Islands with Small Populations Review Workshop

Key Lessons

• Splitting everyone into groups and separating those from the same areas kept the conversation going.
• There was immediate feedback from facilitators which allowed everyone to take in the main points and get an idea of what would be taken away from the discussions.
• The aspect of having to get up and move around made sure everyone remained engaged.
• Small groups allowed more time for everyone to get a chance to speak (some people are more comfortable in small groups).
• It was helpful having a note taker at each table so the facilitator could focus on the discussions.
• Having councillors present was important as they had the opportunity to learn and understand the needs of the islands whilst showing the islands that they were invested in supporting them.
• The agenda for the meeting was shared with everyone to keep people informed and made the intentions of the day clear.
• Setting out what was achieved and not achieved from the previous plan was important as this laid out the current situation.
• It is important to have fully briefed facilitators when running workshops.
• Due to there being overlapping themes for the topics of each table, there was some duplication of conversation. This will be considered when designing the programme of the next event.

Feeding Back the Results

Much of the feedback was done during the event, after the groups had completed a full rotation of the tables. Following the event, the notes from each table were summarised and circulated to all in attendance.  Feedback forms were handed out at the end of the meeting and overall feedback was positive. The length of the meeting was thought to be good and attendees said it had been useful, productive and informative. Attendees were glad to have the opportunity to interact with others and hoped that there would be similar events held in the future.