Arkansas Public Administration Consortium (APAC)

APAC’s Certified Group Facilitator program trains public sector professionals to manage the interactions of groups, teams, organizations, employees, and communities. Participants of this program will learn how to be process leaders who focus on how things are discussed and decided. This includes helping a group generate options, narrow choices, focus their discussions, make decisions, resolve conflict, solve problems, meet goals, develop a plan, and/or coalesce around shared purpose. Decisions made by a group, as opposed to by an individual, are more inclusive, better informed, more effective, and more likely to have buy-in.

This program provides extensive training and significant opportunities to practice facilitation. Participants in the program will:

• Learn facilitation approaches to decision making, planning, and problem solving.
• Practice designing, implementing, and evaluating facilitated events.
• Discover ways to manage difficult individual and group behaviors and encourage helpful ones.
• Experience and practice both online and in-person facilitation skills, tools, and practices.
• Give and receive feedback regarding facilitation skills and techniques.
• Start a personal portfolio of facilitation resources and techniques.

All program requirements as well as the specific times and dates for training sessions can be found on the registration form. The $1,000 program fee includes all training materials, instruction, mentoring, and support.

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER FOR THE 2025 PROGRAM

In today’s online work environment, strong writing skills are more crucial than ever. This interactive workshop provides hands-on experience with real-world scenarios, including emails, memos, reports, and more. You’ll learn effective strategies to enhance clarity, craft persuasive arguments, tailor your writing for different audiences and purposes, and format documents for improved readability.

LEARN MORE AND SECURE YOUR SPOT IN THE WRITING FOR BUSINESS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR WORKSHOP

Participants will acquire practical tools and techniques for effective and positive communication as leaders. This workshop demonstrates how to leverage positive communication to inspire teams, drive change, and foster a supportive workplace environment. By the end, attendees will have a practical model of positive communication that can be immediately applied to transform their professional relationships.

LEARN MORE AND SECURE YOUR SPOT IN THE POSITIVE COMMUNICATION FOR LEADERS WORKSHOP

Public sector employees need essential skills to navigate the evolving governance landscape. This workshop focuses on building resilience and readiness for future challenges, analyzing current trends, and leveraging emerging technologies like AI while addressing ethical considerations. Participants will create actionable plans for positive change through interactive activities and peer discussions, preparing to anticipate disruptions and lead confidently in a dynamic environment.

LEARN MORE AND SECURE YOUR SPOT IN THE SHAPING GOVERNMENT FOR THE FUTURE WORKSHOP

Overcome public speaking anxiety by mastering strategies for effective communication and audience engagement. In this workshop, you’ll learn techniques to manage anxiety, adapt content to your audience, create clear and engaging slides, and develop a structured presentation with a strong introduction, distinct main points, smooth transitions, and a compelling conclusion to enhance audience understanding and retention.

LEARN MORE AND SECURE YOUR SPOT IN THE PRESENTATION SKILLS WORKSHOP

In order to create a fair, inclusive, and equal workplace for everyone, this workshop will equip you to address implicit bias and micro-inequities, fostering a culture of intentional inclusivity. Participants will learn to identify and interrupt biases, engage in interactive discussions to analyze challenging cultural situations, and develop effective strategies to overcome preconceived notions and biases.

LEARN MORE AND SECURE YOUR SPOT IN THE CULTURAL HUMILITY WORKSHOP

Learn to manage multi-party public disputes and collaboratively problem-solve in the public sector. This workshop covers analyzing and framing public issues, step-by-step collaborative problem-solving, and includes numerous case studies. Participants will identify characteristics of public disputes, differentiate management approaches, analyze disputes, and gain essential dispute management skills.

LEARN MORE AND SECURE YOUR SPOT IN THE MANAGING PUBLIC DISPUTES WORKSHOP

Effective leaders turn emergencies into opportunities by being quick, accurate, and consistent. This workshop teaches crisis planning and preparation, focusing on effective communication. Participants will create crisis communication plans, improve crisis response, understand crisis intricacies, develop preparedness strategies, analyze crisis management, and practice conflict mediation through group activities.

LEARN MORE AND SECURE YOUR SPOT IN THE CRISIS COMMUNICATION WORKSHOP

This workshop covers the Arkansas state budget process and financial management in the public sector. Participants will learn about key revenues, expenditures, budget cycles, actors, and activities. The second day focuses on financial systems and creating program budgets. Key topics include budget terminology, the Arkansas budget process, strategic planning, performance measures, and making strategic budget requests.

LEARN MORE AND SECURE YOUR SPOT IN THE ARKANSAS BUDGET AND PUBLIC FINANCE WORKSHOP