Once you complete the two-day Training of ACE Interface Presenter workshop, you are an ACE Interface Presenter Candidate.  If you attended a Presenter Training after September 2018, you will need to do the following steps to complete presenter certification:

• Presenters must attend the entire face-to-face presenter training to be a candidate for certification
• Co-present for an audience at least 2 times and provide MCCC with sign-in sheets, surveys, your self-evaluation, and a peer feedback form for a co-presenter after each presentation within 9 months of the training (note that you are not authorized to present alone until after certification)
• When you feel ready (after at least the two presentations mentioned in the previous point), demonstrate your competence of all three sections of the ACE Interface core curriculum by:
  • Presenting in-person or in a practice/ demo session with an MCCC trainer or staff person who will assess your presentation level (as developing, competent, proficient). When competence level is reached, certification will be granted and certification awarded at the discretion of MCCC.

If you attended a Presenter Training before October 2018, please contact Evaluation evaluation@pcamn.org to check on the steps you need to complete for certification.

• Enter your information on the App Tracker! Click HERE to enter your data (or type in https://goo.gl/UVHjx2)
• Send MCCC the following:
• MCCC Sign-in Sheets
• Paper Presentation Evaluations OR electronic surveys https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/acemn

Scan and email all forms to evaluation@pcamn.org OR mail them to Attn: Program Evaluation at MCCC, 709 University Avenue West, Suite 141, Saint Paul MN 55104.

No! The only way that the ACE Interface curriculum should be shared with others is in-person.  This is the most trauma-informed way to share this information and is the only way to share the curriculum, under the ACE Interface license.

We encourage you to summarize the slides and script in your own voice and not read the script word for word since it will sound more natural that way.  That said, it is essential that you cover the key points of the script.  These key points can be found in the full slideshow version of your binder.  

Presenter candidates who have not completed certification are NOT allowed to charge a presenter fee.  Once certified, presenters are bound by the ACE Interface license which states that “Unless the prior written approval from ACE Interface is obtained….[presenters] shall not use the Training Materials primarily for commercial purposes or as a fundraising strategy for any organization or any Individual.”

The vision for this presentation is to spread N.E.A.R science widely across the state, so please consider if charging for a presentation will create access barriers to the information for certain people.

If you are paid by your employer while you present, we ask that you waive the presenter fee.

Unfortunately, as a small organization, we do not have the capacity to manage the required CEU tracking and fees for the many professional boards that exist.  On the curriculum thumb drive and Trainer Portal, there is a Certificate of Attendance that presenters can pass out to attendees.  Sometimes attendees can turn these into their professional boards to get CEU credits.  Another option is to ask the host organization who is offering the presentation if they can provide CEUs.

Anywhere in Minnesota! Per the ACE Interface License, you are not allowed to present out-of-state without written pre-approval from Dr. Anda & Laura Porter.

You can co-present with anyone who has attended a two-day ACE Interface presenter training, even if they are not certified yet.  We recommend co-presenting in teams of three people, especially as you are starting out as a presenter – since each person can then present one of the three sections (brain science, the ACE Study, or resilience) of the core curriculum. 

Here are some possible things to discuss prior to each presentation:

• Talk through the agenda and designate who will present which section
  • Who will do the welcome, introductions, which sections/slides you each plan to present, and make sure you are working off the same slide deck
  • Decide if you are comfortable having your co-presenter add information/comments to your section and when (decide if they can interject whenever or if you would prefer they wait until the end of a slide or the section before adding their comments)
  • Figure out if you are willing to take questions throughout the presentation, or if you would prefer to do Q&A at the end of the entire presentation
• Decide who will be bringing/supplying the laptop, projector, and thumb drive with the slide deck
• Figure out which handouts you plan to use, and which presenter will be printing them/bringing them
• Decide who will collect the surveys, sign-in sheets to MCCC, and who will enter the information on the App Tracker after the presentation
• If you are able, practice presenting to each other using Zoom (free video conference site) or in-person
• After you present, take a little time to support one another by letting each other know what you observed that you felt worked well.  Also, from a place of believing that we all want to and can continually improve, share with one another what opportunities for growth or improvement you see. We are a statewide learning community of presenters and the best way to support excellence in the sharing of this information is to give one another both appreciative and developmental feedback. (See #16 below for info about a webinar on this subject.)

The Full Slide Deck from the presenter binder lists Key Points for each slide.  Some people prefer to use note cards when presenting until they are more comfortable presenting the material without notes.  You can also use the Presentation Outline for Building-Self-Healing-Communities that can be found on the curriculum thumb drive or Trainer Portal.  Know your audience and adapt your materials accordingly (following the guidance in the Curriculum Framework).  What audiences are appropriate for you as a presenter?  Be prepared for specialized audiences OR pass the presentation on to someone who is more familiar with the audience.

That will happen!  And it’s okay to say, “I don’t know.”  Most of us are NOT experts in the science that we are sharing in these ACE Interface Presentations.  We are using a curriculum that has been vetted by national experts, but we do not claim to be experts in this information.  Remember that your audience probably also brings a lot of expertise and wisdom.  It’s okay (and encouraged) to “crowdsource” and ask the room if anyone is able to answer the question (or ask the audience member asking the question - “What do you think?”).  Or, you can acknowledge that you don’t have the answer.  Or, you can ask the person to follow up with you after the presentation and then offer to find the answer to their question and contact them at a later date.

You are sharing ideas that have resulted in transformative change in other places, not necessarily solutions that will work everywhere.  Encourage audiences to do their own thinking.  Every community is going to have a different response and “answer” that will work within it.  It is always going to look different, and it’s a process each community has to work through.  When we provide an answer, it limits the creativity that a community needs to develop its own answer and response.  It is also encouraged to ask the audience member – “In your field, how would you apply this information?” or “What would be your first action step, given what you learned here today?”  The audience member will very likely come up with a thoughtful response to that question!  You can encourage audience members to listen to their community to find out what they think would make a difference and to build relationships with anyone they work with/for.  If you revisit the Community Capacity Development slides in the Resilience section of the presentation that talks about expanded leadership, results-oriented decision-making, coming together, and shared learning.  You can challenge the audience member to think about where they think their community is strong in the process of community capacity development, and where they may want to build.

It is important to remember that learning and a deeper understanding of the science IS “doing”.  It is important for you to do your own reflection on how this science has impacted you on a personal and professional level.  Reducing the harm of ACEs and healing from intergenerational and historical trauma is a journey, and we must allow ourselves to be uncomfortable with not knowing exactly what comes next. 

Learn more and teach your children and others about historical trauma and the history of Minnesota and the land now known as the United States.  Learn about how structural racism and white supremacy have been and continue to be present and perpetuated today in our society.  Examine and reflect on your own privilege, thinking, and biases (Harvard IAT tests are one tool https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/selectatest.html).  Lean into this uncomfortable conversation – because we will only be able to change the status quo if we are uncomfortable.

At this point, we think it is important for presenters to learn about this information and its connection to ACEs.  However, unless you have had in-depth training or preparation, please do not include more about historical trauma than is in the script.  Please check with MCCC before adding additional historical trauma information to your presentation!

Self-care and self-reflection are key!  Practice self-management, pausing, deep breathing, reflection, and/or a gratitude practice – these are ways that may help keep you centered when presenting.

It is important to fully consider how your stories support the content of the presentation and think through the impact they may have on the audience.  A personal story that illustrates how learning about NEAR Science and implementing healing practices was effective for you can help bring this material to life.  If you are telling a story as a way to find healing for yourself, this might not be the best venue for that.

It is also important that you are able to stay grounded when telling your story.  Remember - you are the one who decides what to disclose/share about your own personal experiences.  Understand and set those boundaries with yourself before presentations.

To figure out what you can add to the presentation, re-visit the Curriculum Framework section to see “what can be modified” when you are presenting the information.

You bring a message of hope that it IS possible to get through childhood without accruing ACEs!  Remember that all of us have a role in creating a more compassionate society and a voice in the conversation. 

The Trainer Portal (PW: MCCCTICTAC)!  Check your thumb drive and presenter binder for a step-by-step description of how to access the portal.

What is on the portal?  Additional resources that are not on your flash drive can be found on the Trainer Portal (PW: MCCCTICTAC).  To access the Trainer Portal, walk through the Trainer Portal guide found on your thumb drive.

• Minnesota Student Survey slides
• ACE Interface PowerPoint Slides (promotional presentation, core presentation, and full presentation)
• Spanish version of the core presentations & 3-page ACE Interface handout
• Videos
  • Teri Barila Webinar Series
  • Giving & Receiving Feedback with Belma Gonzalez
  • Presenter Tips – How to use the Trainer Portal
  • Presenter Tips – Presentation Planning
  • Presenter Tips – Tasks After Every Presentation
  • Presenter Tips – Self-Awareness & Self-Regulation
  • Presenter Tips – Using the ACEs Connection Tracker
  • What’s on the Thumb Drive?
  • How Do I Navigate the Trainer Portal?
• And much more!