Pre-Work

Welcome to innovation and the Impact Collaborative Facilitator Training! This email will help you prepare for a successful virtual training experience. It will let you know what to expect during the training as well as give you your first assignment which should take about 60-90 minutes to complete. It is important that you complete this pre-work. This will set the stage for your success in this learning experience. 

What to expect:

During the 3 sessions, you will learn a process customized for helping you facilitate and coach design thinking, rapid prototyping, and lean experimentation principles in order to turn an idea into a compelling innovative project concept ready to grow through attracting and catalyzing key stakeholders and strategic partners.

Over the course of 3 sessions, you will learn the Impact Collaborative Innovation Kit process. You will be active and engaged throughout, sharing your progress and outputs. At the conclusion of the 3 sessions, you will leave with comfort and confidence to coach or co-facilitate an Innovation Skill Building Experience.

Questions? Please contact your learning experience facilitators, Molly Immendorf mollyimmendorf@extension.org or Annie Jones anniejones@extension.org . 

Here is your homework and agenda to get you ready to innovate: 

• Read through the Innovation Skill-Building Experience Workbook. This is the basis for the session lessons and activities.  You may want to print a copy locally to take notes during the sessions. 
  • Sessions will be held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, February 18-20
    • Begin: 9 AM PT / 10 AM MT / 11 AM CT / 12 PM ET 
    • End: 1 PM PT / 2 PM MT / 3 PM CT / 4 PM ET
  • We will cover the following levels in each session:
    • 2/18 Intro, Levels 0, 1, 2 and 3 pt. 1
    • 2/19 Levels 3 pt. 2, 4, 5 and 6
    • 2/20 Coaching and facilitation practice and wrap-up
• This video and reading playlist will help you understand the purpose of the Innovation Skill-Building Experience and eXtension’s Impact Collaborative [30 min total]:
• Watch Introduction to Extension 3.0 | Mark Lubell [6 min]
• Read Your Role in Innovation Depends on Where You Sit [5 min estimate]
• Watch How to Manage for Collective Creativity [Linda Hill]  [17 min]
• This video playlist will give you important background knowledge about Design Thinking and the Impact Collaborative Innovation Kit [31 min total]:
  • Watch/listen to Design thinking for every endeavour | Robyn Richardson [7 min]
  • Watch Purpose + Passion = Innovation (overview of Adobe Kickbox process- the basis for the Impact Collaborative Innovation Kit) | Mark Randall [24 min]

What to bring to the Innovation Skill-Building Facilitator Training?

• A copy of the Innovation Skill-building Experience Workbook.
• 2 pads of sticky notes in 2 different colors – will be used in week 2
• Pen or pencil(s)
• Blank paper or notebook paper
• An open mind and willingness to sometimes be uncomfortable

We look forward to meeting you next week.  It’s our goal to create an engaging, fun experience for everyone.

Your facilitators: Molly Immendorf and Annie Jones, eXtension Foundation

Your facilitator-coaches: 

• Tira Adelman, eXtension Foundation
• Ashley Griffin, eXtension Foundation
• John Porter, Nebraska Extension
• Kit Sanders, North Carolina Extension
• Aaron Weibe, eXtension Foundation
• Jason Weigle, Nebraska Extension
• Allison Young, Kentucky Extension
• Chuck Stamper, Kentucky Extension
• Stacy Wang, NDSU Extension
• Bekah Sparks, MS State Extension
• David Keto, UWYO Extension
• Donna Schwarting, Idaho Extension