Your Training Questions Answered!

What a start to the year with new courses and new information coming fast and furious. Our training team is working hard to answer your training questions and support you on your learning journey. Here are the top five questions we have received so far!

If after checking out these you have more questions, please contact Brenda at 613-837-5890 or brenda@rmdelaney.com and she will be happy to answer your specific questions.

Question 1: I’m new to the discipline of P2 and engagement. Where do I begin my IAP2 learning journey? I hear there is a prerequisite.

Welcome and yes, there is a new prerequisite.

The Fundamentals of P2 and Engagement course is an entry-level prerequisite into the IAP2 Global Learning Pathway (GLP), which is a collection of courses that help learners progress in their engagement practice.

The Fundamentals of P2 and Engagement course provides learners with globally accepted foundations, concepts, and principles of authentic engagement – setting the stage for follow-up training in P2, and engagement planning and methods.

This six-hour (three, two-hour sessions) course is a good starting point for people beginning their journey in P2 and engagement or who are seeking to complete a certificate in public participation. It is also helpful for anyone already working in the field, but without the benefit of formal training.

Please note: Only one prerequisite course is required before moving on to other GLP courses (either Fundamentals of P2 and Engagement or IAP2 Way in Challenging Contexts). This is no need to take both.

After completing Fundamentals of P2 and Engagement, you can take any of the level 2 courses available in the GLP. If you are relatively new to the discipline of engagement, we suggest the second course you take is Designing P2 and Engagement (focus on engagement planning).

Question 2: I’ve taken IAP2 Planning and Techniques with Delaney. Can you please confirm where the new courses Fundamentals, Designing, and Applying methods fit in? Are these good follow-up courses or intended as prerequisites?

There are three new courses which replace the Planning and Techniques courses – always considered the gold standard in P2 and engagement training. The Planning and Techniques courses have been updated to bring them in line with emerging practices for engagement, including an emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion, and more focus on evaluation.

The three new courses replacing Planning and Techniques are:
• Fundamental of P2 and Engagement looks at the public participation foundations and introduces the concept of the profiles of P2 and the practice framework.
• Designing P2 and Engagement looks at how to design and plan an engagement process (design, plan, implement, learn).
• Applying Methods looks at how to design an engagement, including the type of methods (techniques) used and sequencing. The course looks at a range of methods suitable for different P2 and engagement purposes.

The new courses might be taken as refresher courses for someone who has completed the Foundations program, or a learner can watch the IAP2 International transition video to get a sense of what’s new in the new courses. If you have taken Planning and Techniques, you do not need to take the new courses as you already have a Certificate in the IAP2 Foundations.

DELANEY, the engagement people, delivers several proprietary courses developed to supplement and enhance the IAP2 learning experience.  Our most popular include Facilitating Engagement Plans, Evaluating Engagement, and Designing Engagement Surveys. These are suitable for practitioners who have completed the Foundations program.

Question 3: I am inquiring about IAP2 courses in 2023. From what I can see the training appears to be all virtual – can you confirm this for me?

Delaney delivers its public IAP2 training in an online format. Our Virtual Academies have been popular since we began this approach in June 2020. We are pleased with participant feedback that confirms the interactive and engaging nature of our online classrooms.

We will continue training public courses virtually for three main reasons:

  1. We have greatly reduced the environmental footprint of our training events – no travel-related CO2 emissions, reduced printed training material, and no hotel catering waste from single-serving items like beverages, sugar, and milk. (We do miss those hot breakfasts though!)
  2. We’ve been able to pass on to our participants the savings linked to reduced travel and catering costs, which means enhanced affordability and access for many people.
  3. Trainers and participants have expressed an appreciation for better work-life balance.

The technology allows us to adapt nimbly to expressed needs. We can add a course relatively easily, for example, because we don’t have to factor in travel. We can adapt presentations in real-time, to suit the needs of a particular group. We have more options to play with and that’s cool. We also really appreciate being able to engage participants from across the country whereas in-person training tends to bring people together mostly from that location.

Question 4: I took the IAP2 Planning course in November. I want to complete my certificate. What course do I take now that there is no Techniques course?

If you have completed Planning for Effective Public Participation (mostly covered in the new Fundamentals of P2 and Engagement course and the Designing P2 and Engagement course), you will need to watch a transition video and then take Applying Methods (previously known as Techniques for Effective Public Participation) to qualify for the Certificate in Public Participation.

We encourage everyone to proudly present their IAP2 training on resumes and LinkedIn profiles, including past Foundations certificates of completion.

Question 5: What’s the difference between Fundamentals of P2 and Engagement and IAP2 Way in Challenging Contexts?

Delaney is currently offering only the Fundamentals of P2 and Engagement. It’s a good starting point for people beginning their journey. It is also helpful for anyone already working in the field but without the benefit of formal training, or anyone working in a related or supporting field who wants to understand the fundamentals of authentic engagement. This is a prerequisite course for entry into IAP2’s Global Learning Pathway (GLP).

The IAP2 Way in Challenging Contexts course is also an approved prerequisite course for entry into IAP2’s Global Learning Pathway. There is significant overlap between the two courses and currently Delaney is only providing one of the prerequisites to avoid confusion and duplication.

New Year’s Resolutions and Professional Development

Did you make a New Year’s resolution to invest in yourself – some professional development and a boost to your resume, perhaps? Wondering where to start? If you are an engagement specialist, you already know how important it is to have a plan to achieve objectives and measure success, and the same is true for personal growth. Here’s something that might just be for you!

IAP2 Canada is now offering a Certificate in Public Participation (P2). Based on IAP2’s newly released Global Learning Pathway (GLP), this professional development certificate program builds on the foundations of public participation training and best practices from around the world.

The Certificate in Public Participation consists of three core courses – Fundamentals of P2 and Engagement (as a prerequisite to the following two courses); Designing P2 and Engagement; and Applying Methods. This involves approximately 30 hours of engagement training.

You get to make the plan and decide the pace of your engagement training – take the prerequisite now and add the other two later or take a speedy trip to completion of all three courses. It’s up to you! Upon completion of the three courses, you will receive a Certificate in Public Participation to acknowledge you’ve completed an important segment of your learning journey – something to add to your resume and tuck away quietly as a resolution accomplished!

Delaney, the engagement people, is pleased to offer everything you need to complete this certificate. We have the courses, and we have the team. Have questions? Check out our Upcoming Courses or drop us a note at Brenda@rmdelaney.com. All the very best to you and your engagement work in 2023.

Come work with us!

The Delaney team is looking for its next team member.

We are a small, nimble team of communications and engagement professionals looking for a new communications and engagement coordinator. This person will primarily work remotely but with some in-person engagement opportunities in the Lower Mainland. We are looking for someone who can support both the training and consulting practice and who is keen to launch or advance their career in community engagement. If you are a fast learner and appreciate working on different projects and different kinds of work, we want to connect with you.

The full job posting is available here (PDF). This position is open until filled, and we hope to fill it in the next month.

If you are interested in this role, please include a cover letter explaining your key strengths for the role and your CV. Please send all applications to Kristi Merilees at kristi@rmdelaney.com.