Informed Facilitation

Informed Facilitation Strengthens Facilitated Planning

With 30 years in natural resources management and environmental planning/NEPA, several degrees in natural resources management, and twenty years in conflict resolution using Facilitated Planning and Informed Facilitation, I know that it is absolutely critical to not only be neutral in terms of the outcome of an environmental planning or conflict resolution effort, but also informed as to the pertinent science, issues, history, and agency and stakeholder relationships and roles.

Informed Facilitation means that I come on-site having reviewed the documents prepared to date; the analyses conducted on need for action and impacts, including cumulative impacts; and the necessary scientific literature. I also am fully experienced with the necessary laws and regulations pertaining to the issues in conflict. This results in my ability to know facts, legislative and judicial precedents and frameworks, agency authority, legal compliance processes, and certainties and uncertainties regarding the science.

Using my experience in the Facilitated Planning Approach, I can then facilitate the group to share information, facts, and interests in a safe and supportive environment, in a logical order so that presentations build on previous presentations. In this way understanding among participants grows, and participants can see interrelationships and common ground on issues and options. As a neutral party regarding the outcome, I also ask necessary questions to further reach understanding regarding issues, facts, science, history, and, typically, politics - often the difficult questions that participants may feel uncomfortable asking or that had not been considered to date.

My Facilitated Planning Approach provides a systematic interdisciplinary analytic process for focusing participants on the underlying need for action, scope of decisions to be made, scope of conflicts and issues to be resolved, reasonable and technically feasible options for issue resolution, and benefits and disadvantages of each reasonable option. I quickly document results of each step for review and correction throughout the process in concurrence with the progress of the planning/resolution effort, emphasizing validation of common ground, definition of legal and judicial frameworks, agency and stakeholder roles, and authorities, and documentation of facts. This rapid turnaround identifies questions and issues remaining that need to be addressed and documents progress to provide a strong foundation for the next steps in the process, continuing momentum and participant buy-in. The process can then focus on remaining open issues and points of disagreement and working together for solutions and resolution. Using these processes, I have never failed in reaching reasonable conclusions supported by participants and stakeholders while protecting the environment and none of the controversial and complex projects and programs I have facilitated has been litigated.

In addition to the publications available on this site, there is also a list of the NEPA and environmental planning documents and programs in which I have effectively adapted the Facilitated Planning Process and Informed Facilitation. This shows my expertise with a wide array of project and sector types, associated legal compliance requirements, and familiarity with ecosystems and natural resources issues nationwide.

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About Judith Lee Services Analytical Consulting Informed Facilitation Examples » Workshops Document Review Conflict Resolution Integrated Federal Planning NEPA Documents Publications DOWNLOAD LITERATURE P: 563-332-6870 F: 563-332-0931 E: jleeeps@mchsi.com GSA Schedule 899 Contract #GS-10F-0046R You will need Acrobat Reader to view this website. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat, please click here		Informed Facilitation Informed Facilitation Strengthens Facilitated Planning With 30 years in natural resources management and environmental planning/NEPA, several degrees in natural resources management, and twenty years in conflict resolution using Facilitated Planning and Informed Facilitation, I know that it is absolutely critical to not only be neutral in terms of the outcome of an environmental planning or conflict resolution effort, but also informed as to the pertinent science, issues, history, and agency and stakeholder relationships and roles. Informed Facilitation means that I come on-site having reviewed the documents prepared to date; the analyses conducted on need for action and impacts, including cumulative impacts; and the necessary scientific literature. I also am fully experienced with the necessary laws and regulations pertaining to the issues in conflict. This results in my ability to know facts, legislative and judicial precedents and frameworks, agency authority, legal compliance processes, and certainties and uncertainties regarding the science. Using my experience in the Facilitated Planning Approach, I can then facilitate the group to share information, facts, and interests in a safe and supportive environment, in a logical order so that presentations build on previous presentations. In this way understanding among participants grows, and participants can see interrelationships and common ground on issues and options. As a neutral party regarding the outcome, I also ask necessary questions to further reach understanding regarding issues, facts, science, history, and, typically, politics - often the difficult questions that participants may feel uncomfortable asking or that had not been considered to date. My Facilitated Planning Approach provides a systematic interdisciplinary analytic process for focusing participants on the underlying need for action, scope of decisions to be made, scope of conflicts and issues to be resolved, reasonable and technically feasible options for issue resolution, and benefits and disadvantages of each reasonable option. I quickly document results of each step for review and correction throughout the process in concurrence with the progress of the planning/resolution effort, emphasizing validation of common ground, definition of legal and judicial frameworks, agency and stakeholder roles, and authorities, and documentation of facts. This rapid turnaround identifies questions and issues remaining that need to be addressed and documents progress to provide a strong foundation for the next steps in the process, continuing momentum and participant buy-in. The process can then focus on remaining open issues and points of disagreement and working together for solutions and resolution. Using these processes, I have never failed in reaching reasonable conclusions supported by participants and stakeholders while protecting the environment and none of the controversial and complex projects and programs I have facilitated has been litigated. In addition to the publications available on this site, there is also a list of the NEPA and environmental planning documents and programs in which I have effectively adapted the Facilitated Planning Process and Informed Facilitation. This shows my expertise with a wide array of project and sector types, associated legal compliance requirements, and familiarity with ecosystems and natural resources issues nationwide.