Training

Building on current research and evidence-based training methods, Resilient Roots LLC provides customized training developed to meet the specific needs of nonprofits, government agencies, and public service-engaged businesses.

Our Services

Grounded in research. Rooted in practice.

Designed for the realities of today’s changing world.

Customized Resilience Training

Building on current research and evidence-based training methods, Resilient Roots LLC provides customized training developed to meet the specific needs of nonprofits, government agencies, and public service-engaged businesses.

Trainings draw from state of practice and theory around: What does resilience mean? What are organizational factors of resilience? What are short- and long-term resilience-building strategies? How can flexibility and redundancies be built into organizational systems? How can policies and management design-in organizational resilience? How can leadership and staff learn future-forward planning techniques? How can resilience building be incorporated into strategic planning? How can teams learn effective troubleshooting and how to unpack complex issues? How can teams learn their strengths and weaknesses? How can organizations identify their vulnerabilities and capitalize on their assets? How can organizations secure funding for their resilience-building efforts? How can organizations supplement their capacity through collaborations that lead to more resilient outcomes?

Sessions range from two-hour workshops to multi-day learning experiences.

Designed for individual learners, leadership teams, or conference audiences.

Delivered onsite or online via your organization’s preferred platform (Zoom, Google Meet, MS Teams, Brightspace, Adobe, etc.).

Custom upskilling programs available through extended, scaffolded learning engagements arranged by special request.

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Scenario-based Exercises

Resilient Roots delivers Scenario-based Learning (SBL). SBL, also referred to as “sticky” learning in teaching and training literature, is designed to immerse the learner in deep, simulated real-world learning exercises. The term sticky represents the lasting effect of SBL training activities.

RR provides expertise in SBL delivery, offering this highly engaging and impactful training option for organizations who want to not only learn about resilience, but also build resilience muscle and strengthen team building. Learners are presented with one or more simulated real-world situations or decisions. Participants receive training at the outset of the SBL exercise including knowledge, tools and techniques which they then must apply to address/resolve the specific scenario issue. Examples include: Workforce Shortage Scenario, Training Gap Scenario; Cybersecuity Breach Scenario, Supply Chain Interruption Scenario, Organizational Merger Scenario, Inflexible Bylaws Scenario; Stakeholder Engagement Scenarios, etc.

Choose from standardized resilience-building scenarios or custom scenarios developed in collaboration with Dr. Zollitsch.

Delivery options include:

  • Standalone scenarios with full implementation instructions.
  • Train-the-trainer formats for leaders and managers to facilitate internally.
  • Fully facilitated exercises led by Resilient Roots staff.

Billing is based on a negotiated training contract tailored to the scope and delivery format.

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Upskill with ‘Rooted in Resilience’ MicroLessons

Rooted in Resilience MicroLessons are short, high-value trainings designed to help organizations and individuals strengthen their capacity to adapt, lead, and thrive in times of change. Each lesson distills complex concepts into accessible, evidence-based learning modules that can be delivered independently or as part of a larger learning pathway.

From resilience building and public policy to leadership, collaboration, grant writing, and climate adaptation, these micro-trainings translate research and best practice into immediately applicable tools for the workplace. Whether you’re a nonprofit leader, government agency, or public-service professional, MicroLessons offer flexible, focused learning that fits your schedule and supports your mission.

  • Intro to Resilience Building: What It Is and What It Strives to Achieve
  • Place-based Planning: Taking Into Consideration Place and Context
  • Developing Scanning Systems to Identify Trends and Emerging Issues
  • Understanding Compounding and Cascading Effects
  • Conducting Vulnerability and Asset Analyses
  • Exploring Assumptions: Scoping Potential Problem Areas
  • The Value of Being Contrary: The Tenth Man Principle
  • The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Effectively Using Risk Assessment Grids
  • Using Iterative Knowns/Unknowns Grids to Unpack Uncertainty
  • Building a Resilient Workforce: Skill Clusters, Hiring Decisions, and Training Opportunities that Emphasize Resilience
  • Supply Chain Basics and Planning for Disruptions
  • Preparing Your Organizational Systems for Shocks
  • Redundancy and Workarounds: Creating Flexible Delivery Pathways
  • Gauging Crisis: What Does it Mean When the Waffle House Closes?
  • Revising Planning Processes to Include Flexibility, Adaptation and Innovation
  • Managing Expectations in Times of Change and Uncertainty
  • Who Makes Decisions: Thinking Through Decision Making for the Unknown
  • Preparing What You Can: Creating Adaptable Plans and Templates
  • Communications Tips for Conveying Uncertainty
  • Creating Communication Plans that Can Handle Unexpected Events
  • Practicing Resilience: Scenario-based Learning (SBL) Exercises Available for Organizational Directors, Leadership Teams, Boards, Staff, and Partners
  • Other Topics by Request

  • What is the public policy cycle?
  • Passing a Bill: Not a Straight-line Process
  • The Black Box of Policy Implementation
  • Comparing Policy Plans with Policy Outcomes
  • What is Policy Analysis?
  • Framing a Policy Analysis Problem: The Importance of Boundedness
  • Identifying  Root Causes of Policy and Program Problems
  • Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Basics: The Five Whys Model and More
  • Creating Tradeoff Grids for Policy Options Analysis
  • Making Evidence-based Policy Recommendations
  • When You Don’t Have Time: Back of the Envelope Analysis Tips
  • Developing Policy Analysis Reports and Communication Documents
  • Making Your Ask: Presenting a Compelling Case for Policy Recommendations
  • Policy Evaluation Methods and Tools
  • Other Topics by Request

  • What is organizational leadership?
  • What are Factors of Organizational Success?
  • Understanding Organizational Lifecycles and How They Affect Decisions
  • Organizational Leadership Styles: What Does Your Organization Need?
  • Organizational Fit: Techniques to Better Meet Current and Emerging Needs
  • The Double Matrix: Organizational Change and Leadership Development
  • Understanding Organizational Culture
  • Conducting a Formal Organizational Diagnosis: Tools and Techniques
  • Building Effective Small Groups: Process and Tools
  • Filling Organizational Gaps: Building Partnerships and Collaborations
  • What is Success: Measuring Organizational Performance
  • The Importance of Incremental Change in Planning Organizational Outcomes
  • Matching Workforce Needs with Recruitment Efforts
  • Employee Recognition and Retention
  • Creating a Leadership Pipeline for Your Organization
  • Best Practices in Volunteer Management
  • Board Development Basics/Board Development Tools and Techniques
  • Evaluation as an Opportunity: More Than an Annoying Requirement
  • Other Topics by Request

  • What is Stakeholder Engagement and Why Does It Matter?
  • What is the Difference Between ‘Impactees’ and Stakeholders?
  • The Stakeholder Engagement Continuum: From Checkmarks to Decisionmakers
  • Viewpoints Analysis: Considering Multiple Perspectives in Complex Decisions Thinking About Equity: Not Just a Debated Ideology
  • Stakeholder Engagement Processes: Tools and Techniques
  • Capturing Stakeholder Data and Preferences for Planning Processes
  • When Stakeholders Choose Not to Engage: Meeting People Where They Are
  • Other Topics by Request

  • Joining Up: Understanding the Continuum of Arrangements Between Organizations
  • Identifying and Building Collaborative Opportunities
  • Collaboration Best Practices: Evidence-based Tools and Techniques
  • Building Collaboration Over Time: From Low Hanging Fruit to Full Integration
  • Facilitating Collaborations: Special Considerations
  • Assessing Collaboration: Using the Wilder Collaboration Inventory
  • Formalizing Collaborations: Structures, Systems, and Agreements
  • Capturing the Value of Collaboration: Measurable Outputs and Outcomes
  • Communicating Collaborative Impacts
  • Writing Project and Grant Proposals for Collaborative Action
  • Other Topics by Request

  • What is Strategic Planning?
  • Developing a Strategic Planning Process
  • Exploring Strengths, Weaknesses, Oportunities and Threats: SWOT Analyses
  • Developing  Organizational Mission and Vision Statements
  • Developing S.M.A.R.T. Goals and Objectives
  • Documenting Value: Measuring Outputs and Outcomes
  • Planning and Running Effective Meetings
  • Ensuring All Voices Are Heard: Tips and Techniques for Broad Engagement
  • Meeting Facilitation Basics/Advanced Facilitation Skills
  • Advanced Strategic Planning Training
  • Other Topics by Request

  • Funding Opportunities: Understanding the Range of Options
  • Intro to the Grant Writing Process
  • Common Characteristics of Strong Grant Proposals
  • Writing a Compelling Needs Statement
  • Developing S.M.A.R.T. Goals and Objectives
  • Writing the Organization Qualifications Statement
  • Developing a High-Quality Project Description
  • Documenting Tasks, Timelines, Benchmarks and Responsible Parties
  • Incorporating Logic Models into Grant Proposals
  • Sharing Your Project’s Return on Investment
  • Documenting Value: Measuring Outputs and Outcomes
  • Writing Sustainability Statements
  • Crafting Grant Budgets and Budget Justifications
  • Valuing Contributed Time and In-kind Donations
  • Understanding How to Calculate Budget Elements: Fringe Rates, Cost Share, Matching Funds, Overhead Costs, and More
  • Ensuring You Have the Necessary Supporting Documentation
  • Submitting Your Grant: Simple Mistakes to Avoid
  • Making the Pitch: Presenting Your Grant Proposal to Funders
  • Stewarding Your Award: Grant Management and Reporting
  • Developing an Ongoing Grant Writing System for Your Organization
  • Encouraging ‘Stretch Giving’ from Your Boards and Donors
  • Other Topics by Request

  • Ways of Knowing: Understanding the Way People Make Decisions
  • Quantitative and Qualitative Research: Looking at the Differences, Mixed Methods and Examples
  • Creating ‘Bounded’ Research Questions
  • Locating Reliable, High-Quality Data and Literature Sources for Research
  • Conducting a Literature Review: Researching and Writing Full Literature Reviews
  • Operationalization: Defining and Creating Measurable Variables
  • Ensuring Protections: Human Subjects Research
  • Avoiding Common Question Writing Errors
  • Survey Planning: Research Design, Questions, and Protocols
  • Survey Planning: Sampling and Implementation
  • Survey Planning: Analysis and Communication of Findings
  • Interviews: Writing Probing Questions, Prompts and Effective Protocols
  • Focus Groups: Writing Questions and Protocols to Identify Agreement and Difference
  • Using Other People’s Data: Secondary Data Use
  • Evaluation Research Basics/Advanced Program Evaluation Methods and Tools
  • Other Topics by Request

  • Understanding Your Audience: Targeted Messaging for Effective Communication
  • Active Listening and Reflective Communication
  • Managing Difficult Conversations: The Doug Stone Model
  • Managing Misinformation and Disinformation
  • Common Elements of Professional Reports
  • How to Write a Concept Paper: Elements, Style, Content and Format
  • White Papers: What are They and What Are They Good For?
  • How to Convey Your Message in 1-2 Pages
  • How to Develop and Practice an ‘Elevator Speech’
  • How to Craft a Compelling PowerPoint Presentation
  • Using Formal References and Citing Sources in Your Writing
  • Formatting Your Reports for Maximum Accessibility
  • Incorporating Universal Design Learning (UDL) Basics
  • Data Visualization: Exploring Options for Communicating in Applied Settings
  • When You Are New: Public Speaking Training for New Professionals
  • When You Don’t Like to Talk to People: Presentation Practice for Reluctant Speakers
  • Other Topics by Request

  • Sustainability: The Three Pillars of Sustainability
  • Sustainability Upacked: Economic Elements
  • Sustainability Unpacked: Environmental Elements
  • Sustainability Unpacked: Equity Elements
  • Building Sustainability into Planning Processes: Approaches and Examples
  • Assessing Sustainability: Measures and Techniques
  • Non-Market Values: How Do We Talk About Things that Don’t Have Price tags?
  • Climate Adaptation: Beyond Buzzwords to Meaningful Action
  • Addressing Climate Issues through Resilience Planning
  • Other Topics by Request

  • Understanding Water Resource Policy Initiatives: General
  • Understanding Water Resource Policy Initiatives: Specific (as Requested)
  • What is Integrated Water Resource Management?
  • What are Watersheds and How are They Managed?
  • What is Nonpoint Source Pollution and How Do We Manage it?
  • How Water is Managed in the United States: Federal, State and Local
  • Stormwater Pollution 101: An Introduction
  • Stormwater Pollution Prevention Activities
  • Working with the Public: Engaging Citizens in Protecting their Local Waters
  • Using Social Marketing as a Tool to Catalyze Change in Polluting Behaviors
  • Compliance: What It Is and Approaches to Achieving Compliance
  • Other Topics by Request