.  The 8 ST members were both honest and supportive.  Even more so, I have come to realize what an amazing opportunity this was to have a group of colleagues and a professional trainer give you very clear advice to improve your training methods!   

 

On Co-Facilitators

Even on further contemplation, I came to the following lessons learned from my colleagues:

1)     Without realizing it, we all gravitated to a certain side of the room

2)     Body language can make a difference in drawing people into the training session or putting up a barrier

3)     Smiling makes it better

4)     Breathing probably makes it better than smiling

5)     While it is helpful to have another co-trainer to share workload in training, a group of 8 carries a great deal of coordination, style, and logistical difficulties

6)     On the other hand, a large group feedback session afterwards can highlight a weakness and without even realizing it, someone else providing feedback can propose a solution or a tip to assist you!

7)     Constructive feedback can resonate with more folks than for just the person it was intended.

8)     There are many different ways to run a module than just the way it was written

 

On The TOT Trainers

Christophe and Emma did an excellent job with the TOT.  I was not surprised, just once again very impressed! Their styles were very complementary and captivating.  They engaged all of us all of the time, through a great deal of interactive games and activities. I really appreciated the honest advice, feedback, materials, and tools that they provided us. 

 

They also made room for the participants to lead their own sessions and share their experiences with accountability training – some having already utilized the Good Enough Guide.  Joshua's demonstrations of his work in Sri Lanka just simply blew all of us away.  Claire and Erynn shared their experiences with the Guide in Sudan which we all walked away from with some lessons shared.  Therefore, I must say that there was also a lot of learning from others' experience at this TOT. 

 

Other Lessons Learned during the Week

While the workshop was certainly great, I also learned the following:

1)     Kimmie and I will probably be on the next cover of the magazine, "Professional Camel Racing Enthusiast" after our rather expeditious coverage of the final 2.5 kilometers of Petra.

2)     There is apparently quite a bit of debate surrounding the number of steps it takes to reach the Monastery in Petra: Is it 950, 1000, or 1200? Before climbing it seems to be around 950, climbing – it becomes 1200 and on the way down it becomes 1000.  In reality – it is probably only 500 – I am certain it just becomes a "big fish" story in hindsight.

3)     Dead Sea Mud really makes your skin feel good, but make sure you leave the Mövenpick without streaks on your face that look like warpaint.

4)     Floating in the Dead Sea for a while has a high return on feeling rejuvenated after an action packed week of the Bermuda Learning Triangle (Instructing, learning, and facilitating)

5)     Sleep on the plane - Petra, Dead Sea, and Mt. Nebo are doable in a day and a half!

 

Charlie Ehle

Emergency Response Specialist

Catholic Relief Services

209 W. Fayette Street

Baltimore, MD 21201

Office: 001-410-951-7214

 

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"I'll take one GEG without the ECB, please."

The little yellow books are taking over. As the first one was lifted from its packing box in all its newly-published splendor, there were collective “oohs” from participants at the standing team workshop in Jordan, many of whom had labored for months over its development.

Our yellow Good Enough Guide (for accountability and impact measurement in emergencies) rightfully has pride of place at this workshop as participants are here to learn how to become trainers on a four and a half hour course based on it. So far the Guide has ushered another entry into the acronym universe – GEG (and one of the focus groups at the workshop has chosen the name The GEGanators). But it has done more than that – the Guide and its derivative training module, have provided, in my view, a convergence point around which 17 very enthusiastic people from six agencies have clustered at this workshop.

It’s day 3 of the workshop and the going is still good. The participants seem to be enjoying tips, tricks and theories of good training from the pros and from one another as well as many games and facilitation methods that make learning fun. The team dynamics are positive and there is inter-agency mingling at breaks and after hours. “I was not bored for a single minute,” said one participant at the end of day one. Of course to some extent, the success of the week hangs on day 4, which is when the trainees become trainers of 23 staff from the six agencies that are coming in for the day.

As an observer of the experience, I have admired how the whole process has been largely “ECB free.” I don’t say this to devalue the truly remarkable joint labor of love that led to the creation of the Good Enough Guide, the standing team and all they’ve accomplished, and the forum through which these things continue to work. It’s just that it’s refreshing to be at an event that is relatively free from the trappings of ECB language, historical accounts, deliberations on process and collaboration, etc. It is a training, not a meeting, and the standing team is here on one mission—to learn how to become better trainers on accountability and impact measurement. ECB is merely a backdrop that just happens to have made this all possible.

And therein lies the beauty, that the ardent dialogues that happened around so many conference tables at so many places around the world, the numerous field tests to fulfill work plans that we had no guarantees would work, and the sheer effort of trying to swim in the sticky pudding that is inter-agency collaboration, have led to products (the Guide) and entities (the standing team) that can have (and are having!) real impact on the way our agencies work.

Next time I hope members of the standing team themselves will tell you some of their fascinating stories of what they are doing to make us all more accountable and impact-focused (please blog, ST members!) –and what difference this all has made.

Malaika Wright

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