Design

 

Find a venue

Find a location that best suits the needs of the exercise type and the participants. Make sure the space is big enough to accommodate the expected number of participants and your facilitation activities. Other things to consider are that it has the type of audiovisual equipment and room setup options you need. You’ll also want to know if they have catering on-site or if you need to bring a caterer in.

 

Develop the agenda

The agenda offers structure for the exercise. It lays out the framework of what topics that will be addressed and who will address them. When drafting the agenda, seek input from members of the development team and the facilitator(s) to make sure that you clearly understand the exercise objectives and that you allot the proper amount of time for each agenda item and the exercise as a whole. When developing the draft, note the purpose of each agenda item, who will present or is responsible for leading the topic, and the amount of time needed.

 

Sample draft agenda template

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When developing the agenda, remember less is more. The more you pack in, the less the participants may learn. Develop the agenda with specific outcomes and don’t try to do too much.

 

 

Establish communication

Regular communication with the development team and potential participants helps build interest and generates buy-in. It also informs those involved about any necessary changes or developments to the event that happen during the planning stage, as opposed to surprising participants at an altered event. Regular (weekly, monthly) updates via email or teleconference can go a long way toward building expectations, and designing an event that best suits the participants.

 

 

Set up the registration

The registration page should be short and concise so participants get the main points but are not overwhelmed with too much information. Use the registration to collect key information so that you can tailor exercise content and delivery to best meet participants’ needs. You will want to collect their name, affiliation, email address, city and state, dietary restrictions, and ask questions about their interests and knowledge on the topics to be covered. A link to the venue location and agenda is helpful to have on the registration page too.

 

 

Coordinate materials, supplies, and equipment

Make sure you have everything you need to run an effective meeting. Check with your planning team and the facilitator to identify what materials, supplies, and equipment are needed. If you need easels, easel paper, markers, nametags, or other supplies, decide who will order them if the venue does not supply them. The logistics checklist worksheet linked below will be helpful when assessing what you need.

 

 

Design Worksheet #1: Logistics Checklist (pdf) helps you think through the practical details associated with developing and convening an exercise.

 

Build the scenario

The scenario is a structured account of the conditions and events that will drive discussion during your exercise and set the stage for participant activities, actions, and responses. They can take the form of simple script, use graphs and charts to help visualize changes in climate and water resources, or include animations and simulations to demonstrate complex interactions between water, people, and the environment.

 

 

Scenarios should support the exercise objectives and take into account the experience of the participants. For example, if the goal is to engage diverse stakeholders who are not experts in water management, a less complex scenario may be a better choice. This allows the focus of the exercise to be on discussion and exploration, without overwhelming participants or shifting their focus to understanding computer models or technology. On the other hand, participants with experience in drought and/or water management may find over-simplified scenarios to be unrealistic. They may benefit more from tailored, realistic scenarios that use technology-based decision-support interfaces to evaluate highly quantified risks, trade-offs, and response options.

 

Tasks for building the scenario

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Gather background information

Creating a scenario starts with exploring your drought history, impacts, and related sources of information to learn how drought has affected your community in the past. Using real-life incidents to inspire your scenario keeps it realistic and makes it more meaningful to participants.

 

Background information for drought-scenario-based exercises

Explore the different types of background information, discover why each is important, view tips and examples, and locate resources.

 

Design the components

Scenarios generally consist of three basic elements – a narrative to capture attention, events to challenge participants, and technical details that help support decision-making. Start by outlining the general context for your exercise with key information such as location, timing, and severity of the drought. This outline will eventually become your narrative. Next, identify the events or challenges that you want participants to address. Finally, add in any supporting details that will support decision-making during the exercise.

The events and technical details can be identified by examining the historical record, constructing models, or using a combination of the two. Using the historical record and other readily available information generally involves the fewest resources. More complex scenarios (e.g., scenarios that use models to project future changes in climate and water resources, determine associated risks, and identify opportunities for adaptation) typically take more time and involve the support of private consulting firms.

 

Scenario components

Learn more about the components that make up a scenario, view tips, and see examples from a recent scenario-based exercise.

 

 

Finalize the scenario

Finalizing the scenario includes establishing the guidelines and reviewing the scenario with the planning team. The guidelines describe how the scenario unfolds, describe the assumptions on which it is based, spell out any constraints, and include defining roles and rules if your exercise is in the format of a game. After establishing the guidelines, conduct a talk-through of the scenario at a working meeting of the planning team to make sure that the timeline is logical and all relevant assumptions and constraints are included.

 

Scenario guidelines

Learn more about what to include when setting the guidelines for your scenario, view tips, and see examples from a recent scenario-based exercise.

 

 

Design Worksheet #2: Build the Scenario (pdf) helps you outline your scenario.

 

 

Write the evaluation plan

Exercise evaluation is the process of understanding the effectiveness of the exercise. Too often evaluation is an afterthought, making it less effective than it could be. Taking the time to map out the evaluation early in the exercise development process is not only good practice, it helps ensure the exercise is designed to meet its objectives, creates a shared understanding of the purpose and use of the evaluation results, and improves buy-in for the evaluation and its findings.

 

Tasks for writing the evaluation plan

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Identify the purpose of the evaluation

The purpose of the evaluation serves as the foundation for selecting questions as well as deciding what data you’ll need and how and when it will be collected. Evaluation of drought scenario-based exercises typically focus on two general purposes – demonstrating the exercise’s impact and improving its design and delivery. It’s common to use both.

 

Evaluation types and their purpose, potential uses, and example questions

 

To help clarify the purpose, consider what groups may be interested in the evaluation findings and how they might use the results. Inviting them to participate in the evaluation working group helps fosters transparency and ensure acceptance of the findings.

 

Determine potential questions

The next step is to identify corresponding evaluation questions for each intended user. An easy way to help develop evaluation questions is to ask the intended users to complete the following statement:

I want to know ____________ by (or at what point in time) _________________ to help decide ____________.

This helps clarify what information is needed, establish the timing of the evaluation question, and explain how the results will be used.

 

Potential users of evaluation results and example needs

 

 

It’s tempting to ask a lot of questions to know as much as possible about the exercise. Every question asked involves data collection and analysis, which can be costly, time-consuming, and risk over-burdening stakeholders. Prioritizing questions helps ensure you stay on track and respect participants’ time.

 

Example criteria to help prioritize evaluation questions

 

Design the data collection and analysis

When designing the data collection, you’ll need to decide what data you’ll need to collect and from whom, how, and when you’ll collect it. The data consist of the information that you will use to answer your evaluation questions. It can be either quantitative, qualitative, or both.

 

Quantitative vs Qualitative data

 

 

Sources of evaluation data for drought scenario-based exercises can include people, documents, and observations. Your specific source(s) will depend on your evaluation questions, budget, and timeframe.

 

Example sources of evaluation information

 

 

For the most part, exercise evaluations focus on gathering information related to people’s perceptions, experiences, and changes in behaviors, knowledge, and skills.

 

Participant data collection

 

 

Usually more than one method can be used to collect data for your evaluation. Select a method that provides the appropriate information to answer your evaluation questions and is feasible given your timeframe, resources, and expertise. You may need to use a combination of methods for different aspects of the evaluation.

 

Evaluation methods

 

 

Data collection may need to take place at multiple timeframes, depending on the questions that you are trying to answer. Not all outcomes will be apparent immediately. If time and funding allow, consider collecting data weeks or months after the exercise to measure mid- and long-term changes.

 

Example timing of data collection for drought scenario-based exercises

 

 

Data collection considerations by evaluation type

 

 

Prepare to share your results

The ultimate purpose of evaluating an exercise is to use the information for improvement and to share lessons learned. Think about who should learn about the findings, what information will be most useful to them, and how they should learn the information.

 

Example audiences for evaluating findings

 

 

Design Worksheet #3: Write the Evaluation Plan (pdf) steps you through the process of planning your evaluation.

 

Outline the facilitation methods

Getting everyone involved is key to running a successful drought scenario-based exercise, whether you are holding a workshop, table top exercise, or game. If you stand up and talk at your participants for two to three consecutive hours, you're just lecturing instead of facilitating an exercise and getting participants to work together to explore a problem and its solutions.

 

Similar, but not identical: Differences between speakers, trainers, and facilitators.

 

 

A facilitator’s toolbox includes a variety of techniques and activities designed to open meetings, encourage creative thought, exchange viewpoints, generate ideas and solutions, analyze issues, and make decisions. Not every technique or activity works in every situation or for every group. By taking into account the type of drought scenario-based exercise, its intended objectives, and the knowledge and experience of the participants, you can plan an effective facilitation approach. The tasks below are intended to help guide you through this process.

 

Tasks for outlining the facilitation methods

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Establish the outcomes

Begin with the end in mind. Starting with desired exercise outcomes and working backwards through assessment methods, activities, and content delivery can help you develop engagement activities and select facilitation techniques and activities that stay focused and get people involved.

 

 

Get to know the participants

Every group is different: some techniques or activities may not be appropriate in a specific group or situation. Check out the participant registration and consider the following key questions.

 

 

Select the facilitation techniques and activities

Hundreds of group facilitation techniques and activities exist and can be found for free on the internet. The following factors should be considered when selecting which one(s) would be best to use in your scenario-based exercise.

 

 

For any given exercise type, more than one suitable technique or activity usually exists. Examples of those used by the NDMC in past drought scenario-based exercises and workshops are shown below.