Overview of Participant-Level Empowerment Strategies.
Collaborative platforms may provide access to relevant information, advice and knowledge, and perhaps offer online or face-to-face training sessions that prepare local actors for collaborative work in a particular area
A premeeting with weak, vulnerable, or inexperienced participants can help bringing them up to speed with what is going to happen in the meeting and informing them how they can contribute to the process
A postmeeting with the same group of actors will help them to debrief and create an opportunity for answering questions about future meetings and actions and responding to eventual frustrations
Trust building through the creation of spaces for informal social interaction where participants get to know each other on a more personal basis, use of presentation rounds that allow participants to gauge each other's beliefs and intentions, and formation of joint rules that prevent opportunistic action will make less resourceful, vulnerable, or inexperienced participants more comfortable with participating
Facilitation of meetings that gives everybody a chance to speak up and encourages discussions in small breakout groups where the participants feel more secure and where the risk of internal exclusion or sidelining is mitigated
High speed information sharing in the initiation phase helps level the playing field by providing the participants with the same basic knowledge about problems and possible solutions
Mentoring that pairs weaker, more vulnerable, or less experienced participants with stronger, confident, and knowledgeable actors can pass on valuable skills, tips, and tricks that support effective participation
Selective activation that prior to a meeting or event solicits a small and easily provided input from a passive and insecure participant may give them a positive experience that leads to more active participation
Distributive leadership that lets disempowered actors solve small yet important tasks, applauds their achievement, and encourages them to do more will serve to raise their self-confidence and efficacy
Frame reflection allows all participants to comment on and evaluate the way that the collaborative process is framed, organized, and conducted in order to ensure that everybody feels comfortable with the procedures.
Collaborative platforms may provide access to relevant information, advice and knowledge, and perhaps offer online or face-to-face training sessions that prepare local actors for collaborative work in a particular area
A premeeting with weak, vulnerable, or inexperienced participants can help bringing them up to speed with what is going to happen in the meeting and informing them how they can contribute to the process
A postmeeting with the same group of actors will help them to debrief and create an opportunity for answering questions about future meetings and actions and responding to eventual frustrations
Trust building through the creation of spaces for informal social interaction where participants get to know each other on a more personal basis, use of presentation rounds that allow participants to gauge each other's beliefs and intentions, and formation of joint rules that prevent opportunistic action will make less resourceful, vulnerable, or inexperienced participants more comfortable with participating
Facilitation of meetings that gives everybody a chance to speak up and encourages discussions in small breakout groups where the participants feel more secure and where the risk of internal exclusion or sidelining is mitigated
High speed information sharing in the initiation phase helps level the playing field by providing the participants with the same basic knowledge about problems and possible solutions
Mentoring that pairs weaker, more vulnerable, or less experienced participants with stronger, confident, and knowledgeable actors can pass on valuable skills, tips, and tricks that support effective participation
Selective activation that prior to a meeting or event solicits a small and easily provided input from a passive and insecure participant may give them a positive experience that leads to more active participation
Distributive leadership that lets disempowered actors solve small yet important tasks, applauds their achievement, and encourages them to do more will serve to raise their self-confidence and efficacy
Frame reflection allows all participants to comment on and evaluate the way that the collaborative process is framed, organized, and conducted in order to ensure that everybody feels comfortable with the procedures.