JANE ADAMS & ASSOCIATES:
Facilitation, Training & Consulting
MUNICIPALITIES

Specializing in the methods of Appreciative Inquiry and Solutions Focused Problem Solving, I provide facilitation, training and consulting services to:

• Create effective, high-performance teams
• Facilitate consensus decision making and cooperative problem solving
• Lead Organizational and Program Reviews and Redesigns
• Design and facilitate meetings, conferences and workshops
• Improve internal communications
• Develop strategic plans
• Implement new strategies and decisions resulting from reorganization
• Start up new projects
• Train staff in new skills, practices and policies

I have 25 years experience working with over 100 public interest organizations in Ontario, and have a Masters Degree in Adult Education. For 10 years I worked with four Ministries of the Government of Ontario providing start-up program planning (Advocacy Commission & Pay Equity Commission); internal organizational development consulting (Ministry of the Attorney General); policy development (Ontario Women’s Directorate); and leadership at the Director level (Pay Equity Commission).

Training workshops include:

• Solutions Focus – Problem Solving and Consulting
• Vision and Goal Setting
• Distance Management with Self-Reliant Teams
• Transition/Change Management
• Learning Plans
• Consulting Skills
• Team Building & Communications
• Communities of Practice
• Organizational Reviews
• Appreciative Inquiry and Open Space

Examples of Recent Experience (Municipal)

• "Jane conducted a practical hands-on "Collaborative Consulting Workshop" using an appreciative inquiry and solution focused approach for the our Healthy Living Team. Staff reported this contributed to the "best planning session ever." With humour and flexibility Jane capitalized on opportunities for application and we found our "inquiries" extended to team work and personal life situations. Staff reported "the team collectively agreed to move on, leaving the negative behind and focusing on the future built on our peak experiences!" Jane's passion, wit, and intelligence combined with her positive approachable style made her the ideal facilitator for our team!"
  
  -Manager, North Bay District Health Unit

• City of Toronto, Public Health
  
  "On behalf of the School Age Health Promotion and Youth Team, I would like to express our heartfelt thanks for the Appreciative Inquiry in-service you facilitated. The positive and affirming atmosphere which you helped to create was wonderful, and really helped the team members come together as a group. Thank you for designing an in-service that was so informative and interactive.
  
  - Program Manager

• City of Toronto, Public Health, to design and facilitate a Retreat with the Board of Health and Senior executive
  
  “Thank you so much for the wonderful work you performed …(Senior Executive) have an increased sense of support by - and appreciation for - the Board of Health members. You have very well honed facilitation skills, but you also demonstrated very sophisticated sensibilities regarding the social, economic and political context in which we all work.”
  
  - Director, Public Health, City of Toronto

• City of Toronto, Organizational Effectiveness Unit, to deliver an Appreciate Inquiry training workshop
  
  “Jane's work with our diverse team of practitioners emphasized a sound theory base for the Appreciative Inquiry technique, its practical application, our own community-building, and shared learnings. As a result of her engaging facilitation style and concern for transferability, some participants within days successfully applied the technique with their clients.”
  
  - Mary Louise Work, Director, OD & Strategic HR Planning

• District of Parry Sound Social Services Administration Board, to design and conduct an Organizational Review
  
  "Jane Adams navigated our organization through a large scale review that involved the whole organization. Due to her enthusiasm, forthright manner and impressive breadth of knowledge and experience in organizational development, the project was an overwhelming success from start to finish."
  
  - Chief Financial Officer, PSDSSAB

• Huron County Health Unit, to design and deliver a 8-day Team Development process
  
  “Jane has an amazing ability to quickly understand a group’s culture and issues. She facilitated our Team in dealing with some tough issues – but in a very positive way focusing on what each of us brings to the Team. She inspires people through her hard work, commitment and genuine desire to see them reach their goals.”
  
  - Manager, HCHU

• City of Toronto, Public Health, to design and deliver Team Building workshops in Family Health, Sexual Health Promotion, and Healthy Environments, with managers and staff
  
  “Jane’s use of Appreciative Inquiry was just what my team needed – a focus on what is working and what they most value about their work. The team found the workshop fun, interactive and informative. The Team Building workshop gave me, as a manager, some concrete areas to follow up on, and action plan, and a map of our most valued work that I will post again for discussion in the future.”
  
  - Manager, Family Health, Public Health

• City of Toronto, Public Health, to facilitate (over 6 months) the Program Redesign and Planning of the city-wide delivery of sexual health services
  
  “Jane is an excellent facilitator who played a key role in keeping our project on track and making sure it was completed on time. She is skilled in group decision making and fostering group dynamics. Jane has a wonderful sense of humour and optimism.”
  
  - Manager, Public Health, City of Toronto

• City of Toronto, Waste and Emergency Services, to design and facilitate Problem Solving sessions involving and Senior Management Team – including Commissioner – of the Works Best Practices Program and CUPE 416 Executive
  
  “We brought Jane into a situation in which the management and union representatives were having difficulty in communicating with each other around a number of very difficult issues. Jane’s facilitation opened up the communication channels, and allowed the parties to have meaningful dialogue on the concerns of each party.”
  
  - Amalgamation Team Leader, Works and Emergency Services

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janeadams@sympatico.ca