The content from this page was started from the
Peer Assistspage on the
KS Toolkit.
A Peer Assist brings together a small group of peers to elicit feedback on a
problem, project, or activity, and draw lessons from the participants'
knowledge and experience. Typically they require a couple of hours preparation on the part of the peer assistee and a volunteer facilitator, and an hour of the peer group's time. This makes them fairly easy to do and efficient with time and resources. They can be done face to face or online. Online can be a little more challenging, so consider starting the practice face to face.
When to use:
Peer Assists may be useful when:
- You are starting a new job, activity or project and you want to benefit from the advice of more experienced people.
- You face a problem that another group has faced in the past.
- You had not to have to deal with a given situation for a long time.
- You are no longer sure what new procedures to follow.
- You are planning a project that is similar to a project another group has completed.
How to use:
Learning from your peers; someone has already done it. Here is the high level overview. For specific "how to" steps see the resources listed below.
- Communicate the purpose. Peer Assists work well when the purpose is clear and you communicate that purpose to participants.
- Share your Peer Assist plans with others. Consider whether others have already solved the problem; they may have similar needs.
- Identify a facilitator external to the team. The facilitator is responsible for managing the process so that meeting participants reach the desired outcome.
- Schedule a date for the Peer Assist. Ensure it is early enough to do something different with what you have learned.
- Invite potential participants who have the diversity of skills, competencies and experience needed for the Peer Assist. Avoid the usual suspects. Peer Assist works well with six to eight people; break up larger groups so everyone has the opportunity to voice experiences and ideas.
- Be clear on what you want out of the Peer Assist (usually options and insights) and plan the time to achieve them.
- Allow time to socialize in order to develop rapport.
- Spend time creating the right environment for sharing.
- Plan the event to allow a balance between telling and listening.
- Listen for understanding and for how you might improve your own activity.
- Consider others who might benefit from this knowledge, then share it with them.
- Commit to actions and keep the Peer Assist team updated. Let them know what you did as a result of what you learned from them.
Peer Assist
Resources:
