Page 32 - Sponsor Booklet

Sponsor Involvement in or Involvement in
Spons
Whole Group Meetings hole Group Meetings
W

An important function of blue skies is to bring together the entire blue

skies community. There are four formal whole group meetings.

Stimulus Series
Live-in-Learning
Showcase Forum
Celebration

Feedback from previous blue skies programmes showed the
importance of BPs’ attendance and involvement for making these

work. Some of the more important findings were:
● BPs were more likely to attend and benefit from formal meetings if
their Sponsor and colleagues also attended. When colleagues did
not attend meetings (especially a few in a row) BPs were less likely
to commit themselves to attending. As a result, some stopped
coming.
● Sponsors watched carefully how BPs approached their learning
opportunities, and how actively they participated in the get-
togethers. If BPs were professional and enthusiastic, so were their
colleagues and the Sponsor, and vice-versa.
● BPs were much more likely to attend and actively engage in all
meetings if they contacted each other before the meetings and
encouraged each other to attend.

IN SHORT –
BPs SAW THEIR COLLEAGUES AS ROLE MODELS.
THEY WATCHED EACH OTHER CLOSELY, EVEN WHEN OTHERS WERE
UNAWARE OF THIS.
AS SUCH, BPs, THROUGH WHAT THEY DID RATHER THAN WHAT THEY
SAID, EXERT POSITIVE INFLUENCE, OR OTHERWISE,
ON THEIR COLLEAGUES.

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