Workshop 1: 11:15 am-12:05 pm

Five Strategies for Successful Facilitation – Gayle Coon, Robin Ertz
Through active engagement, this workshop highlights five strategies a facilitator can work toward in order to strengthen facilitation skills. These skills include preparation, creating a safe environment, being participant centered, using active engagement strategies, and motivating for action.
Room 150-154

We Got the Beet: Grow Cross-Sector Community Partnerships through Iowa Farm to School and early Care – Chelsea Krist, Krista Smith
The Iowa Farm to School and Early Care (F2SEC) Coalition brings together a dynamic group of partners engaged in food systems and education. This session will share a brief history of the Iowa Farm to School and Early Care Network and the unique scope of this group’s work. Learn about annual programs and funding opportunities including the USDA Local Food For Schools Grant, the Iowa Farm to Summer Campaign, the coalition’s annual Conference, Iowa Local Food Day, and Farm to Early Care Grants. The session will describe the staying power and essential partnerships in state local food incentive programs and highlight the importance of equity and inclusion frameworks in fostering new relationships. Attendees will learn how the statewide coalition’s initiatives can support county-level programming and partnerships and will leave this session energized to organize locally!
Room 299

Creating Resources with Adobe Creative Cloud – Kris Baldwin
You have access to Adobe Creative Cloud tools. Now what? This session will introduce some of the most frequently used Adobe tools like Acrobat, Express, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and Stock. Participants will leave with a better understanding of each tool and examples of resources that could be created with them. Adobe Creative Cloud can be used on your desktop or mobile devices.
Room 260-262

Digital Document Accessibility: Pretty and Simple – John Robnett, J.D. Otterbein
Document accessibility can seem like a monumental task to undertake. This workshop will help participants learn and understand the whys, hows and wheres of accessible Word documents, so important to those using assistive technology. The Why: Participants will learn about the ISU Document Accessibility Policy and the importance of “why” one needs to be accessible to fully engage and serve the community. The How: This workshop will cover some key elements of document accessibility: Styles and header tags, images and alt text, and our ISU Extension Accessibility Ribbons for Microsoft Office to assist in accessible document creation. To dispel any fears of the difficulties of making documents both accessible and pretty, an extension staffer will share their personal story and experiences of their accessibility journey. The What: Attendees will be provided with information and handouts to additional resources on document accessibility, policy guides, information on in-person accessibility class schedules, and links to the online Moodle training site so they can continue to expand on the skills learned in this workshop.
Room 175-179

Follow the Leader: Discover Your Own Leadership Qualities – Molly Hewitt, Lisa Bates, and Megan Carlson
Identify your leadership qualities through an interactive workshop that takes participants through individual and group exercises. Not all leaders possess the same qualities, and you will learn where your strengths and opportunities for growth can transform your perspective on how to lead. Walk through leadership styles and best practices that you can apply in your own position. Learn from the inaugural cohort of the ISU Extension and Outreach Leadership Academy and their “Aha” moments, which reinforced that each person has their own, unique leadership abilities that contribute to the ISU Extension and Outreach mission.
Room 250-252

Fidelity and Flair: Best Practices for Extension Educators – Demi Johnson, Danielle Day
Research-based and evidence-based programming is the foundation of extension education. We are the link between the people and ever-changing discoveries in laboratories. As extension professionals, we bring Iowa State’s research across all 99 counties in Iowa to meet people where they are with facts they can understand. To do this, educators must be able to adapt to audience needs in the moment. This workshop will identify why fidelity, accessibility, and adaptability are all valuable traits for extension educators. Participants will gain hands-on experience adapting to participant needs in real time through small group activities, large group discussion, and educational games.
Room 167-171

Effective Strategies for Improving Your Productivity – Bonnie Dalager
Learn how to use your personal preferences to choose the systems you use to build your productivity. Many practical tips will be shared on using Microsoft Outlook including email strategies, task management, and managing your calendar.
Room 004

Leading Our Communities – Himar Hernandez, Lynn Adams, Amy Viniard Wiedeman, Victor Oyervides, and Mary Weinand
Using materials from the ISU Extension and Outreach leadership program “Leading Communities,” participants will learn about some of the tools used in community engagement processes. Participants in this session will practice using tools designed to improve processes such as goal-setting, reaching a consensus, exploring the root cause of an issue, and more. The tools gained in this breakout will benefit those who work with boards, councils, volunteers, teams, and community groups.
Room 275

Workshop 2: 1:20 pm-2:10 pm

Five Strategies for Successful Facilitation – Gayle Coon, Robin Ertz
This workshop highlights five strategies a facilitator can work toward to strengthen facilitation skills. These skills include preparation, creating a safe environment, being participant centered, using active engagement strategies, and motivating for action.
Room 150-154

What Makes County Extension Councils Tick – Jennifer Vit, Julie Baumler
There are 100 extension districts in Iowa and you likely would get 100 answers to the question “what makes county extension councils tick”. But there are basic tenets that guide the decisions of an extension council member no matter the county. In Fall 2022, the Iowa Extension Council Association conducted a survey that provided data on council needs, communication, challenges, and opportunities. We’ll share some ideas to meet the needs of extension councils and support the elected officials that make up your council.
Room 299

Digital Tools for Audience Interaction – Kris Baldwin
Bring your mobile device or laptop and have some fun with interactive resources! Learn how to engage your audience with chat, polls, whiteboards, and other online resources that can be used with mobile devices in a face-to-face setting or during online meetings. Leave with a plan for your next event that ramps up audience interaction.
Room 260-262

Designer Tips with Adobe Express and InDesign – Amanda Karges
Not a designer? No problem! Adobe Express is an online and mobile app that enables you to create standout designs with thousands of beautiful templates. This program provides intuitive tools that let you remove backgrounds, animate text, add your brand, and so much more. During this workshop we will share tips and tricks to help build effective marketing designs with Adobe Express, and also answer key questions on when to use Adobe Express and when to use InDesign.
Room 275

Vibrant Teams: Is it Just a Dream – Rachel Fishel, Melissa Beerman
Do your team meetings lack vibrancy? This workshop will be focused on creating an environment that encourages vibrancy within all types of teams, whether they are staff or volunteers. Intentionally building relationships among teammates not only improves morale, but also carries over into professional productivity. Participants will practice designing team meeting agendas to better enhance opportunities for relationship-building and well-being. The 4-H Clover Care team will provide you with a toolbox complete with activities and ideas to promote wellness and a sense of belonging within your team. Incorporate these practices into your meetings and your teammates will walk away feeling energized and engaged and look forward to the next time your group is together.
Room 250-252

Break the Language Access Barrier: Less Preconception and More Accountability – Veronica Ouya, Regenea Hurte
Iowa is more diverse today than ever before and the issue of language access is vital. Language access provides equal access and participation in services, programs and activities for all. There is need to open our minds to who needs language access. Many times, when the issue of interpretation and translation comes up, we think of refugees and immigrants. While a large portion of this population needs language access through translation and interpretation services, they are not the only ones. We will explore issues around language access in the state of Iowa. Which services have you wanted to offer, but had your success hindered by language access? Which communities are served by your programs and outreach? What can you do differently to increase participation of communities who need language access? We will share some resources within Iowa that we can use to break these barriers.

Veronica Ouya is a Commissioner for the Civil and Human Rights Commission in the City of Des Moines as well as an adjunct professor of speech and communication and a Ph.D. student in HD FS at Iowa State. Regenea Hurte is the Diversity Advisor for ISU Extension and Outreach.
Room 004

Navigating Stress: Resiliency in the Workplace – Demi Johnson and Tammy Jacobs
This program will review key stress responses in the workplace and promote well-being strategies to improve resilience. Participants will discuss acute versus long-term stress and learn about burnout and compassion fatigue. Participants will create a personal self-care plan based on resilience strategies including quality self-care, increasing social support, identifying purpose, and the value of a positive attitude. Participants will learn how to access this program to use in their own counties.
Room 167-171

Full Scope: Registration Services and MyData for Program Specialists – Maddie Reed, Tim Grewell, Amanda Eggers, and Phil Heckman
This informational and instructional workshop will provide an overview of Registration Services and explain the processes in place for collecting and reporting event attendee information. With the MyData initiative at ISU Extension and Outreach, a great partnership formed as we integrated this new system with the Registration Services platform. Get a deep dive into the “why” and the “how” of collecting registrations and processing the data surrounding your programs and those who attend them.
Room 175-179