Perfectio — Resilience (Fall 2020 Edition)

votre référence en formation des adultes

RESILIENCE

FALL 2020

ta b l e o f c o n t e n t s

INTRODUCTION 4 Word from the Editor in Chief 5 Word from the President

ADAPTATION

RECOVERY

6 The COFA During COVID-19

24 LBS: The Key to Economic Recovery

8 A Resilient Network

26 From Classroom Education to Remote Learning: The Future after COVID-19

13 A Few Statistics related to LBS and COVID-19

27 Moving Beyond Basic Learning

14 Distance Education Tools

29 Relationships: The New Economy in Light of the Pandemic

16 Facebook: A Powerful Promotional Tool

31 Managing Emotional Distress

18 Adult Competencies at the Core of a Resilient Society 23 “Adult learning and education as a tool to contain pandemics: The COVID-19 experience”: an Article Highlighting the Importance of LBS

32 Communication: The Key to Having Authentic and Satisfying Professional Relationships

PRODUCTION editor in chief: Gabrielle lopez // translation: bianca cesario Proofreading: Pascale lacelle // Graphic designer: marie-eve séguin // printing: Bradda Printing Services inc.

WORD FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF

resilience [RI-ZIL-JUHNSS] an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change SOURCE : Merriam-Webster1

Gabrielle Lopez In this edition of Perfectio, we wanted to capture a moment in the history of the Coalition ontarienne de formation des adultes (COFA) network by highlighting its resilience in the face of COVID-19, this microscopic creature that has turned our world upside down. We are all going through profound changes in how we do things at work and in society and in how we act with others, and all of that comes with its share of ups and downs.

The second part of the edition continues under the title Recovery, with articles about a few practical solutions for turning around the economy, where LBS will play an important role. As we look toward the future, we have also shared a few mental health resources in order to help you strengthen your resilience and to support you during this pandemic, which is continuing and is expected to last for quite some time.

In the first section of this edition, entitled Adaptation, you will find articles about the considerable amounts of effort and creativity that have been put in by the Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) network, and particularly that of the COFA, to withstand the first wave of this storm and provide training services to its clients. Some of the strong messages that have emerged from the findings are that distance training is not a panacea; that it must be conceived with the goal of distance education in mind if it is to have any real benefits, preferably in combination with in-person training, and that connectivity is still an important issue for many people, but especially for the most vulnerable. These are the lessons for the future—the very short-term future—because we are just about to hit a second wave.

I hope that after reading these articles, you will be able to see how hard the actors from the LBS sector have worked; they have spared no effort in connecting with learners, who are often in a vulnerable position because of their low literacy levels. As we enter this second wave of COVID-19, where the economic recovery has already begun, the COFA network will continue to train Francophone adults in Ontario so that they may find a job and live safely and with dignity.

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https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resilience

I wish you a good read! 

WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT Renaud Saint-Cyr We could not have picked a more appropriate title for this edition of Perfectio. This unusual year has indeed brought the resilience of our network to light. It would have been easy to accept defeat in the face of such a disconcerting situation as a worldwide pandemic, to close our doors and to admit defeat until things return to “normal.” The changes in how we work and deliver services were sudden and destabilizing, but we did not give up. We quickly develo­ ped strategies to help us adapt to the best of our abilities and stay afloat in the face of uncertainty, as shown by the articles in this journal. This is what allowed us to get through these first few difficult months and ensure that our services continued despite everything.

I thank you, dear members, for your flexibility and your resi­ lience during this adjustment period. Our work is not yet done; we need to continue being resilient, because the wave of change brought on by COVID-19 has not yet passed. It is all the more important that we continue to adapt and refine our services, and to promote the importance of our Literacy and Basic Skills services. On this note, I wish you a good read. 

Paying Tribute to Excellence In recognition of their outstanding efforts during the pandemic, we wish to highlight the relentless work, determination and creativity demonstrated by managers and trainers of the COFA network.

Renaud Saint-Cyr Pr e si d e n t

Gabrielle Lopez

E x e c u tive D i r e c to r, C O FA

The COF DURING COVID-19 By Gabrielle Lopez

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E x e c u t i v e D i re c t o r , C O FA

While the Coalition ontarienne de formation des adultes (COFA), the provincial support organization for Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) centres, was not unaffected by COVID-19, we were among the most fortunate in the midst of this crisis, having not experienced any layoffs. Rather, our organization has seen major growth in regard to its e-learning activities. As COFA’s Executive Director, my role was twofold: making sure that my team as well as the COFA’s network were conti­ nuing to operate smoothly. In keeping with instructions that are given on airplanes, according to which we must put on our oxygen mask before anyone else’s, I focused on my team first. Because we provide online training and thanks to the foresight of my predecessors, the entire COFA team was already equipped with laptops so that they could work from home and thereby avoid any service disruptions. This ensured that we were able to operate remotely without any problems from the very first days of the pandemic. I was also concerned about ensuring my team’s well-being so that everyone could work in the best possible way under sometimes challenging circumstances, including anxiety, working from home with children or being completely isolated, or having a limited work environment in terms of equipment, an increased workload and a greater demand for time to carry out operations that normally took less time. To help make things easier, we encouraged our employees to come and get the computer and office equipment they needed to work comfortably from their home. We also offered them a small monthly allowance in addition to their salary to allow them to increase their Internet services and to cover other expenses they would incur as a result of imposed telework arrangements.

As for our Programme de formation à distance (F@D), we have seen a significant increase since the beginning of the pandemic in the number of clients enrolling in the program. We have also noted, for example, an increased demand for support from COFA learning centres, which required additional support because they needed to switch from classroom lear­ ning to online learning. These circumstances compelled us to hire a new educator and to seek support from external resources for the work of assessing new clients. People sometimes think that the work of an educator ends with the preparation and delivery of courses and the marking of ass­ ignments. However, since we work with sophisticated online delivery platforms that allow us to perform several operations virtually, such as registration, offering instructional videos, moni­ toring learners’ progress, and so on, our educators have a lot of follow-up work to do beyond delivering learning courses, both in synchronous and asynchronous modes, to update and maintain the Ministry’s database as well as the COFA’s internal database. Moreover, our educators work on course development and are involved in various projects managed by the COFA. One of the things that has made it easier for us is that we do not have any external clients coming to our premises to attend courses. Like many organizations, we experienced an exponential increase in virtual meetings and email exchanges, so much so that our days and weeks became considerably longer. During the first few months of the pandemic, we held team meetings three times a week: two information sessions and one meeting where the team would meet virtually and have lunch together. Then, once the peak of the crisis passed, we limited our mee­ tings to twice a week, which we maintain to this day.

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FA

WE DON’T GIVE UP AND WE TRY BY ALL MEANS POSSIBLE TO MAINTAIN SERVICE OR, AT THE VERY LEAST, STAY IN CONTACT WITH OUR CLIENTS.

With learning centres reopening and the possibility of returning to the office, the COFA developed a protocol for employees who would like to return to the office, even though it is not required at this time, as well as a policy with the objective of maintaining a safe working environment while the pandemic continues. Once the team was operational again and ready to work at its best despite current circumstances, I quickly redirected my attention to the COFA’s network. Since our role was essentially a suppor­ tive one, both the F@D Program Manager and I made a round of calls to the learning centres to see how things were going for them in the first few weeks of the pandemic. We also conducted a survey in April to look at how the centres were organizing and coping with the transition from classroom learning to distance learning, and we worked with our English-speaking counterparts to provide their LBS and COVID-19 surveys in French. On April 1, 2020, we held a second meeting with the Communauté de partage (Sharing Community). This new initiative, established in January 2020, aims to provide information, share best practices and explore the needs of our members three times a year. We increased the frequency of these meetings to twice a month to ensure adequate support for our members during the pandemic. These meetings were an opportunity for members to share their best practices and to be comforted by common experiences shared during these times of crisis. By holding these meetings, the COFA made sure to provide useful information for managing learning centres and their service delivery. The key words were and remain: “We don’t give up and we try by all means possible to maintain service or, at the very least, stay in contact with our clients.” In order to keep our members informed, we also added a section on our home page which includes information and

resources of all kinds pertaining to the pandemic. And, of course, we have shared by email all the resources and information sent to us about working during a pandemic. Overall, we have tried to support our members to the best of our ability, and we continue to do so. In fact, we are currently exami­ ning the usefulness and feasibility of offering some of our online services to our members, such as managing task milestones and diagnostic assessments. Our Communauté de partage meetings were suspended over the summer but resumed last August and will continue on a reduced basis. With its many upheavals, COVID-19 will have forced us to rethink our ways and adopt new practices. For the COFA, telework is likely to be a practice that will remain to some extent. Many of our administrative processes are now online and will remain so. For me, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of versatility, independence and solidarity in order to be agile and capable of reacting quickly and effectively to any change and, certainly, to a change as abrupt as the one brought on by COVID-19. Such solidarity and resilience are characteristics that I have seen many times in action within my team, within the COFA’s network and among our English-speaking counterparts with whom we work on a number of matters. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my team for their hard work and creativity in the search for solutions, and to acknowledge these same qualities displayed by members within our network who have not given up and who have shown exceptional solidarity and resilience in a time of crisis. 

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Adaptation

A RESILIENT NETWORK To highlight the strengths of the COFA’s network during COVID-19, we have gathered testimonials from some of the centres that have kindly agreed to share with us the challenges and successes they experienced and the lessons they learned during the pandemic. Here are the translated responses we collected during the interviews.

La Clef, Conseil scolaire catholique de district des Grandes Rivières (Timmins) — Natalie Poitras YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE Our biggest challenge during confinement was without a doubt communicating with our learners. Since COVID-19 further added to the stress and challenges that learners were already experiencing, many shut down. The contact was difficult because of both the stress and the lack of technology available to them. Communication somewhat improved, however, once we were able to provide them with tools.

YOUR BIGGEST SUCCESS Our greatest success has been establishing a partnership between officials from the Programme de formation à distance (F@D) and the maintenance staff at the Conseil scolaire catholique de district des Grandes Rivières (CSCDGR). Learners were able to follow computer training at their level, at a distance and with the support of educators from the Programme F@D. This has been very useful for them, as a large part of their work is now done electronically, whether for placing orders, requesting leave or sending emails, among other activities. These skills are also being transferred to their personal lives. Following their training, many of them said they would like to take further literacy and basic skills training through the program; others even expressed a desire to complete high school at La Clef.

IF YOU COULD DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY…

HOW DO YOU FORESEE RETURNING TO THE OFFICE?

It’s hard to answer this question because I think we responded very well to what we were presented with as a challenge. I think we did the best we could under the given circumstances.

Returning to the office will not be without its challenges, but with a safe and well-thought-out plan in place, lear­ ners will return to the stable, calm and familiar place they knew before the pandemic. Being part of a school board, our centre must follow the guidelines and plan esta­ blished by the board and the Ministry.

Adaptation

La Cité – Programme Formation de base de l’Ontario (Ottawa) — Amélie Gagnon YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE

YOUR BIGGEST SUCCESS

One of our biggest challenges, in terms of basic training services, is that all the material we used was in paper format. Of course, we did hold some basic learning acti­ vities through short online information sessions, but the majority of the activities were designed to be comple­ ted in person.

One of our biggest achievements has been our abi­ lity to bounce back quickly by using the e-Cité portal and uploading all the training modules online. We certainly didn’t have time to put everything on the portal at the beginning of the pandemic, when the college was closed for reorganization. Instead, this was done gradually, and even now, we are still putting new material online, such as learning activities, to enhance our students’ experience. The fact that we’ve esta­ blished procedures to complete all the work online so that our learners can continue their learning is a great success, in my opinion.

This meant that we had to adapt to the new realities of working entirely online. We put our modules online on the e-Cité portal, the college’s platform, so that all students enrolled in the Formation de base de l’Ontario (FBO) program could access them using their student number and password. And today, they can search and connect with their teachers using Teams, which is where all communications take place. Digital literacy has been another challenge to overcome. Although most learners had the tools to adapt to online training, they hadn’t necessarily had to use them as much before. So they had to learn how to use this new platform from a distance. What took the most time was that first step where we had to remotely explain how Teams works, in addition to the whole registration, identification and action plan process. So this is how the transition occurred. The speed at which we were able to adapt and help our students enrolled in the FBO program was, nevertheless, a huge success for us.

IF YOU COULD DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY… I don’t think there’s much I would do differently. We did, however, have to change technology along the way, jumping from one platform to another, which required students and staff to adjust quickly. Ideally, we would have started right away with the same licence, yet we were navigating into something new. We had to do research, validate the best tool, adapt to the college’s decisions too, as we fall under its authority, so this change in the platform meant that students had to adjust to something new twice rather than once.

Another achievement is holding our first revision camp in early July, where we welcomed 50 people in a first workshop via Teams. This is a camp to review the basics of preparing for post-secondary education and developing the essential skills needed to succeed in school. We organize several camps where different lessons and themes are covered, and each camp lasts three to four days. This went very well.

HOW DO YOU FORESEE RETURNING TO THE OFFICE? We definitely need to comply with the policies and recommendations of the Ministry and the college with respect to reopening our offices. However, I believe that blended learning will be an attractive option for many learners. Some students need that first face-toface contact to move forward, to get off to a better start. Others may not. They might already feel ready and be more independent when it comes to information technology. So I could say that it’s really on a case-by-case basis; we have to adapt to each learner’s reality. There is also the family dimension. If schools and daycares remain closed, it could be difficult for learners with children in their care to commute. The same goes for those who have young children at home. So we will have to adjust to this reality and keep in mind that many lear­ners will not necessarily be able to come to class. For this reason, I believe there will be more and more interest in blended learning.

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Adaptation

Le centre de formation ABC Communautaire de Welland (Welland) — Normand Savoie YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE

IF YOU COULD DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY…

Our biggest challenge has been to remain as efficient working from home as we were in the office. Since the beginning of the pandemic, all of our staff has been working almost exclusively from home. We can do almost everything we usually do in the office, but we realize that there is nothing better than meeting face to face. We’re used to seeing new people coming to the centre without an appointment, but that isn’t the case anymore. Also, not everyone is comfortable calling us or visiting our Facebook page to sign up for classes or to find out about our services. It’s been fine so far, but we won’t always be able to operate this way.

If this experience were to be repeated, we would make sure that all learners had the nece­ssary technology equipment on hand. Some of our learners were very dependent on us. For the weak readers, distance lear­ ning was more challenging. One of our educators went to bring them homework on their porch. We had no choice but to do so, and we would not change this method at all. But for individuals who didn’t have the necessary technology equipment, we could have sat down with them and educated them on the best practices for distance education.

YOUR BIGGEST SUCCESS At the beginning of the pandemic, some of our learners were unable to continue their classes because they did not have computers. We asked ourselves several questions: Do we buy them computers? Do we lend them some? In the end, we bought two computers, even before the Ministry had looked into the matter. We didn’t want their training to be interrupted for too long. We provided computers to two learners, without going into their homes, so that they could continue their work. It’s still going very well. We’re even thinking of lending a computer to a member of the board of directors who doesn’t have one. This would allow us to do our board meetings through Zoom during bad weather, for example. So far, we have bought two computers, but if the situ­ation continues, we might go out and buy more. We want as many people as possible to have access to training. So for us, this is our biggest success because we had never done this before. Since the beginning, we’ve been talking with staff from other centres and trying to see what good practices are being done elsewhere to implement them here. We are proud of this achievement.

HOW DO YOU FORESEE RETURNING TO THE OFFICE? We are thinking of returning to the office with a lot of apprehension because even if the lockdown is lifted, the virus remains present. As long as there is no vaccine, there is a risk. We’ve gathered a lot of information, both from the COFA and the local chamber of commerce, on how to reopen our offices, and we still don’t know exactly how we’re going to do it. I am taking advantage of the summer months to read all this documentation and meet with the staff and the board of directors. Together, we will decide on a plan of action. There is also concern about the number of people we will be able to accommodate at the centre. We may rotate the work days of our staff so that there is only one person on site each day. This way, the centre could be open five days a week. There is also the issue around sanitizing the premises. How often should sanitization be done? Once a day, several times a day? Are we going to do it? Are we going to impose the use of masks? These are several questions that remain unanswered for the moment. It’s too bad but our biggest concern right now is not the learners’ education, but rather the health and safety of our learners and staff. I should add that in September, to help us reach our objectives, we will draw on an idea from Renaud Saint-Cyr from Alpha-Toronto, to hold Zoom presentations with local agencies in order to promote our services. Moreover, services from the Programme F@D are even more important in a crisis such as this one. For us, this is what will help us survive.

Adaptation

Centre Moi j’apprends (Casselman, Clarence-Rockland, Cornwall, Hawkesbury, Ottawa) — Louise Lalonde YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE The expression “turning on a dime” sums up the challenge we’ve all had to overcome since March. Initially, our workshops had been put on hold for March break, but we realized early on that the break would be extended. Both our staff and learners had to change direction and their ways of working in a very short period of time.

YOUR BIGGEST SUCCESS We were halfway through the delivery of our Préparation au travail dans le domaine de l’hôtellerie (Workplace Readiness in the Hospitality Sector) program when the pandemic struck. Within a short period of time, we provided program parti­ cipants with access to computer equipment and our staff customized the material for online delivery. Despite a two-week delay, all participants successfully completed their classes. In addition, our staff acquired new skills that will serve them well in this new era. Staff members have played an important role in supporting our learners. By using different means of communication such as mailings, email exchanges, phone calls and meetings on different platforms such as Messenger, FaceTime, Skype and Zoom, among others, they were able to continue to provide training, support learners completing their Programme F@D courses, keep in touch with them and ensure that everyone had received and followed instructions from the health units and had access to the resources available to them. As such, staff members not only acted as educators but also provided community support. Many of our learners said that they appreciated this support.

IF YOU COULD DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY… If we’ve learned anything, it’s that we need to be more careful about regularly updating email, phone and mailing lists, as we had a hard time reaching some of our learners. Other than that, I think we handled the situation well.

HOW DO YOU FORESEE RETURNING TO THE OFFICE? Considering a return to the office is not easy, but we have already taken small steps in this regard. Like many organizations, we have: › developed procedures and protocols based on guidelines issued by health units and made the necessary purchases; › initiated steps to lease additional spaces, where possible; › revised our agreements to have better access to the Internet; and › initiated discussions with our staff to hear their suggestions for the reopening of our centres. Some of our learners have already come back into our offices. With this experience, we will be able to make the necessary adjustments to ensure the safest possible reopening in September.

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Adaptation

Centre de formation pour adultes de Greenstone (Geraldton) — France Martineau YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE Our biggest challenge was shifting from classroom-based learning to exclusively virtual learning, which was essential given the circumstances. This was not easy at the beginning because everything went very fast with the pandemic and we didn’t have time to prepare for it. However, we were able to meet this challenge by staying in constant contact with our learners and keeping them informed of ongoing programming, which allowed us to continue to deliver online classes. In fact, our learners were able to pursue their education through the Programme F@D while staying at home. During live classes, the centre’s educator attended as a guest and made sure to provide support to the learners and educator from the Programme F@D, as required.

YOUR BIGGEST SUCCESS

IF YOU COULD DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY…

During this period, our centre’s biggest success was being able to keep our learners. More than three quarters of them continued to pursue their learning remotely. We managed to keep contact with them by phone and by email. By remaining open remotely, we also managed to attract new learners!

We were caught off guard by the first wave, so the change was abrupt and we didn’t really have time to do everything right. What we could have done differently is to better equip our learners. If we had to do it all over again, we would have provided them with more tools so that they could continue their learning without experiencing any issues. Some learners were not able to pursue their learning because they did not have the appropriate hardware or Internet access at home. However, we still managed to keep three quarters of our learners active, and given the situation, we are very pleased with this.

HOW DO YOU FORESEE RETURNING TO THE OFFICE? Returning to the office will be done very gradually. We’ve already done a number of things to prepare for it, including designing signage for sanitary instructions and purchasing sanitizers and protective equipment, which will be avai­ lable at the centre when it reopens. We are remaining cautious, however, in the event a second wave occurs, as it is being predicted.

A Few Statistics

RELATED TO LBS AND COVID-19 The following statistics reflect the situation of members of the Coalition ontarienne de formation des adultes (COFA) at the start of the pandemic and are based on the answers of centre managers who responded (15 respondents out of 27) to the survey sent in April 2020.

WAYS OF SUPPORTING LEARNERS REMOTELY

73.3%

13.3%

26.7%

86.7%

100%

93.3%

13.3%

20%

Online meeting platforms (Zoom, Skype, Teams, FaceTime, etc.)

Google tools (Google Docs, Hangouts, Classroom, etc.)

Various online tools (websites, videos, etc.)

Documents & downloadable resources/tools sent electronically

Telephone, text message and email

Social networks

Remote learning platforms (Moodle, Programme F@D)

Others (documents sent by mail, workbooks)

HOW THE REGISTRATION AND DIAGNOSTIC-BASED ASSESSMENT PROCESSES ARE CARRIED OUT

BARRIERS TO DISTANCE EDUCATION FOR LEARNERS

30.43%

21.74%

Basic computer skills

Personal barriers (lack of time and motivation, difficult situations at home, desire for human contact rather than online contact, lack of immediate follow-up)

47.82%

Limited or nonexistent access to information technologies (Internet, computer equipment)

37.5%

Telephone

12.5%

Zoom

25%

Email

25%

In person using sanitary distancing measures

SOLUTIONS TO HELP REDUCE THOSE BARRIERS Encouragement/communication to fight back against lack of motivation and solitude

Purchase or loan of computer equipment

WAYS OF TRACKING LEARNER PROGRESS Lack of information about how to provide milestones Entry of learner progress Regular follow-ups

5.25% 10.5% 15.80%

General communication using various means (email, telephone, videoconferencing)

31.60%

Lessons/tasks/milestones done online or by telephone

36.85%

12.5% 20.83% Adapting to the learners’ schedules

4.16%

20.83%

Training on new technologies

20.83% 20.83%

Sending documents/lessons through the mail or directly to their door

Communication/training by telephone or email

In June, AlphaPlus distributed a survey to all cultural groups in Ontario’s Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) network in order to see how they were adapting their services. Of interest to Francophones is the fact that transitioning to online learning was easier than most networks because of their use of programs such as e-Channel and Programme F@D, which are well-established in their instructional practices. However, it is important to note that the data related to the Francophone network is not entirely representative, since it does not account for any members who did not answer the survey and those who answered the survey in English and whose answers were thus analyzed as being part of the Anglophone network. To consult the report: https://alphaplus.ca/download/shift-remote-delivery-report/

DISTANCE

Education Tools COVID-19 quickly changed how we do things by forcing us to deliver services entirely at a distance. So many aspects need to be considered to properly implement this new way of functioning: from creating a website and sharing documents to holding videoconferences, etc. In a nutshell, a whole new world is opening up to us, and it’s normal to be uncertain where to start! The following is an overview of some platforms and tools that can help you make the most of this situation and ensure that you are successful in delivering your services online. To learn more about these tools and many more, please refer to the presentation “Outils d’aide à l’enseignement à distance” (available in French), given by Guylaine Vinet from AlphaPlus, at the Communauté de partage (Sharing Community) meeting held in May 2020 by the Coalition ontarienne de formation des adultes (COFA). The presentation can be found under the “RESSOURCES COVID-19” section on the COFA’s website at www.coalition.ca.

GOOGLE The following tools can be accessed using any personal Google account (Gmail), which is free, unless otherwise specified.

Google Drive This tool makes it possible to easily share content with learners, who can collaborate directly in one document (Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides and Google Forms). By making the documents you share public, you can easily send them to an entire group of learners, and then all can follow and collaborate in one single document.

Google Meet This tool makes it possible to hold a videoconference from a computer or mobile device. You can even schedule a videoconference in Google Calendar by creating an event and inviting participants.

Google Classroom This tool allows you to create courses, give assignments, hold discussions, share resources, exchange documents, track work, and even add other educators to a class. It also incorporates Google Docs and Google Drive.

Google Sites * Requires a G Suite account (fees applicable) This is a website creation tool that does not require learners to create an account, and allows for images, spreadsheets, forms, presentations, YouTube videos and other types of videos and documents to be uploaded.

Adaptation

WEEBLY & WIX These are two free website creation platforms offering interesting layout possibilities as well as various features, such as adding images, contact forms, files and YouTube videos. Although the platforms are similar, they have a few differences, Weebly being a little easier to use but having less customization possibilities than Wix.

MICROSOFT The following tools are included with any Office 365 licence, which is subject to a fee, unless otherwise specified.

Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint These tools enable storage and sharing of content on the Microsoft cloud. With SharePoint, everyone in your organization can collaborate directly in the same document (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote). By making the documents you share public, you can easily send them to people outside your organization, who can work collaboratively in one single document.

CANVAS This is an interesting learning platform that includes the follo­ wing features: assignments, discu­ ssions, quizzes, storage options, notifications by email or SMS, and also includes a free version for educators. A more comprehensive version also exists but is quite expensive.

Microsoft Teams This is a collaborative platform that makes it easy to share files, send instant messages and hold videoconferences. Participants do not need to be part of your organization to join a videoconference or have access to discussions and files; they can be invited to attend, providing they have a personal or professional email account (Gmail, Outlook, etc.).

Microsoft Teams – Education Microsoft Teams is part of the Office 365 suite but in order to access educational features (create classes, add students, hold forums, access chat and video calls, and give assignments), you must have a Microsoft Education account.

Microsoft PowerPoint This tool is useful for creating presentations and sharing them with others. You could even convert your presentation to a video and record a slideshow with narration.

REFERENCE : VINET, Guylaine. “Outils d’aide à l’enseignement à distance” (available in French). [AlphaPlus Presentation]. Available online at https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1N-ln8nJ-j8tohXMMUN1qG_BqUGtajxuX-bWhax1jeXs/ edit#slide=id.g3c7601b41c_0_0 (Consulted on June 1, 2020). This presentation was given at a Communauté de partage meeting held in May 2020 by the COFA.

ZOOM With Zoom, you can hold video­ conferences, perform screen sharing, and conduct surveys. It has everything you need to enable you to give an online course or meet with your learners.

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Adaptation

FACEBOOK:

A POWERFUL PROMOTIONAL TOOL By Peggy Morin

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O n t a r i o C e r t i f i e d Te a c h e r , C e r t i f i e d Tr a n s l a t o r ,

Coordinator, Centre d’éducation des adultes One thing that we’ve learned from the pandemic is that we need to be able to adapt quickly to change. Now more than ever, we must promote our services to keep our learners, partners, communities and future clients well informed. But how can we do this in times of crisis such as these?

your centre on Facebook. Below are some of our tips for using Facebook as a marketing tool.

BE VISIBLE WITH VIDEOS

Prior to the pandemic, our team at the New Liskeard’s Centre d’éducation des adultes mainly distributed posters in schools, communicated messages in church bulletins, sent out targeted email messages and used several other strategies at no cost to promote our services. In this new reality, the uncertainty associated with COVID-19 encouraged us to further explore online networks, a challenge that our team was able to meet from the very beginning of the pandemic. As such, we want to share with you our best practices to help you promote your services in this new era. Needless to say, there are many resources, social networks and tools that you can use to promote your centre. The key is to leverage the resources that are available to you and to use them well, without having to spend an enormous amount of time doing so. You should also consider using more than one tool to reach as many people as possible. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Tik Tok are among the most popular networks nowadays. Given that the team at the Centre d’éducation des adultes chose to use Facebook as a distribution and marketing platform long before the pandemic, we will look at it in greater detail in this article. Facebook has become an essential platform for literacy and basic skills centres. This free social networking website is easy to navigate, and according to Google’s most recent statistics, it has 1.79 billion active users worldwide every day. But are you familiar with Facebook’s marketing tools? To gain access to Facebook’s advanced features, you must have a business page. This important step is completed when you choose a page category at the beginning of the process for creating a Facebook page. Once this step is completed, you can explore the many features that will help you promote

With just a few clicks, you can now convert a slideshow of photos into a video. Here’s how: 1. Click Post. 2. Select Photo/Video. 3. Click Create Slideshow. 4. Upload images. 5. Edit settings to choose how long you’d like to show each image in the slideshow. 6. Add music to your video. 7. Click on Create Slideshow. Bravo! You just created a video on Facebook! Tips: Choose about six images based on the purpose of your post, and add text or a few words to your images. This will help capture and keep the attention of your audience.

Adaptation

GET APPOINTMENT BOOKINGS You can let clients book a registration or information session through Facebook. This feature allows you to describe your services and facilitates online referrals and communication. Here’s how to set up appointment bookings on Facebook:

Tip: Browse Facebook statistics to learn more about your page’s subscribers, actions, “Like” mentions, the scope of your publications, and more. Facebook is a powerful and ever-evolving promotional tool. Advanced features such as the ones presented in this article could be part of your marketing strategies. Be curious and explore more of Facebook’s features. You never know. They may just be what you need, particularly in such uncertain times. It goes without saying that our workplaces and learning centres have been transformed due to the pandemic and that we need to assess our practices, behaviours, work habits and marketing strategies. This transformation will not be short-lived but will become part of our daily lives for many years to come. No one has found one single solution that can be implemented in all of our workplaces. This is why we are looking for versatility. Let’s not forget that many of our clients do not use technology, or use it very little. Let’s remember this, and why having a set of promotional tools at our disposal is paramount.

1. Click on the blue tab Send a Message and change to Book Now. 2. Below the Appointments on Facebook tab, create time slots for appointments by clicking on Appointment Settings. 3. Add services. Don’t forget to include an image or descriptive photo for each service. 4. Manage appointment requests by clicking Requests. Tip: Promote your Book Now tab. If you have a Google Calendar, you can synchronize appointments made on your Facebook Page with your Google Calendar.

BE ACCESSIBLE AND PROFESSIONAL

If you want to maintain an online presence on Facebook, it is important to connect with clients and learners. Respond to messages in a professional and timely manner. Facebook keeps track of response rates and response times. This feature can help you know your response patterns. Remember that Facebook users like to hear from you, but not too often, either! Tip: Be respectful, professional and pragmatic when respon­ ding to Facebook messages or comments. If someone inquires about one of your programs, send them a message with additional information, a PDF poster, etc., so that they can “take action” and sign up at your centre.

ENGAGE FUTURE CLIENTS AND LEARNERS Engage users on your Facebook page. Organize contests and events, publish engaging content, invite users to like your page, encourage sharing and maximize your online visibility.

Moreover, we know that one-way training will no longer be rele­vant. Learners will have a greater need for computer skills, not only to know how to use technology but also to know how to survive in a pandemic world. Nevertheless, current circumstances have shown us that several communication tools already exist, such as Zoom, Teams, GoToMeeting, FaceTime, Messenger Groups, etc. But which tool should we adopt? The answer is all the tools possible according to our budgets. If we want to survive and reach our objectives, we will have to offer “multi-competencies” training opportunities that cover more than one essential and transversal skill and that are focused on current technologies, with online and in-person services, to reach all our learners. Simply put, we must adapt and embrace new technologies. 

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ADULT COMPETENCIES

at the Core of a Resilient Society By Louise Brossard // Researcher in Adult Education and Hervé Dignard // Research and Development Officer, Institut de coopération pour l’éducation des adultes It is with the approval of the authors concerned that we have translated this article originally published on the website of the Institut de coopération pour l’éducation des adultes (ICÉA). Although findings in this article apply more specifically to the province of Quebec, they are still relevant to the LBS community in Ontario. The full article is available in French at the following address: https://icea.qc.ca/fr/actualites/enjeux-et-constats-en-lien-avec-la-crise-de-la-covid19.

In light of the health crisis and lockdown, the Institut de coopération pour l’éducation des adultes (ICÉA) has made solid observations and is attempting, today, to draw lessons based on this experience.

requirements recommended in the directives issued by public health authorities, it was necessary to close learning centres and to find—urgently—alternative solutions to ensure the continuity of learning programs.

This exceptional situation prompted us to highlight the strengths we could count on and to identify the gaps that hindered our efforts. As a result, the ICÉA published a number of analyses on the status of adult education in Quebec between March 15 and June 3, 2020. These analyses helped us identify the impacts of the health crisis and better understand their effects on educational services that are normally provided to adults in Quebec.

Today, upon completion of this unprecedented literature review and on the basis of the analyses published in recent weeks, the ICÉA is presenting six observations related to the major chan­ ges that have occurred in adult education in Quebec.

It quickly became apparent that this crisis would disrupt the established order of things. To meet the physical distancing

These observations are indicative of the issues that will mark future developments in adult education not only in Quebec but also in other parts of the world, particularly when educational activities resume in the fall of 2020.

Adaptation

OBSERVATION 1: THERE IS A LACK OF INTEREST IN ADULT EDUCATION The health crisis has served as a reminder of how little attention is given to adult education in our society. Public adult educational services were not addressed in the first wave of decisions taken by the government. Moreover, certain conditions promoting continuing learning for children and youth were not provided for adults. For example, the loan for the acquisition of digital equipment for individuals pursuing general adult education opportunities was made available only to elementary and secondary school students. Furthermore, support for adult learning outside the formal sector (community, popular and other sectors) is insufficient and sometimes non-existent. Adults who are pursuing learning opportunities often appear to be left to themselves, as the logic of self-training prevails in suggested learning approaches. Among the profiles of adults who have been pursuing learning opportunities since the beginning of the pandemic are pa­rents who are now tutors, people seeking health education, as well as individuals engaged in online self-study, in a peer lear­ning situation, in a family environment or in an intergene­rational se­tting, and workers in training or reassigned to new job functions. Note for Ontario: It is true that in general, across Canada, the area of Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) is the “poor relation” of the education system. Ontario is no exception to this reality, as it is reflected in the program evaluation report developed in 20161 by the former Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development. According to this report, Ontario’s LBS program is the least expensive and the most cost-effective in terms of return on investment. Yet, during the pandemic, Ontario stood out from its provincial counterpart by maintaining core funding for its LBS support agencies and service providers. The Ministry has also shown flexibility and continues to do so by easing some provisions in the support budget for learners, allowing service providers to purchase computers to lend or donate to learners.

OBSERVATION 2: DISTANCE TRAINING WAS SET UP IN A HURRY ON UNEVEN BASES The closure of educational institutions as a result of the health crisis forced decision makers to find solutions to ensure the

continuity of distance learning programs. Educators, teachers and lecturers have consequently used their knowledge, skills and resources to convert, in a hurry, their teaching methods to distance learning strategies. These individuals acted to the best of their knowledge and, even though they had access to techno-pedagogical support and training, they lacked appropriate resources to develop genuine distance training. As noted by the Syndicat des chargées et des chargés de cours de l’Université du Québec en Outaouais (SCCC-UQO), during the health crisis, the amount of time that was spent on transforming teaching methods into distance training does not reflect in any way the time that is required to develop genuine distance trai­ning. Outcomes were craftier and less sophisticated than if they had been designed in a distance training context. 2 Under such circumstances, educational strategies were developed in a rush and should not be considered as genuine distance training. Moreover, the fundamentals for offering educational services remotely showed inconsistencies.

OBSERVATION 3: THE LIMITATIONS OF DISTANCE TRAINING AND THE IMPORTANCE OF CLASSROOM-BASED LEARNING Distance training and classroom-based learning offer common opportunities but also opportunities that the other does not offer independently. As such, we consider that one cannot replace the other, but rather that we must take advantage of the benefits of combining both approaches. Hence, distance training is very well suited to contexts where classroom-based learning is not feasible. As noted by the Consortium d’animation sur la persévérance et la réussite en enseignement supérieur (CAPRES), distance learning allows individuals to overcome barriers of access to or distance from places of learning, as well as time constraints, the pace of learning or the balance between studies and personal, familial and professional responsibilities.3 That said, distance training requires mastering and develo­ ping certain digital literacy skills and competencies among students, although not all of them are at the same level. Recent research conducted by Vincent and al. (2019) showed that students have diverse digital literacy skills, meaning that such skills are not equal or equivalent.4 As explained by Marcelle Parr in a guide written for the Réseau d’enseignement francophone à distance (REFAD), the skills acquired through using digital tools on a daily basis are no guarantee of performance in a learning situation: the way information is processed in a private setting differs from how it is processed in a learning environment, which means

Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development, Evaluation of the Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) Program – Final Report, November, 2016, http://www.tcu.gov.on.ca/eng/eopg/publications/lbs-eval-report-2016-en.pdf. 2 Syndicat des chargées et des chargés de cours de l’Université du Québec en Outaouais (SCCC-UQO), “L’enseignement en mode non présentiel n’est pas de la FAD” [available in French], SCCCUQO, published May 3, 2020, accessed June 15, 2020, https://www.sccc-uqo.ca/2020/05/03/lenseignement-en-mode-non-presentiel-nest-pas-de-la-fad/. 3 CAPRES, “Mythes de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage à distance | Enjeu” [available in French], Formation à distance en enseignement supérieur, 2019, accessed June 15, 2020, https://www. capres.ca/dossiers/fad/mythes-de-lenseignement-et-de-lapprentissage-a-distance/. 4 Ibid. 1

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Adaptation both learners and teachers struggle to transfer these basic technological skills in an educational context.5 Distance learning also requires mastering specific skills related to the ability to learn at a distance. Studying at a distance requires intellectual independence and acquired methodological skills. Otherwise, people need time to “empower themselves” and to acquire these methodological skills, some of which are discipline-specific, while others are more “transversal.”6 Given clarifications provided in this article, it can be argued that distance training is not suitable for all learners, particularly those with low levels of literacy skills, learning disabilities, or who have dropped out of school in the past;7 this is the case for many people who pursue general adult education opportunities, or who attend literacy and popular education institutions, or alternative learning settings. For these individuals, distance training using digital tools may be a reminder of a lack of skills that are essential to their lear­ ning success; this reminder may be a reason for dropping out. Trends observed in May in regard to remote participation of students enrolled in general adult education courses support this thesis. In fact, the Journal de Québec reported on May 29 that a high proportion of students enrolled in general adult edu­cation courses did not participate in distance training.8

OBSERVATION 4: TRANSFORMING SOCIAL ROLES AND LINKING VARIOUS SPHERES OF LIFE IN THE SAME PLACE AND AT THE SAME TIME The health crisis has transformed social roles that are traditio­ nally performed by adults. In addition to having to learn how to learn at a distance, adults have had to do a lot of accelerated learning, often on their own. Moreover, for many, this transformation of social roles was accompanied by the obligation to carry out, in the same place and at the same time, responsibi­ lities related to different spheres of their lives.

Transforming Social Roles A large number of workers had to learn new tasks or work practices quickly. This is especially the case for workers in the health and social services sector. Those responsible for youth and adult education needed to transform their teaching practices into distance training strategies. Educators at the post-secondary level had to learn how to teach remotely in record time, often with limited resources and expertise. This transformation of social roles resulted in the need to acquire new knowledge and skills. This requirement was felt in

many spheres of our life, including health and sanitary standards, digital skills, personal finances, parenthood, learning, etc. Unfortunately, this requirement was not supported by the implemen­tation of educational support and accompaniment measures.

Linking Various Spheres of Life in the Same Place and at the Same Time Along with this requirement, lockdown has led to a multiplication of roles that a person could previously assume in different places and at different times. Lockdown meant that a person had to play multiple roles in one place and at once: they could be a parent, a school aide for their children, a person learning how to work remotely, a student, or perhaps a caregiver, all at once. Linking responsibilities associated with each of these roles required flexibility and support, particularly with respect to the requirements of working from home or learning at a distance. Not everyone could take advantage of the benefits from such measures.

OBSERVATION 5: INCREASED SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITIES AND INVISIBLE SOCIAL GROUPS The health crisis has exposed and accentuated the many socio­economic inequalities already present within the Quebec society. One of the consequences of social inequalities is the invisibility of the populations concerned. Thus, Aboriginals, people with disabilities, people belonging to a sexual or gender mino­ rity (LGBTQ2+), immigrants or racialized groups have had little or no media attention during the pandemic. And yet, the consequences of COVID-19 are often multiplied for these people. Even within adult education organizations, the realities for these people are little or not known. In order to address this lack of knowledge, a number of issues for each of these social groups were raised in several articles. One example is the increasing inequality of access to education for both adults and youth. In this regard, we noted that: › Distance learning is sometimes limited by the lack or insufficiency of computer equipment or Internet connection. For example, in Canada, households with lower incomes are more likely to have less than one Internet-enabled device for the entire household compared to households with higher incomes.9 › People with low literacy skills may have difficulty learning at a distance. According to practitioners in the community, individuals enrolled in general adult education courses

Marcelle Parr, “Pour apprivoiser la distance. Guide de formation et de soutien aux acteurs de la formation à distance” [available in French], Réseau d’enseignement francophone à distance du Canada (REFAD), March 2019, 46, http://www.refad.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Pour_apprivoiser_la_distance__-_Guide_de_formation_et_de_soutien_aux_acteurs_de_la_FAD.pdf. 6 Béatrice Pudelko, “Étudier et enseigner à distance : trois leçons apprises utiles au temps de la crise” [available in French], Syndicat des professeures et professeurs de la Télé-université (SPPTU), published April 7, 2020, accessed June 15, 2020, https://spptu.teluq.ca/etudier-enseigner-a-distance-trois-lecons-apprises-utiles-temps-de-crise/. 7 Philippe Meirieu, “Arrêtons de totémiser le numérique!” [available in French], Education and Educational Sciences Professor at the Université de Lyon-II, https://www.politis.fr/articles/2020/04/philippe-meirieu-arretons-de-totemiser-le-numerique-41796/?fbclid=IwAR35F4poFF8p9Iwl96Ox-OVdey_eY-nnjHw5lKzMZOfyXPhddBgK1DRy-Qc. 8 Daphnée Dion-Viens, “Jusqu’à 70 % des élèves ont déserté les cours à l’éducation aux adultes” [available in French], “Actualité éducation,” Journal de Québec, May 29, 2020 [Online]. 9 Marc Frenette, Kristyn Frank, and Zechuan Deng, “School Closures and the Online Preparedness of Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Statistics Canada, Economic Insights, catalogue no. 11-626-X, issue 2020001 no 103, April 15, 2020, ISSN 1927-503X, ISBN 978-0-660-34483-6. 5

Adaptation with less than a second year of high school, people with learning or mental health issues are more likely to find it difficult to continue their training remotely. Although they are generally able to use a cell phone, or platforms such as Facebook, Messenger or Skype, operations like downloading documents, installing software or using a Word or Excel document are often too complex for them. › Not all digital platforms in post-secondary education are universally accessible to people with disabilities. The “Open School” platform was not accessible to parents with disabilities (not compatible with text-to-speech software). › Difficulty understanding all instructions and information for newly arrived immigrants or those who do not have a good knowledge of English or French. Mastering the common language is an impediment to distance learning. The impacts of this impediment are also multiplied in families where parents and children pursue training in French. Often, the number of computers is not sufficient to meet everyone’s needs. Furthermore, immigrants awaiting their application status have definitely been highly overlooked during the pandemic. This group consists of people who are often better educated than people born in Quebec but who are proportionally less likely to be employed and more likely to be unemployed or inactive than those born in Quebec.10 Many of these individuals are currently working on the front lines in hospitals, nursing homes and other personal care facilities. They are often overqualified for these positions. Under normal circumstances, these individuals are already facing the difficulty of having their credentials and skills recognized; the closure of training and prior learning recognition facilities during the crisis has not helped improve their situation. Nonetheless, there are many mechanisms already in place that would make it possible to quickly recognize these individuals’ professional experience and knowledge of competencies used in the workplace.

OBSERVATION 6: PARTIAL RECOGNITION OF THE COMMUNITY SECTOR’S MAJOR ROLE The government has recognized the essential value of many services provided by community sector organizations to populations living under difficult socioeconomic conditions. However, this recognition remains limited to specific sectors, such as voluntary work, food aid, homelessness, domestic and child abuse, and mental health. The entire community sector has provided unprecedented support during this health crisis, whether for public education, advocacy, or maintaining social connections that promote better mental and physical health. The community sector played a major role in ensuring the health and safety of populations living in precarious situations. Not everyone was on an equal footing when the pandemic 10

DISTANCE TRAINING AND CLASSROOM-BASED LEARNING OFFER COMMON OPPORTUNITIES BUT ALSO OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE OTHER DOES NOT OFFER INDEPENDENTLY. struck. Many people were living in difficult socioeconomic conditions. Others had less access to information. Finally, some did not have all the tools to understand information and instructions that were given to them. The community sector thus contributed to raising the level of knowledge of these individuals, in particular through health edu­ cation and maintenance of educational and support activities, such as French-language education. Some organizations have even delivered services that were not usually part of their mandate. For example, literacy groups distributed grocery baskets.

Maintaining Social Connections and Good Physical and Mental Health The community sector also demonstrated flexibility and creativity during the health crisis in order to counter social isolation resulting from the lockdown. Maintaining the social fabric and creating opportunities for sharing among individuals were criti­cal—all of which prevent psychological distress and promote better mental and physical health.

Defending Rights This crisis is a reminder that it is easier to disregard the rights of people living in difficult conditions. A tenant advocacy organization lamented the fact that some landlords are taking advantage of the reduction in the activities of the Régie du logement to carry out illegal evictions. Given the large number of job losses, organizations defending the rights of unemployed people were of great assistance. Non-union advocacy organizations continued to provide information and education on minimum labour standards, and home economics organizations are helping to reduce increa­ sing household debt. There are also organizations for immigrants who continue to guide people in the immigration process and who do not speak English or French. As for people with disabilities, organizations make sure to disseminate information that is not accessible and re-explain certain concepts. They also advocate for their rights.

“Indicateur de l’ICÉA,” “Emploi et chômage chez les personnes immigrantes” [available in French], Reference Year: 2016, https://apprendre-agir.icea.qc.ca/index.php/INDICATEUR_29c.

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Adaptation

CONCLUSION Our activities are slowly returning to normal following this period of lockdown. However, the health crisis continues, and its impacts are still being felt. As such, physical distancing, hand sanitizing, the use of masks in public areas, restrictions on gatherings and certain types of travel, telework, and remote learning appear to be guidelines that will continue in the months to come. The increased demand for knowledge and skills highlighted by our findings will continue, thereby creating new educa­ tional and social inequalities within certain adult groups. Among those who will experience these inequalities are adults with the least education, those with little or no written skills, those who do not speak French, those who do not have the digital tools for distance learning, those with learning disabilities, and all those who experience socioeconomic, political and cultural disadvantages. Some of these inequalities have already been identified. Statistics Canada, for example, has produced analyses that highlight the fact that people with a higher level of education are more likely to be able to work from home.11 In addition, many educational institutions are finding that not many adults are participating in the distance education offered through general adult education.12 Many other educational and social inequalities will emerge in the coming months and will have to be addressed. In this respect, adult education appears to be a highly effective lever. Under current circumstances, the role of adult education is all the more strategic given that our ability to mitigate the consequences of this pandemic and to reach an acceptable solution to the crisis depends, among other things, on the knowledge and skills acquired and being acquired by adults.13 

Derek Messacar, René Morissette and Zechuan Deng, “Inequality in the feasibility of working from home during and after COVID-19,” STATCAN COVID-19: Data to Insights for a Better Canada, no. 00026, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 45280001. Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2020, https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2020001/article/00029-eng.htm. 12 Daphnée Dion-Viens, op. cit. 13 Daniel Baril, “L’essentiel et le stratégique : la reconnaissance incertaine de l’éducation des adultes dans les politiques publiques” [available in French], ICÉA, published March 28, 2020, accessed June 15, 2020, https://icea.qc.ca/fr/actualites/lessentiel-et-le-strat%C3%A9gique-la-reconnaissance-incertaine-de-l%C3%A9ducation-des-adultes-dans. 11

Adaptation

“ADULT LEARNING AND EDUCATION AS A TOOL TO CONTAIN PANDEMICS: THE COVID-19 EXPERIENCE”: AN ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF LBS By Pascale Lacelle // Freelance Writer-Editor

The current battle against COVID-19 cannot be won alone. Everyone—communities and all of society—have a role to play.

The relationship between an individual and a group has been emphasized since the beginning of the pandemic, with the actions of one having a direct impact on the lives of all. To reduce the number of new infections, citizens need to take responsibility, but first they need to know how to avoid the snowball effect that each of their actions can have on the people around them. This is why having access to information is crucial in such uncertain times, and understanding such information all the more so. But what happens if a person doesn’t have the basic literacy and numeracy skills needed to understand this information? This is the topic that is discussed in the article “Adult learning and education as a tool to contain pandemics: The COVID-19 experience,”1 in which authors argue that so-called illiterate or lowliterate adults may be less receptive to education on health issues. This is why adult learning and education (ALE), “especially the promotion of health literacy as part of ALE (which is itself part of lifelong learning), is necessary to enable individuals to make informed health-related decisions.” This article, which appears in the International Review of Education, stresses the importance of understanding ALE “as an inherent element of every national emergency strategy” such as the one we are experiencing today.

To have a society that is prepared to respond quickly and fully to a pandemic such as COVID-19, it is essential for its citizens to be properly equipped and well informed. This means having the basic literacy skills—reading, writing, numeracy and computer skills—that will enable them to make informed decisions in such situations. It goes without saying that the work performed within the Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) network is important at all times, helping Ontarians find jobs, use online communication tools and get involved with confidence in their communities. However, what is being recognized now is that, in the context of the pandemic, LBS services are becoming essential services. 

Henrique Lopes and Veronica McKay, “Adult Learning and education as a tool to contain pandemics: The COVID-19 experience,” International Review of Education 66 (2020): 575-602, https:// doi.org/10.1007/s11159-020-09843-0. 1

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LBS: THE KEY TO

ECONOMIC RECOVERY By Paul Decius // Educator, Centre Moi j’apprends

The impact of COVID-19 on global economies is severe, unprecedented and unparalleled. Industrialized countries, such as the United States of America, Canada and France, among others, are no exception to this shock and, in fact, are the most impacted by this pandemic. These countries, incidentally, are experiencing very high unemployment rates as a result of mass business closures and lockdown measures that have forced people to stay home. In response to these chaotic circumstances, decision‑makers around the world who have already learned some lessons from this crisis will be working to get their countries’ economies back on track. It is therefore obvious that the business sector would be an appropriate one to consider in boosting the economic recovery. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how the field of Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) might be a source of supply for organizations, on the one hand, and contribute to stimulating the economy through the continuing education of employees, on the other hand.

Recovery

LBS: A SOURCE OF SUPPLY FOR ORGANIZATIONS With everyone’s attention and efforts to be focused on economic recovery, socio‑economic stakeholders will need to remain committed to assigning organizations a key role in getting the economy back up again. It is imperative that this strategy, which will help regain momentum, be implemen­ ted. Otherwise, we risk falling inexorably into oblivion. When making key decisions, executives will look for actions that will help their organizations bounce back as quickly as possible. In an effort to overcome challenges resulting from this crisis, organizations will also need to better manage their people. According to Zula and Chermack, human capital management involves the recruitment, selection, allocation and retention of human talent, which are linked to critical strategic objectives, in order to gain a competitive advantage and earn an above‑average return on investment.1 Moreover, according to Carmeli and Schaubroeck, in order to develop the efficiency of human resources, executives usually focus their recruitment and selection efforts by employing new forces with a high degree of knowledge, skills and abilities. 2 Consequently, exe­ cutives will definitely be looking for a skilled workforce in these times of global economic crisis.

and efficiency. In other words, having a good basic education is a major element for better productivity and for ensuring the economic competitiveness of organizations. Since education in general and basic training in particular are undoubtedly at the root of any skilled workforce, it is clear that basic skills training among adults is crucial to economic recovery. In short, we no longer need to demonstrate how basic skills training among adults promotes the economic, social and cultural development of a country, because by improving a nation’s human capital, basic skills learning centres can help stimulate organizations. From a socio-economic point of view, LBS training not only helps employees to maintain their employability but also enables organizations to increase their performance. This is why LBS training is and will continue to be an essential tool that will help meet current and future challenges facing the economy. 

Nowadays, a skilled workforce must absolutely be comprised of individuals who have a good understanding of information and communication technologies (ICT). In this context, literacy centres, which for more than a decade have been offering their clients good training in ICT, are among the institutions that are ready to provide executives with a qualified workforce. For this reason, LBS will undoubtedly be a source of supply for organizations and will certainly be instrumental for the economic recovery.

LBS: AN UNDENIABLE ASSET FOR THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY It is obvious that this health crisis will lead us towards a society and economy that are strongly built on competitiveness and technological advances. In this socio-economic context, employees find themselves compelled to pursue lifelong learning to ensure that their skills are regularly refreshed. Many adults who have not had the chance to graduate from university or college, or whose educational path has been abruptly interrupted due to the pandemic, or who lack the skills to engage in e-learning, will turn to an adult learning centre to upgrade their skills. In addition, adults who have lost their jobs in sectors where the workforce often might not be as educated, such as customer service, and where job losses have been significant, may seek retraining opportunities for employment in another sector. As such, adults become more skilled as they receive training, and organizations that hire them improve their competitiveness Nathalie Balthazar, Geneviève Nolin and Christyne Turcot, “La gestion du capital humain : un avantage compétitif durable” (available in French), University of Sherbrooke, Canada (September 2009): 5. https://www.usherbrooke.ca/gef/fileadmin/sites/gef/documents/synthese_projets_recherche/2009_Gestion_du_capital_humain_-_rapport.pdf. 2 Ibid, 8. 1

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Recovery

FROM CLASSROOM EDUCATION TO REMOTE LEARNING:

The Future after COVID-19 By Chantal Hudon // Executive Director, La Route du Savoir The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption in the field of Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS), but has given us the opportunity to be resilient and creative. This crisis has shown us that LBS is essential to the learning journey of a person seeking adequate living conditions and opportunities for development within their community. To respond to the pandemic, innovative and effective teaching methods in LBS programs have been developed. Through virtual education, La Route du Savoir has been able to continue its operations without interruption since the beginning of the pandemic.

ensured that the learners’ socio-cultural life was maintained. All groups have continued to meet. We even managed to register new learners, and two of our clients found jobs.

Aside from events, it was essential for us to preserve the inte­ rest of learners in their education. Our organization is not simply a means of acquiring knowledge. For our learners, it is also a space for social relations and peer interaction. This is why we needed to encourage our learners to stay motivated and continue the workshops they were enrolled in. This essential connection with La Route du Savoir is also an opportunity for learners to develop new skills, including soft skills.

This approach should continue for some time to come, since many of our clients are worried about the future and have demonstrated that they are capable of engaging in online learning. In order to keep our focus on quality education, we need to consider teaching methods in a post-COVID-19 era. This is why Julie Brisson has designed a brand new workshop entitled Adieu au stress, à l’angoisse et à l’anxiété [Goodbye Stress, Worry and Anxiety] (available in French), which can be taught both virtually and in class. This workshop is inspired by her interactions with learners during the pandemic. It was created solely to help people who suffer from these difficult circumstances as well as those who have suffered the consequences of isolation. We strongly recommend it while the lockdown is being lifted and also for anyone who is struggling with anxiety and distress in their daily life.

Like many other learning centres in Ontario, we took the nece­ ssary steps to overcome the crisis we were all facing. From the very beginning, interventions with learners played a key role in the continuity of our service delivery. During this period when we had to maintain a social and physical distance from one another, our ways of doing things and our interpersonal relationships were greatly disrupted. Some older or less educated learners felt helpless when confronted with these new standards. Others found it difficult to cope with the pandemic, which not only caused worry but more importantly anxiety and distress. The educator at La Route du Savoir, Julie Brisson, needed to do her best to reassure them that their fears were normal and that everyone had to deal with the changes and guidelines, and to show resilience.

This new workshop and teaching method allow a greater number of learners to register for quality education offered at La Route du Savoir. Ms. Brisson is the recipient of the Prix d’andragogue émérite 2019 (2019 Distinguished Adult Educator Award) from the Coalition ontarienne de formation des adultes, and has also received positive feedback from clients and health professionals about the quality of her workshop Affrontez vos émotions [Facing Your Emotions] (available in French), which she created last year. In order to meet our clients’ expectations in terms of education, we are conti­nuing to increase and diversify our remote learning programs. We will, however, continue to explore the possibility of adding classroom courses during the year, if circumstances allow us to do so safely.

It took us two weeks to develop a game plan to move entirely to virtual learning and to convince our learners that they could do it. The educator spent time explaining and demonstrating how learners would continue their education remotely. We were able to use online tools to make a number of our services available to our clients and to ensure that all our learners felt comfortable taking part in this initiative. On a weekly basis and in a virtual setting, we provided group training, individual follow-ups and

The challenge today is to minimize the impact of the pandemic on learning and to build on this experience as we move forward. The objective is twofold: to continue to manage the current crisis and to reflect on ways to develop robust and effective educational systems to ensure that each learner receives a quality education. 

MOVING BEYOND BASIC LEARNING By Julie Brisson // Educator, La Route du Savoir

How can we better meet the true needs of learners? For years now, I have regularly asked myself this question. Yes, French, math, computing and other subjects are important, but the needs of learners in the Kingston area are often quite different from those of learners elsewhere. Since we are predominantly dealing with level 3 learners, I saw the need to adjust our programs a bit and use my creativity to make people want to enroll in the other courses offered at our centre. But how did I do this? The reality for adults moving towards literacy and basic skills education is very different from that of primary and secondary school students. Beyond the need for training or skills upgra­ ding, we often notice a deeper malaise among these adults than what seems to be apparent: lack of self-esteem, worry, stress,

anxiety, difficulty asserting themselves and expressing their emotions, and so on. How can we really learn when we are lacking soft skills? These skills are sometimes undervalued, yet they are essential for coping with everyday life. This is why I have begun to develop a series of workshops aimed at better equipping learners to become the best version of themselves. Why am I telling you all this, you may ask? Well, because it turns out that over the past few months, faced with the magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic, our centres have had to rethink their teaching activities and explore new avenues in terms of educational support for learners. Many challenges had to be met and many positives came out of all this madness. The free webinars, online training and the Communauté de partage meetings organized by the Coalition ontarienne de formation des adultes have provided great learning opportunities for

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Recovery literacy and basic skills educators, and many have learned about new technologies. Through the crisis, we have seized opportunities to build stronger ties within our network and share resources.

our emotions. Through activities, readings, videos and discu­ ssions, we see the impact that unexpressed emotions can have on our mental, physical and emotional health, as well as ways to make these emotions our allies.

Last June, I had the opportunity to deliver my workshops to the Communauté de partage, and as a result, a new partnership between La Route du Savoir and the Centre Moi j’apprends was formed. It is for this reason that I am talking to you about my workshops, to inspire you to develop such workshops and partnerships within your own centres or even to inspire you to register your learners for one of the online training courses that we have developed here. Below is a short description of these workshops.

Lastly, my latest workshop, which is still being developed, is called Adieu au stress, à l’angoisse et à l’anxiété [Goodbye Stress, Worry and Anxiety] (available in French). COVID-19, this crisis that brings so much uncertainty and fear, and causes a lot of stress, anxiety and worry for many, inspired me to create this workshop, and I think of it positively. This new workshop will be offered starting this fall to help people discover techniques to calm down and overcome difficult situations. We will see the effects that stress, anxiety and fear have on our lives and how we can use these “negative feelings” as a stepping stone to personal growth.

One of the most pressing needs that I have helped lear­ ners identify in my early days is a lack of self-esteem. This is why I developed my first workshop, Estime de soi [Self-Esteem] (available in French), which a few years later became Actualisation de soi [Self-Identity] (available in French). This personal development workshop covers a variety of topics and is designed to help learners gain awareness about their lives and, most importantly, discover who they really are. Through readings, reflections, exercises, videos and discussions, the workshop allows learners to first get to know themselves better, then to review their values, needs, desires, beliefs, and more. The difficulty in communicating is another personal development need that I help my clients with. We all know that poor communication is at the root of most of our problems, both on a personal and professional level. This is why I created the Action communication [Action Communication] (available in French) workshop, where we explore communication tools and strategies to promote better communication. Several topics are covered, such as the importance of setting limits and saying no, persuasion, empathy, reformulation techniques, constructive criticism and many others. The next workshop was suggested by one of my older lear­ ners. She was looking for tips on how to improve her memory. Some of my clients are older and a number of them express a fear of developing Alzheimer’s or dementia. So the workshop Développer et optimiser sa mémoire [Developing and Optimi­ zing your Memory] (available in French) was created. The first part of the workshop is a little more theory-based; we explore the biology of the brain and how it functions. In the second part, we discuss the things to focus on and the things to avoid for the proper functioning of our brain. And ultimately, my favourite workshop is Affrontez vos émotions! [Facing Your Emotions] (available in French). Why do we have emotions? It is important to know how to recognize them, but we have never really learned how to do so. Our society has taught us to repress and hide our emotions and we are cons­tantly saying that we need to learn how to manage them, but is that really the best thing for our emotional health? This workshop was designed to raise awareness among learners about the importance of listening to the message our emotions are revealing to us, as well as how to live and express

In closing, I’d like to conclude with a thought: what if COVID-19 is a driving force that takes adult learning to another level? What if in all this uncertainty hides a great opportunity for your centre to do more, to help more learners? Apart from the personal benefits that your learners will gain by attending one of these workshops, or a similar workshop that you might develop, I think we’re going to see great progress in the field of adult learning and e-learning. The strength of our network lies in sharing our ideas, our resources and our workshops, now more than ever. If you would like more information on any of these workshops, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Recovery

Relationships: THE NEW ECONOMY IN LIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC By Chantal Binet // President, Leadership d’impact

We were all hit hard by the new coronavirus. With the lockdown and its impacts, we lost our sense of security, our landmarks, our cruising speed, our habits and our sense of familiarity. As a result, every day since last March, we have had to adapt, cope with new constraints, and are facing a future that is more blurred than ever. We have undoubtedly been strongly shaken emotionally. But any crisis or period of chaos is also an opportunity to explore new possibilities (poorly presented, I admit!) that are available to us: the courage to look inward, to examine our lifestyles and values, to revisit our true priorities and reinvent ourselves, to realize how important relationships are, especially at such a time. In fact, what has helped us get through these last few months has been our level of emotional connection with our loved ones, our peers, our employees, our clients, even if, very often, our conversations were only virtual. When we’re in survival mode, we need others to help us get through the situation faster and with as few consequences as possible. We need to come together, consciously or unconsciously, virtually or in person, as we seek a sense of unity to feel stronger against the unknown and the unexpected. All these observations lead me to say that now, the new economy that will help organizations do well and grow even stronger than before the pandemic will be strengthened by the relationships we maintain with our networks. It is because of our emotional connection with the staff at our favourite restaurants that we wanted to encourage them. It is because of our emotional connection with our personal and professional networks that we were able to soften the learning curve we continue to face today. It’s because of the emotional connection that entrepreneurs, executives and managers have with their employees that they can and will be able to better cope with the coming months, which will not be easy.

And it is because of the quality of the relationship we have been able to maintain with ourselves (or not) that this crisis has had less (or more) emotional and physical impact on us. Finally, it is the quality of our relationship with ourselves, when properly nurtured, that will drive us to have a positive impact in our own lives, in the lives of our loved ones, and in the lives of our colleagues. These challenging times have also provided an opportunity for each of us to realize what brings out the best and the worst in us and those around us. We have evolved, as a Canadian society, as a nation that knows how to support itself, that abides by the rules, and that can use creativity and innovation in order to “survive.” Given that cases are newly on the rise around the world and that we seem to be entering a second wave, it is the ideal time to look inward and to assess whether our “new” values of solida­rity, cooperation and leadership will pass the test of the fears and frustration accumulated since the beginning of this pandemic. Fear and anger are always bad counsellors. We need to be careful not to get caught up in the negative emotions of those around us who may lack emotional maturity. We are sensitive to other people’s energy, often without even realizing it, which means that we are easily affected by people’s moods and the tone in which they express themselves. So it is more important than ever to be mindful of ourselves and our own emotional intelligence and maturity in order to give ourselves the ideal conditions and tools to remain strong, confident and a positive leader who acts as a resource and is part of the solution rather than feeling powerless against the threat and constant changes that COVID-19 is imposing on us. The coming weeks and months will be defined by one constant: change. When you think about it, constant change was

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NOW, THE NEW ECONOMY THAT WILL HELP ORGANIZATIONS DO WELL AND GROW EVEN STRONGER THAN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC WILL BE STRENGTHENED BY THE RELATIONSHIPS WE MAINTAIN WITH OUR NETWORKS. already part of everyday life before this crisis. On a smaller scale and probably with less widespread impacts, but it was there. It’s just that now, change seems greater because it’s meant to “guarantee” our physical and financial well-being. The coming months and years will require us to create even stronger, more genuine and lasting relationships if we are to make this pandemic a positive way forward for ourselves, our families, our businesses, our employees, our customers, our communities and our society. With the challenges that lie ahead of us, let’s exercise impactful leadership: let’s listen, be patient, be accommodating, rethink our expectations, manage our fears, be brave and take care of ourselves and our relationships. Even if everything is not alright and nothing is or will be perfect, let us be grateful for what will be alright and let us be open and curious to find easier ways to reinvent our old habits and reflexes from before the pandemic, which are now obsolete.

Indeed, we may feel that we have lost a lot because of COVID-19. Nevertheless, we have just as much to gain, if not more, in bringing quality relationships back to the core of our personal and professional lives for a stronger health, economy and society. What do you need in the coming months to actively and positively contribute to the prosperity of your organization through relationships? 

Recovery

MANAGING EMOTIONAL

Distress

By Pascale Lacelle // Freelance Writer-Editor If there were one word to describe the last few months, it would be “uncertainty.” And with so much uncertainty in a situation as extreme as COVID-19, it is normal for our mental health not to be at its best. That’s why it’s more important than ever to pay special attention to how we are feeling. Knowing how to deal with the strong emotions that jostle us—anxiety, distress, anger, helplessness—is a key skill to help us get through these challenging times. The “Tolerance for Uncertainty: A COVID-19 Workbook, A Guide to Accept Your Feelings, Tolerate Distress, and Thrive,” written by Dr. Sachiko Nagasawa, is designed to help us develop these skills.

RADICAL ACCEPTANCE

This article provides an overview of each of the five chapters in this essential and informative resource, which also includes reflective exercises that can be used to be more tolerant with regards to the uncertainty in our lives.

Accepting and improving distress are two very different things. To increase distress tolerance, it is important to maintain a balance between the two. We must accept our new reality as well as calm our emotional reaction to it. In this chapter, we learn how to ease distress by performing activities that allow us to be active, and soothe and distract ourselves.

COVID-19 is a new reality and, rather than fighting against it, we should accept it. Acceptance is important when we are facing a situation that exceeds our comprehension. In this chapter, we learn that some things are out of our control and some situations are unchangeable. We must accept this, while becoming aware of what we can control and what we can change.

IMPROVING EMOTIONAL DISTRESS

UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONAL DISTRESS AND WELL­ NESS PLANNING SELF-COMPASSION From the outset, this guide emphasizes the importance of understanding the emotions that guide our behaviours and listening to these emotions to better manage them. To do so, we must avoid emotional escape strategies into which we can easily fall, such as avoidance, repression, anger, withdrawal, and instead adopt healthy coping strategies, which are presented in this chapter.

EMOTIONAL REGULATION To be able to control and influence how we express our emotions, we must first recognize and understand them. This chapter includes a wheel of emotions to help us become aware of what we are feeling and various emotional regulation systems that can be helpful.

Self-compassion is closely related to our mental health and well-being. To show self-compassion, we must live in the present (practice full awareness), show kindness to ourselves, and recognize that everyone has faults and can evolve. To demonstrate the skills and concepts presented in all five chapters, an action plan to improve our well-being is included at the end of the article. We invite you to read Tolerance for Uncertainty: A COVID-19 Workbook, a valuable and interesting resource that can help you create benchmarks during these uncertain times, at the following link: https://bit.ly/3dIuZMp. 

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Communication:

THE KEY TO HAVING AUTHENTIC AND SATISFYING PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS By Monika Salek // Professional Coach, Esprit Korzen and Marion Séré // Educator in Communication and Conflict Resolution and Mediator

For months now, the current crisis has disrupted our habits, emotions and behaviours. Many changes put in place to help us adjust to this new reality are forcing us to reinvent our daily lives in order to preserve what is most precious to us: our health. At a time when the mental health and well-being of emplo­yees are of concern to a growing number of organizations, it is difficult to predict what the real consequences of these events will be on the psychological health of individuals. Employers who seek to preserve the strong performance of their teams are in search of successful strategies for the common good. By choosing to value an organizational climate that allows individuals to show their vulnerability and to be authentic, employers help create a more pleasant and productive work environment through creativity and connection. This is demonstrated by the study conducted by Mark Fotohabadi and Louise Kelly, which was published in the Journal of General Management. Indeed, authen­ticity promotes productive and positive conflict resolution through active and constructive behaviours. Moreover, this emotional capacity seems to reduce the likelihood of burnout by allowing individuals to recognize and effectively manage stress. As such, conscious and responsible communication can play a key role in maintaining authentic and healthy professional relationships, as it is the foundation of any relationship, and we communicate whether we are aware of it or not. All of our behaviours, both verbal and nonverbal, reflect our experiences, perceptions, needs and emotions. They reflect what is going on inside us and constantly influence the quality of our relationship with both ourselves and others. This is why getting to know ourselves better provides the opportunity to understand our way of interacting and its impact on those around us. In the same way, we can change, with benevolence, what no longer

suits us by using our strengths to experience satisfying relationships and be happier. By developing our interpersonal skills, we can also prevent conflict and learn how to better manage it. The nonviolent communication process, founded by Marshall B. Rosenberg, enriches these skills. This approach, which is presented here, opens up the dialogue needed for exchange in order to bring more understanding, empathy, authenticity and connection to our way of communicating.

NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION PROCESS Importance of Facts When a conflict arises out of a difference in perception, taking time to reflect on factual events helps to reframe and calm the situation. Stepping back and untangling the facts of the story being told also rebuilds the bridge between people who are in conflict—at least we can agree on the events.

Feelings Next, we can ask ourselves: what emotions does this event trigger in me? It’s important to ask this question because our emotions are normal and legitimate. They are also a signal that a reaction to a stimulus is triggered, whether it is pleasant or unpleasant.

Understanding the Reason Behind the Emotion We can then ask ourselves why we are feeling these emotions. For example: “Is it really because the meeting is postponed to next week that I feel so upset?” If that were the case,

Recovery

CHOOSING NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION AS A MODEL OF COMMUNICATION CAN TRULY TRANSFORM THE WAY WE LOOK AT LIFE. everyone would react the same way all the time when a meeting is postponed. But that’s not the reality: some people might be relieved, especially if their schedule is already overloaded. The event is actually an external stimulus. It’s not the cause of our emotions. Rather, the emotion we feel is a signal for something deeper within us, the expression of an intrinsic need, value or desire. A pleasant emotion signals a fulfilled need, while a rather unpleasant emotion signals a lack, something inside us that requires attention.

Empathy for Others When we become aware of what creates a reaction in us, of our needs, something calms down and relaxes in our body. We recognize the legitimacy of our reaction and we understand its origin. We have more inner space to look at the situation with a step back. Thus, instead of getting angry or remaining angry at the person with whom we are in conflict, we can instead look at their point of view. What has happened to them? What emotions were triggered in them and why? What were they trying to achieve when they chose to act this way? We hypo­ thesize because we can never be sure what the other person is feeling. And even if their strategy doesn’t suit us, we can understand their potential needs. This process of understan­ ding the origin of our emotions, beyond the initial stimulus, is neither psychotherapy nor the fact of wanting to analyze others and be superior. It is rather a question of understan­ ding our true motivations, those that push us to act, those that make us react, because it is from this understanding that we stop seeing the other person as an enemy and that we can see the human being in front of us. We are also capable of taking responsibility and acting as such.

Moving Towards Change: Making Requests Following this inner process, we will find it easier to express to the other person what was difficult for us and to listen to them. This increases the chances of having a true and constructive dialogue that leads to concrete actions. And if we make requests to the other person, they should be clear and achie­ vable so that they know what they are saying yes or no to. In the following section, we describe a situation that has the potential to degenerate and see how we can address it if we put on these new glasses that is the process of nonviolent communication. We invite you to find a difficult situation you have experienced involving another person and do the same work as in our example. Your situation may be a comment that was made to you or a “no” that you received and that still evokes anger, sorrow, frustration, or “unpleasant” emotions.

Scenario Marion finishes writing a project report and asks her colleague to review it. After reading it, her colleague responds, “That’s not right. This section of the report is incomplete!” Frustrated, Marion thinks to herself, “My colleague criticized my work again, as she does every time I show it to her. She is unable to recognize and value the work of others and that completely discourages me! I don’t want to work with her anymore!”

Observation Is Marion’s colleague really criticizing her work “every time”? What are the objective facts here? What story is Marion telling herself that perhaps amplifies her reaction?

Feeling What emotions are elicited in Marion when she hears this comment from her colleague? How does she feel? For Marion, the signal is a great frustration: does she feel frustrated because her colleague is criticizing her work? Or is the source of her frustration somewhere else? By taking the time to stop for a few minutes, to look at the situation and her emotions with curiosity and sincerity, Marion realizes that she feels frustrated because she would like to be recognized for putting her heart and soul into her work and would like her efforts and skills to be seen for what they are worth. What is your situation? What does the emotion you are feeling tell you about yourself; what does it signal to you?

Empathy for Others By addressing where her emotions are coming from, Marion now has the clarity and openness to look at the situation from her colleague’s perspective. What happened on her end? Marion speculates: she knows that her colleague has read the full report and may feel stressed that a section is, in her opi­ nion, incomplete. Does she feel pressure to be seen well by her superiors? Could it be that she wants to be reassured about her place in the team, in her work? Can you do the same for your situation? Look with curio­ sity at what need the other person has tried to express, perhaps awkwardly.

Dialogue and Request Once Marion expresses what upset her and hears what is important to her colleague, beyond the comment that hurt her,

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Recovery she may want to let her colleague know how she would like to receive feedback and comments on her work in the future. What would you like to ask yourself or the other person? As you can see, this type of communication requires us to take some time to reflect in order to act rather than react, thus increasing our chances of maintaining satisfactory relationships. It works even when our interlocutor is not initiated to this approach. It allows us to become a responsible, authentic and empathetic leader of dialogue for the benefit of the relationship, while remaining coherent with ourselves. Choosing nonviolent communication as a model of commu­ nication can truly transform the way we look at life. The awareness that accompanies it guides us step by step towards a better version of ourselves where authenticity, kindness and connection become solid foundations of our personal and professional relationships. In an era where telework contributes to work-family balance, on the one hand, and isolates us from the rest of the world, on the other, getting to know ourselves better, building on our strengths and developing new relational skills helps us maintain balance and make informed decisions. There are many opportunities to choose the impact we want to have in our lives and, by extension, preserve our health. 

REFERENCE: Fotohabadi, Mark, and Louise Kelly. “Making Conflict Work: Authentic Leadership and Reactive and Reflective Management Styles.” Journal of General Management 43, no 2 (2018): 70-78. DOI:10.1177/0306307017737363.

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