Preparation tips

Facilitators should be:

Well-prepared

• Read key background documents on integrated security.
• Do background research on context (see section on prior preparation) and participants’ priorities/concerns.
• Prepare an adapted workshop framework before the event.

Ready to change – use your creativity and flexibility

• Be ready to change everything – at any point – to support the participants’ learning experience.
• Aside from conceptual grounding and principles, everything in the workshop framework can, and should be, changed and/or adapted to meet the group’s needs.

Physically and psychologically prepared

The facilitators lead by example in disseminating the integrated security message – that is, it is important to take care of ourselves, and only with adequate rest and self-care can we assess our security situation and respond in a strategic and sustainable manner. This means:

• make sure you are well-rested before the workshop – plan to be on site for a minimum of one day before participants arrive, to rest and finalise preparation details;
• during the workshop, take time to rest in your own way – this could be through exercise, meditation, time in nature, and adequate sleep; and
• after the workshop, schedule some time to reflect – if practical, stay for an extra day. Remember that the workshop is an emotionally intense experience for everyone, and a ‘let-down’ phase after all participants have left is natural.

Willing to challenge your own perceptions

Every workshop participant is different, and will come with their own stories, perspectives and urgent concerns. Some may be dealing with health worries, a recent loss in the family or anxiety at being away from their office during a crisis. These unspoken concerns could influence participant reactions to workshop content and style, particularly on the first day. Keep this in mind in assessing individual participant responses – it is often the participants who are most reticent, or conversely, most resistant initially who gain the most out of the workshop process by the end.