1. M.A.T.C.H. Professional Series: Module 8
Facilitating Growth: Goal Setting and Action Planning
Time allotted for slides 1-4: 10 minutes
Materials needed for this module (3 hours):
Trainer Instructions 8A with instructions for TRASH game
Large number of scrap paper pieces and trash can for TRASH game
8B Sample Goals
8C Sample Action Plan Formats
8D Completed Needs Assessment
Colored paper cards (one per participant, evenly distributed between the following colors). You may wish to write the description on each card:
White - Neutrality: Asks Questions. What are the facts?
Red - Feeling: Instinctive gut reactions or statements of emotional feeling (but not any justification).
Black - Negative judgment: Seeks mismatches in the discussion by applying logic and identifying flaws or barriers.
Yellow - Positive Judgment: Seeks harmony in the discussion by using logic to identify benefits.
Green - Creative thinking: Keeps the conversation going through statements of provocation and investigation.

2. M.A.T.C.H. Professional Series
Eleven 3-hour training modules
Goals:
Share and practice effective strategies
Gain new information, resources and tools
Enhance reflection
Develop a community of practice
Handout 1A: Series Outline
The modules are based on the M.A.T.C.H. knowledge and competencies and current evidence based research and practices. 
Review the bullet points on this slide with participants. Offer additional information regarding the purpose for the series by sharing the following:
Increase strategies and resources for mentoring, coaching, and consultation for MATCH professionals working in VT.
To enhance skills in self-awareness, flexible response, reflection and problem solving
To provide consistent content and skills based on the MATCH Knowledge and Competencies state-wide, while addressing regional and individual needs
Review Handout 1A with participants. 

3. Our Time Together Working Together: Connection and Community
Inquiry and Sharing: Capacity Building
Learning
Exploring
Applying and Planning
Share with participants that each module will have consistent components, however, the flow may look different within each module (Some modules will have a learn section and follow with exploring, and then move into a new learning piece followed by exploring. Other modules may have one learning section followed by exploring and then move right into applying and planning). 
As you share the components with the participants, highlight which icon is associated with which component. 
Working Together: Connection and Community (circle with people)
Inquiry and Sharing: Capacity Building (question mark)
Learning (book)
Exploring (magnifying glasses)
Applying and Planning (pencil)

4. Objectives for Today:
Use a needs assessment to drive goal-setting and action planning
Describe how to support clients in developing realistic, measurable goals
Practice techniques to support clients in developing action plans to achieve goals
Reflect on barriers to implementation and how to overcome those barriers
Share the bullet points with participants. 

5. Working Together: Connection and Community
Time allotted for this section: 15 minutes

6. Shared Agreements ENGAGE Silence phones, please
Limit sidebars during whole group
Assume positive intent
Hold confidentiality
Take care of yourself
What else?
Review the slide with participants. Ask the group if there are ideas or requests they would like to ask of you and their colleagues to help make the environment conducive for sharing, understanding and learning from and with one another. Using chart paper, write down and capture their responses. 
Ask participants if there are other agreements to add; ask if everyone can agree to these. 
Facilitator Tip: Keep this piece of chart paper with agreements and bring to each session. You can change the slide to include additional participant agreements for the upcoming sessions. 

7. Reflection and Connection
Activity: Targeted Response Assessment for Supporting Humans
Trainer note: Read Trainer Instructions 8A carefully before beginning this activity. Make sure you understand what you are supposed to do as you lead each phase of the activity, so that you can conduct it without relying too much on the handout.

8. Inquiry and Sharing: Capacity Building
Time allotted for this section: 30 minutes
Let participants know you are moving into inquiry and sharing. Explain that for each module, there will be opportunity to share and discuss current happenings in their work, as well as ask questions and for feedback. 
Facilitator Note: The ways in which the group will experience inquiry and sharing within each module will differ. 

9. Thinking Colors
Contribute only from the perspective of your assigned color.
White - Neutrality: Asks Questions. Given the available information, what are the facts?
Red - Feeling: Responsible for instinctive gut reactions or statements of emotional feeling (but not any justification).
Black - Negative judgment: Seeks mismatches in the discussion by applying logic and identifying flaws or barriers.
Yellow - Positive Judgment: Seeks harmony in the discussion by using logic to identify benefits.
Green - Creative thinking: Keeps the conversation going through statements of provocation and investigation.
This activity is an adaptation of the Six Thinking Hats (
Divide participants into groups of 5. If the whole group is fewer than 6 people, you can do this as a whole group discussion. Assign each participant a card of colored paper, and ask them to play the role represented by the color during the discussion. The facilitator can take the role of The Big Picture (Blue), who sets the objectives, keeps everyone on task, and sets new objectives. Alternatively, you can assign the Blue role to a member of each group.
Decide how you want the groups to select a topic – round robin style, by writing questions down and then going through them one by one, choosing a “burning” question to discuss first, or any other simple method. Don’t get bogged down in choosing what to discuss! If groups have trouble coming up with a topic related to their work, you can provide a prompt.
You can also monitor the groups to determine how long they should spend on each topic before discussing something different.
Possible prompts (ask one person to answer the prompt, and then the whole group can discuss using the Thinking Colors):
What has been challenging in your MATCH work?
What is going really well for you in your MATCH work?
What questions do you have about your MATCH work or your role?

10. Debrief Thinking Colors
How did this structured discussion feel? Similarities and differences with other experiences? Was it challenging to stick with your assigned role? What did you learn? Does this have applications to your work?
Take 5 minutes to debrief and discuss the activity.

11. Learning
Time allotted for this section: 40 minutes

12. Goal Setting Video
Does any of this seem relevant to your work as a MATCH professional?
Click ANY OF THIS to load the video in youtube (requires internet access)

13. Needs Assessment Gather information!
For programs: Use assessments that are already being conducted as the needs assessment
For individuals: Use assessments that are already being conducted AND ask the individual to self-evaluate
Trainer notes: Emphasize the need to avoid duplication of assessment, in balance with the need to keep things simple. Individual needs assessments are manageable when they have fewer than 20 items; is ideal.
Discuss assessments that participants have used or that the programs they work with are using, and how those might work as needs assessments.

14. Needs Assessment
What if a person’s self-assessment does not agree with more objective data collected by a program? What if self-assessment of needs isn’t possible in a given context (i.e., goals are already established) – how can you build ownership?
Lead a discussion about how the MATCH professional can guide goal setting, even when the participant is not clear about his or her own performance or if goals are predetermined.

15. Goal Setting Process for improvement
Created from needs assessment or other data sources
Provides a starting point and facilitates the work
Creates shared expectations
Briefly discuss each bullet point

16. Goal Setting SMART Goals: Specific Measurable Achievable Time-Bound
Remind participants of the TRASH exercise – it doesn’t matter how well you write a goal, if it doesn’t achieve something that matters! MATCH professionals can help programs and people clarify what is important, what will be high-leverage, and therefore, where they should focus their goal setting efforts.

17. Writing Goals
How is the goal-setting process different when working with an organization to set agency-wide goals vs. working with an individual to set goals for professional improvement?
Whole group discussion

18. Examine the Goal
Look at each sample goal on Handout 8B. Is it clear? Is it a SMART goal? What will it accomplish? Does the goal need to be revised? If so, why and how?
This can be done as a small group or whole group activity.

19. Action Planning What’s in an action plan? Goal
Action steps - including who is responsible!
Goal achievement statement
Timeframe
Supports or resources
Discuss the importance of each element. Goal achievement statement = how do we know when we met the goal? Not all action plans will include supports or resources needed, but all action plans should include the timeframe and who is responsible. This is vital to keep from stalling!
Share possible action plan formats with the group (8C -1 and 8C -2, as well as any other action plan formats you’d like to share) but emphasize that the format doesn’t matter, as long as the action plan includes these elements.

20. Exploring
Time allotted for this section: 1 hour

21. Writing Goals
Read over the needs assessment. Work with your partner(s) to write 2-3 questions you would ask this client to guide goal setting. Share your questions and why you chose them with the whole group.
The role of a MATCH professional is not to tell people what goals they should write, but to guide clients through a goal setting process, framed by reflective questions.
Facilitator Note: You will have time to work through only one needs assessment. Choose which handout you use - the program assessment (8D-1) or the individual assessment (8D-2)- based on the makeup of the group. Alternatively, you can allow each pair to choose which needs assessment to use for this activity.
Facilitator tip: Each participant should work with a partner, or in a group of three. We do not recommend a group larger than three for this activity.

22. Writing Goals
With your partner(s), write a goal that this client could set based on the needs assessment. Share your goal with the whole group.
Facilitator notes: Stay in the same groups. You may wish to set a time frame for this goal setting exercise: Will this be a 1-month goal? A full year goal? A quarterly goal? Alternatively, have some groups write long term goals and some write short term goals. This would provide an opportunity to compare during the whole group discussion.
As participants write goals, you may need to focus their attention on SMART goals, or ask clarifying questions.
As participants share, ask the rest of the group to provide feedback based on what you have covered in this module.

23. Applying and Planning
Time allotted for this section: 15 minutes

24. Action Planning
Look at the self-assessment and choose one of these competencies to focus on Use the action planning form to write a goal for yourself (how will you apply this competency in your work?) and action steps to meet that goal
Facilitator Note: Encourage each participant to set a small, measurable goal that can be achieved within the next few weeks.

25. Reflection Share one thing from today that stands out to you
Share your goal
Time allotted for this section: 10 minutes
Depending on the size of the group, you may wish to reflect and share with partners, small groups, or whole group.

26. I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply all my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.
~ Og Mandino
Date, time and location of next module: