PowerNotes LLC provides facilitation services covering an extensive and diversified range of assignments.
MaryAnn Lawrence, proven to be an accomplished facilitator, possesses the critical skills needed to assist groups of people in working together effectively and productively. She is proficient in advanced preparation, clear communication, active listening, asking probing questions, timekeeping, providing unbiased objectivity, and keeping groups focused.
Ideas are encouraged and conflicts among contributors are successfully resolved by reaching common ground between two or more people. MaryAnn inspires a group to solve problems and achieve its goals.
She puts “fun” in organizational development and a dash of humor in reengineering. In her forty plus years of experience, MaryAnn has facilitated hundreds of groups including national teams, state agencies, Local Workforce Development Boards, community-based organizations, economic development groups, Chief Elected Official consortiums, educational institutions, and employer representatives.
Examples of facilitation assignments PowerNotes has worked with include:
Strategic Planning
A key service PowerNotes provides is the facilitation of strategic planning and resulting work plan development. MaryAnn Lawrence works with agencies and boards of directors to create a meaningful strategic plan that provides a roadmap for focusing on the organization’s goals and objectives. Often, MaryAnn continues to work with the entities to prepare more detailed work plans and assists committees and work teams in achieving the established goals and objectives.
Sector Partnerships
PowerNotes assists Local Workforce Areas in creating high-performing industry partnerships comprised primarily of business leaders in the targeted industries with participation by training and education providers, economic development, chambers of commerce, labor organizations, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders. The purpose of a sector partnership is to understand employer needs and expectations and how to prepare the talent pool with the appropriate training and skill building to meet the employer specifications. PowerNotes has an express sector partnership method that simplifies the development and maintenance of these industry partnerships and minimizes the amount of time employers are asked to commit to the process.
Focus Groups
PowerNotes facilitates focus groups on a vast array of topics to gather information to help organizations make informed decisions.
Task Analysis
Task analysis is the generic term for finding out what duties and tasks are involved with doing a particular job or function. PowerNotes uses a method called DACUM, an acronym that stands for developing a curriculum. MaryAnn Lawrence is certified in facilitating DACUM that entails a structured process that utilizes individuals who perform like duties to work together to arrive at consensus on what is required to perform the work. The final product provides the skills and knowledge, traits and attitudes, and tools and equipment needed to be proficient in a particular work job or function.
Mapping
PowerNotes provides expert mapping services to facilitate process mapping, service mapping, and resource mapping. Community audits are often a result of mapping. MaryAnn Lawrence has created an interactive collaborative process to address mapping and has successfully facilitated dozens of mapping sessions in recent years.
Partner Collaboration
PowerNotes facilitates partner leadership and front-line worker collaboration meetings. MaryAnn Lawrence serves as an objective voice and organizer to assist partners in working together more effectively and to achieve workable solutions to challenges identified by the partners.
Procurement Teams
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act requires local workforce areas competitively procure One-Stop Operators. Many local areas choose to also procure Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth service provision. PowerNotes has assisted local elected officials and/or local workforce boards navigate the procurement process including working with a committee assigned procurement responsibilities as well as handling the procurement from beginning to the finish and making a recommendation to the appropriate approving entity upon completion of the process.
