Using the Consultant Planner

What is the Consultant Planner?

FamilySearch "The Planner is a tool available for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for helping someone else with his or her family history. Use it to view the FamilySearch Family Tree from the other person's point of view, browse discovery activities, design personalized family history experiences, record notes and build lesson plans." Note: the Consultant Planner is only available on accounts of members of The Church and can only be used when helping of other members of The Church.

How do I access the Consultant Planner?

1- Sign into FamilySearch.org

        2- Click on the Question Mark Icon (near your name in the upper right hand corner)

3- Select "Helper Resources"

What's on the Consultant Planner?

Home page of the helper resources main option- left hand side

• Recent Articles for Latter-Day Saints- link to the latest blog articles pertinent to Latter-Day Saints

• What's New at FamilySearch- learn about the changes and new features at FamilySearch

• FamilySearch Community- a place to ask assistance of others in the FamilySearch Community.  Please note: Anyone can answer the questions posed.  So take the answers with a "grain of salt" and look for those whom link to Knowledge Articles for verification of their answers. 

• Easy Invitations- A great way to introduce members in your ward to FamilySearch providing a quick link for them to learn something.  Do not use the "invite" option as the first contact.  Let them know you will be sending them something so they will look for it and know it is coming.  Then meet with them to follow up on what they found.

Bottom section provides a ton of links for additional helps and options.

                   Highlighting only three

• Personalized Family History Experiences (under Calling Information)- Contains information about how to create Personalized Family History Experiences including some great instructive videos.   

• Family History Network (under Calling Information) -This shows the local family history center, and also the local network of Temple and Family History Consultants- in your ward, stake, area and area office. 

• Family History Activities  (under Quick Links) - A quick link the activities page.   Please note not everyone wants to do things online.  For those looking for non-technology options, use the In-Home Activities.   These In-Home Activities have suggestions for simple non-tech activities as well as digital options. 

Planner -   right hand side

There's an option to access to your own tree to see what it looks like.  And options to send invitations to others to allow you direct access to their account.  

Click on your name to access your planner.

Four Options on the far left hand side

• Discovery Ideas- these each apply to the your account (or the person whom you are helping)

• Family History Activities- quick link to all of the Family History Activities based on the person FamilySearch Family Tree.  Great options to draw on the interest of the person being assisted. 

• Hints- Record Hints needing attached- possibly creating new people or events

• Temple- List of persons within their tree needing temple ordinances completed.  Some persons need more information before being eligible for temple ordinances. And also some persons with possible duplicates.  

• Tree - can view from all of the different fan chart options including research helps and temple ordinances needed

• Notes- Place to record your thoughts, ideas or future research options.

• Plans-  Where to record the research you have done for others and prepare the lesson for assisting others

Where can I learn more about using the Consultant Planner?

How to Use the Planner Blog 

How to Use the Planner Knowledge Article 

How do I Prepare a Lesson Knowledge Article 

BYU Family History Tutorial- Using the Consultant Planner -  outdated screen shots, but some great ideas for how to use the Consultant Planner. 

Temple and Family History Planner and Lesson Video Playlist  - this walks one through each step of the personalized family history experiences in short video options. 

Top Ten Websites/ Ideas for November

1-   Alert Note-  Notes now appear on the right hand side of the person page, as well as under the collaboration tab.  For those important notes, an option to add an "alert note"  which will appear just under near the top on person page.  Thanks to Claudette Jones for sharing this new function.

2- Using Goldie May- Software Power Tools for genealogists. Thanks to Dorothea Larson for sharing this option

3-Learning Resources on FamilySearch - Note: some are old options and so the screen shots will not match current screen shots, but a lot of options for those wishing to continue their family history studies. 

4- Interview Questions for Life Histories by Family Tree Magazine. 

5- U S Census Tools  from The Family History Guide- Want to know what was asked on each census or where to find census worksheets. Check out this blog article. 

6-Cemeteries- Finding the Stories by Lisa Louise Cooke  

7- What Does That Mean?  300+ Family History Abbreviations by Family History Daily  

8- Exploring the Unindexed Images by Family Search

9-  Personal Digital Archiving by Jermey Myntti 

10- New Blog Layout-  Check out the new layout and new options

    There are a set of tabs across the top under the main header.   One of these is the community projects.  We have started working on a number of community projects, information about how to get involved can be found on this tab.  Check back often as projects will continue to be added in the future.