--- kind: section source_pdf: oregon-prosperity-council-report-june-2026.pdf fingerprint: 8ac9aef8ca1b page_range: [86, 91] breadcrumb: ["Appendix D: Listening Session Facilitators' Guide"] source_links: pdf: "https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Documents/Oregon%20Prosperity%20Council%20Report_June%202026.pdf#page=86" raw_pages: - "../.extracted/pages/page-0086.txt" - "../.extracted/pages/page-0087.txt" - "../.extracted/pages/page-0088.txt" - "../.extracted/pages/page-0089.txt" - "../.extracted/pages/page-0090.txt" - "../.extracted/pages/page-0091.txt" --- # Appendix D: Listening Session Facilitators' Guide ## TL;DR *(generated · confidence: high)* This appendix is a facilitators' guide instructing volunteers on how to conduct listening sessions to gather business and community input for the Oregon Prosperity Council's recommendations. The guide covers pre-meeting prep (location selection, invitations), during-meeting facilitation using structured agenda and prompts around three focus areas (Business Climate, Workforce, Tools for Growth), and post-meeting reporting via Google form. Sessions were scheduled for February-March 2026, with facilitators expected to synthesize local insights about barriers and solutions in Oregon's economic development landscape. **Key points** *(each cites a PDF page)*: - Facilitators must submit session notes via Google form by March 20, 2026. ([p. 87](https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Documents/Oregon%20Prosperity%20Council%20Report_June%202026.pdf#page=87)) - Council meetings began January 2026 and conclude June 2026 with delivery of Prosperity Council recommendations. ([p. 89](https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Documents/Oregon%20Prosperity%20Council%20Report_June%202026.pdf#page=89)) - Listening sessions facilitated between February - March 20, 2026 at selected in-person locations. ([p. 87](https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Documents/Oregon%20Prosperity%20Council%20Report_June%202026.pdf#page=87)) - Three focus areas organize the Council's work: Business Climate, Workforce, and Tools for Growth. ([p. 89](https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Documents/Oregon%20Prosperity%20Council%20Report_June%202026.pdf#page=89)) - Ground rules for sessions include: non-attribution of comments, protection of sensitive business information, and focus on actionable ideas. ([p. 88](https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Documents/Oregon%20Prosperity%20Council%20Report_June%202026.pdf#page=88)) - Core discussion questions address: challenges and barriers, recommended solutions, 2-3 year success metrics, required actors, existing useful programs, and best practices from other states. ([p. 90](https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Documents/Oregon%20Prosperity%20Council%20Report_June%202026.pdf#page=90)) - Facilitators' pre-meeting responsibilities include selecting location, inviting participants, and arranging for note-taker. ([p. 87](https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Documents/Oregon%20Prosperity%20Council%20Report_June%202026.pdf#page=87)) Dates/FTE: February - March 20, 2026 · January 2026 · June 2026 · Programs: Prosperity Council · Prosperity Roadmap · Parties: Governor Kotek · Kath Nester > **Source:** PDF [pp. 86-91](https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Documents/Oregon%20Prosperity%20Council%20Report_June%202026.pdf#page=86) · raw: [86](../.extracted/pages/page-0086.txt) · [87](../.extracted/pages/page-0087.txt) · [88](../.extracted/pages/page-0088.txt) · [89](../.extracted/pages/page-0089.txt) · [90](../.extracted/pages/page-0090.txt) · [91](../.extracted/pages/page-0091.txt) Breadcrumb: Appendix D: Listening Session Facilitators' Guide --- APPENDIX D Listening Session Facilitators’ Guide PROSPERITY COUNCIL: LISTENING SESSION FACILITATOR’S GUIDE Thank you for your willingness to lead a listening session to inform the Oregon Prosperity Council’s work. This guide provides a suggested meeting agenda, talking points, and includes the required report out template that project staff will synthesize for the Prosperity Council’s review. Facilitator Responsibilities ● Before the meeting: ○ Review the facilitator’s guide ○ Select a location for your meeting ○ Schedule and invite participants (sample invitation language below) ○ Arrange for a note-taker or plan to take detailed notes ● During the meeting. Facilitate a discussion using the provided agenda and prompts in February - March 20, 2026. ● After the meeting. Submit notes using the Google form by March 20, 2026. EXAMPLE EMAIL INVITATION Hello [name], [Introduce yourself if you are not already acquainted]. I have volunteered to facilitate a listening session to support the advancement of Oregon’s economic prosperity and growth for Governor Kotek’s Prosperity Council. I believe your insights and recommendations are important for this work and invite you to attend. As you may have seen in the news, the Prosperity Council is a statewide advisory group convened by Governor Kotek, representing diverse regions, industries, and labor. Over the next several months, the Council will develop near- and long-term recommendations focused on business climate, workforce, and tools for economic growth. The Prosperity Council will present their recommendations in June of this year. Because you are an engaged member of the Oregon [business/arts/etc.] community, we are inviting you to take part in this [Title] listening 1 session, on [date] in person at [location]. If you are interested in participating, please respond to confirm your attendance. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you, [Name] [Consider adding the Prosperity Roadmap as an attachment in addition to the link in the email text] HOLD YOUR MEETING Meeting Agenda: WELCOME [5 mins] ● Introductions [name, title, organization] ● Meeting objectives: ○ Gather practical, business-informed recommendations in three areas—Business Climate, Workforce, and Tools for Growth—to inform the Governor’s Prosperity Council’s recommendations for strengthening Oregon’s competitiveness, economic growth, and long-term revenue stability. ● Ground rules: ● All comments and feedback will be shared but not attributed to individuals. ● Any sensitive business information will not be included in the notes. ● Assume good faith and expertise. Everyone is here to contribute insights from their experience. ● Focus on actionable ideas. Stay within scope and frame input as a specific change Oregon can make—not just a problem. 2 LEVEL SETTING [5 mins] Use the following overview to provide context. This does not need to be read verbatim; please summarize in your own words. What is the Prosperity Council? ● A statewide group representing different regions, key sectors, and labor, convened by Governor Kotek as an outside advisory group to recommend strategies and actions to advance Oregon’s economic prosperity and growth. ● The council is focused on strategies in three areas: Business Climate, Workforce, and Tools for Growth. ● The council’s charge is to develop near-, medium-, and long-term recommendations in each of the three focus areas. ● Council meetings began in January 2026 and will conclude in June 2026, after delivering their report of recommendations. How is economic development being defined? ● Improving conditions for businesses to start, invest, and grow (e.g., regulatory predictability, access to capital, infrastructure, suitable sites) ● Building a skilled workforce so employers can hire and workers can access good-paying, career-connected opportunities ● Using public tools and partnerships (e.g., incentives, technical assistance, site readiness, cluster strategies) to unlock private investment and productivity FOCUS AREA DISCUSSION The Prosperity Council has organized its work around three focus areas: Business Climate, Workforce, and Tools for Growth. Facilitators should use their judgment to focus discussions on the topic(s) that best align with participants’ experience and expertise. Some sessions may naturally focus on one area, while others may span two or all three. Facilitators should prompt the discussion of each focus area first by reading the focus area description. Facilitators may also consider having these descriptions available for the participants to read and refer back to during the discussion: ● Business Climate: Oregon's business climate reflects the extent to which the state provides a predictable and competitive environment for employers through practical policies related to regulation, permitting, and taxation, while also maintaining long-term revenue stability to support public services and economic growth. ● Workforce: Oregon's workforce environment reflects how well the state's education, training, and talent development systems align Oregonians' 3 skills with the needs of employers, particularly in growing sectors, and how effectively those systems adapt over time to support economic opportunity and a competitive labor market. ● Tools for growth: Oregon's economic development toolkit reflects the set of policies, programs and investments (such as site readiness, land use and permitting processes, incentives, infrastructure, and local initiatives) that shape the state's ability to attract new businesses and support the growth and expansion of existing employers. Then begin the discussion using the same core questions (below) to guide the conversation. Core discussion questions (apply to all focus areas) ● What challenge would you like addressed in the Prosperity Council’s recommendations? What is the biggest barrier or friction point in this area? ● What solution or specific change would you recommend to address this challenge? ● What would success look like in 2–3 years? ● Who has to act for this to happen? (i.e. legislature, local governments, employers, education/training partners, etc.) ● Which existing state programs and policies does Oregon have that you want to see continue? What programs or policies have been most useful for you? ● What promising models or best practices have you seen in other states that you’d like Oregon to emulate? CLOSING THE MEETING ● Thank your participants for attending and offering their ideas. ● We will compile the report out and send it to the Prosperity Council for their work to define near-, medium- and long-term recommendations in these focus areas. ● The Prosperity Council will present their recommendations in June. AFTER THE MEETING: NEXT STEPS Submit your report out ASAP Please enter your report out of the discussion using this Google form so that it can make its way to the committee. If you encounter technical difficulties, please reach out to Kath Nester (nester@econw.com). 4 Send thank you email to your participants Within a few days of the meeting, we recommend sending a follow-up and thank-you to all meeting attendees. Here is a start that you can customize: “Hello ____, I am following up with you to extend my gratitude for your participation in the Prosperity Council Listening Session. If you have any questions or concerns for the Prosperity Council, you can contact them at Prosperity.Roadmap@oregon.gov . You can also keep track of the Prosperity Council’s work on the website, and fill out the online survey if you have further recommendations.” 5 --- Parent: [Oregon Prosperity Council Report — June 2026](./INDEX.md) · PDF: [pp. 86-91](https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Documents/Oregon%20Prosperity%20Council%20Report_June%202026.pdf#page=86)