Services we provide
For the past twenty-five years Pitters Associates has been working with high potential leaders and teams interested in developing implementable solutions. We provide practical products and services that are customized to your unique situation, improve your team's productivity and drive outcomes.
Clients describe us as:
- outcome-driven
- people-sensitive
- technology-wise
- enjoy-able
Our two main areas are:
1. PROCESS CONSULTATION AND FACILITATION
We begin by clarifying your interests in different facilitated processes.
Custom Design a Process
We CUSTOM DESIGN a PROCESS so it meets your organization’s exact needs and interests.
Develop a Unique Information Gathering Strategy
If a consultation phase is required, we DEVELOP A UNIQUE INFORMATION GATHERING STRATEGY that may include: electronic surveys, interviews, and/or focus groups; analysis of that data; and, a comprehensive but concise report.
Facilitate your Process
We will FACILITATE your process in ways that create a positive, respectful, interactive, results-oriented milieu for people of diverse professional backgrounds, styles, and experience. We provide full, on-site computer capability for immediate recording and distributing of discussion notes and decisions throughout the session.
Provide Implementation Support
Research on planning organizational change has identified critical factors that determine implementation success or failure. We PROVIDE IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT to help you succeed - a post-session Communications Strategy and a Check-in System for sustaining the change process through continuous improvement.
Details regarding our approach are found in our latest publication.
2.TRAINING WORKSHOPS
Marian Pitters offers a range of proven, lively learning opportunities that will enhance employees' skills. All of these workshops are customized to your unique needs and interests.
Facilitation SOS: What if?
Facilitators can find themselves caught off-guard by spontaneous situations in their sessions that can sabotage group learning. In this interactive workshop, you will:
- Recognize real-life training and development “what if...” session conundrums
- Apply a “just-in-time” framework for addressing these spontaneous situations
- Share concrete learnings with colleagues regarding what really works in practice.
If you want to learn how to handle some potentially disruptive scenarios so your workshops don’t “go south”, and you want to avoid getting defensive or nervous when tensions are simmering – this practical session is for you!
Facilitation Skills
More organizations are identifying facilitation skills as a core competency for their managers. This workshop focuses on the skills you need to increase your confidence and competence when working with groups. Objectives include:
- Maximize participant involvement and group productivity
- Manage difficult people and situations
- Support effective decision making
- Select or develop questions to support both planned and spontaneous facilitation challenges
- Set learning goals for professional development as a facilitator
Doing More with Less: Critical Tools to Drive Core Business Outcomes
In demanding situations high-performing organizations expect managers to reorganize work so that they can do more with less. More than ever, managers need critical skills in achieving specific outcomes through group processes such as team meetings, community forums and partner consultations. Success requires sensitive and thoughtful attention to designing, facilitating and managing group processes – both virtual and face-to-face.
This session highlights three critical tools that senior executives and managers can use to lead and facilitate successful sessions that drive core business outcomes:
- Ensure sessions are designed to support group productivity: The Process Terms of Reference
- Scope out a meeting process, anticipating every management challenge and opportunity: The Management Prompter
- Enable action when groups get bogged down: The What/So What/Now What Questioning Framework
Where this session has been offered:
August, 2009
American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) seminar, Taipei, Taiwan.
Managing Facilitated Processes: A to Z
Great facilitated processes require thoughtful management that is blended with the event’s design and facilitation before, during and after a session.
In this not-to-miss workshop participants will:
- Learn about 18 different types of facilitated processes and related deliverables
- Review three types of agreements that support and sustain diverse relationships, from initial contact to final contract
- Apply an approach for managing facilitated processes that is integrated, customized, and systematic
- Use an efficient “forget-me-not” prompter for identifying pre-, in-, and post-session management functions related to a case
- Acquire skills in managing five key elements: participants, speakers, logistics, documents and feedback.
Where this session has been offered:
September, 2009
International Association of Facilitators Latin America and Caribbean Conference, St. James, Barbados.
August, 2009
International Association of Facilitators Asia (FACA) Conference, Taipei, Taiwan.
April, 2009
International Association of Facilitators North America (IAFNA) Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Tools to Build Accountability for Outcomes
What happens after a facilitated session extends agreements and expectations developed in the session.
In this workshop participants will:
- Appreciate the challenges and opportunities related to accountability for outcomes of facilitated sessions
- Learn a four phase systematic approach to building post-session accountability
- Apply 10 user-friendly post-workshop tools that optimize the transfer of outcomes into a workplace or community over the short and long term
- Practice customizing tools and templates to address a real-life participant case
- Receive a copy of a complete toolkit developed by the presenter
Where this session has been offered:
September, 2009
International Association of Facilitators Latin America and Caribbean Conference, St. James, Barbados.
August, 2009
International Association of Facilitators Asia (FACA) Conference, Taipei, Taiwan.
April, 2009
Tools to Build Accountability for Outcomes. International Association of Facilitators North America (IAFNA) Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
March, 2008
Tools to Build Accountability for Outcomes. International Association of Facilitators North America (IAFNA) Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
October, 2007
Tools to Build Accountability for Outcomes. International Association of Facilitators Europe (IAF) Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland.
March, 2007
Tools to Build Accountability for Outcomes. International Association of Facilitators North America (IAFNA) Conference, Portland Oregon.
Key Skills for Consultants
Trying to enable group participation and productivity in your own or others’ organizations?
In this session you will:
- Learn about the key components of effective consultation, when working as an individual, in a team, internally or externally
- Understand the types of consulting roles: expert, resource process
- Apply the phases of a consulting process to a case: entry, data collection and analysis, planning, implementation, moving on
Keynote Speaker for your Conference
Contact Marian about a lively and informed presentation, e.g.,
- Facilitation: Put Some Magic in Your Method
- Planning Your Facilitation Business: A Complete Crash Course
- On the Offence: Rebounding from Letdowns in Facilitated Sessions
- New Tools for New Thinking in Uncertain Times
- Mentoring Matters for Success
- Making Your Workplace your Well Place
- Best Practices in Leading Up
- When the Public Gets Angry, Step Up to Outstanding Service
- The Little Engine that Could: Celebrating Accomplishments
Where this session has been offered:
June, 2007
Take Care of Yourself. Ontario Colleges of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW) Annual Meeting & Education Day
March,2008
Planning Your Facilitation Business: A Complete Crash Course. International Association of Facilitators North America (IAFNA) Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
October, 2007
Facilitators on the Offence: Rebounding from Failure in Facilitated Sessions. International Association of Facilitators Europe (IAF) Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland.
UPCOMING EVENTS featuring MARIAN PITTERS
The Canadian Society for Training and Development Conference and Trade Show
When: November 16, 17 & 18, 2011
Where: Toronto, ON.
Managing 18 Facilitated Processes – What Works? (Session D5)
Friday November 18th
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
Great facilitated processes require thoughtful management that is blended with the event’s design and facilitation before, during and after a session. This session is for trainers, consultants, facilitators, and managers who want to learn about 18 different types of facilitated sessions, their management requirements and the key elements that support successful outcomes. Participants will receive a comprehensive booklet outlining 18 facilitated processes, the “forget-me-not” prompter and the key elements that support successful outcomes.
For more information and to register, visit http://www.cstd.ca/ProfessionalDevelopment/Conference/tabid/390/Default.aspx
Facilitation SOS: What if? (Session E5)
Friday November 18th, 2011
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Training and development professionals can find themselves caught off-guard by spontaneous situations in their sessions that can sabotage group learning. In this interactive workshop, participants will: identify some real-life training and development “what if …” conundrums; learn how to apply a “just-in-time” framework for addressing these spontaneous situations; and, hear from their colleagues regarding what has worked for them in managing similar situations. If you want to learn how to handle some potentially disruptive scenarios so your workshops don’t “go south”, and you want to avoid getting defensive or nervous when tensions are simmering – this practical session is for you!
For more information and to register, visit http://www.cstd.ca/ProfessionalDevelopment/Conference/tabid/390/Default.aspx
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