Solution-ing workshop methodology

Handbook Published by Blue Solutions initiative and Panorama initiative

Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................................. 3

1 Evolution of the Solution-ing approach ............................................................................................... 4

2 General considerations ........................................................................................................................ 5

2.1 Benefits and purpose of Solution-ing events ................................................................................ 5

2.2 Audience ....................................................................................................................................... 7

2.2.1 Number of participants .......................................................................................................... 7

2.2.2 Audience composition ........................................................................................................... 7

2.2.3 Prior knowledge about audience composition ...................................................................... 8

4 Duration ............................................................................................................................................... 9

5 Conducting a Solution-ing event - steps ............................................................................................ 10

5.1 Specific preparations .................................................................................................................. 10

5.1.1 Identifying solutions to be presented at the event ............................................................. 10

5.1.2 Documenting solutions in template ..................................................................................... 10

5.1.3 Curation of solutions ............................................................................................................ 11

5.2 During the event ......................................................................................................................... 13

5.2.1 Sharing solutions .................................................................................................................. 13

5.2.2 Recombination exercise - recombining building blocks to address new challenges ........... 15

5.2.3 Facilitating networking during the event ...................................................................... 21

5.3 Follow-up .................................................................................................................................... 22

5.3.1 Gathering feedback .............................................................................................................. 22

5.3.2 Sharing solutions from event ............................................................................................... 22

5.3.3 Networking and solution replication ................................................................................... 22

Annex I: Suggested packlist – materials needed for a Solution-ing workshop ..................................... 23

Annex II: Useful links ............................................................................................................................. 24

Annex III: sample materials ................................................................................................................... 25

III.I Full Solutions template (as used by Panorama) .......................................................................... 25

III.II Short version of Solution template for poster (as used by Blue Solutions) ............................... 30

III.III Building Block Category Definitions .......................................................................................... 31

III.IV Glossary of terms ...................................................................................................................... 32

III.V Guiding questions ..................................................................................................................... 33

III.VI Handout: instructions for Solution-ing exercise ....................................................................... 34

III.VII Work sheet, group challenge ................................................................................................... 35

III.VIII Work sheet, selected building blocks to address group challenge ........................................ 36

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III.IX Pledge cards .............................................................................................................................. 37

III.X Participant feedback interview questions ................................................................................. 38

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Foreword This handbook has been published by IUCN’s Global Protected Areas Programme under the Blue Solutions Initiative. Information compiled here is based on experiences gathered through Blue Solutions and the Panorama of Inspiring Protected Area Solutions Initiatives. Blue Solutions is a global initiative implemented jointly by GIZ, GRID-Arendal, IUCN and UNEP and funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) through its International Climate Initiative (ICI). It provides a global platform to collate, share and generate knowledge and capacity for the sustainable management and equitable governance of marine and coastal resources. The Panorama is an initiative to collate protected area success stories, providing the evidence for protected areas as solutions to global challenges. It builds on IUCN’s engagement in Blue Solutions. Both initiatives use the same format for gathering, documenting, sharing and recombining (elements of) successful approaches or “solutions”. By making these success cases available online and through publications, as well as integrating them into capacity development activities, the added value is emphasised and their reuse supported. This learning and innovation methodology is applicable across topics, sectors, and audiences. We have termed this approach of documenting, sharing and supporting the upscale of solutions “the Solution-ing approach”. Blue Solutions and Panorama partners have developed and tested interactive ways to apply the Solution-ing approach in workshop settings. The purpose of this handbook is to give an introduction to the use of “Solution-ing” in knowledge exchange workshops, giving practical advice on the planning, conduction and follow-up of such events. We hope that it is of use to others aiming to replicate the format, allowing for its further testing and development with new audiences and in new settings. While we stand ready to answer questions, we hope that the methodology will increasingly become independent of us, with this handbook to be seen as a toolbox, from which elements can be used and adapted. To get in touch, please contact marie.fischborn@iucn.org; janina.korting@giz.de and/or mail@bluesolutions.info

All photos used in this document are copyright of the Blue Solutions initiative, except for 2 photos, top of page 21: copyright Marie Fischborn.

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1 Evolution of the Solution-ing approach

One focal area of work of the Blue Solutions initiative is to collate inspiring examples which successfully help overcome challenges to sustainable development and human wellbeing in the marine and coastal realm. Through communicating such “blue solutions”, connecting actors around them, incorporating them into capacity development efforts, and deriving policy messages from them, these solutions can be promoted as an inspiration for replication.

Early on in the development of this approach, the “building block” concept emerged as a format for identifying and describing key success components of solutions. Since any solution is always context specific, it cannot serve as a basis for replication as such. However, there are core elements or “building blocks” in each solution that determine its success and that can serve as inspiration in other contexts. For the documentation of solutions with a focus on identifying and describing their building blocks, a standard template has been developed and tested.

The Solution-ing approach (adapted from The Resilience Exchange)

The Panorama builds on Blue Solutions conceptually, extending the concept to protected areas both marine and terrestrial. “Inspiring Protected Area Solutions” continuously being gathered through the Panorama are an integral part of the Promise of Sydney, the outcome document of the IUCN World Parks Congress 2014: These solutions are the specific evidence that positive change can be achieved, and they demonstrate how to do so.

From early on in our work around this conceptual approach, the actual application in “Solution-ing” events (= face-to-face exchange) has been seen as a crucial complement to online sharing platforms: nothing can substitute the effectiveness of learning through real-life contacts, which are established beyond the duration of this exercise.

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The Blue Solutions Regional Fora (for Asia & the Pacific 2014 and Latin America & the Wider Caribbean 2015) in particular have been milestone events for exchanging solutions, supporting networks and advancing the Solution-ing methodology.

The approach and its application in workshops has gradually broadened, by involving other sectors, conducting workshops for a variety of audiences, and integrating solutions and Solution-ing into training events and other capacity development activities (e.g. MPA Governance training 2014).

Consequently, the Solution-ing workshop format has seen a constant evolution, based on the growing experience in applying it, as well as feedback received from workshop participants. We thus encourage others interested in using this format to view the experiences and suggestions shared in this handbook as guidance, which can and should be adapted to fit the purpose of the planned workshop. Moreover, we are glad to learn about your experiences in applying the methodology and welcome your feedback on the approach in general as well as on this handbook (see contact details, page 3).

2 General considerations

2.1 Benefits and purpose of Solution-ing events

The rationale of the Solution-ing approach is to focus on positive results that inspire adaptation and replication, while providing recognition for good work by, and in front of peers. The solution template provides a tool for making knowledge readily available in a user-friendly format, for easy understanding and sharing, facilitating potential replication. It is important to note that solutions are not “solid-block case studies”, but rather toolboxes of replicable elements (=building blocks) that are proven to have worked.

Using this format in a workshop context thus benefits both “solution providers”, as well as “solution seekers”: For the former, it is a learning methodology, a means to self-reflect on and summarize key factors that made their work successful. For the latter, the solutions and their building blocks provide inspiration for finding ways to address own challenges.

Beyond the exchange of knowledge, Solution-ing events also have clear networking benefits. They allow actors to connect around issues and within regions, but even across sectors and geographies. Solution-ing workshops have also proven useful for intra-organizational/intra-departmental knowledge consolidation and experience exchange, in which case the audience would be internal only.

It is also possible to apply and adapt the Solution-ing format to a “grassroots” level, discussing solutions e.g. with members of different communities (potentially joined by other stakeholders, such as park staff, representatives of NGO working in the area, business operators) adjacent to a protected area (see example 1).

Defining the purpose and objectives of the event is a crucial first step, and informs both participant selection and workshop design.

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Example 1:

Solutioning process with communities in Saadani National Park, Tanzania (September 2015)

Audience: both the groups working and dwelling in Saadani NP, as well as an external audience of administrators and policy makers elsewhere

Duration: 4 days

Objective: support communities in self-identification of “solutions” they have implemented; promote a model of facilitating dialogue collaboration around a PA by documenting it as “solution”; test Solution-ing approach in “grassroots” setting

Organized by Panorama Initiative

This process exemplifies the use of the Solution-ing approach in a context and with an audience different from a classical workshop setting.

Saadani National Park on the coast of Tanzania has been established with little stakeholder consultation; nor has a proper process for sharing benefits from the park with communities been established. This has resulted in poor relationships between the park management agency and local communities.

The Kesho Trust (KT), a Canada-based NGO, has been working on understanding community needs and developing an approach for improved relations between park stakeholders.

The Solution-ing process had the goal of identifying key success factors in the work of KT to date.

Through a series of meetings with three communities and a final workshop session, the core information for a solution case study was sourced, based on the building blocks, challenges and lessons learnt that all parties can agree on.

Members of community conservation committees participated in the three community meetings. Staff of KT provided translation, facilitation and additional background information as needed. A member of the IUCN Panorama team co-facilitated the discussion and agreement on key points according to the solution template for each community. The communities were also exposed to two relevant examples of “protected area solutions” from elsewhere, which resonated very well.

A final workshop brought together representatives from six communities, the park administration and KT staff. Based on results of the community meetings, all participants will jointly agree on key elements of a Saadani NP solution case study.

This process helped all three parties (communities, NGO, park agency) reflect on challenges and successes to date. Moreover, the synthesized results, in the form of a Solution case study, can inform other national parks in the country.

See also: link

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2.2 Audience

Solution-ing events can be, and have been, conducted for diverse audiences and group sizes.

Depending on the objective of the event, organizers might want to limit selection of participants to only include potential future implementers/replicators of solutions, both decision-makers and practitioners. This would make sense if the primary objective of the event is the advancement of implementation of the workshop theme(s). If the focus is however on learning, networking and on understanding of the Solution-ing approach as a methodology, participation can be opened up to a wider group of interested individuals.

2.2.1 Number of participants

We have conducted Solution-ing events with group sizes ranging from ca. 15 to ca. 120 participants.

The total number of participants has an influence on the opportunity for participants to present a solution and on the number of groups to be formed for the exercise, among other aspects (see section 5.2.2 for more details).

The exercise can be meaningfully conducted even with as few as three participants, working together in one group.

2.2.2 Audience composition

The group of participants can be relatively homogenous, in terms of thematic and professional background, or more diverse (see also example 2).

Organizers should also give some thought to the desired balance between “solution providers” and other (non-presenting) participants. In principle, it is good to give as many (interested) participants as possible the opportunity to document and present their solution, thus to act as “solution providers”. This remark is of course only valid for “invitation only” events, where all participants are known beforehand.

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2.2.3 Prior knowledge about audience composition

The level of prior knowledge that workshop organizers have about the audience influences the predictability of the event.

If a Solution-ing workshop is conducted e.g. as part of a conference programme, the organizers will have limited knowledge about audience size and composition to be expected. Only the “solution providers” will have been invited. Thus, it is important to plan for extreme cases: Organizers should be prepared to execute a “plan B” in the event that very few participants turn up for the session, and the Solution-ing exercise cannot be conducted as planned, e.g. in terms of the number of groups to

Example 2:

Solution-ing workshop “Using solutions” at GIZ Fachtagung, Germany (August 2014)

Number of participants: ca. 20

Number of solution providers: 5

Audience: GIZ project staff, working on various thematic issues, such as forestry, tourism, …

Duration: 3.5 hours

Objective: Showcase how the Solution-ing Approach is applied and can serve as a knowledge management tool

Organized by the Blue Solutions Initiative

The “Fachtagung” (FATA) is an annual organization-internal event to connect GIZ staff working on certain thematic areas, and exchange on progress in their respective project activities and countries. As part of the 2014 FATA, a Solution-ing session was conducted for staff of the Division “Environment and Climate Change”.

About 20 participants, working in different countries, participated in this session. After a short introductory presentation explaining the Solution-ing approach, four solutions from GIZ projects, as well as one external solution, were presented in short 5 minute presentations using the same presentation template. Solutions presented featured different themes relevant to colleagues working on biodiversity and climate change. They included marine as well as terrestrial cases and main topics included fisheries management, ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change as well as sustainable tourism. Moreover, the solutions presented were implemented across a large geographic scale from the Pacific, to Vietnam, India and the Maldives. The presentation of these diverse cases in the same format created a good basis for comparison and discussion and showcased how the format, formally only adapted by the Blue Solutions Initiative, could be relevant also for other projects and sectors.

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be formed. Likewise, it is important to prepare for the opposite eventuality, making sure that room setup, available materials and facilitators etc. are adjusted to the maximum number of participants that could be expected.

If the planned workshop is an “invitation only” event, organizers will have exact knowledge about the audience composition, and planning of the workshop and selected follow-up methods can be more targeted and customized.

4 Duration

A Solution-ing session/event should have a minimum duration of 90 minutes. This would be a suitable scenario e.g. for a workshop at a conference. In that case, a maximum of four solutions should be prepared and presented by solution providers. Especially for short sessions, it is essential to work with solution providers beforehand, ensuring their presentations are short and concise (see section V.I).

For smaller groups (up to 30) of known composition, and a limited number of solutions (3 – 6), a half-day session is ideal.

Solution-ing events that run over a course of several days make sense e.g. in the case of:

- Global/Regional/national exchange events, bringing together actors from across a region/country around a very widely defined topic; might be embedded in national capacity development/policy processes

- Application of the Solution-ing format as a process for identifying and discussing solutions; i.e. solutions are agreed on and documented over the course of the event, rather than in preparation for it

- The format might also be useful to summarize key activities and conclusions within a project team at the end of a project/activity. In that case, a several-day event would be preferable, too.

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5 Conducting a Solution-ing event - steps

5.1 Specific preparations

5.1.1 Identifying solutions to be presented at the event Concise and well-documented solutions, using the solutions template, are a pre-condition for their use in a workshop setting. For further guidance on documenting solutions, please refer to the solution provider manual. Generally, solutions will be documented and finalized in preparation of the Solution-ing event. However, they might also evolve as a result of the event. Experiences that could be potential solutions need to be identified, based on certain criteria:

1. Replicability/scalability (of whole Solution, or components) 2. Impactful application 3. Topical relevance (depending on, if any, thematic scope of workshop) 4. Availability of “solution provider” (person familiar with the solution) to document the

solution prior to, and present it during the workshop Solutions can be sourced through a variety of channels. Workshop organizers might want to issue a generic call through a website, listserv, newsletter or similar; or contact relevant people in an individual and targeted manner. As a general rule, it is useful to start sourcing solutions as early as possible depending on the size of the event. A compromise needs to be found between casting the net widely, and having clear criteria for selecting which solutions will be documented for and presented at the event. Organizers will need to plan for requesting considerably more potential solution providers, than the final number of solutions they wish to have for the workshop. It is also crucial to clearly articulate the expectations towards solution providers, e.g. whether or not they will definitely be able to present during the workshop; whether sponsorship of their participation in the event is tied to the contribution of a solution etc.

5.1.2 Documenting solutions in template Solutions should be documented in a collaborative process between solution provider and curator (i.e. a member of the workshop organizing team), using the solutions template (see annex III.I). Organizers might consider using an abbreviated version of the solutions template, focusing on some key questions; or initially requesting solution providers to work with the full-length template, but offer to prepare a shorter version of the solution in case of limited availability of the solution provider. Using a Word version of the template allows for an easy review and revision process, and avoids issues related to solution providers having weak internet connection etc. Once the solution is final, it can then be uploaded to the web platform (http://www.solutionsexplorer.org/).

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The Blue Solutions and Panorama manuals provide detailed guidance on completing the solutions template. The manual is generally shared with a solution provider early on. Blue Solutions Manual. Sharing solutions – information package for solution provider Panorama manual for solution providers “The Solution-ing approach” – webinar recording

5.1.3 Curation of solutions A curator, who is very familiar with the solutions format and ideally has a good understanding of the technical issues at hand, needs to be assigned to each solution provider. Each solution will typically go through a review process, consisting of several rounds of commenting by the curator, followed by revisions by the solution provider. It is important to note that curation requires a considerable time investment. Thus, the total number of solutions to be prepared needs to match the available staff time on the side of the organizers. As an indication, initial contact with each solution provider, discussion of the proposed solution, and explaining the format will require an average time investment of 1 hour. Review of a first draft of a full-length solution will require between 30 minutes and 1 hour. Review of further drafts (generally up to 2) will require between 15 and 30 minutes. Thus, a total time investment of up to 3 – 4 hours per solution should be expected, strongly depending on the quality of the initial draft submitted as well as on the experience of the organization team in curating solutions. Lessons learnt:

- Understanding of the purpose of the Solution-ing approach from the solution provider’s side is essential for a good documentation process

- The more personalized, in-depth guidance is provided to solution providers (e.g. through calls to discuss key aspects of the solution early on in the process), the better the quality of the final solution.

- It is important to communicate to solution providers the need for making revisions to drafts of the solution right from the beginning, in order to set clear expectations.

- The number of review rounds should be clarified and communicated to the solution providers in the beginning of the documentation process. Organizers need to agree on a practical compromise between quality assurance and feasibility, by limiting the number of review rounds (recommended: maximum 3).

- A clear timeline and deadlines should be set for each review round. These deadlines likewise should be communicated from the beginning.

- Sufficient buffer time should be left between finalizing all solutions and the workshop event.

- Language is a key aspect – if workshop organizers plan to allow submission of solutions in different languages, the time needed for potential translation of materials, presentation templates etc. needs to be factored in.

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Example 3: Blue Solutions Regional Forum, Cancún, Mexico (April 2015)

Number of participants: ca. 110

Number of solution providers: 46

Audience: marine practitioners and policy makers (incl. field project staff, staff of regional organizations, ministry staff and others)

Duration: 4-days

Objective: Support an exchange of experiences between practitioners and decision-makers in a large region and support networking around these experiences

Organized by the Blue Solutions Initiative

For this Blue Solutions Regional Forum, organizers (GIZ, GRID-Arendal, IUCN, UNEP) started researching potential solutions by contacting colleagues from their own organizations, working in the target region (Caribbean, Latin America). Colleagues from the region were well placed to give an overview of relevant work underway, and establish contacts with potential solution providers.

First research into potential solutions started in December 2014, i.e. 4 months prior to the event. The pool of solutions was enriched by cases that had been developed, or were known to the Blue Solutions team, as result of previous engagements (e.g. trainings) in the region.

First drafts were due 1 March 2015, the date of deadline for registration for the event to ensure solution providers’ commitment to contribute and present at the event. Guidance was offered to solution providers through personal mentoring via email and phone; a webinar, conducted two months prior to the event; as well as through the “solution provider manual”. One-on-one phone conversations with solution providers were held in a number of cases and were perceived as helpful in ensuring a high quality standard. Solutions could be submitted in English or Spanish. A Spanish version of the solution template was thus prepared. Comments on the solution drafts were accordingly provided in the language of choice. See also: link

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5.2 During the event

5.2.1 Sharing solutions Solutions can be shared during the workshop through different means, most commonly through presentations. Ideally, each solution will be presented by the person who documented it or somebody else who is very familiar with it. In order to meaningfully conduct a recombination exercise (see 5.2.2), the number of solutions that are presented during the event should be limited – a maximum of five solutions has proven to be a good number for a half-day session, whereas the number of solutions presented during several-day events should not exceed 30-35. For events with many participants and a large number of solutions to be presented, organizers could consider holding parallel sessions for presenting and discussing solutions, potentially grouping solutions around one theme per session. These sessions could be repeated through the course of the event, allowing each participant to get to know most or all solutions. It is helpful to provide a Powerpoint template in order to structure and streamline presentations. The template should follow the same logic as the solutions template, focusing on key sections previously defined depending also on desired length of presentations. Short illustrative videos could be shown as part of the presentations if available. A template for 10-12 minutes presentation time could contain the following slides:

1. Solution title and provider 2. Overview 3. Context 4. Building blocks (1-2 slides) 5. Learnings/reflection

If feasible, all presentations should be reviewed by the organizers before the workshop, to ensure that the desired format is being followed at least roughly. The shorter the overall event duration, the more strictly presentation time for each solution should be limited, and compliance with the format be enforced (particular emphasis on succinct presentation of building blocks) (see also example 4). It might be helpful to schedule coaching sessions with solution providers, either via phone or in person, to go through their presentations and provide advice for keeping it as succinct as possible.

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Depending on the thematic scope of the event and the total number of solutions to be presented, solutions can be grouped into several sessions, which can run in parallel or consecutively, or both. Experience shows that facilitation during the sessions should not “enforce” discussion along the solutions format. Generally, participants are keen to ask topical questions to the presenters, rather than strictly following the framework of building blocks, their potential replication etc. This sort of discussion, more closely relating to the solutions format, should occur later on during the recombination exercise (see section 5.2.2). Facilitators should be familiar both with the methodology, as well as with the themes being discussed. Preference should be given to native language facilitators. Apart from oral presentations, solutions and/or building blocks should also be shared visually for the Solution-ing exercise, e.g. through printouts. Solution summaries can be presented in a poster

Example 4: “Bright Spots and Protected Area Solutions Innovation”, Side event during IUCN World Parks Congress, Australia (November 2014)

Number of participants: ca. 30

Number of solution providers: 3

Audience: any interested congress participants, no prior registration for side event

Duration: 90 minutes

Objective: profile selected protected area solutions, socialize the Solution-ing/Bright Spots approach amongst congress participants

Organized by IUCN (as part of Panorama initiative) and Rare

During the first part of the event, five solutions were presented by their respective “providers”. Each presentation was limited to three minutes time. The presentation template included 4 content slides, for: 1) short description; 2) context; 3) impact; 4) building blocks. This allowed for short snapshots of several solutions from a diversity of contexts and geographies. During the 2nd part of the event, the solutions’ building blocks were used by participants in a Solution-ing exercise (see section 3). The main emphasis of the event was put on the Solution-ing approach, rather than on in-depth information about individual solution case studies thus length of presentations and level of detail was limited. Given the short presentation times, it was especially crucial to ensure that presenters were on point, and conveyed core aspects of their solution, in line with the format. To that end, presenters were required to follow a pre-designed PPT template. Coaching sessions were held with most presenters, in order to practice presentations prior to the event. The coaching sessions were conducted via Skype prior to the congress, as well as in person during the congress, prior to the side event.

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format (see annex III.II). For smaller workshops, writing the solution title and its building blocks on moderation cards can be sufficient. Moreover, summary versions of solutions can be prepared and shared with participants prior to the event, e.g. as factsheets, which is recommendable for large events with many solution presentations. Asking solution providers to upload their solution to the online platform (http://www.solutionsexplorer.org/) and sharing the link with participants can also be an easy way of sharing content with all participants prior to the event.

5.2.2 Recombination exercise - recombining building blocks to address new challenges A “Recombination” exercise is a key step in the learning process and the event. It simulates the replication of a proven approach in a new context.

It is often through this exercise that workshop participants experience a Eureka moment, and realise the benefits and applicability of the methodology. It is an interactive session, which allows participants to directly learn from each other, and sets the workshop apart from other events.

The exercise serves to demonstrate, through use of real examples, that components of successful approaches can be applied to similar challenges elsewhere. It also often highlights that many Solutions share similar building blocks, thus that similar answers are often found to similar challenges. In addition, it allows participants to connect over a common challenge and is thus a way of facilitating the creation of new networks between participants.

In addition to verbal instructions, worksheets with a written explanation of the exercise can be handed out (see annex III.VI for an example).

Workshop participants should be split into groups of about five to maximum ten people, to enable each group member to contribute to an active discussion. Groups ideally sit at round tables.

Each group needs to be equipped with the following:

- Moderation cards in different colors. If there is a small number of solutions (e.g. 5-6), moderation cards should be provided in as many colors as there are solutions, each color representing one solution.

- Printed instructions for exercise - A large empty worksheet to be filled out (see annex III.VIII) - Pens, markers, glue and/or tape

The exercise will generally be conducted in 4 phases:

I) Challenge

Pre-condition for the exercise are one or several clearly defined, real or (semi-)fictitious challenges. A challenge should be multi-dimensional to encourage out-of-the-box thinking, recombination of building blocks and achieve relevance to real life.

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Options for sourcing challenges:

a) Organizers “invent” a realistic challenge prior to the event, based on their experience working on the topics which the workshop covers. Advisable for events with a large, diverse audience.

b) Ideas for challenges are sourced from the audience. Workshop participants are asked to write down challenges and problems they face in their work. The organizers then group the challenges into themes, to construct three to four multi-dimensional scenarios that are a combination of the most popular themes. Participants can then select which of these scenarios they would like to work on. Advisable if there is some time available in between the “challenge sourcing” and

conduction of the exercise; thus best suited for events of several days duration. c) Participants are asked to specify their own, individual challenge, by writing it down. They

could then be matched into groups of people facing similar challenges. This could be done by providing several broad “challenge topics”, with each table working on one of these topics – participants will then join the table that most closely relates to their individual challenge. Based on the individual challenges of each member, the group will define a “group challenge”, to be addressed during the exercise (see also annex III.VII). Works well if there is some time available in between the “challenge sourcing” and

conduction of the exercise. Requires the participants’ ability to quickly understand the task, i.e. not well suited for audiences that are not accustomed to group discussions/advanced workshop facilitation techniques.

d) The solution providers, that have presented earlier on during the event, formulate challenges, based on their solutions; i.e. aspects in their work that they are still struggling with, or that relate e.g. to achieving longer-term sustainability of the solution. Workshop participants then join into groups around the solution provider, depending on which case they are most interested in. This could be combined with offering one fictitious challenge, as an alternative for one of the groups. Most suitable for small, homogenous groups of experts, who will expect in-depth

discussion. Solution providers can benefit from the targeted advice of their peers who work in the same thematic field.

e) Groups are formed randomly. One or several group members then propose a challenge, based on their experience, and the whole group agrees to work on one of them. If this option is chosen, it is good to alert participants to the option of bringing in their own challenges in advance of the session, e.g. before a coffee break that precedes the exercise. They then have sufficient time to think about their challenge and write it down. Works well if there is little time for advance preparations, and if participants share a

similar background, i.e. similar experiences that will enable them to relate to the challenge proposed by one group member.

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Example 5: Half-day Solution-ing session on protected area co-management during seminar “Protected area management and governance: linking policy and practice”, Germany (August 2015)

Number of participants: ca. 25

Number of solution providers: 4

Audience: mainly staff of GIZ, KfW, BfN, working on protected area issues in various countries

Duration: 3.5 hours

Objective: promote Panorama initiative and Solution-ing approach to this audience; introduce examples of protected area co-management “solutions”

Organized by IUCN, in collaboration with GIZ

During the session, four solutions were presented. Based on their solutions, three of the presenters described specific challenges from their work, to be used in the group exercise. The challenges all related to the further development of the work that had been presented as the solution, e.g. in terms of developing a funding mechanism to sustain the activities over the longer term. In addition to the three real-life challenges, one fictitious challenge was offered. Participants were then asked to gather in groups around any of the four challenges. All groups consisted of a similar number of people, showing that each of the challenges was relevant to a number of people. One of the real-life challenges proposed by a solution provider was phrased around a very specific problem statement, while another one was very general. The group that worked on the more specific challenge consequently came up with suggestions addressing that particular aspect only, and the solution provider stated that some of these suggestions could indeed present viable options to be implemented in her context. The group that discussed the broadly phrased challenge had more of a “brainstorm”, rather than developing a specific, realistic new solution based on defined building blocks. Both solution (i.e. challenge) providers found the group discussion helpful in offering guidance for their future work. Still, the experience from this workshop shows that challenge providers should be encouraged to phrase their challenge as specific as possible, as this provide better direction to the group discussion.

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II) “Shopping for building blocks”

Participants select those building blocks that they consider most helpful in addressing “their” group challenge, out of the building blocks making up all solutions which were shared during the event.

It is important that all solutions, with their respective building blocks, are visualized for the participants. One way of doing so is through a “solutions market place”. This can be a separate room or section of a room, where posters with the titles and short descriptions of all solutions are displayed on the walls. Below each solution are cards with the names of its building blocks.

Participants are asked to write down those building blocks from the “market place” that are most relevant to their challenge. They will copy the titles of these building blocks to moderation cards provided to them; ideally using the same colored cards for building blocks that were sourced from the same solution, one color per solution.

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III) Co-designing new solution to address the challenge(s)

The group shares which building blocks have been collected by each group member. They then jointly discuss and decide on those building blocks most relevant to the challenge. The number of building blocks to be used should be limited by the organizers (e.g. 4-5). The group also discusses how a building block would need to be adapted in order to be re-applied, and under which conditions it is transferable. Moreover, if an element seems to be missing, new building blocks can be “created” by the group.

Organizers should stretch that the desired result of the exercise is an idea for a new solution, which is potentially applicable in a real world context; rather than a random collection of building blocks.

Each group should be provided with a large empty worksheet. The building block moderation cards can be arranged on that sheet. Groups could also be encouraged to become creative in illustrating their new solution on the sheet.

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IV) Presenting new solutions

The co-designed new solutions are then being shared by a member of the group. This could be done through a short presentation in plenary. Limiting the presentation time to two to three minutes encourages presenters to focus on particularly innovative aspects, while bringing in a lighter, informal tone at the end of the session through the speeding-up of the proceeding, especially if combined with a competitive element (see below).

Good experiences have been made with bringing in a competitive element, e.g. asking all participants to vote on the best/most innovative/most surprising new solution. This could practically be done by asking them to put a sticker on the poster with their favorite solution. The solution with the most stickers will be the winner and the group could receive a little gift.

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A variation is to ask participants to make voluntary “pledges” for replication of a certain building block if they want to. Participants could write these down on “pledge cards”, which are then displayed on a sticky wall or similar (see annex III.IX).

5.2.3 Facilitating networking during the event

Solution-ing events are about bringing people together around success stories. To support this networking character of the event, organizers might want to provide tools to facilitate participants getting connected to each other.

One practical, creative tool that has worked well for several-day events is a “network map”: photos and/or names of all participants are displayed on a large pin board. Over the course of the event, participants will connect “their” pin with those of other people with whom they want to follow up, using string. The map provides a visual illustration of the growing network of interpersonal connections emerging during the event.

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5.3 Follow-up

5.3.1 Gathering feedback

To inform further development of the Solution-ing workshop format, it is important to gather feedback from participants towards the end and/or after the event. This can be done using interviews with selected representative participants and/or surveys (see annex III.X for sample questions).

It would be much appreciated if these results, as well as other observations from workshop organizers, would be shared with the Blue Solutions-/Panorama team.

5.3.2 Sharing solutions from event

All relevant solutions gathered through the event should be fed into the online platform (http://www.solutionsexplorer.org/). Organizers might also want to make all solutions from the event available in a publication, or as part of the workshop report (full template or a summary of each solution), to be shared with all participants and potentially other interested parties (see example here).

5.3.3 Networking and solution replication

Organizers will be interested in tracking, as far as possible, if/how solutions shared at the event have influenced activities of participants.

As part of a follow-up survey, organizers could ask participants if they have been in touch with someone from the event; if a particular solution and/or building block has inspired them and they are considering/trialling its replication in their own work; etc.

It is also recommendable to share the participants list, including contact details. Together with the meeting report, organizers could send pre-designed postcards, which can be used for getting in touch with other participants to follow up.

In the future, it is envisioned that the upcoming joint solutions web platform will enable networking and discussion between users. It could then be used as another tool for workshop participants to stay in touch with each other around their solutions.

Solution-ing events can also be utilized as starting points for establishing networks of “ambassadors” for the approach, who can promote it to peers and help sourcing further solutions on a certain topic, in a certain region/organization, … Organizers might want to send generic or targeted emails to participants at a certain time after the event/in regular intervals, focusing particularly on such participants that had shown a specific interest in the re-application of a certain building block, or in the Solution-ing concept as a whole.

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Annex I: Suggested pack list – materials needed for a Solution-ing workshop

• Moderation cards in different colors • Coloured pens, markers • glue, tape • pin boards / flip charts • pins / flip chart paper • large sheets of blank paper • printouts of solution titles (potentially with abstracts) • printouts of Solution-ing exercise instructions • printouts of challenge description (if pre-defined challenge is used) • printouts of evaluation survey (if applicable) • small stickers for solution voting (if applicable)

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Annex II: Useful links

• Blue Solutions Manual. Sharing solutions – information package for Solution Provider • Panorama manual for Solution Providers • Webinar: The Solution-ing Approach – Learning from inspiring experiences world-wide • Solutions Explorer web platform • Regional Forum on Solutions for Oceans, Coasts and Human Wellbeing in Asia and the

Pacific, 2014. Documentation Report • Blue Solutions Regional Forum for Latin America and the Wider Caribbean region

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Annex III: sample materials

III.I Full Solutions template (as used by Panorama)

INSPIRING PROTECTED AREA SOLUTIONS ...demonstrate success:

For Parks: They show fair and positive ways to conserve natural and cultural diversity, involving governments, businesses and citizens in establishing and managing protected areas

For People: They inspire people around the world and across generations to reconnect with nature, and support people’s lives.

For the Planet: They demonstrate nature’s solutions to challenges facing our planet such as climate change, health issues, food and water security.

A solution is comprised of distinct key components – or “building blocks” – that can be replicated. Building blocks may be adapted and recombined with others to address specific challenges in other socio-cultural, ecological, political or economic contexts, sectors, or geographies.

Distilling and sharing your solution and the components that have made it work supports inter-sectorial knowledge transfer and enables mutual learning. The aim is to inspire others through the identified tools, methods, processes and approaches in replicating what has worked before in and for protected areas.

Inspiring Protected Area Solutions are

Replicable and/or scalable

• (Building blocks of) the solution can be applied, with slight modifications, in other geographic, social or sectorial contexts

• (Building blocks of ) the solution can be applied at a larger geographic scale

Topic relevant

• The solution is implemented in, or for the benefit of, protected areas

Impactful

• The solution has had a proven (measured, testified…) impact • Solutions are more than mere ideas

Character limits refer to number of characters INCLUDING spaces.

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1. TITLE AND PROVIDER (max 75 characters) Please provide a working title for your solution and a photo. e.g.: Participation in decision-making is bridging conservation and fishing rights

Please provide the name of those involved in developing and sharing the solution.

This can be one or more individual/organization/ group or entity. Also provide the name of any supporting project/program/initiative. Please provide links to relevant documentation.

Please provide your contact details as the solution provider and briefly describe your connection to the solution so that interested people can get in touch to seek exchange.

2. SUMMARY (ABSTRACT) (max 500 characters)

Please write a short description that explains what the solution is and how it has been applied.

3. CHALLENGES (max 90 characters) Please name up to three main challenges your solution addresses. 4. CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION (max. 410 characters) Please provide further information about the main challenges your solution addresses. 5. WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS THAT IT HAS? (max 1,250 characters) Describe 1-3 demonstrated impacts that prove the success of your solution. These should include improvements for ecosystem services (such as water purification, food production, recreation), species conservation and/or livelihood benefits.

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6. CONTEXT

To classify your solution and improve its uptake by potential innovators, please highlight in yellow any that best apply. (Multiple answers are possible)

THEME

• Access and Benefit Sharing

• Biodiversity Mainstreaming

• Climate Change Adaptation

• Climate Change Mitigation

• Connectivity/ Transboundary

• Disaster Risk Reduction

• Ecosystem Services

• Education and awareness

• Food security • Gender

Mainstreaming

• Genetic Diversity • Habitat

Fragmentation and Degradation

• Health and Human Well-being

• Incentives and Subsidies

• Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities

• Infrastructure • Invasive Alien

Species • Management

Planning • NBSAP • Peace and

Human Security

• Policy and Legislation

• Pollution and waste

• Renewable energy

• Resource Mobilization/ Sustainable financing

• Responsible mining

• Restoration • Science and

Research • Spatial

Planning

• Species and Extinction

• Standards/Certifi-cation

• Sustainable Fisheries and aquaculture

• Sustainable Livelihoods

• Sustainable Resource Management

• Sustainable tourism • Targets and

Indicators • Traditional

Knowledge • Transport • Vulnerable

Ecosystems • Watersheds • Other

ECOSYSTEM REGION

Terrestrial • Tundra • Taiga • Temperate

deciduous forest • Tropical rain

forest • Grassland • Desert • Other (please

specify):

SELECT SCALE

• Local • Subnational • National • Multi-national • Global

Marine • Coral reef • Mangrove • Seagrass • Estuary • Salt marsh • Lagoon • Deep sea • Seamount/oceani

c ridge

Freshwater • Lake

ecosystem • River

ecosystem • Wetland • Peatland

• East and South Africa • West and Central

Africa • North Africa • North America • Caribbean • Central America • South America • East Asia • South Asia • South East Asia • West Asia, Middle

East • Europe • Oceania

GOVERNANCE TYPE OF RELATED PROECTED AREA(s)

• By government • By private actors • By indigenous people and local communities

• Shared governance

COMMENTS Please list any other identifying features that were not available in the check lists above

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7. BENEFICIARIES (max 250 characters) Who are the main beneficiaries of your solution?

• • •

8. WHAT ARE THE SOLUTION’S ‘BUILDING BLOCKS’ or KEY COMONENTS?

These are the selected few elements that made your solution successful and that you believe could be applied to other socio-cultural, ecological, political and economic contexts, sectors, or geographies. They may be adapted and recombined with components from other solutions to solve new challenges. Please limit the number of building blocks to a maximum of 5, really focusing on the core elements of success. Please note: The term “building block” or “key component” refers to elements that are potentially transferrable to other contexts, whereas a “solution” as a whole is context-specific and composed of various components. E.g.: Participatory planning process; competency standards and training; Trust as capital

NAME OF Building Block #1 (max 60 characters)

SELECT CATEGORY SELECT LEVEL

Please choose one or more categories for the building block above by highlighting in yellow. (see definitions in annex)

Please choose the level on which this building block is applied highlighting in yellow.

• Alternative/supplementary livelihoods

• Collection of data and information

• Capacity development • Communication,

outreach and awareness building

• Enforcement • Finance scheme • Law and regulations

• Monitoring / evaluation / overseeing implementation

• Partnership • Policy advocacy • Review • Stakeholder dialogue • Strategy and plan • Technical method,

technique, tool • Other:

• Local • Subnational / provincial • National • Regional • Global

DESCRIBE BUILDING BLOCK IMPLEMENTATION (max 1,250 characters) Please explain the purpose of the building block and how it works.

ENABLING FACTORS (max 570 characters) Please list conditions that are important to enabling the success of this building block.

LESSONS LEARNED (max 1,000 characters) Please list key lessons learned during the process of implementing the component. If relevant, please also mention aspects that have not worked and any specific advice to replicators of your building block on avoiding mistakes in their application.

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LINKS, DOCUMENTS

PLEASE REPEAT FOR ALL BUILDING BLOCKS (up to 5 in total): 9. HOW DO THE BUILDING BLOCKS INTERACT IN THE SOLUTION? (max 1,250 characters)

Please briefly describe how the key components interact in the solution to address the problem. Step-by-step instructions or a pictorial aid may be helpful for greater clarity.

10. PROVIDE A STORY (max 2.500 characters) Please illustrate the solution by providing an inspiring and subjective/personal story of a specific example of the solution in action and upload an image (e.g. of the story-teller and/or of the solution) to illustrate your solution in action.

11. PHOTO Please provide photos that show your solution in action.

12. RESOURCES

Please provide additional information (documents, URLs) about your solution.

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III.II Short version of Solution template for poster (as used by Blue Solutions)

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III.III Building Block Category Definitions Alternative livelihoods: includes income diversification, skills training

Collection of data and information: tools, surveys, assessments or research applied in the inception phase of project/intervention, can include biodiversity & socioeconomic information; used in order to create baseline, define intervention area, generate information on gaps/needs

Capacity development: the process of strengthening the abilities of individuals, organizations and societies to make effective use of the resources, in order to achieve their own goals on a sustainable basis, e.g. through trainings, e-learning, strengthening institutions

Communication, outreach and awareness building: includes resource documents as knowledge products for stakeholders’ reference, translation of resource documents into other languages, sharing of experiences to disseminate best practices; cross visits to exchange experiences; specific events tailored to inform and change behaviour

Enforcement: efforts leading to enforcement of laws, regulations and activities

Finance scheme: includes micro finance plans and institutions, payment for ecosystem services schemes, other sustainable financing options such as entrance fees, funding support, financial incentives and offsets, diversification of funding sources, development of financial plan

Law and regulations: includes codes of conduct, definition of user rights, drawing up legislation

Monitoring / evaluation / overseeing implementation: used to understand long-term development of interventions; used to measure progress and impact of project/activity

Partnership: develop and/or strengthen (multi-stakeholder) partnerships and cooperation

Policy advocacy: includes campaigns to get support from influential people; gain political support; identify and “use” champions

Review: includes revisions of processes, management plans...; management cycles to adapt to changing circumstances and influences Stakeholder dialogue: details various approaches to stakeholder consultation and involvement, including community engagement

Strategy and plan: process of developing reference / guiding documents; combines information from various sources, e.g. local & scientific knowledge

Technical method, technique and tool: related to technical efforts; can be used for different purposes throughout projects/efforts

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III.IV Glossary of terms Building blocks Core elements of a solution, such as instruments, tools, approaches, partnerships or processes, that determine its success. Building blocks may be adapted and, if appropriate, recombined with others to address specific challenges in different socio-cultural and ecological contexts, sectors, or geographies. Face-to-face solutions exchange Encounters that allow participants to learn about approaches that have been proven successful, and to experience in solution-ing workshops how building blocks can be adapted, recombined and used to address new challenges. For example regional exchange fora. Solutions Successful approaches (projects, activities, initiatives) that are effective (applied with demonstrated impact) and scalable (contain elements with the potential for upscaling or replication). Solution provider Person involved in the implementation of the solution, who documents the solution in the solution template. This person has in-depth knowledge on the solution and can give information on “what works why and how”. Ideally, this person would be willing to be contacted by others and engage in exchanges around solutions. Solution seeker Person facing a challenge in his or her work context and looking for inspiration on how to address this challenge without re-inventing the wheel. Solution template Format used for the documentation of solutions, with focus on the identification, description and interaction of building blocks of a solution. The aim is to describe a solution in a clear and concise way that is inspiring and helpful for solution seeker and innovators.

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III.V Guiding questions (Blue Solutions Regional Forum, Cancún, April 2015) As you learn about solutions over the next few days, consider the following three guiding questions: 1) Which solutions or building blocks do you find most interesting or inspiring? 2) Which building blocks could be adapted and applied to your work? 3) Which challenges discussed are similar to the ones you are facing?

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III.VI Handout: instructions for Solution-ing exercise (Blue Solutions Regional Forum, Cancún, April 2015)

Regional Forum on Solutions for Oceans, Coasts and Human Well-Being in Latin America and the Wider Caribbean Region

The Solution-ing exercise - Step-by-step instructions

1) Individual work: What is your specific challenge? Write down some points on your worksheet. 5 min

2) Find a table based on the theme that is most relevant to you. Max 8 people per table. 5 min

3) Group discussion: Share details on your specific challenge with your group based on what you have mentioned on your worksheet 15 min in total

4) Group work: Discuss and write up a group challenge based on your group‘s real-life examples using the group worksheet 15 min

5) Solutioning marketplace: Take a look at the building blocks that have been presented and write down the ones that are most relevant for addressing your group challenge 20 min

6) Group discussion: Share in the group which building blocks have been collected. Discuss which two building blocks are most relevant. Discuss how these building blocks could be used to address your group challenge, and if and how they would have to be adapted 20 min

7) Group work: Write down what you have discussed using the group worksheet. 10 min

8) Presentation: Share the results of your group discussion in plenary. Answer questions that are being addressed to your group. 5 min per group

9) All: Voting on best adaptation of building block to a challenge.

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III.VII Work sheet, group challenge (Blue Solutions Regional Forum, Cancún, April 2015) Group Challenge Your table theme: _________________________________________________ After discussing your individual challenges, please describe a challenge your group came up with based on real-life examples shared by your group’s participants. This group challenge can be fictional or based on a specific case. When creating your group challenge, think about common issues that you all face! Think about a common problem you are all trying to solve, what is causing the problem, and who is affected by the problem. Your group challenge Description: Primary cause:

Impacted groups:

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III.VIII Work sheet, selected building blocks to address group challenge (Blue Solutions Regional Forum, Cancún, April 2015)

Building Blocks Please name the two building blocks your group agreed on are most relevant for addressing your group challenge. Describe how they could be used and how they would have to be adapted to address your group challenge, and what next steps in implementation would be. Building block #1 Building block title: Name of building block provider: (in case you are reusing or adapting an existing building block) S __ BB ___ 1) Describe how this building block could address your group challenge, including if it needs to be adapted. 2) Name specific next steps in using this building block to address your group challenge. What would you actually have to do to put the building block into action?

(Similar for building block 2)

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III.IX Pledge cards (Bright Spots and Protected Area Solutions Innovation, side event during IUCN World Parks Congress 2014)

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III.X Participant feedback interview questions (Blue Solutions Regional Forum, Cancún, April 2015)

1. Do you have specific goals that you hope to achieve by attending the Regional Forum? Please share.

2. What are your general impressions of the Forum thus far? 3. Is there anything you would change about the way presentations or sessions are conducted?

a. Do you find that solution presentations fit the Forum themes? b. Is the level of facilitation appropriate?

4. Are there opportunities to engage in discussions with other participants? How would you characterize interaction among Forum participants thus far?

5. Is the idea and format of the solution-ing approach helpful to you/your organization? 6. Do you have further ideas on how the event organizers can take the solution-ing approach

even further?

7. Looking back: Were the materials from and interactions with the Blue Solutions team provided in advance useful for preparing you for the Regional Forum? a. Was the selection process for presented solutions transparent and inclusive? b. If you provided a solution, was the preparation process what you expected? Were you

made aware of the amount of work necessary to prepare for the Forum?

8. Looking forward: What have you learned thus far which you could use back home?

9. Are you willing to remain involved with the Blue Solutions Initiative and possible help share the approach further in your region?

For interviews immediately following the Forum (after the solutioning exercise, late Thursday/Friday, or via Skype the following week), additional questions will be asked:

10. What was your experience like during the solution-ing exercise?

a. Were the instructions easy to follow? b. Did you think the format of the exercise was useful for building block development? c. Did you have interesting discussions in your group?

11. How are you going to put what you learned into action when you return home?

12. How are going to use the contacts you made at the Forum?

13. Do you think the field trip added value to the Forum program?

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