Introduction
SeaWeb Asia Pacific is a regional organization that
advances sustainable resource management through strategic communications and
social marketing approaches. In this unique region, applying these approaches
invariably revolves around empowering local leaders to facilitate community
dialogues around the need to marry traditional cultural practices and modern
science to solve resource management challenges.
Seaweb in collaboration with Mas Kagin Tapani (MAKATA)
organised this workshop to build the communications capacity of community
members to effectively disseminate information to the community at large.
The workshop was conducted to members of Karkum and
Sarang villages along the North Coast road of Madang Province who are involved
in the protection of the leatherback turtles that nest along the sandy beach of
these communities. Efforts to extend the protection area have been hindered by
lack of effective awareness and other factors.
The communications training workshop was conducted at
Karkum village from 18th to the 20th of September, 2013.
It was attended by at least 50 people from Karkum and the neiboughring Sarang
villages. The participants were mainly, youths (males and females) and elder
men who occupy leadership roles in the community were on hand to provide
encouragement for the youths. Many of the participants are currently involved
in other community activities such as law and order committee, youth committee,
church committee, water committee etc...and the skills obtained in this
training is an enabler to help them effectively communicate with the community
on issues of importance to the community.
Seaweb Asia Pacific was privileged to have been a part
of this training in building the capacity of these community leaders.
Community
Communications need
The needs of the participants are around three key
areas; Public presentation, packaging information and radio presentation. Hence
the training program covered these key areas with many practical activities.
Workshop
objectives
By the end of the workshop, participants must be able
to;
1. Identify
fundamentals of communications
2.
Develop
concise message for a target audience
3.
Deliver
informative and persuasive presentation
4.
Identify
ways to execute successful meetings and workshops
5.
Identify
radio interview techniques and conduct a radio interview
6.
Indentify
public speaking techniques
7.
Conduct
a public speaking session using message box and better presentation
8.
Facilitate
a dummy meeting or workshop
How
did the workshop address these needs
The workshop covered the following;
Topics
|
Description
|
Method
|
Introduction
to communications
|
This
covers the fundamentals of communications. It gives an understanding of the
elements of communications, effective and barriers of communications.
|
Group
discussions around communications; what participants think communications is,
what is good communications and why and what is bad communications and why.
This was followed by a presentation.
|
Better
presentations
|
Better
presentations teach how to deliver more engaging, informative and persuasive
presentations. Better Presentations help avoid the most commonly made
mistakes, structure information in ways that help audiences absorb it, and
deliver talks with greater confidence.
|
A
presentation was conducted on presentations. The reflections about
presentations at community meetings by elders, and many times the community
leaders take so long to relay a message in a short time. Many times community
members lose concentration, resulting in the message not adhered to.
|
Message
box
|
TThe message box is powerful tool that help to
prepare for interviews, frame a press release, organize a lecture or
discussion, or to explain what your organization does in one minute or less.
Sharpens focus, and gain audience’s attention.
|
A
presentation conducted on the message box and the sample was conducted for
participants. Then one was developed by all the participants. A group
activity was conducted in which all participants identified an issue and a
message box was developed. Overpopulation, land acquisition and marine
pollution were issues identified and message box developed.
|
Basic
Facilitation
|
FBasic Facilitation give the tools needed to prepare and plan for a
session, focus participants on the job at-hand, and understand the tasks that
need to happen after the meeting. Useful when facilitating community
meetings.
|
A
presentation was delivered. Two volunteers were selected to facilitate the
session on developing a workshop agenda and the question and answer session.
|
Public
speaking/presentation
|
Teaches
the skills of making public presentations. What needs to be done before,
during and after the presentations.
|
General
discussion on public speaking and a presentation. Using the message box
participants developed a message and presented their message using public
speaking techniques.
|
Radio
interview
|
Radio
is a common media accessible throughout PNG. This teaches how to conduct
radio interviews, before, during and after the interview.
|
This
session did not eventuate, as the NBC staff were not there to co facilitate.
However,
it was planned that the participants were to be interviewed on radio, conduct
an awareness on turtle conservation;
both to be aired by NBC for Madang Province
|
Minute
taking skills
|
Teaches
the importance of taking minutes and how to take minutes
|
A
presentation on minute taking skills. A dummy meeting was conducted by 5
volunteers and the rest were minute takers.
|
All topics above were provided by Seaweb, except minute
taking skills. The minutes taking skills was suggested by the participants as
it was a much needed skill that they lack. Seaweb developed a presentation on
the minute taking skill.
All sessions were very interactive with participants
having plenty of practice. The participants were given the opportunity to
evaluate participants doing presentations The workshop objectives were
achieved. Below are some comments from
some of the participants;
a)
Joe Hurim, a village court magistrate from
Sarang said: “This is the first time such training is conducted for villagers
of Sarang, Basken, and Karkum. The
training will help young leaders’ especially young women leaders to have
confidence to do public speaking, conduct meetings, take meeting minutes, and
to identify community issues, problems, steps to solve those problems and see
their benefits.”
b)
Otto P. Gabbe, from Karem village was excited about the
course. He said: “We are so fortunate to
be given this training which is normally conducted in hotels and at
universities for a substantial amount of money.” He added that the skills
learnt will be used to help them run their own affairs in the community.
c)
Adolf Lilai, from Karkum Sea Turtle
Restoration Project committee said, the training has empowered them to
understand the significance of keeping meeting minutes.
To conclude, this workshop was the first to be
conducted in Madang. The workshop was tailored to cater for community members.
Most of the participants could read and write making presentations easy.
On behalf of Seaweb I thank Mas Kagin Tapani for engaging
us to run the communications workshop, and UNDP for making it possible to have
this workshop conducted.