Caregiver Discussion Groups

1. Caregiver Discussion Groups Inter Tribal Council of Arizona Fit WIC Project October 2001

2. What are Discussion Groups? • Groups of caregivers get together and talk about feeding their children • A facilitator helps to ensure the conversation goes smoothly

3. Why Discussion Groups? • Our participants loved the discussion groups we had with our focus groups and wanted more! • Caregivers learn better from each other than from health care providers. • Caregivers get a realistic look at how to feed their children. • Groups can save your clinic time by processing several people at the same time. • They are a new and different way of providing education.

4. Why Facilitated Discussion Groups? • Facilitating the groups can add to your other valuable skills. • They will break up the monotony of providing education in the same way all the time (for staff and participants). • They add diversity to the education being provided so different learning styles are accommodated. • They can help establish support systems for WIC participants. • They will help you learn more about the people you serve.

5. How do you feel about discussion groups?

6. Some concerns you may have • No space • Not enough time to do them • Afraid, embarrassed, uncomfortable doing them • Caregivers won’t like them • Too hard to do them

7. Getting Started • What do you need to do to start group discussions? • Find meeting room • Set dates and times • Recruit participants • Learn how to facilitate • Training and Practice, Practice, Practice

8. Facilitating a Group • Greet the participants • Be enthusiastic and positive • Establish ground rules • Begin with an icebreaker

9. The Opening Question • The opening question should be easy for the group to answer. • Sometimes it may take a little time for someone to answer. • Tell them beforehand that they may need time to think about it. • If no one answers for a long time: • Guess at an answer • Pick someone that you think will be comfortable answering the question.

10. Open-ended questions • What is an open-ended question? • Can’t be answered with a yes or no. • There are no right or wrong answers. • Answer the questions who, what, when, where, why, how, how much, how often.

11. What are some open-ended questions?

12. Too many open-ended questions • May feel like interrogation • Want the atmosphere to be conversational • Balance with clarifying statements or focusing.

13. Guiding the Discussion-Your Job • Make the process go smoothly and easily. • But stay in control of the discussion. • Keep the group on the topic. • Encourage speakers to give more information. • Look for feedback. • Allow and encourage everyone to speak.

14. How to Encourage Participation • Pay attention to the person who is speaking. • Give positive reinforcement to the person who is speaking. • Watch for signs that someone else may want to respond. • Make sure seating arrangements include everyone.

15. How to Focus on Topic • Guide the conversation by picking up on points that are related to the topic. • Ask more questions in those areas. Ask others how they feel about what someone said. • If an issue comes up several times, it is probably one that needs to be addressed. • Focus esp. if conversation has rambled or jumped from topic to topic

16. Focus on Feelings • Find out how the participants feel about something or what their experiences are. • There are no right or wrong answers here. • This helps to avoid debates or disagreements. • Examples?

17. Practice Active Listening • Listen carefully. • Pay attention to what the person is saying • Don’t interrupt their statement. • Don’t be thinking about what you are going to say next while they are speaking.

18. Clarifying • Comes after active listening. • Repeat what you understood the participant to say. • Give opportunity to disagree with your interpretation.

19. Dealing with Wrong Information • Goal is to introduce correct information, avoid embarrassing person and acknowledge their experiences. • Example statements.

20. Summarize the Discussion • Bring ideas together. • Repeat relevant points. • Highlight certain conversations. • Ask each participant to share what they learned or discovered during the session. • Even the facilitator can learn something new!

21. Have Fun!!! • Remember it takes practice to become skilled at this. • Don’t define success by the number of people at the session. • Enjoy yourself and encourage participants to have fun too!