Recently Dakota County Public Health invited ACET, Inc., to lead a training on facilitating small- and large-group discussions. The goal was to provide strategies for County staff and Somali community leaders to conduct focus-group discussions to advance health equity.
At the end of the training, participants evaluated ACET. It was fun to read the comments, and we were encouraged by the feedback. Here’s what we learned:
Be relevant and engaging. Participants shared several aspects of the training they liked best; some comments included: “The trainers created a warm, inclusive, welcoming environment for the training” and “I liked that the trainers gave us good, practical tips that we could use right away in our group.”
Deliver impactful materials within the time allocated for the training. Although participants agreed that the content was organized and easy to follow, some suggested that the training “could have been a little bit longer to accommodate the hands-on portion of the training” and that a second session was needed.
ACET learned that it’s vital to engage participants and to address their interests and concerns. Making the most of the time that we spend with participants (whether it’s five minutes or three hours) is essential to make the most impact. One participant said what was best about the training was “the fact that the trainers were experienced, and the staff and partners who had an upcoming project were there to ask real-time questions and state concerns.”
We thank Dakota County Public Health for inviting us and the feedback from participants!