As prevention professionals, we spend much of our time facilitating trainings for our peers and various community sectors. Facilitators juggle many roles, from keeping the group focused to exploring ways to promote the application of new knowledge. But how do you learn to do this? This workshop explored what makes the "perfect" facilitator and the impact the facilitator has on the training and participants. Many of you may have found yourself in a situation where you are ready to deliver an outstanding presentation, only to encounter a distraction. Distractions, whether intentional or not, happen. As facilitators, how we respond to distractions is a good indicator of how successful the presentation will be. It's best to be prepared for potential distractions so that we are ready just in case they occur. This workshop discussed the importance of setting group norms and expectations to create presentations that will benefit all learning styles. There was a discussion of the different types of participants. Finally, there was a discussion of strategies for working with all participants and situations that could arise during your presentation.
Identify instructional design theories, seat placement practices, and speaking styles that can help create the "perfect" presentation.
Demonstrate skills needed to engage all audiences to accommodate different learning styles and develop capacity for managing difficult people and situations in a program setting.
Recognize the types of different participants, the effects of disruptive audience members on others and the behavior of the perfect participant.
Jordon Hillhouse is a Certified Prevention Specialist with over ten years of experience in substance use prevention. In the past, he has worked with state agencies targeting the opioid crisis, underage drinking, and mental health awareness efforts. His passion is with alcohol and drug prevention education. He has developed many prevention-related trainings and has had the opportunity to speak to thousands of people across the country. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Alcorn State University and is a published author. He currently works at the Mississippi Public Health Institute as the Workforce Development Manager, where he oversees the Mississippi Behavioral Health Learning Network, providing relevant trainings to state and national mental health professionals.
