Participation level:

High (Stakeholders participate in decision)

Innovation level:

High (Innovative)

Facilitator skill level, and other support required:

High (Specialist skills)
Medium (Computer & other expertise)

Can be used for:

Engage community
Develop community capacity
Develop action plan
Communicate an issue

Number of people required to help z:

Large (> 12 people)
Medium (2-12 people)

Search conferences seek future plans or visions that are practical and implementable for an organization, community or environment.

The search conference will identify specific actions which must be taken. Empowering the people responsible to make these changes allows search conferences to produce much more useful results than standard strategic planning methods http://www.ccnr.net/searchconf/search.htm.

Develops creative and achievable strategies.
Produces collaborative and participative approaches.
Generates consensus.
Develops shared values.
Develops commitment to strategies formulated.
Combines formulation and implementation.
Integrates cultural, regional and/or value differences.
Achieves completion of a task in two or three days (and sometimes evenings) that would take months if left to specialized analysts and experts. (http://www.buzzblick.com/search.htm)

Focus is on learning, not teaching.
Conflict and differences are acknowledged, but not dealt with.
Equal status of participants is supported.
Personal commitment and ownership are emphasized.
Self-managing teams are used.
Shared meaning is developed.
Can be logistically challenging.
Can be time consuming (2-3 days).

Organizing Search Conference

How many people to organize?

Time required:

Long (> 6 months)
Medium (6 weeks-6 months)

Cost:

High (> AUD$10,000)
Medium (AUD$1,000-AUD$10,000)

Search conferences have three broad stages: pre-planning; the conference; and implementation.

Pre-planning

First Planning Session: (6-8 hours) Determine whether a Search Conference will meet your needs. If it will, decide on the conference themes and purpose, arrange a venue and draw up an invitation list.
Secure keynote speakers. Their presence should break the ice and set the flavour of the event, but not dominate it.
Second Planning Session: (3-4 hours) This serves as a progress 'check-in' and a time to redirect efforts if necessary. Questions are answered and all conference plans are finalized. It is best to hold this session with the facilitator present, however, when travel costs are a major concern it is possible to substitute an extensive telephone conference call between the planning group and the facilitator.

The Conference

The Search Conference: (One full day or more). The participants will share information, discuss issues, and complete a series of small and large group tasks, which culminate in a strategic goal setting and action planning session. These tasks should encompass the following:
Analyze the environment (background, possible future, what is working/not working)
Analyze the'SYSTEM', what routines, practices, restrictions, rules and structures influence the present known community issues, the community itself and its environment.
Plan how our system can best flourish, within our environment. (This should develop realistic action plans engendered through new understandings.)

Implementation

Follow-up Session(s): This is a time to celebrate individual and group successes. Evaluate the ultimate success of the conference by how easily the action plans can be implemented. Progress is assessed and plans are modified as needed.
People are give roles and deadlines set.
The action plans are put into practice.