In order to strengthen the organizational capacity of Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS), a 5-day training course for PIPS Officers was conducted at PIPS Islamabad Campus from July 16-20, 2018. The objective was to equip the officers in PDP Wing in particular and other officers at PIPS from research, legislative and I.T wings, who are engaged by PDP wing from time to time to deliver capacity building events for the honorable parliamentarians and parliamentary officers.

The event was held in collaboration with Tabeer and British Council who engaged Pakistan’s top ranked training company Carnelian for this purpose. After the pre-engagement meeting, Carnelian Consultant, Mr. Waleed Anwar visited the establishment to conduct a brief TNA by having conversations with the participants of the planned intervention. Accordingly, based on the input from participants training module was developed. Ms. Shireen Naqvi, Senior Consultant-Carnelian facilitated first two days of the training and introduced the participants to essential tools and techniques for becoming effective trainers and facilitators. She shared with participants the philosophy of training, characteristics and role of an effective trainer, writing desirable invites and setting programme agenda. Mr. Kamran Rizvi, Senior Consultant-Carnelian joined the participants from day 3 onwards and mainly focused on providing individual coaching and feedback. He discussed at length learning styles, the importance of building emotional connection with the audience and utility of various tools and techniques for effective sessions. Participants were introduced to various concepts, tools and methodologies that they could use in their trainings such as presentation and listening skills, effective tools to engage the audience, content and time management, body language and verbal communication, simplification of complex ideas, handing difficult audiences, dealing with change resistance, usage of videos to make the content interesting, overcoming anxiety/stage fright, using energizers and Ice-breakers.

Senior Consultant and co-facilitator -Carnelian, Mr. Muhammad Ali, was engaged throughout the programme. He monitored and evaluated the performance of PIPS participants. In the end, course participants were required to appear for a formal assessment and deliver a final presentation in front of an external panel comprising of Mr. Kamran Rizvi, the lead trainer from Carnelian, Mr. Zaigham Khan as an expert who has worked in the parliamentary sector and Ms. Shazia Khawar, Regional Director Society, British Council. Last but not least, participants were split into pairs and assigned a topic to submit their projects. Based on the pre-determined assessment criterion, participants were certified as Trainers by Carnelian.

The Executive Director PIPS, Mr. Zafarullah Khan thanked Tabeer and Carnelian for their support and distributed the certificates amongst the course participants. In his closing speech; he encouraged the PIPS officers by stating that he can see a positive effect of training in them already.