Five Essential Elements for Great Extension Programs + 1

 

Rick Koelsch, July 19, 2012

One of the presenters I found engaging at the 2012 National Association of County Agricultural Agents national conference was Matt Palmer, Extension Educator with Utah State University in Sanpete County. This is a brief summary of his five essential elements plus one suggestion I will add to Matt's five.

1.      "Discovery" is a process of engaging clientele in a discussion of critical issues or needs. Successful educational programs start with recognition of a community’s critical needs . But he reminded us of the importance of a good extension educator to be aware of those emerging issues that clientele do not yet recognize and the need to build an awareness of issues coming over the horizon.

2.      "Program development" involves many questions to consider. What are the funding opportunities? What are the community resources (available educational opportunities, opportunities for tours, potential partners)? Who is your target customer and how will you be successful in engaging this customer (when, where, available time,...)? What educational resources already exist?

3.      "Promotion and Marketing", an afterthought for some Extension programs, is essential for success. Knowing your audience and the media they are viewing is essential. Having solid relationships with individuals leading your community's media resources (newspaper, TV, Radio) is critical. Don't forget to engage business (e.g. electric company’s newsletter, ag suppliers customer contacts) in the promotion. And don't forget to generate excitement with drawings, prizes, and sponsorships.

4.      "Program Implementation" do's and don’ts. Deliver to your customer's community, don't have them come to you. Distribute your agenda well in advance. Start and end on time being respectful of your customer's time. Ask your experts to limit their presentations to 15 minute, never giving the full load. Allow interactive team such as a panel discussion to allow customers to get answers to their important questions. Always include a local expert representative of your audience to help them recognize that the proposed behavior change can be accomplished.

5.      "Evaluation". Both short (knowledge gain and good intentions) and long term (behavior change) measures should be made. Carefully and honestly answer, "Did I make a difference?". Learn from your evaluation what changes were not made and use this information to guide future plans and follow up with participants.

I will add one topic to Matt's excellent set of ideas.  Is the program "Sustainable"? Clientele's behavior seldom changes with a one-time educational experience. A good program involves a continuum of experiences involving awareness building, education, sustained access to expertise and resources, and re-engagement with our clientele during application of the knowledge. A second critical element - is local expertise accessible to our clientele after the experts returned to campus? Was the local Extension Educator's expertise highlighted in the educational program?  Clientele will need access to a resource person, preferrably a local expert, with additional questions.   Successful extension program highlight the expertise of the local Extension Educator throughout the educational experience.