On your feet

• Set ground rules with participants for equal participation and respect in the workshop. During the discussion of ground rules, invite participants to raise a special need. For example, a participant who has a hearing impairment may ask the facilitator not to talk while facing the flip chart.
• Remind participants of the anti-harassment policy and flip chart the names of conference ombudsmen.
• Use language that is as clear as possible. Check that all participants from diverse cultural backgrounds understand what is being said. Make sure that participants with accents are listened to with attention and respect. Encourage people to interject if they don't understand a term, instruction, etc.
• Interject and ask your co-facilitator or a participant to explain an acronym or a difficult word they have used. This models that these kinds of questions are encouraged.
• Read the task out loud as well as posting it on the flip chart or passing it around as a handout. Ask for questions or give examples of what's meant by terms or words that might be unclear. For example, if the task is to 'analyze factors which help organizing ...", give an example of a possible 'factor'.
• Provide an option in some exercises to report back using a word or picture.
• Ask if everyone understands a task or the points in a presentation. Wait for feedback before moving on.
• If material needs to be read aloud in the group, ask for volunteers to read rather than go around the room. This way, a participant who reads with difficulty isn't put on the spot.
• Break into pairs or triads if quieter people are not getting a chance to talk or if people seem to have difficulty reading.
• Explain that there are no prizes for correct spelling and grammar on flip charts in your workshop. If you are not sure how to spell a word yourself, sharing that difficulty with the class makes participants feel more comfortable.