Health Emergencies in Large Populations - The H.E.L.P. Course

The principle aim of the facilitator is to ensure the educational and enabling objectives of the course are met. It is the facilitator who ensures learners stay focused on the objectives and the key messages of the session and they have sufficient time for applying knowledge. For the modules to be successful, the facilitator should reflect upon various aspects such as the time allocated, the dynamic of the group, the resources needed before and after the course and, the outcome of the course.

One of the key elements a facilitator should pay attention to, is to create a conducive environment for effective communication and trust and support, so misunderstandings and disagreements can surface. Furthermore, learners must be kept engaged and all voices should be heard. Participants should be challenged and willing to engage in follow-up conversations. It is crucial to provide space for practice.

All facilitators are requested to prepare their module in advance and to respect the educational and enabling objectives as well as the core issues that have been identified. The H.E.L.P. course coordinator will be able to provide support, to ensure the module is consistent with the course design.

Where relevant and possible, modules can have more than one facilitator. The facilitator most experienced with the H.E.L.P. course coordinates the session while the other expert contributes to particular aspects with expertise and experience, as well as participating in the discussions and supervising other learning activities.

During the preparation of your module, it is important to reflect upon certain aspects. Firstly, you should know the educational and enabling objectives that have been prepared for the course. You should respect these, and the core issues linked to each of the objectives and ensure that these are covered in an appropriate manner.

Second, you have to reflect upon the desired outcome. What are the key messages that learners have to retain? What should learners be able to do after the session? How will you and the learners know that they achieved the learning objectives?

Furthermore, the training method and educational materials are to be considered carefully before delivering your session. What does the 30-30-30 approach mean for your session and for you as a facilitator? Is there a good balance between exercises, discussions and presentations? Remember to start the session with an exercise or an interesting question in order to raise the learners' awareness. Select or create exercises or case studies linked to the different types of contexts defined for the session. When developing slides for your session, remember to have a limited number in order to have enough time for exercises and discussion. The aim of slides is to support the presentation, they should be instructive and have a clear easily readable layout.

At the start of your module, introduce yourself and share with the participants the objectives and the working methods that will be used. Begin the session with an interesting question, an exercise or a video in order to engage the learners into further thinking. Leave space for discussion and for sharing experiences. During your presentations, make sure to emphasize the important issues. When appropriate, ask participants questions and give them time to ask questions on their side. Add real life examples as these will engage participants more. Moreover, it is good practice to use anecdotes and to create links with participants' previous knowledge. Make sure during group work to observe how the groups are working and whether all the learners participate. It is good practice to move between the groups and be available to help. Be careful that discussions stay focused on the topic that is on the agenda. During presentations by the groups, it is important to ensure that not always the same people present; all participants should be given the opportunity to do so. At the end of the session highlight the key messages.