workshops work (Dr Myriam Hadnes)
Explore every episode of workshops work
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Mar 2019 | 001 - Getting it Right by Starting it Right. The Power of Connection - with Patrick Cowden | 00:41:01 | |
In this episode, I talk to Patrick Cowden, founder of Beyond Leadership, an agency that helps organizations to unleash their full potential. By introducing a new way of leadership, Patrick empowers organizations to master future challenges. Patrick is a book author, TEDx speaker and enhancer of collaboration. In this episode, we talk about the importance of human connection in workshops. Patricks shares how facilitators can change the game and deal with egos and politics by kicking off working sessions with a simple check-in exercise. Don’t miss the hands-on advice, tips and tricks and Patrick’s energy that will spill over and inspire you to deliver workshops that work. [1:38] What is wrong with the way we gather professionally at work? [4:08] What can we do to combine joy and results in meetings and workshops? [8:06] Can we achieve the same results when we meet remotely? [14:45] How can we create human connection in workshops? [17:20] Can you explain how the “connect exercise” works? [23:19] To what extend do you explain why you are doing specific exercises? Do you achieve the same results when you do the connect exercise in 3 minutes versus 30 seconds? [28:11] How do you shift from the connection exercise to the “real” business-related topic of the meeting? [33:45] How can you assure sustainable results of your intervention? [35:13] Can you adjust the “connect exercise” to other topics without compromising the effect? [38:19] What is your advice to facilitators to achieve results, foster connection and fight egos? Related links you may want to check out:
Connect to Patrick:
| |||
| 20 Mar 2019 | 002 - How NLP can help you become a better facilitator - with Margreet Jacobs | 00:38:42 | |
In this episode, I talk to Margreet Jacobs, a master practitioner of neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and speaker’s coach. We talk about the similarities between speaking in front of an audience and hosting a workshop. How can we overcome the fear of speaking up? How can we make sure that our content resonates with the audience? How can we keep them engaged? Subscribe to our newsletter for a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 100-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more: https://workshops.work/podcast ✨✨✨ Questions and Answers [1:01] How did you shift from being a dancer to becoming a speaker’s coach? [8:52] How c.an you tackle workshop participants’ fear of speaking up? [12:00] How can we make sure that every participant is aware of their contribution? [17:19] How does the fear of success get into our way? [21:29] What was your “perfect failure” in a workshop context and how did you fix it? [23:10] How can you make sure that a workshop is giving you positive enegergy instead of draining you? [29:06] What can a facilitator do to create a safe space in which participants thrive? [30:39] How can we deal with “big egos” who would not like to share their vulnerabilities? [35:00] How can we create an anchor that workshop participants can relate to even time after the workshop? [37:17} What is the one thing our audience shall remember from this episode? ✨✨✨ Related links you may want to check out:
Connect to Margreet:
| |||
| 20 Mar 2019 | 003 - What Facilitators Can Learn from Story Telling with Christopher Marks | 00:37:46 | |
In this episode, I talk to Christopher Marks, a storyteller and branding specialist. We talk about the art of storytelling and what it taught him about workshop design and facilitation. We talk about the importance of conflict for telling a compelling story and how we can craft exercises that will spark creativity and generate novel ideas. Christopher runs Story Sprints with companies and entrepreneurs and currently sets up the Creator’s Club. He helps brands to put their audience first and is a multi-talent, silver bullet when it comes to writing, scripting, filming, directing and editing content. Don’t miss the many practical advice on how to go through exercises and what mistakes to avoid. And don’t miss the great fun Christopher and I had to compare workshop participants to mini-volcanos! He has been my mentor and I am that he shares his knowledge in this episode to help you to deliver workshops that work. ✨✨✨ Subscribe to our newsletter for a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 100-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more: https://workshops.work/podcast Questions and Answers [1:25] Tell me what a storyteller is! [3:13] What did you learn from storytelling for designing story sprint workshops? [8:10] How do you create a safe space to get to the essence of the story your client wants to tell? [11:32] Can you guide me through the process after the silent brainstorming exercise? How do you guide the group through clarifying questions? [12:26] So, at this point there is no discussion about the individual ideas yet? [17:07] How are you making sure that everyone is on the same page about the decision-making process? [19:10] So, the heatmap kicks off a discussion on a deeper level? [20:03] Can you share with the audience how you capture the key ideas and create meeting minutes? [25:20] What is the one thing you do in your workshops that always works? [28:12] Is this exercise run in silence? [31:20] I wonder about the impact of the ritual of folding the paper together. What is your experience with that? [33:51] What is the nutshell you want the listener to take home from this show? Related links you may want to check out:
Connect to Christopher and follow him:
| |||
| 15 Feb 2022 | 152 - Facilitating the ‘Board Game’ with Janek Panneitz | 01:20:35 | |
There’s no room for frivolities like board games in the boardroom… Right? Not so, says Janek Panneitz! Janek is a facilitator, trainer, moderator, and a certified board game superfan and, as with so many guests on this podcast, has found a fascinating way of joining dots between his professional and personal passions. Janek has been exploring and experimenting with the serious implications and effects board games and game mindsets can have in professional settings and how we can harness these learnings to create better workshops. We discuss his flourishing experiments, the mechanics of bringing game mindsets into workshops, and how professional identities are an act of role-playing. Pull up a seat at the table, choose your figurine, and let’s play!
Find out about: ● Why there can be a disconnect between problem-solving for fun and for work ● The three layers that make up a board game and a gamified workshop - and how to use them in your designs ● Why converging our expectations is essential for the success of a workshop ● How a lack of context can sometimes be a boon to your workshops ● Why it's better to aim too high than too low in your aspirations for a workshop ● The surprising 'flattening' power of board games in established hierarchies
Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.
Click here to download the free 1-page summary.
And if the idea of NeverDoneBefore 2021, the community of facilitators, caught your attention; click here to explore it in more detail! Thanks to our sponsor Deckhive. Click here to find out more about the new platform for using card decks in online facilitation. Use the code workshopswork to get the first month for free.
Questions and Answers Part one [01:05] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator - if you do? [02:19] How do your sessions change if you are wearing your facilitator, trainer, or moderator hat? [06:58] Can you share more about your background in organisational psychology - and how board games interact with that? [09:39] What does self-determination theory mean, in simple words? [12:48] What's your theory for how a site like Wikipedia has developed, grown, and maintained itself through voluntary contributions? [18:03] How much of what we bring to board games reflects who we are in private and at work? [21:50] What makes a board game night - and a workshop - fail? [25:23] Even if you have set expectations about an activity, how can you account for the different personalities that engage in playing a game? [30:15] To what extent is gamification an act of manipulation? [32:10] What are the other two layers that make up good board games and gamified workshops? Links Connect to Janek
| |||
| 27 Mar 2019 | 004 - How to keep office politics out of the workshop space - with Mark Lambertz | 00:36:52 | |
In this episode, I talk to Mark Lambertz, senior agile coach, entrepreneur, and book author about “intelligent organizations". We talk about human dynamics in the workshop space and how to deal with strong personalities and office politics. Mark shares why it doesn’t make sense to hire him when his client only seeks confirmation, why he would invite participants to step on the table and how he reacted to a crying workshop participant. Mark runs IO (Intelligente Organisation), a consultancy service that helps companies to become “intelligent organizations”. He published a playbook on organizational complexity in January 2019. His goal is to implement agile, scale agile and to make systems work. Don’t miss our whole-hearted laughs when Mark shares how he uses humour to deal with emotionally loaded situations and how he deals with his double role of being a coach and facilitator. Our conversation will surely inspire you to deliver workshops that work. ✨✨✨ Subscribe to our newsletter for a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 100-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more: https://workshops.work/podcast
[01:16] With all your experiences what job title would you give to yourself? [02:55] How do you understand the relation between agile and lean and how does it translate for meeting environments in organizations? [05:19] Do you translate your mantra of “customer first” to how you design your service to your own customer (being the organizations you help transform)? [06:52] Given that you won’t necessarily do what the customer asks for, how can you select the customers you work for? [07:55] So, you are an external disruptor? [09:15] In what way does an “intelligent organization” deal with office politics? [12:34] How do you make sure that everyone contributes to the discussion and not only the “extroverted” or empowered participants? [14:11] What does “OODA loop” mean? [15:23] To what extent do you include the group in your thought process about what is happening in the room? [16:29] It seems to me as if tensions are good, but emotions disturb. How do you deal with situations that become emotional? [17:32] How did you deal with the situation you described when a participant started crying? [19:35] What is the difference between a “normal” and an “intelligent” organization? [25:13] Do you believe that every team can become a “red team” or at least one where team members challenge each other in a supportive way? [28:35] How do you deal with “ego” that may destroy the flow of the workshop? [32:40] What do you think of developing rules with the group? [33:37] Can you separate your roles of the coach and facilitator? [35:13] What is the nutshell you want the audience to take away from our conversation? Related links you may want to check out: Mark’s business page: http://organisation.io/
| |||
| 22 Feb 2022 | 153 - Transforming HR with Design Thinking with Nicole Dessain | 01:05:23 | |
Nicole Dessain is a consultant, Design Thinker, and proud ‘recovering perfectionist’ - and sees those three labels as closely related. Her work in HR consultancy is informed by her training in Design Thinking. In turn, this has taught her to value process over perfection. Through Design Thinking, Working Out Loud, and facilitation, Nicole has found brilliant insights into HR - some breakthroughs, some roadblocks. In this episode, Nicole eloquently explains her key learnings so far. Combining facilitation and HR can produce some fascinating results and has some surprising applications. I highly recommend taking this crash course in HR, facilitation, and Design Thinking! Find out about: How and why the spotlight has fallen on Human Resources since 2020 Why a shift of focus from ‘resources’ to ‘humans’ has become imperative What it looks like to apply Design Thinking to HR and how Nicole does it How Design Thinking asks us to challenge the judgement mindset HR can demand How to present the results of a Design Thinking process in a memorable narrative structure Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. Click here to download the free 1-page summary. Exclusive offer from Facilitator Cards for workshops.work listeners you can get 15% off your entire purchase at shop.facilitator.cards by using code workshopswork. Questions and Answers [01:11] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator - if you do? [03:39] What mindset changes are needed to adopt a Design Thinking approach? [06:17] What's your history with Design Thinking - when did it begin? [08:01] Does Design Thinking change when we apply it in different settings? [09:40] Has your perception of Design Thinking changed over time? [11:26] Why did it take a pandemic to get HR a seat at the decision-making table? [15:58] How do you use Design Thinking specifically within an HR context? [22:27] How do you account for the inevitable biases in HR teams? [29:46] What do you recommend to HR professionals when it comes to interviewing their peers? [31:45] How about when we interview colleagues? [33:46] Do HR teams conduct more interviews after working with you? [39:25] How do you bring to life the results of a Design Thinking process and sell it into leadership? [41:58] What’s the easiest way for an HR team to start using Design Thinking? [46:16] Rethinking the HR function. [51:16] What makes a workshop fail? [52:31] How much of the Design Thinking workshop process can be done asynchronously? [54:08] What would it take for design thinking to become a normal tool for HR? [55:17] Will facilitation become a key part of the HR professional's skillset? [59:04] How did you overcome fear when you were asked to ideate by drawing?
| |||
| 01 Mar 2022 | 154 - Embracing Responsibility, Resilience and Relationships with Sara Huang | 00:50:05 | |
Sara Huang’s ‘three R’s’ of facilitation make for a reliable North Star in workshop environments. And, in our age of sometimes-online-sometimes-in-person-sometimes-hybrid meetings, having a reliable and familiar formula to fall back on can be a huge relief. This episode is, ostensibly, about online facilitation and how things have changed since Sara and I last spoke (episode 60) at the outbreak of the pandemic. But, as is common with this show, we end up touching the edges of so many challenging and energising topics. We explore the thin line that divides honouring our authenticity and finding agreement, fight or flight reactions in the face of discrimination, and the societal structures that influence workshops. So, if you’re looking for an episode to warm your cockles, brighten your spark of inspiration, and push you to step further into growing as a facilitator… Enjoy!
Find out about: ● Why a black and white view of online vs. in-person events is reductive and harmful ● The three ingredients that can make or break online workshops ● How Sara prioritises the ‘three Rs’ of facilitation in her workshop ● Why we need to be mindful of organisational and societal pressures at play in all workshop ● How to combine digital tools to create a flow of sensitive and emotive information
Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. Click here to download the free 1-page summary. A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners! Questions and Answers [02:27] Over the last two years, what has emerged for you about facilitation? Has anything changed? [05:48] How do you bring everything together and clear the distractions when facilitating online? [10:23] How do you choose or moderate your energy for a group - do you decide straight away or is it responsive? [12:04] Is this energetic modulation instinctive, or is it something you've learned? [15:50] Sara shares an incredible - and personal - story about experiencing and negotiating hostility and a 'heated' discussion. [23:33] How and where do you draw your line of personal autonomy and authority vs. the rest of the room? [28:14] How did you handle this situation in what was a relatively new online space (Zoom)? [34:19] How do you negotiate an environment in which everything is welcome, but certain behaviours aren't accepted? [38:47] What was the reaction when you questioned this person on their tone? [43:29] What would you like to carry forward from the last two years into the future of facilitation? [48:31] Was there anything else you wanted to share that we haven't discussed yet?
Connect to Sara: On LinkedIn On Instagram
| |||
| 03 Apr 2019 | 005 - Artistic Intelligence: The new Design Thinking? with Romas Stukenberg | 00:46:10 | |
In this episode, I speak with Romas Stukenberg, a graduate of the prestigious THNK school for creative leadership and founder of Artistic Intelligence, a creative consulting agency that helps leaders to tackle strategic challenges through artistic means. We talk about the difference between being creative and artistic. Our conversation dives deep into the topic of self-leadership and the role of individual courage for successful workshops. ✨✨✨ Subscribe to our newsletter for a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 100-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more: https://workshops.work/podcast ✨✨✨ Questions and Answers [00:56] If you were a hashtag. What would you be? [02:09] According to you, what is the biggest misconception about design and art? [03:33] According to you, what is the true value of a designer in the business world? [05:16] You started a project that you call “artistic intelligence” – AI. What is your story behind this project? [07:19] How difficult is it to get business people to answer “big existential questions” by using art as a tool? [08:35] The concept of “AI” addresses strategic questions with open ends - What are good examples? [09:18] What is the difference between artistic and creative? [10:55] To what extent does artistic intelligence differ from Design Thinking? [11:57] Is AI then about slowing down? [13:45] In your AI workshops, is it the mindset and philosophy of art you apply or do participants also get their “hands dirty”? [15:17] To what extent are business leaders ready for this jump? [18:08 How do you converge the group towards results after the artistic exploration? [22:17] What is the impact of the physical workshop space on the dynamics? [23:09] What do the artists who facilitate your sessions differently compared to facilitators from the usual business environment? [24:49] In a review of one of your workshops I read that you ask participants to explore their fears. What can we find in our fears that would reveal our strengths? [29:30] How do you make sure to those who might judge themselves as not being creative enough? [32:28] What would be for you a “meaningful closure” of a workshop? [34:46] What can you do to avoid a “biased” group check-out? [36:07] What would be the transformation for a team due to artistic intelligence? [37:31] What makes a workshop work? [38:54] What can a facilitator do to assure that the quality of space is maintained? [41:30] What is the nutshell you would like the audience to take home? [42:04] How do you encourage courage? Related links you may want to check out:
| |||
| 08 Mar 2022 | 155 - Facilitating and Moderating Audio-only Rooms with Leanne Hughes | 01:04:25 | |
We communicate with our words, our bodies, our facial expressions, our posture, our movements, and much more. So, what happens if a workshop is reduced to voices and nothing else? Are disagreements more likely? Does the structure change? How can we facilitate collaboration when most of our communicative senses are dulled? If there's anyone to answer these complex questions, it's Leanne Hughes! As the host of the First Time Facilitator podcast, a coach and guide to many facilitators, and a serial experimenter; Leanne knows a lot about exploring new ways to connect and facilitate. Enjoy this episode as we discuss everything from the technical logistics of audio-only facilitation to the deeper challenges of how we communicate.
Find out about: ● What changes and what stays the same when we facilitate audio-only conversations ● Why there are more 'hidden cultures' to watch out for in audio-only spaces ● How to double down on the principles of good facilitation and succeed without visual cues ● How the structure of the room changes - and how you need to respond ● What it might mean if participants choose to keep their camera off ● Why avoiding the 'expertise bubble' will help you appreciate your skills and progress
Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. Click here to download the free 1-page summary. Thanks to our sponsor Deckhive. Click here to find out more about the new platform for using card decks in online facilitation. Use the code workshopswork to get the first month for free.
Part one [01:39] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator - and do you still? [06:50] What’s your line between scripting and preparing for a workshop? [12:03] What comes after being a facilitator? [14:03] What is it about the word 'facilitator' that turns CEOs off working together? [18:04] Discussing 'filter bubbles' and overexposure to subject expertise. [20:19] How do we cope when body language is taken away? [24:20] Discussing Coffee Chat and how we use it in NDB. [26:27] What makes a successful audio-only space? [28:36] How can we set boundaries around interruptions and taking up space when participants join at all times? [30:09] What clues do we follow to understand the tone and expectations? Links Leanne’s website
On LinkedIn On Twitter
| |||
| 15 Mar 2022 | 156 - Adventure Education means Facilitating Vulnerability with Phil Brown | 01:10:40 | |
If you think of adventure education, do you imagine rock climbing, swinging from trees, and kayaking down flowing streams? For Phil Brown, Lead Trainer at High 5 Adventure Learning Centre, it looks more like overcoming vulnerability and supporting one’s peers. Adventure education is facilitation in action - literally. The act of exploring and adventuring stretches far beyond the physical experience and challenges us emotionally and socially. Phil joins me in this episode to share the facilitation lessons he’s learned from a career in adventure education.
Find out about: ● Why adventure education is about far more than physical challenges ● How to encourage risk-taking when you've worked hard to establish trust and psychological safety ● Why collective and individual growth happens when we share novel experiences ● How we each need different support structures around us to take risks - and how we can facilitate them ● What it means to be vulnerable in a shared space and the things it can teach us
Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.
Click here to download the free 1-page summary.
And if the idea of NeverDoneBefore 2021, the community of facilitators, caught your attention; click here to explore it in more detail! A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners! Exclusive offer from Facilitator Cards for workshops.work listeners you can get 15% off your entire purchase at shop.facilitator.cards by using code workshopswork.
Questions and Answers Part one [01:03] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator? [02:05] What advanced facilitation skills did you learn that changed your mind? [05:20] Why Phil struggles with a 'traditional' educator mindset. [10:06] Can you explain what adventure education is? [15:05] What happens if the physical challenge is entirely within a person's comfort zone? [21:15] When does the trust start to build - on the ground or in the air? [23:38] Can playful contexts teach us serious skills? [26:35] How do you find the right 'amount' of risk? How do you determine that balance? Links Vertical Playpen - High 5’s podcast hosted by Phil High 5’s website
On LinkedIn
| |||
| 22 Mar 2022 | 157 - Beyond Hybrid: Facilitating in the Phygital Space with Thomas de Ming | 01:18:07 | |
We meet online, we meet in-person, and sometimes we combine them to host hybrid meetings. But what happens when we bridge the gaps between physical and digital spaces and merge them together? Thomas de Ming is the person to ask - with his ongoing explorations of and research into 'phygital' meetings. The meteoric rise in popularity of the metaverse is plenty proof enough that more and more attention is being paid to what lies beyond 'hybrid'. It's an exciting space with huge potential, but plenty of question marks still to address. In this episode, we explore how to host workshops in liminal spaces, the costs and benefits of doing so, and the practicalities of making this nascent opportunity a common tool for facilitators to turn to.
Find out about: ● Why 'phygital' is nothing to do with 'hybrid', despite their concurrent rise in popularity ● The practical realities and common trapdoors when combing digital and physical spaces ● What we're missing when we talk about 'remote' work and why language matters ● Easy introductory exercises to explore 'phygital' collaboration ● How to manage and mitigate a workshop with mandated attendance ● How Thomas uses tangible thinking tools to expand his groups' ranges of perception
Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.
Click here to download the free 1-page summary. And if the idea of NeverDoneBefore 2021, the community of facilitators, caught your attention; click here to explore it in more detail! Thanks to our sponsor Deckhive. Click here to find out more about the new platform for using card decks in online facilitation. Use the code workshopswork to get the first month for free.
Questions and Answers Part one [01:20] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator? [02:10] What have you learned from TV and radio that informs your work today? [08:03] I think of you as the person who comes up with new names - does that feel like you? [12:46] What changes when you facilitate a range process, rather than a change process? [15:32] That brings us to our topic for today: the 'phygital'. [17:58] Can you give an example of a phygital space in action? [21:24] It sounds like a great way to skill-share and to create new levels of abstraction? [23:19] How much syncing work is needed beforehand? [25:17] Could you do this tandem exercise with two people? [26:53] What's the difference here between remote, hybrid, and phygital spaces? [30:12] What is the benefit of bringing physical elements into our solely digital spaces? [35:03] What are we overestimating about hybrid and underestimatong about phygital? [40:45] What is the difference between a digital twin and a humatar? Links - Connect to Thomas: On LinkedIn On Twitter
| |||
| 10 Apr 2019 | 006 - What managers can learn from the clown with Steph Kinsch | 00:42:16 | |
In this episode, I talk to Stephan Kinsch, a trained chartered accountant who turned into a TEDx speaker, successful executive coach, opened the circus Zaltimbanq and runs a clown school. Others say about Steph that “he doesn’t take himself seriously but does things very seriously.” We talk about similarities between the circus and meetings and what circus directors can teach managers and facilitators about structuring effective working sessions. This interview may change the way you thought about breaks and teach you how to better leverage their value. Steph guides us through several exercises that help participants connect and open up. Don’t miss the part when Steph shares what he learned in a business meeting that he now applies in his clown workshops (and I witnessed the effectiveness myself). The clown will surely inspire you to think of meetings differently and help you design workshops that work. Related links you may want to check out:
Connect to Steph Kinsch:
| |||
| 29 Mar 2022 | 158 - Facilitation Beyond the Workshop with Marilyn Zakhour | 01:04:45 | |
What will the most successful teams look like in the future of work? How is consultancy changing? How can businesses improve their knowledge management and sharing? Believe it or not, Marilyn Zakhour and I manage to fit all of these topics (and several more) into this episode. Marilyn is a fascinating person - from her multi-hyphenate career to her ease of conversation. Since 2020, when she left her role as Head of Dubai Opera, she has been working with top executives to help them step into the future of work and prioritise collaboration over co-location. Our wide-ranging conversation about big ideas felt more like a casual chat with a friend - and there are plenty more seats at the table for you to join us.
● Why consultancy is increasingly about change and project management ● How the best remote teams embrace newness, rather than replicate tradition ● Why context is an essential precursor to outcomes in a workshop ● What happens when participant hear you use buzzwords and acronyms ● How Marilyn designs her workshop debriefs to encourage long-lasting behavioural change ● What great information management looks like in businesses (including facilitation ones!) Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. Click here to download the free 1-page summary. A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners! Exclusive offer from Facilitator Cards for workshops.work listeners you can get 15% off your entire purchase at shop.facilitator.cards by using code workshopswork.
Part one [01:35] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator - in fact, do you? [03:57] What's the switch been like between management and facilitation? [09:24] How do you help clients bridge that gap between knowing and doing after a workshop? [11:56] Do you find that all managers receive well the prompt that they've forgotten something? [17:11] When do you determine that a project is finished? And when did your consulting business become an 'interim management' business? [19:23] This sounds a lot like change management - would you say that's accurate? [22:22] How many people affected by the outcome of a workshop can you legitimately include in said workshop? Isn't there a tipping point? [25:44] What makes a workshop or project fail? [27:19] What's the cost of a failed workshop? [27:59] What would your advice be to a facilitator whose workshop has just failed? Links Cosmic Centaurs website Cosmic Centaurs LinkedIn page Aion Teams website
| |||
| 05 Apr 2022 | 159 - The role of facilitation when the world seems to fall apart with Quanita Roberson and Tenneson Woolf | 01:01:31 | |
In times of strife - whether it’s a global health crisis or our neighbours at war - what role does facilitation play? Can we hope to change the world one workshop at a time? These are challenging questions with wide-ranging consequences, but I can think of few facilitators better equipped to answer them than Quanita Roberson and Tenneson Woolf. Both have been guests on this show previously, but never together. Quanita and Tenneson’s Fire and Water Leadership Journey is a programme that shapes wise leaders, prioritising emotional healing and practices including Being the Circle Way, Story, Art of Hosting, Life Coaching, and Presentations of Learnings. Join us as we explore the ever-increasing need for inner work, what it means to lead, and how we can use facilitation to serve our communities in troubled times.
Find out about: ● Understanding the role of facilitation in times of crisis ● How to handle leadership in times of crisis - and how to handle bullies ● Why turning to each other might feel nice, but turning to ourselves matters more ● The dangers of inviting a group to a place that we have not been to ourselves ● Why facilitation tools will always be secondary to presence and inner work ● What happens when we prioritise witnessing, rather than discussing
Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. Click here to download the free 1-page summary. Thanks to our sponsor Deckhive. Click here to find out more about the new platform for using card decks in online facilitation. Use the code workshopswork to get the first month for free.
Questions and Answers [02:57] What is the role of facilitation in such troubled times? [05:57] Tenneson contributes his perspective on the same question. [13:57] How much is the global crisis of escalation a reflection of inner strife? [17:54] Does having more comfort in our values and belief systems make us less inclined to explode at things? [19:11] Tenneson responds to the same question. [24:04] Almost nobody wakes up in the morning with a plan to be a bully or an asshole. So how do we facilitate the conversation when it happens accidentally? [34:24] In our daily encounters, we have the choice to avoid escalation - but how do we know when to do so or not? [37:37] What do you rely on to invite a group to turn to themselves before each other? [44:32] How do we get each other to open up and be vulnerable, so we can experience that magical connective power of intimate trust? [49:48] How do we hold and balance space for big topics that might affect some participants more than others? [55:38] What would you say to the audience, as a final reflection of this conversation? [57:10] Quanita answers the same question. [1:00:33] What question would you like the audience to ask themselves as this episode ends?
Quanita’s website Tenneson’s website
| |||
| 16 Apr 2019 | 007 - Mindset Management with Jeremy Akers | 00:47:54 | |
In this episode, I talk to Jeremy Akers, an agnostic agile coach, trainer and public speaker. He accompanies businesses through their agile transformation with Wemanity and is associated with Instituut Core, an institute for management training programs. Jeremy and I speak about the facilitator’s mindset and what it means to be fully present in a workshop. He shares how he deals with his own discomfort and why it is important to share feelings of discomfort with the group. Tune in to hear about deep-democracy and techniques we can apply to decision-making processes that include everyone’s perspective without derailing into unproductive discussions. Don’t miss the part when Jeremy explains why he prefers hand-voting over dot-voting. This conversation will surely inspire you to explore your own areas of discomfort and will help you design workshops that work.
[1:23] What does “agnostic agile” mean? [3:12] How did you become an agile coach? [7:19] How would you apply your concept of awareness to a group context? [7:35] How do you teach awareness? [12:40] What is the mindset according to you that you need as a facilitator? [15:30] How did you train for being able to be fully present with the group? [18:50] Would you apply a different method to provide a safe space when you work with individuals or with a group? [20:10] How can you become better in being fully present? [22:33] What reaction do you get when you share your discomfort with the participants? [27:11] What makes workshops fail? [28:44] How do you snap the group out of an unproductive back and forth of arguments? [34:26] How do you walk the thin line between providing safe space by agreeing and being the sparring partner who challenges the ideas of the group? [37:56] How can we get to a clear decision while “yes ending” each other? [40:43] How do you make sure that you get all concerns on the table? [43:35] When it comes to voting, what are the pros and cons of different techniques? [46:00] If our listeners fell asleep and just woke up, what shall they take away? Links we mentioned during the conversation:
| |||
| 12 Apr 2022 | 160 - How to Build a Facilitation Business with Mireille Beumer | 01:08:46 | |
Facilitation is a lot of things: we’d all agree on and understand it as a verb. Many of us would identify it as a profession. But how many of us understand it as a business? Mireille Beumer wasn’t always in the business of facilitation. Yes, she was a freelancer offering facilitation services, but it took a little while longer for her to step into entrepreneurship and create her facilitation business. It might seem like pedantic semantics, but it’s a crucial difference. Learn what it means to create a facilitation business, rather than being a solo facilitator in this episode... and learn how Mireille did it herself!
Find out about: ● Mireille's journey of turning facilitation from a verb to a profession to a business ● The building blocks for creating a facilitation business ● Why asking for help brings success, but uncritically accepting advice doesn’t ● How a freelance facilitator operates differently to a facilitation business ● Why it is a folly to try and sell your 'human' services to businesses ● What Mireille recommends if you aren’t sure where to start with entrepreneurship
Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. Click here to download the free 1-page summary. A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners! Exclusive offer from Facilitator Cards for workshops.work listeners you can get 15% off your entire purchase at shop.facilitator.cards by using code workshopswork.
Questions and Answers Part one [01:46] What has happened since you were last on the show, late in 2019, and how have you navigated the pandemic? [05:05] How did you come to build your facilitation business? What comes next? [06:56] Would you consider LinkedIn as the main source of your work? [11:36] Who are the clients you attract? And how did this shift in the pandemic? [17:05] How did you first get started as a facilitation business owner? It can seem so huge and impossible to begin, from the outside. [21:44] Did you purposefully create your personal brand and niche, or did it emerge naturally over time? [26:41] Staying consistent and coherent with your branding. [28:20] The need for education, innovation, and evolution rather than revolution. Links Episode 30 - featuring Mireille! Mireille’s website Connect to Mireille: On LinkedIn On Instagram
| |||
| 19 Apr 2022 | 161 - Workshops are the Conflict Playground for Real Life with Ez Bridgman | 01:04:48 | |
Intersectionality is a fundamental part of facilitation - and a common topic on this podcast - but, usually, we discuss it in relation to other professional disciplines. It’s high time we looked at how facilitation can influence our personal lives, in our deepest and dearest relationships. Ez Bridgman, creative experience designer and playful vitality proponent, joins this episode to discuss playfulness, vulnerability, and conflict. And, of course, how facilitation can be a guiding light through all those complexities in our relationships. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. And if the idea of NeverDoneBefore 2021, the community of facilitators, caught your attention; click here to explore it in more detail! Thanks to our sponsor Deckhive. Click here to find out more about the new platform for using card decks in online facilitation. Use the code workshopswork to get the first month for free. Questions and Answers Part one [01:19]When did you start calling yourself a facilitator? Connect to Ez: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 24 Apr 2019 | 008 - How to handle ineffective power differences in meetings with Marcel van de Hoef | 00:49:53 | |
In this episode, I talk to Marcel van de Hoef, a journalist, coach, and podcaster. Marcel hosts The Meeting Strategist podcast and helps leaders to transmit their mission through mass communication formats. Everything he does has to do with communication, so we talk about power structures in conversations and namely in meetings and workshops. Don’t miss the part when Marcel shared his experience being an editor in chief at age 22 and what he would do differently today. The conversation will inspire you to reduce unproductive power in workshops to make them work. [2:28] How did you get interested in the topic of power? What’s your story? [12:01] How would you define “unproductive power differences”? [14:33] How can we avoid the negative impact of power differences? [16:05] So power differences are not necessarily tied to differences in a hierarchy? [18:00] In the context of professional gatherings, how can you make participants become aware of such power differences? [22:21] When you feel power differences, how can you get participants to share information without risking the safe space? [27:27] Do you have a trick that helps those in power to lower their guards in meetings or workshops? [33:01] What is the role of ego in power games? [35:51] What is the magic ingredient that distinguishes a good from a bad meeting? [38:18] How can you keep the balance between contributing, connecting and time boxing in a meeting with a tight agenda? [47:26] If a listener just woke up and missed the core part of the show, what do you want them to remember? Related links you may want to check out:
Connect to Marcel:
| |||
| 26 Apr 2022 | 162 - Facilitating Self Development at Work with Prototype You with Kristiaan Hartmann and Wouter Smeets | 01:26:02 | |
Supporting employee self-development isn’t a sacrifice for organisations. In fact, it is often a precursor to the organisation’s own growth and progress. In Kristiaan Hartman and Wouter Smeets, we have two of the best people possible to discuss self-development in the workplace - and its impacts throughout organisations. As the founders of Prototype You, Kristiaan and Wouter have been facilitating self-development programmes within organisations since 2018. Safe to say, they have plenty of insights to share about how facilitation can help us design better (perfect?) roles, workspaces, and even careers!
And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners! Exclusive offer from Facilitator Cards for workshops.work listeners! You can get 15% off your entire purchase at shop.facilitator.cards by using code workshopswork.
Part one Links Connect to Kristiaan and Wouter: Wouter on LinkedIn Kristiaan on LinkedIn
| |||
| 03 May 2022 | 163 - What do we facilitate for? A philosophical conversation with Dov Tsal | 01:05:24 | |
Why do we facilitate? Who are we, as facilitators? Is shared understanding a goal? Dov Tsal - Tao-inspired coach, mentor, and facilitator - is not one to shy away from the deep and challenging philosophical questions of our craft. In fact, he’s usually the one asking them! This was certainly the case in this episode - which is more of a conversation than an interview. We examine the role, purpose, and objectives of facilitators and explore the boundaries of our work and being. An unmissable, unique episode for enquiring minds of facilitation. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. And if the idea of NeverDoneBefore 2021, the community of facilitators, caught your attention; click here to explore it in more detail! Thanks to our sponsor Deckhive. Click here to find out more about the new platform for using card decks in online facilitation. Use the code workshopswork to get the first month for free. Questions and Answers Part one Links Connect to Dov: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 10 May 2022 | 164 - Facilitating the Emergence of Possibilities & Breakthroughs with Kimberly Wiefling | 01:22:13 | |
We all hope to facilitate breakthroughs - those “a-ha” moments when participants have a lightbulb over their heads, ideas synthesise, and new ideas emerge. But we can’t legislate and plan for them, can we? Of course, there are no guarantees... but Kimberly Wiefling (and her approach to facilitation) is as close to a guarantee as you can get! Join us in this episode as we discuss failure, emergence, workshop design, behavioural economics, language, and many more topics by way of some deeply personal reflections and storytelling. It’s a wondrous episode! Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners! And if the idea of NeverDoneBefore 2021, the community of facilitators, caught your attention; click here to explore it in more detail! Questions and Answers Part one Kimberly’s website Kimberly’s team Kimberly’s business Two pages full of Kimberly’s free videos, articles, and templates
| |||
| 01 May 2019 | 009 - Make Conflict Your Ally In Workshops with Meg Mateer | 00:48:25 | |
In this episode, I talk to Megan Mateer, former corporate strategy consultant and now founder, facilitator, and changemaker. She founded Empatiko, a movement that aims to be a catalyst for human connection in the workplace and therefore accompanies organizations through that cultural transformation. Meg and I talk about conflict in group settings and how to use conflict as an opportunity for insight, clarity and connection in the context of workshops. You will hear about the difference between healthy and unhealthy conflict and how to deal with the latter when it arises in different shapes. Also, we speak about another form of conflict in the workshop space: a conflict between the facilitator and the group. Don’t miss the part where Meg runs us through the process of avoiding conflict by using the example of someone coming late to a meeting. Tune in to learn tools to make healthy conflict your ally and avoid unhealthy conflict from derailing so that your workshops work. ✨✨✨ Subscribe to our newsletter for a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more: https://workshops.work/podcast ✨✨✨ Questions and Answers [1:20] How did you get from being a corporate strategy consultant to becoming the founder of Empatiko. [6:55] When you say that conflict can create a connection, what do you mean by that? [7:51] What are the elements that trigger conflict? [9:00] Would you say that we most often ignore conflict to then deny it when it comes up? [10:41] Since conflict is triggered by differences in assumptions, values and needs, how do you deal with conflict once it comes up? [11:53] Would you explicitly ask self-reflection questions in the workshop space when you feel that there is conflict? [16:52] At the moment you feel “an elephant in the room”, how would you deal with it? [19:28] Why don’t you walk us through the concept of non-violent communication? [24:45] As this doesn’t sound like “conflict” anymore to me, how would you actually define conflict and how do you avoid conflict to derail into something unhealthy? [27:32] How do you deal with what you call “explosive conflict”? [30:21] Would you then call a break when conflict arises and how would you then continue? [31:56] How can we deal with a situation when the conflict is about us as facilitators? [37:14] Coming back to the resolution of conflict among participants, how can you use the energy created by the conflict? [41:46] What is your favourite exercise that usually works? [43:17] For what kind of topic would you use the framework of the fishbowl? [44:34] How would you finish the sentence: “Workshops fail if…” [45:17] What would you like the listener to remember who fell asleep after minute one? [46:42] If someone wants to reach out, connect to or work with you, how can they find you? Related links you may want to check out:
| |||
| 17 May 2022 | 165 - How to Design and Facilitate Thriving Communities with Anamaria Dorgo | 01:20:00 | |
Creating, maintaining, and growing a community is not for the faint-hearted. It’s an ongoing process of trial and error that requires a huge amount of commitment. But, if you can get it right, you will see the value and joy it can bring. As the curator of NeverDoneBefore - a relatively new community - I’ve started to geek out on all things community-based. This episode is the culmination of this obsessive interest, as I speak with Anamaria Dorgo - Head of Community for Butter and founder of L&D Shakers - about what it takes to curate a true community. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Thanks to our sponsor Deckhive. Click here to find out more about the new platform for using card decks in online facilitation. Use the code workshopswork to get the first month for free. Exclusive offer from Facilitator Cards for workshops.work listeners you can get 15% off your entire purchase at shop.facilitator.cards by using code workshopswork. Questions and Answers Part one Links Connect to Anamaria: On LinkedIn On Twitter
| |||
| 24 May 2022 | 166 - Scribing: A Social Art and Facilitative Practice with Kelvy Bird | 01:21:38 | |
Kelvy has been a scribe for almost 30 years - there are few people better placed to share insights and reflections on the discipline & its impact on collaborative work. Scribing is far more than ‘just’ drawing pictures or transcribing speech, as Kelvy explains with perfect clarity & engaging spirit in this episode. Find out about:
Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. Download the free 1-page summary, to keep key points of this episode to hand. And if the idea of NeverDoneBefore 2021, the community of facilitators, caught your attention; click here to explore it in more detail! A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners! Questions and Answers
| |||
| 31 May 2022 | 167- The Art of Process Design - A live conversation | 01:17:33 | |
Process is a personal thing. We all have different ways of preparing workshops and designing their structure and flow. When process design is so specific to each facilitator, is it possible to find a middle ground or a central truth? That’s the crux of this episode - which isn’t a normal episode! We recorded one of Michelle Howard’s NeverDoneBefore Seedlings sessions, following the group’s workshop on ‘process’. Jimbo Clark and I were the guests, as Michelle facilitated a conversation exploring our perspectives on process design, interspersed with questions from the Seedlings group. It came together to be an examination of the core principles of process design, and the vast number of ways they can be expressed. See the process behind our process and share in our learnings from this fascinating, riveting, and challenging experience. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Questions and Answers Part one Links More details about the Seedlings programme Connect to Michelle and Jimbo: Michelle on LinkedIn Jimbo on LinkedIn
| |||
| 07 Jun 2022 | 168 - How to Build your Real-Time Community Space with Daniel Liebeskind | 01:19:28 | |
Community is on the rise. It was just a few episodes ago that I spoke with Anamaria Dorgo about facilitating communities, but in this episode I’m looking further into the future. What do communities look like in the metaverse? Can we connect in digital spaces? What needs to change or emerge for us to find community in virtual or augmented reality? Daniel Liebeskind is just the person to address this question, as the co-founder and CEO of Topia. In such a nascent industry, Daniel is as experienced as anybody. Topia launched in 2020 and is at the forefront of world-building and virtual communities. Join us for a conversation that touches everything from facilitation and design to NFTs and decentralisation. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Questions and Answers Part one Links Topia’s website Connect to Daniel: On LinkedIn On Twitter
| |||
| 14 Jun 2022 | 169 - Facilitating with the Awareness of Cultural Background with Cynthia Umurungi | 01:14:42 | |
Cynthia Umurungi is a storyteller who gives a human voice to African organisations and businesses. Her voice is one I have wanted to share on this podcast for a long time - and not only because I have underrepresented voices of African heritage so far on this podcast. Cynthia’s work delicately combines storytelling and creativity with deep empathy and insights. In this episode, we explore the challenges of facilitating in a culture that isn’t your own, how team dynamics change across cultures, and how Western ideas of facilitation can falter in a non-Western workshop. Broaden your horizons with this incredibly insightful, energetic episode! Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Questions and Answers Part one Connect to Cynthia: On LinkedIn On Twitter
| |||
| 21 Jun 2022 | 170 - Psychological Safety: The soil, not the seed with Romy Alexandra | 01:20:37 | |
Psychological safety rose on a wave of popularity in recent years. It became the flavour of the month and everyone had an idea about how to ‘add it’ into workshops. But psychological safety is the bedrock of successful workshops, not an optional bolt-on. When we see at as an added extra, not an essential foundation, we discredit the group and risk the success of their workshop. Join me and Romy Alexandra for a deep dive into the meaning of psychological safety, what we each have to give to receive it, and the challenges it can present in workshops of all shapes and sizes. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Connect to Romy: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 28 Jun 2022 | 171 - Playing with Intent with Susanne Heiss | 00:59:26 | |
Play is for kids, playgrounds, and light-hearted fun. It’s just not ‘the done thing’ in corporate settings, is it? If you speak with Susanne Heiss, you’ll soon see why play is so powerful - especially in the most straight-laced, professional spaces. In fact, you’ll quickly learn that professional and playful don’t have to be antonyms. A playful spirit and attitude can unlock new perspectives on old challenges and strengthen our connections to colleagues. It’s an underappreciated method for team-building and problem-solving. Thankfully, facilitators like Susanne are putting in the work to make play a priority for organisations of all shapes and sizes. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Susanne’s business, The Texturalists Connect to Susanne: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 05 Jul 2022 | 172 - Encounters with Uncertainty and: How to Integrate Neurodiversity with Matthew Bellringer | 01:31:00 | |
How many facilitators dream of a workshop in which everything goes exactly to plan? And how many facilitators have experienced that dream? The nature of our work means we enter a space of uncertainty from the minute we step into the room. For some, this might be a paralysing thought. Our desire for control is powerful and understandable. But for others, like Matthew Bellringer, uncertainty is an opportunity. Matthew’s work in centering and celebrating neurodiversity, problem-solving at scale, and finding new approaches to old challenges is a testament to what can happen when we embrace uncertainty. It’s likely he will have persauded plenty of listeners to feel the same way by the end of this episode. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Connect to Matthew: On LinkedIn On Twitter
| |||
| 08 May 2019 | 010 - Design and Facilitate Successful Strategy Workshops with Dirk Verburg | 00:44:11 | |
In this episode, I talk to Dirk Verburg, a management consultant and executive coach who has the mission to help leaders and management teams to implement their business strategies, business plans and strategic initiatives (such as important projects). We talk about how facilitators can structure workshops that enable participants to execute what they have committed to. We discuss how management teams can keep momentum when being back in their daily routines. In the show, Dirk shares interventions that will help the management team to follow through decided strategies and the role of leaders in that process. Don’t miss the part when Dirk explains how he handles the double role of being a consultant and a facilitator of strategic projects. This conversation will inspire you to design strategy workshops which participants will feel motivated to carry on. ✨✨✨ Subscribe to our newsletter for a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more: https://workshops.work/podcast ✨✨✨
[2:05] What is your story? [3:20] What makes strategies and business plans fail? [3:49] Do participants in your workshops usually have a clear idea already how the strategy looks like? [5:47] How would you approach such a discussion? Would it be a guided discussion with all team members around a table? [6:34] How often does it happen that the team hears the same words but understands something different? [7:12] If there is disagreement, how do you deal with the tension? [8:03] How do you secure the buy-in? [10:00] After you clarified disagreement and achieved buy-in, what is the next step to assure the follow-up after the workshop? [11:52] What are the next steps toward execution? [13:06] How do you collect the participants’ ideas regarding the specific translations of the strategy? And how do you make sure that everyone is contributing? [15:08] When participants work in pairs: how do you build these and will they remain the same over the duration of the workshop? [15:45] How do you get introverts to voice their opinions? [16:45] How do you deal with the bunch of action items? [19:28] How do you get the team to prioritize action items? [21:04] How do you then divide the tasks for execution? [22:16] Would that mean that the person who has an idea is in charge of the realization? [27:06] How do you get the team members to follow through with their responsibilities? [28:42] This sounds so easy in theory but the reality is that many managers have competing commitments. How do you coach the leader to assure progress? [34:22] How can you as a facilitator help the team to follow through and to make it fun to stick to the commitments? [37:06] How do you walk the line between being a facilitator and being a consultant? [38:49] How do you assure that the CEO doesn’t lose face in such situations? [39:33] I like to ask my podcast guests for a DIY exercise that always works, no matter what. What would be your contribution? [40:40] How do you finish the sentence: “Workshops f
| |||
| 12 Jul 2022 | 173 - It's Not About the Workshop - with Joeri – The Magic Sauce | 01:12:38 | |
Facilitation is such a broad brush with which to paint. Why is it, then, that so much of our work takes the form of workshops? Meeting our clients’ needs and desired outcomes requires a flexible approach - one that will sometimes take us beyond the workshop format. But what does that look like and how can we step into new ways of working? Joeri Schilders, founder of innovation specialists The Magic Sauce, is well versed in finding new ways to facilitate innovation and creativity. As you’ll soon hear for yourself in this episode, that experience has made him a goldmine of insights! Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links The Magic Sauce website The Magic Sauce YouTube channel Connect to Joeri: On LinkedIn On Instagram
| |||
| 19 Jul 2022 | 174 - Use Your Voice to Set the Tone with Joep Hegger | 01:07:04 | |
Before a workshop, training, or speech, which do you spend more time thinking about: what you will say or how you will say it? Joep Hegger would argue that your voice — your tonality and delivery — are just as critical to successful communication as the words you use. And he has plenty of research to back this up! In this episode, Joep and I explore the enormous power of vocal training and the impact an intentionally projected voice can have on outcomes. This feels like a topic we will hear much more about in the future — you can get ahead of the trend and add it to your repertoire with this episode! Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links The Vocal Coach website Connect to Joep: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 26 Jul 2022 | 175 - The Meaning of Presence in Facilitation - A Group Conversation | 01:09:36 | |
Presence — it sounds like a simple concept, but it is littered with deeper questions. Does our presence change when we are in a physical workshop or an online one? How can we work with a group that lacks presence? Can we push ourselves to be more present? To interrogate this challenging topic, we need a special format. This episode is a live recording of a NeverDoneBefore Seedling forum — our incubator for budding facilitators who are guided towards hosting their own NDB workshops at the festival. Facilitated by Michelle Howard and featuring Oscar Trimboli and Lily Gros, this episode explores what it means to be present as a facilitator, how we can influence our sense of presence, and what our limits are. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Connect to Oscar, Lily, and Michelle: Oscar on LinkedIn Lily on LinkedIn Michelle on LinkedIn
| |||
| 02 Aug 2022 | 176 - Facilitating Feelings or: Creating Magic with Card Decks with Nick Kellet | 01:17:42 | |
Games or card decks are often used as fun activities in workshops. They’re seen as good tools for keeping a group energised and interested… but they can also be a tool for connection and communication. Nick Kellet, the founder of Deckible, understands the power the right game can have in group settings. Whether it’s giving participants new ways of expressing themselves or creating a container for a specific conversation, Nick knows how to use games and card decks to best effect. I wanted to speak with Nick to explore the deeper value of games, play, and cards — beyond being fun activities — to really understand how we can facilitate feelings and create magic. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Connect to Nick: On LinkedIn On Twitter On Instagram
| |||
| 09 Aug 2022 | 177 - What Love Has To Do With Facilitation with Lorenz Sell | 01:11:19 | |
Love is wonderful, it’s all around. Love is the finest thing in the world… but what’s it got to do with facilitation? Spend and hour with Lorenz Sell and you’ll see the many threads that connect love and facilitation together. From creating connection and honest communication to presence and validation — facilitators may as well be love incarnate! Lorenz and I discuss a range of themes in this episode, from the nitty-gritty of learning and sharing to the beautiful soft light of love and attention. Conversation with Lorenz flows so lightly and thoughtfully, this episode is equally perfect for a candle-lit Saturday night or a slow summer Sunday morning. Enjoy it — whichever way you choose to listen. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Connect to Lorenz: On LinkedIn On Twitter
| |||
| 16 Aug 2022 | 178 - Facilitating Transformation: A Conversation between Utopia and Reality with Douglas Breitbart | 01:11:58 | |
When you think of business transformation, what do you picture? Expensive consultants armed with long presentations and a briefcase of jargon? Or a voluntary grassroots movement of trust, equity, and contractual safety within an organisation? Douglas Breitbart sees it one way and one way only. You may be able to guess which method gets his vote. This episode was hugely refreshing and inspiring. Douglas’ conviction and confidence in the power of internally led transformation projects — and the methods required to facilitate them effectively — are a blueprint for the agile and empathetic businesses of the future. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links 2BElemental, Douglas’ coaching, insights, and collaboration business Being In Systems, Douglas’ emergence facilitation business The Values Foundation, Douglas’ value-alignment business Connect to Douglas: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 23 Aug 2022 | 179 - Facilitation as a Diplomatic Skill in (Peace) Negotiations with Ron Ton | 01:22:31 | |
There are few spaces in which facilitation skills have a greater impact than diplomacy, yet conversations connecting the two are rare. This episode changes that. With over 30 years of experience in mediation and mediation training, Ron Ton has unique and unparalleled insights to share. Explore the incredible world of diplomacy, negotiation, and mediation with one of its pre-eminent experts. Tune in to learn how facilitation skills intersect across Ron’s work—and how his approach has changed over time. And, as a separate note, this is one of my first in-person recordings in 2+ years. What a joy! Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Connect to Ron: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 30 Aug 2022 | 180 - How to Use (Video) Games as Medium to Facilitate Learning with Mohsin Memon | 01:05:57 | |
Mohsin Memon is a gaming expert—but he’s not spending his days playing shoot ‘em ups. Mohsin’s expertise lies at the crossroads of learning and gaming, where he spends his time creating immersive experiences and teaching others how to do the same. Our conversation in this episode was a speed-run of all things experiential learning, from the nuts-and-bolts details of what makes a game enjoyable, to the more cerebral questions around ‘fair play’ and childhood experiences. If you’re interested in alternative approaches to learning, novel applications of facilitation skills, or adapting your methods to the needs of the group—you’re going to thoroughly enjoy this episode. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Gamitar - The company Mohsin represents. This is also the official publisher of the games. Evivve - The Leadership Game - A game designed for virtual and physical facilitated learning experiences on a range of leadership competencies. Connect to Mohsin: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 06 Sep 2022 | 181 - The Facilitator as a Difficultator - New Perspectives and old Concepts with Tobias Mayer | 01:13:41 | |
Tobias Mayer’s experience as a scrum master has taken him around the world and across the upper echelons of the biggest names in tech. Those 20+ years have taught him a lot, but perhaps more importantly, have provoked some challenging questions. In this episode, we discuss a bit of everything! We challenge assumptions, we question the unquestionable, and we explore what it takes to facilitate change. A clue: it’s rarely comfort or ease! If you’re curious about facilitating change in a meaningful and sustainable way and want to pick up some extra tools to help you in the process, this episode will be one you come back to time and time again. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Tobias’ website Connect to Tobias: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 13 Sep 2022 | 182 - On Purpose: A Client’s Perspective on a Facilitated Project with Sandy Wilson | 01:20:54 | |
What is it like to be on ‘the other side' of the workshop — to be a participant or a client? This podcast has always focused on conversations with facilitators, but perspectives from clients are just as valuable for understanding our work and processes. Hence, why this episode features Sandy Wilson, Director of Culture and Learning at Insights Learning and Development. In 2021, Insights initiated a company-wide facilitated LEGO Serious Play project, dubbed ‘On Purpose’. I’m shocked that it’s taken me 182 episodes to host an episode from the clients perspective, but it was more than worth the wait. Enjoy a bounty of unique and unmissable insights in this episode. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Connect to Sandy: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 20 Sep 2022 | 183 - The Secret to Engaging Virtual Meetings with John Chen | 01:18:57 | |
We’ve had plenty of opportunities to practice online facilitation since 2020, but have we reached a plateau? Has complacency crept in? John Chen has been hosting (and training others to host) engaging virtual meetings for longer than many of us have even thought about them! He’s the perfect candidate to discuss this topic. John joins me in this episode to discuss the magic ingredients of online facilitation — and why an overemphasis on tech and tools has led to us abandoning deeper personal and interpersonal engagement. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Author of Engaging Virtual Meetings, published by Wiley and Sons click for a FREE ticket to my Engaging Virtual Meetings Conference, every October. Connect to John: On LinkedIn On Facebook On YouTube On Twitter On Instagram
| |||
| 15 May 2019 | 011 - How to Design Brainstorming Sessions for Huge Groups with Frans Scheepens | 00:53:07 | |
In this episode, I talk to Frans Scheepens, a brainstorm designer, entrepreneur and certified facilitator. We talk about conducting brainstorming sessions with very large groups as he has designed and facilitated groups with up to 650 participants. Frans founded Brainfuel a company that helps groups to generate many ideas that will solve important problems. Don’t miss the part when Frans explains why brainstorming sessions have such a bad reputation and what you can do to deliver brainstorming workshops that work. ✨✨✨ Subscribe to our newsletter for a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more: https://workshops.work/podcast ✨✨✨
[1:16] If you were a hashtag, what would it be? [1:28] How do you define ‘brainstorming’? [2:08] Is a brainstorming just a nice concept for a meeting without agenda? [2:59] Where does the bad reputation of brainstorming come from? [4:05] What questions qualify for a brainstorm? [6:25] When you advice to include ‘people from the outside’ in the session, who do you mean? [7:28] Is there an optimum number of people to include in a brainstorming session? [8:47] How do you avoid outsiders to create resistance regarding their ideas? [9:43] Would you give participants homework for the preparation of the brainstorm? [11:25] What is your favourite icebreaker/ check-in exercise? [13:00] How much time would you consider for such an exercise? [14:23] What is a ‘daring brainstorm’? [14:46] What’s the maximum size of a brainstorm session you did? [15:18] Who would facilitate these sub-teams? [17:00] How do you manage distraction for such a large group? [18:30] What would you advise on how to deal with distraction or side-talk during a session? [22:39] What is the perspective that you need to empathize with when designing such brainstorming sessions? [25:55] What is a ‘brain-dump’? [27:33] What is your method of brainstorming? [28:18] Can you walk us through the superhero method? [32:06] In a very operational way, what is your approach to brainstorming? [39:46] How do you choose the best ideas? [44:37] How do the sub-groups then share their results with each other? [45:59] To what extent does the facilitator has a responsibility on the follow-up of the brainstorming session? [47:02] Would you also engage in the follow-up? [51:00] What makes workshops work? [51:38] What shall someone, who missed the last 50 minutes, takeaway from the show? [52:32] How can interested listeners get in touch with you? Related links you may want to check out:
| |||
| 27 Sep 2022 | 184 - Heart connections in the corporate world with Breeze Dong | 01:10:45 | |
Ask a group of leaders about heart connections in their organisations and you will likely be met with raised eyebrows and doubtful looks. Their loss—and Breeze Dong’s gain, as a veritable expert in heart connections in the context of organisational development. Breeze joins me in this episode to unravel the concept of heart connections—explaining what the phrase really means, how companies benefit from encouraging heart connections, and how they’re more important than ever in an age of uncertainty. It’s a fascinating insight into deep truths that might otherwise be dismissed as ‘woowoo’ when taken by name alone. Learn about facilitating inner, outer, and networked connections from a place of meaning in this episode. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Connect to Breeze: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 04 Oct 2022 | 185 - Facilitation in Movement - Improvising into Growth with Tom Goldhand | 01:26:41 | |
Dance—especially improvised dance—is an arena for deep vulnerability, connection, and growth. It requires careful and considered facilitation, as you may have guessed! Enter, Tom Goldhand! Tom helps participants understand themselves and each other through the power of dance and authentic movement. Perhaps most impressive is how Tom can apply his skills in business settings, offering unique workshops for groups and companies to move their way into new ways of thinking. We had a lot to discuss, which might not surprise you, but we managed to fit so much into this episode. Step up to the stage and enjoy the rhythm of our conversation. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Tom’s website Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Connect to Tom: On LinkedIn On Instagram
| |||
| 11 Oct 2022 | 186 - Narrative Models in Exformative Design and Facilitation with Francis Laleman | 01:00:21 | |
Some episodes of this podcast have an extremely tight focus — a specific topic, inspected under scrutiny. Some episodes are like walks through a beautiful park, stopping and admiring different beautiful moments and places. My conversation with Francis Laleman — a trainer-of-trainers, a facilitation teacher, and an excellent facilitator in his own right — was most certainly one in the latter category. We spent an hour or so weaving our way through big questions and small curiosities. It was a joy and an opportunity for both of us to think more deeply about the fundamentals of our work. Explore the depths of change, the art of not doing anything, and the hidden designs we create in our lives and work. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Visit Francis’ website. Connect to Francis: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 18 Oct 2022 | 187 - The Seasons of Facilitation with Barbara Pedersen | 01:48:31 | |
Some of you who listen to this episode will not have been alive for 30 years, which gives Barb Pedersen the wonderful claim that she’s been facilitating since before you were born! Not that she would boast in such a way; Barb’s approach is informed by humility, curiosity, and positivity (as you will quickly come to learn in this episode). Those tenets have served her brilliantly in her three decades of facilitation and, you may not be surprised to hear, she has seen a lot of change in that time. This episode was our opportunity to zoom out and look at the macro changes in facilitation over the course of a working life — as well as the constants and evergreen skills. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Barb’s website Connect to Barbara: On LinkedIn On Twitter On Instagram
| |||
| 25 Oct 2022 | 188 - How to Increase Accessibility of Online Workshops? with Marie Dubost | 01:15:02 | |
Accessibility — ensuring the spaces we create are open, welcoming, and easy for everyone to join — is a critical, but often neglected, issue in facilitation. It took the rise of online workshops to take accessibility from an afterthought to a main event. But this increased focus on accessibility, long overdue as it was, has proven to be to everyone’s benefit. A rising tide lifts all boats and more accessible workshops help everybody feel included. Marie Dubost has been shouting for accessibility in facilitated spaces for many years and it’s a joy to know that her voice is now being heard. In this episode, we focus on the specifics of how we can make our online workshops more accessible, whilst also touching on some broader reflections on facilitation and inclusivity. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Connect to Marie: On LinkedIn On Twitter
| |||
| 02 Nov 2022 | 189 - Facilitation as an Art of Accepting Offers with Robert Poynton | 01:25:40 | |
Improvisation seems to have an inescapable connection with facilitation. It’s a topic we’ve touched on many times in this podcast but, to really dig into its depths, it made sense to speak with the man who — quite literally — wrote the book on it! Robert Poynton is the multi-talented author of Do Improvise and Do Pause, creator of Yellow (a unique online learning programme), and the fabled On Your Feet experiential workshop studio. In this episode, we explore what it means to improvise — by saying no as much as yes, by learning to trust our embodied instinct and responsiveness, and by trusting that there are no wrong roads in the journey towards facilitating change. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.
Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Robert’s website The Everyday Improviser (online course) The Do Books: Do Improvise and Do Pause Yellow, Robert’s online learning programme
On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter
| |||
| 08 Nov 2022 | 190 - The Meaning of Courage in Facilitative Work with Roi Ben-Yehuda | 00:40:00 | |
Facilitation might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of courage — we do not charge valiantly into battle or wrestle wild animals! — but the closer one looks at it, the more the connection becomes visible. It takes courage to bring a group of people together and challenge them to grow and make progress. It takes courage to stand up and say “I will do this”. It takes courage to ask difficult questions. And it takes courage to get out of our own way — and the group’s. Roi Ben-Yehuda joins me in this episode to dissect what it means to facilitate with courage, why questions are the currency of the courageous, and what he’d plan to say if zombies attacked. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Next Arrow, Roi’s company Connect to Roi: On LinkedIn On Twitter
| |||
| 09 Nov 2022 | 190 - The Meaning of Courage in Facilitative Work with Roi Ben-Yehuda | 00:45:50 | |
Facilitation might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of courage — we do not charge valiantly into battle or wrestle wild animals! — but the closer one looks at it, the more the connection becomes visible. It takes courage to bring a group of people together and challenge them to grow and make progress. It takes courage to stand up and say “I will do this”. It takes courage to ask difficult questions. And it takes courage to get out of our own way — and the group’s. Roi Ben-Yehuda joins me in this episode to dissect what it means to facilitate with courage, why questions are the currency of the courageous, and what he’d plan to say if zombies attacked. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Next Arrow, Roi’s company Connect to Roi: On LinkedIn On Twitter
| |||
| 15 Nov 2022 | 191 - What would a Bachelors of Facilitation Contain? An exploration with Marcus Crow | 01:09:08 | |
As facilitation has grown in popularity and awareness over the last decade. And, as markets grow, dilution and variance begins to naturally occur. Marcus Crow has been pondering this issue for a while — chewing over formalization, authentication, and accreditation in our profession. An idea he wanted to explore more (and what better stage than this podcast?) is what a degree in facilitation might look like. Is facilitation something you can teach in an academic space? What disciplines and related fields would inform the curriculum? Where would our field trips take us? Head back to school with us in this curious and joyful episode! Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links 10,000 Hours — Marcus’ company Connect to Marcus: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 22 May 2019 | 012 - Put Your Meetings on the Wall: The Power of Visual Facilitation with Mathias Weitbrecht | 00:40:03 | |
In this episode, I talk to Mathias Weitbrecht, a visual facilitator and book author. When he started, 15 years ago, Mathias was one of the co-founders of visual facilitation in Germany. Mathias runs Visual Facilitators, a company that brings forth people’s potential by adding a new dimension to the process of collaboration – through visuals. We talk about the skillset facilitators need to use visuals in their workshops. And, you will learn that being artistic is not amongst them. ✨✨✨ Subscribe to our newsletter for a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more: https://workshops.work/podcast ✨✨✨ Questions and Answers [1:24] What brought you to the field of visual facilitation? [3:17] How can someone become a visual facilitator who cannot draw? [6:03] How can you make sure that the images you draw represent the content participants hear? [8:06] Can you facilitate and visualize at the same time? [11:09] Does the group you facilitate require specific skills, such as speaking in metaphors? [12:14] What is the skillset a visual facilitator needs? [14:38] How much background knowledge about the specific workshop topic do you need to visualize the minutes in real-time? [15:47] Are there specific workshop types that (dis-)qualify from visual facilitation? [16:40] Would you use this technique in your private environment? And, how do your counterparts react? [21:27] In an earlier conversation you mentioned that we cannot reduce complexity but only make it more digestible. Can you elaborate on that? [22:41] Is there a risk of over-simplifying? What are potential drawbacks of visual facilitation? [24:53] Does it happen that a group finds a completely new perspective on their issue through the visualization? [26:48] What are the exercises you would incorporate in your workshop design? [31:54] What is your advice to someone who wants to test the field of visual facilitation? [29:30] How do you perceive the risk of interpreting the content instead of translating it? How can the visual facilitator remain neutral? [32:43] What makes workshops work? [33:37] How do introverts react to visual facilitation? [34:42] What are you doing in workshops to get the energy back? [35:53] Do you use pen and paper or an iPad/ digital tools for visualization? [37:38] What shall the listener take away from our conversation? [38:42] How can we find you, reach out and hire you? Related links you may want to check out:
Other shows we mentioned:
| |||
| 22 Nov 2022 | 192 - Exploring Language Privilege in Facilitation with Florentine Versteeg | 01:15:08 | |
Language is messy. It comes with assumptions, uncertainties, and contradictions — but what else can we use to facilitate? Florentine Versteeg would never claim to have all the answer, but she is certainly asking all the right questions. Her thoughts on facilitation and the inherent privileges in our language take us on a fascinating journey in this episode. We challenge our ideas about communication, inclusivity, and bias — and what we aim to achieve by challenging them in the first place! If you’re a facilitator who enjoys questioning things you’d never think to question, stepping into big challenges, and learning new ways to see things… this might be the perfect episode. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Connect to Florentine: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 29 Nov 2022 | 193 - An Unhurried Conversation about Unhurried Facilitation with Johnnie Moore | 01:16:58 | |
How often do you walk away from a conversation feeling heard, like you put across the things you wanted to? Feeling relaxed, not frantic? And how often do you workshops produce those same sensations? If it’s less often than you’d like, Johnnie Moore can help, with his Unhurried model for conversation (and more). As facilitators, we can learn a lot — directly and indirectly — from this approach. Unhurried might make you think ‘slow’, but it’s not necessarily so. Rather than purely slowing down, Johnnie explores what happens when we add layers and awareness to our interactions. When we take time to share, listen, and reflect, the conversation sounds very different. In an increasingly demanding and results-oriented professional space, this is becoming a rare skill. And, as it becomes rarer, it will become vital that we reclaim the time and space to be unhurried. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Johnnie’s website The Unhurried website Connect to Johnnie: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 06 Dec 2022 | 194 - Learnings from Acting about Facilitation and Embodiment with Anna Momber-Heers | 01:14:53 | |
When you’re facilitating, where are you? In your head, your body, a role? There are no wrong answers, but there are plenty of interesting questions you can ask to better understand how you facilitate. Anna Momber-Heers can share a lot of interesting insights, as her background is as a performance and communication coach. She helps professionals use tools and ideas from acting to get into their bodies and into a more settled place in their minds. The closer we can get to our bodies, the clearer we can get in our minds. And, in fact, the more we can start to use one to influence the other. Learn about embodied facilitation and how to act like the facilitator you want to be in this episode. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Anna’s website Connect to Anna: On LinkedIn On Twitter
| |||
| 13 Dec 2022 | 195 - Deconstructing the Meaning of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion with Meg Bolger | 01:17:30 | |
Meg Bolger is one of a few returning guests to this show, originally featured in episode 133 (’The conversation I wish I heard when I started facilitating’). Our conversation this time was a far cry from discussing what we wished we’d heard at the start of our careers. Instead, we focused on Meg’s area of expertise after 12+ years of development and practice: facilitating diversity, equity, and inclusion workshops and processes. We stripped things back to their basics in search of universal language, juggled with contradictions, and explored the wider aims and outcomes of committing to a DEI process. I learned a great deal in this episode and I hope you will, too! Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Meg’s wonderful Facilitator Cards Episode 133 (Meg’s previous appearance on the show) Connect to Meg: On LinkedIn On Twitter
| |||
| 20 Dec 2022 | 196 - Facilitation as Deliberate Sensemaking with Michael Hamman | 01:21:24 | |
Facilitation is a system that gives groups space to make sense — it’s not about guiding them towards something, nor is it about leading them. But what is ‘deliberate sensemaking’ all about? To the uninitiated, it may sound a little simplistic — is it just about helping people understand stuff that they’re working on? Michael Hamman, one of the foremost voices in Agile coaching and training, explains all in this episode and reveals the complexity behind seemingly simple sense-making. We discuss the facilitator’s role as a mirror for the group, the work before the work of sensemaking, and how our incessant and instinctive need to categorise is the last great barrier to topple if we want things to make more sense. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Centre for Inner Agility website. Connect to Michael: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 27 Dec 2022 | 197 - How to Set Up Breakout Rooms for Success with Gwyn Wansbrough | 01:11:52 | |
In an on-site workshops, breakout groups are a tried and tested way to get the group thinking, communicating, and developing. In online workshops, breakout rooms are a different beast. You press a button and the group disappears — you don’t know what they’re saying, whether they’re collaborating, or anything about their time together! Gwyn Wansbrough is on a mission to take the uncertainty out of breakout rooms and virtual facilitation. Her approach touches all ends of the workshop, helping you and your participants get clear on your shared purpose, rules for engagement, and much more. Gwyn provides a crash course in breaking through the burden of breakout rooms, so you can turn them into a powerful option in your facilitation toolbox! Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Check out Gwyn’s website. Gwyn’s free guide: How to Create Engaging Virtual Sessions Your Participants Will Love. Connect to Gwyn: On Twitter On LinkedIn
| |||
| 03 Jan 2023 | 198 - The Difficulty of Crafting the Simple with Gabor Bittera | 01:15:49 | |
“Keep it simple, stupid” is a popular refrain which might be better translated as “make it harder, stupid”! One of the most common misunderstandings Gabor Bittera encounters in his mission towards simplicity is the belief that simple = easy. Far from it, in fact. Sometimes, creating simplicity is the hardest task in a workshop. Thankfully, Gabor has done the hard miles and has advice that can save you from complicating the process of simplifying your workshops… leaving you just with the fact that it isn’t always easy! We explore what it means to facilitate simplicity, with simplicity, and for simplicity in this episode—jumping from practical advice and templates to deeper questions around purpose and effectiveness. It was a joyful conversation and I hope you will get as much from it as I did. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Subscribe to Gabor’s Substack — Scrum Times Read or subscribe to Gabor’s Medium Connect to Gabor: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 29 May 2019 | 013 - How to Make Meetings Better by Using Workshop Techniques with Alison Coward | 00:47:52 | |
In episode 013, I talk to Alison Coward, a founder, facilitator, book author and keynote speaker. Alison runs Bracket, a consulting agency that helps teams work better together. We talk about “workshop culture” and the fact that not every professional gathering must turn into a workshop. Instead, we can use workshop elements that will help boost team collaboration and creativity in meetings and everyday business. In the show, Alison shares how to create a workshops culture with groups who are not used to post-it notes and sharpie markers. Alison’s reflections on creativity at work will inspire you to design and deliver workshops that work. ✨✨✨ Subscribe to our newsletter for a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more: https://workshops.work/podcast ✨✨✨ [1:11] What’s the story behind your company name “Bracket”? [5:15] What did you learn from your time working with creatives about the facilitation of business meetings and workshops? [6:43] How do you get management teams to become more “creative”? [7:48] How do you facilitate creativity without getting into the “touchy-feely” zone and how do you turn the outcomes into something productive? [9:45] What will you then do with these ideas to get to the productive bit? [11:53] What is the timeframe you advise your clients to take for a workshop to tackle a specific problem? [13:21] What is the difference between a workshop, a group discussion and a meeting? [15:48] How can we bring the dynamic part of a workshop into a meeting? [19:30] How would you initiate this transformative process of introducing workshop culture into a team? [26:08] Do you have ground rules that come along with what you call “workshop culture”? [28:05] What are the ingredients you need to bring workshop culture into a “normal meeting”? [28:36] With what kind of exercises would you use for that? [29:38] Not every team can afford hiring a facilitator for a “normal” meeting. Could a team member take on this facilitation role? [34:33] Do you believe in taking mindfulness into meetings? [35:50] How do you deal with a situation where a check-in comment risks to take the meeting somewhere else? [36:54] What’s the magic that gets work done in a workshop? [38:06] To what extent is the facilitator responsible for the follow-through of workshop outcomes? [40:37] How can we bring the energy back up in a full day workshop – especially after everyone comes back from lunch? [45:03] Why are organisations today so much more aware of the benefits of collaboration compared to 10 years ago when you first started? What has changed? Related links you may want to check out: Alison’s business page: https://www.bracketcreative.co.uk
| |||
| 10 Jan 2023 | 199 - Facilitation Skills at Scale: Fidelity International's Facilitation Academy with Rod Butcher & Nikesh Patel | 01:24:07 | |
How do you create a culture of independent and empowered facilitation in a large business? Well, Rod Butcher and Nikesh Patel of Fidelity International posed me that question and, together, we came up with a radical solution. This episode explains the story of how we built Fidelity International’s Facilitation Academy. You can hear about the process we followed and the results we’ve seen, as well as how we interpreted the issues and questions that Rod and Nikesh started with. Implementing facilitation skills at scale can be a daunting thought, but it’s eminently more enticing when it’s achieved through a generative, self-sustaining cycle of talent training talent! Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Connect to Rod and Nikesh: Rod on LinkedIn Nikesh on LinkedIn
| |||
| 15 Jan 2023 | Bonus: New Rules for Work - A Global Experiment about Creativity with Elise Keith and Dave Mastronardi | 00:59:05 | |
In May 2022, an academic research paper titled “Virtual communication curbs creative idea generation” was published in Nature (one of the most prestigious scientific publishers). They tested how the transition from in-person to online interaction affected innovation (measured by collective idea generation) and concluded that video calls were bad for brainstorming. The media derived: “Zoom is a creativity killer.” But, as (online) facilitators, we have first-hand experience with remote teams’ creativity and effective collaboration. But, we haven’t had hard evidence proving the study wrong. My guests on today’s bonus episode, Elise Keith (CEO of Lucid Meetings, Author and Meeting Innovator) and Dave Mastronardi (CEO of the Gamestorming Group) have the ambition to test the hypothesis that online work killed creativity through a global mega experiment. As they kick off the project with a Symposium, Elise and Dave joined me to share their vision, drivers and open questions. Listen to this episode to find out about:
Don't miss the New Rules for Work Experiment and Symposium Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Read the Article published in ‘Nature’ Watch the Youtube video: Why video calls are bad for brainstorming Connect to Elise and Dave:
| |||
| 17 Jan 2023 | 200 - Your Questions, My Answers: Learnings from 200 Weeks of Podcasting with Myriam Hadnes | 01:04:19 | |
The latest milestone for the workshops work podcast—200 episodes! 200! To celebrate the occasion, I’ve produced a special episode. Instead of speaking to a guest, I spoke to you. And what better way to source my inspiration for episode 200 than to turn to the community that has grown and flourished around the show? I turned to my community to gather their questions—big and small, serious and silly—about the podcast, what I’ve learned, and my thoughts on facilitation at large. Find out about:
Big thanks to Patrick Cowden, Yvonne Chin Irving, Lily Gros, Mirjam Leunissen, Vitalij Malahov, Zoha Sharifyazdi and Dov Tsal for contributing questions! And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Learn more about NeverDoneBefore Connect to Myriam: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 24 Jan 2023 | 201 - Thinking with Things with Jules Gilleland | 01:03:38 | |
Things—found objects, ephemera from the discarded world, are everywhere. A marble, a spoon, a coil of string. They’re forgettable and ignorable and they’re the magic ingredient that makes Jules Gilleland’s workshops work. Jules developed Things as a problem-solving tool, informed by design thinking, to help people connect the dots and capture their problems in a physical form. It’s a context-neutral learning through play, a way to tap into ourselves when we can’t rely on language, and a means of overcoming the challenges that refuse to budge. Learn all about Things, Jules’ story, and how a bit more visual thinking can make your workshops work even better. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Think With Things website Connect to Jules: On LinkedIn On Instagram On Facebook
| |||
| 05 Jun 2019 | 014 - What it Takes to be an Authentic Facilitator with Lily Gros | 00:50:12 | |
In this very-early morning and truly authentic show, I speak with Lily Gros, a facilitator, entrepreneur and youtuber. Lily started La Minute Facilitation, her business with which she facilitates workshops for (mostly non-profit) clients, trains facilitators on their mindset and runs her own workshops on authenticity and perfectionism. Don’t miss our very honest exchange on how we dealt with challenging situations. These lessons we learned will surely inspire you to anticipate problems so that you can make your workshops work. Subscribe to our newsletter for a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more: https://workshops.work/podcast ✨✨✨
[1:37] What are your different roles as a facilitator? [7:36] Authenticity became quite a buzzword. How do you define it and what does it mean to you? [10:54] How did you learn to be authentic? [12:43] How did you come up with this topic? [15:16] How do get your groups to be more authentic? [16:27] You get to know your participants before the workshop? [17:30] What would be an icebreaker for a “cold” group of participants? [21:35] Why does it feel so scary to be authentic? [24:21] How do you approach the puzzle that a team might accept imperfection and vulnerability and still show high performance? [31:34] How do you test the water in terms of openness of your participants? [34:20] How did you manage to create the safe space after this tricky situation? [41:02] What is your way in dealing with such a difficult participant? [45:05] What makes a workshop work? [47:55] What shall the audience remember from the show? Related links you may want to check out:
Shows we mentioned:
| |||
| 31 Jan 2023 | 202 - How to Price your Facilitation and Coaching Services? with Jenny Millar | 01:04:06 | |
Does pricing make you prickle with anxiety? Imagine what it would be like to feel confident and calm about valuing your services… and now meet Jenny Millar, who can make that imagination a reality. Learn all about positioning, discounting, strategy, and communication in the context of pricing in this standout episode Jenny’s expertise in pricing will be invaluable to any facilitator or coach, as service businesses are notoriously difficult to price. And, as the founder of Untapped Pricing—a highly regarded pricing strategy consultancy—her advice is certainly of the highest value. Enjoy a free taster of her expertise in this episode! Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Bitesize pricing tactics - a collection of 2min videos. Downloadable PDF guides - to take you through the fundamentals of pricing strategy that works for your customers and for you. Untapped’s Pricing Scorecard - our free tool to evaluate the health of your pricing in minutes. Learn how to improve it with a personalised 22-page report. Connect to Jenny: On LinkedIn Book a call with Jenny
| |||
| 07 Feb 2023 | 203 - How to Build Team Performance with Games with Viren Thakrar | 01:27:48 | |
Nothing happens between childhood and adulthood that means we can no longer learn and grow through play, but for some reason we stop using this powerful tool once we get serious and put on blazers and heels. Viren Thakrar is leading the charge to change this for good, bringing games and fun into team development settings to help participants connect, collaborate, and have some good old fashioned fun. He’s had more than a little success with his approach and is kind enough to share some of the most impactful learnings so far in this episode. It’s unmissable for anyone interested in new ways of learning, positive motivation, and self-directed growth. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Viren’s simple, effective, and free In the Game scorecard Connect to Viren: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 14 Feb 2023 | 204 - A Comprehensive Discussion on the Art and Science of Facilitation with ChatGPT | 00:44:42 | |
It’s the talk of the internet and business circles, the culmination of many years of research and training, and an amazing step forward into the next stage of technology enabled and enhanced life. ChatGPT, I’m amazed and amused to say, is this week’s guest. I put a series of questions, taken directly and adapted from previous episodes, to the conversational AI. What emerged was sometimes fascinating and sometimes mundane, sometimes enlightening and sometimes misguided. I took every answer as it arrived, not asking follow-up questions and not editing the information it gave me. What is most interesting is to see what the collected knowledge it’s been trained on can tell us about the current state of and view on facilitation. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary as well as the full transcript so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Connect to ChatGPT and Open AI: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 12 Jun 2019 | 015 - How to Use Workshops as Solution Development Tool with Wouter Smeets | 00:49:32 | |
In episode 015, I talk to Wouter Smeets, a rocket scientist, former innovation manager and (co-) founder of two companies, Glimpse and Prototype You, Wouter has worked on human-machine interaction and now focuses on human-human interaction to help individuals to pursue their dreams and change-makers to realise their vision of a better world. In this episode, Wouter shares how we can use workshops as a framework to apply innovation principles for solution development. Don’t miss the part when Wouter praises the role of facilitators and emphasizes their importance in the solution development process! This will give you the right arguments at hand to get the budget and deliver workshops that work. ✨✨✨ Subscribe to our newsletter for a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more: https://workshops.work/podcast ✨✨✨ Questions and Answers [1:49] I tend to say that workshop design and facilitation is no “rocket science”. What is your view as a rocket scientist? [2:43] What’s your journey from being an innovation manager to becoming a founder? [7:03] What have you learned from your time working on human-machine interaction for the work on human-human interaction that you are doing today? [9:35] What makes the use of templates on workshops so powerful? [11:47] How do you make sure that the groups solve the right problem? [16:26] Can templates be too narrow in the sense that they don’t leave enough room for creativity? [20:41] How do you deal with the situation when participants rank all ideas high in importance and urgency? [23:14] How do you prioritize ideas? [28:51] Who needs to be in the workshop room to drive solution development? [30:32] What is so important about the facilitator? [32:52] How do you make sure that the decision maker [aka workshop sponsor] doesn’t invite “yes-sayers” to the workshop? [34:28] Who decides on the way to vote (whether it’s democratic or the leader who decides)? And, how do groups react to different scenarios? [36:59] How do we know that the group arrived in developing “the” solution? [39:47] When you run several workshops to develop the solution, what is the responsibility of the facilitator that the group does “their homework” in following up? [42:20] What information must be present on the final template to make sure the team can work on the next steps? [45:06] Do you have a better way of reading the room and guiding the group than gut-feeling? Related links you may want to check out: Wouter’s business pages: www.glimpse.nl and www.prototypeyou.nl WSJF (Weighted Shortest Job First) Ou
| |||
| 21 Feb 2023 | 205 - How to Facilitate with Equitable Hospitality with Maha Bali | 01:12:15 | |
It’s never been more important to facilitate with an awareness of power dynamics, systemic imbalances, and inequity within groups. The progress we’ve made—collectively—towards awareness and understanding of inequalities has been enormous, but the next big step is to do deliberate work to counter it. We’ve got all the awareness we could dream of and the time has come for us to act on that knowledge, rather than treat it as an end in itself. Maha Bali’s explanations and exemplifications of Intentionally Equitable Hospitality will go a long way to helping you make equity a part of your work. IEH is a deliberate approach to facilitation that prioritises structural and environmental design to create accessible, sensitive, and inclusive spaces. It was eye-opening and joyful to speak with Maha. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Reflecting Allowed, Maha’s blog about education. MyFest website. Virtually Connecting website and YouTube. Connect to Maha: On LinkedIn On Twitter
| |||
| 28 Feb 2023 | 206 - Facilitation and the Needs for Autonomy, Competence and Relatedness with Ib Ravn | 01:23:03 | |
Self-Determination Theory posits that human motivation is driven by three central values: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. If we take SDT and apply it as a framework to facilitation, the parallels become apparent and abundant. Ib Ravn sees the opportunities here with great clarity and, as a result, has a lot of valuable insight to share about how we might use SDT in facilitation.
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Ib Ravn at the Danish School of Education. On LinkedIn
| |||
| 07 Mar 2023 | 207 - Ingredients for a Memorable and Impactful Event with Jacques the Party Scientist | 01:16:28 | |
What makes some events better than others? Is it the host, the setting, the purpose, or something else? Jacques Martiquet is The Party Scientist — he’s experimented, tested, and explored the science of gathering and connecting for 10+ years — and he’s got some fantastic answers. Jacques has committed himself to the mission of spreading the health benefits of human connection. Creating more impactful events goes hand-in-hand with this. Explore the art and science of connection and apply the best of the science to your next event. It might just transform the experience — for you and your attendees! Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Episode 131 with Jacques. How facilitators can work with Jacques. Connect to Jacques: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 14 Mar 2023 | 208 - Facilitating F-Word Conversations with the Emotional Culture Deck with Jeremy Dean | 01:08:41 | |
Emotions are messy — they’re big, powerful, and changeable. Facts and data are much more palatable — they’re truths and we can discuss our use of them. But if an organisation is so focused on cognitive culture, they end up neglecting emotional culture. And that’s a sure path towards burnout, resentment, and employee turnover. Cognitive culture is easy to default to, so how can organisations get comfortable with the discomfort of building a more emotional culture? Jeremy Dean has plenty of ideas — and a deck of cards to help any group navigate the process. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Riders & Elephants, Jeremy’s business. Connect to Jeremy: On LinkedIn On Twitter
| |||
| 21 Mar 2023 | 209 - It's Not About the Workshop - How to Make Workplace Learning Stick with Steph Clarke | 01:02:49 | |
Workplace training and learning can inspire some varied responses. For some, a roll of the eyes and a sense of wasted time. For others (usually those who work with Steph Clarke), a brightening and lightening as possibilities open ahead of them.
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.
| |||
| 28 Mar 2023 | 210 - Bridging the World of Play and Corporate Life with Pauline McNulty | 00:54:09 | |
No CEO or board is going to sign off on a project to make work more playful. This is because the misconception that play = games persists.
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.
Connect to Pauline:
| |||
| 19 Jun 2019 | 016: Why every facilitator should take improvisation theatre classes - with Tamar Broadbent | 00:52:42 | |
In this episode, I talk to Tamar Broadbent, a comedian, writer, improviser, award-winning musical songwriter, and: my first improvisation theatre teacher! In our super fun talk, we speak about improvisation theatre and what facilitators can learn from improvisers. I claim that every facilitator who is serious about getting to the next level should take improv classes! In the show, Tamar shares the ground rules of improv and how they apply to live off-stage, we talk about listening, connection, and creating safe space through authentic positivity. Don’t miss the part when Tamar shares her experience working with teams in a business setting and how she prepares for these. Along our conversation, we draw analogies between on- and off-stage scenarios that will surely inspire you to design a new setting for fun workshops that work by delivering results. Click here to download the free 1-page summary Questions and Answers [1:33] Let’s start with your story. Where did you pick up all of these skills? [3:21] As not everyone in the audience might be familiar with improv and long-form Chicago style. Can you give us the nutshell of what all of that means? [5:17] Can you share with us the ground rules of improv and why they are so important? [7:45] What makes a good scene partner in terms of shared responsibility? [11:41] What did you learn for off-stage life? Do you still ask people how they are doing? [13:13] Has improv helped you to become a better listener off-stage? [17:33] Can you explain how we can say “no” in an improv scene without compromising on the rule of “yes and”? [25:02] How important is authenticity for you as an improviser on stage? Can you be authentic or is it just a role you play? [27:19] Playing improv is extremely vulnerable in the beginning, as a teacher, how do you create a safe space for your students? [36:02] What’s your favourite game/ ice-breaker? [38:05] When you do workshops with business teams where participants might not have signed up for improv voluntarily, how do you get them to “warm up”? [41:47] Your classes were always incredibly structured. What was your approach to link the exercises to the general topic and goal of the class? [46:03] What makes a workshop fail? [47:50] What transformation do you observe in students who enrol in your improv course? Related links you may want to check out: Tamar’s website: https://www.mynameistamar.com Our sponsor Session Lab (affiliate link) Connect to Tamar: On LinkedIn Follow Tamar: @ta
| |||
| 04 Apr 2023 | 211 - An Insider View into the Worklife of a Corporate Facilitator with Lani Beer | 01:11:29 | |
An external facilitator enters the building with a clear purpose and a single-minded focus. An internal facilitator enters the building five days a week, most weeks of the year, in the middle of all the idiosyncratic relationships, needs, and culture that exists. The two are in very different positions and so different skills, approaches, and mindsets are necessary. More often than not, I speak with independent facilitators — freelancers or solopreneurs — so an insight into the world of corporate facilitation felt important. It also felt incredibly enlightening, thanks to Lani Beer’s openness and thoughtfulness when sharing her vast experience. Lani has been facilitating in-house for 20 years (give or take) and calls on all of those years of rich experience in this episode. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.
On LinkedIn
| |||
| 11 Apr 2023 | 212 - Why Conflict is a Gift: The Inner Journey of a Skilled Facilitator with Sarah Norton & Steve Ray | 01:07:41 | |
Conflict in workshops is common, but how many of us seek to avoid it instead of embracing it? It’s understandable, and dare I say natural, to do so, but as Sarah Norton and Steve Ray explain in this episode, conflict is a growth opportunity. The journey through conflict can be uncomfortable, but the destination beyond it is one of radical difference. Sarah and Steve have trained countless facilitators in the art of conflict facilitation — not ‘management’ or ‘resolution’, but precisely ‘facilitation’ — and share their key takeaways, common realisations, and secrets to success in this episode. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Connect to Sarah and Steve: Sarah on LinkedIn Steve on LinkedIn
| |||
| 18 Apr 2023 | 213 - Unleashing Autonomy: Facilitating Self-Organising Systems with Bob Dick | 01:23:27 | |
What happens to a group when there is no leader, no subordinates, and no sense of hierarchy at all? Bob Dick believes this is the optimal approach to group structures — to be self-organised, not instructed or commanded. Quite how we can consistently achieve this is another question; one that Bob has been experimenting with for as long as he can remember. Bob has rich experience in creating self-organising groups, facilitating their development, and knowing what not to do. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Learn more about the AFN, the Australian Facilitators Network. Connect to Bob: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 25 Apr 2023 | 214 - Changing Change: How to Create Community and Culture Amidst Chaos with Rhys Cranney | 01:18:24 | |
An organisational change process is a big deal. The whole operating system of a business can change, the context switches, the foundations can falter. But systems are systems — they are malleable and hard-wearing. People, on the other hand, are sensitive and emotional and often hugely resistant to change. And it is people who have to live, work, and operate within these new systems. Rhys Cranney wants the whole concept of change management to move away from a focus on systems to a focus on people and the emotional impact it brings. After hearing him speak so passionately in this episode, I think he will have many people supporting this belief! Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Connect to Rhys: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 02 May 2023 | 215 - Thinking Tools: Unlocking Companies’ Potential with Stefan Fothe | 01:20:42 | |
Organisations will go to great lengths to create style guides, knowledge hubs, and team guides… so why aren’t they doing the same for problem-solving? Stefan Fothe believes organisations should be prioritising ‘thinking tools’ — a set of codes, methods, and skills that are shared among groups to problem-solve and ideate with autonomy and ease. Just as we develop shared technical languages and social hierarchies, we can surely add thinking tools to the mix! Learn how Stefan developed this important theory, why we need to lean into tension, and how you can prioritise thinking tools in your work with this episode. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Stefan’s website https://ownity.com.au/ Stefan’s short video on one Thinking Tool example Connect to Stefan: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 09 May 2023 | 216 - Mastering Difficult Conversations: The Art of Communication through Role-Play with Kate Crawshaw | 00:56:00 | |
A difficult conversation can take many forms — emotionally intense, sharing unexpected information, challenging someone, reasserting boundaries. Whatever ‘difficult’ looks like to you, we all have something in common: we’re terribly under-practiced in having these conversations. For Kate Crawshaw, role play can be the missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to feeling confident about difficult conversations. Creating a container and taking the time to practice, rehash, and become familiar with our ‘difficult’ selves can make every conversation feel more manageable and ourselves more grounded. Vital work for facilitators, you’ll no doubt agree. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Connect to Kate: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 16 May 2023 | 217 - Finding Your Facilitator Flow: The Art of Balancing Presence and Process with Sean Blair | 01:04:31 | |
Do you have a presence when you facilitate? (Hint: we all do, whether we mean to or not!) The thing is, not all of us know it or practice it. Our presence is a combination of how we show up and how we give out our energy to the room. It’s not just about being present, but the way we do it. Sean Blair has been experimenting with his presence for many years now and has found some surprising results. He’s learned that presence is a flexible force that can positively influence outcomes and experiences in workshops - now he wants to help other facilitators understand and use it. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Connect to Sean: On LinkedIn SERIOUSWORK, Sean’s LEGO® Serious Play™ company ProMeet, Sean’s facilitation business
| |||
| 23 May 2023 | 218 - Insights and Challenges in the World of Facilitators: SessionLab's State of Facilitation Report 2023 with Filip Kis | 01:10:39 | |
What emerges when you survey 1,124 facilitators from 93 countries? The State of Facilitation — a snapshot of our profession for the year and a report packed with insights and direction for our continued development. SessionLab has conducted the first ever State of Facilitation report and Filip Kis, co-founder and CEO, was kind enough to run through the findings in this episode. How do facilitators define themselves? What trends are emerging in our work? And how do we structure our work? All of these questions (and more) were answered in the survey — then dissected and explored in this episode! Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. The State of Facilitation 2023 report. Connect to Filip: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 30 May 2023 | 219 - Unlocking Collaboration: Lessons from Zen about Facilitation with Sunni Brown | 01:11:32 | |
Keynote speaker, published author, zen student, innovator-in-residence, and facilitator — Sunni Brown has a whole village’s worth of knowledge, but, somehow, contains it all within just one conscientious and clever human. Sunni’s fingerprints can be found on many resources and THINGS you’ll be familiar with as a facilitator: Gamestorming, The Doodle Revolution, and Deep Self Design. Safe to say, Sunni is well-placed to discuss the finer details of collaboration — and to highlight some of the ways we might learn about it more deeply from unexpected sources. Explore the art of zen and facilitation, how to get out of our own way, and why a dispassionate facilitator can be more helpful to a group than an overly committed one. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Connect to Sunni: On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter
| |||
| 06 Jun 2023 | 220 - Building Better Teams by Fostering Trust with Leigh Ann Rodgers | 01:12:13 | |
They say it takes a lifetime to build and a second to break… Trust is priceless to teams and the organisations in which they exist, so why is it so often overlooked as part of team-building? Perhaps because after-work socials and lunchtime chats are easy and sound ‘right’; but high-functioning teams take work — deep, intensive work. They certainly don’t appear out of nowhere. Leigh Ann Rodgers sees trust as key to building better teams, because trust can’t be faked, or phoned in, or achieved with a few drinks after quitting time. This episode will help you make trust a priority, understand why it makes such a big difference, and explain what you can do to build a high-trust culture. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Connect to Leigh Ann: On LinkedIn
| |||
| 13 Jun 2023 | 221 - Unmasking the Hidden Influence: The Clean Language Approach with Judy Rees | 00:51:06 | |
Facilitation can be a messy business; what can we do to clean it up? Judy Rees, who’s been working with groups for almost 20 years, thinks the answer lies in clean language. A focus on clean language in turn creates what Judy calls ‘clean facilitation’. Specificity and neutrality is the name of the game, but can facilitators ever truly be neutral? Judy and I wrestle with the big questions of influence, manipulation, and communication in this episode as we try to clear up clean facilitation and explore how to apply it in our day-to-day work. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links: Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Free Clean Language ebook. Judy’s Clean Language for Facilitators course. Video guide for a Clean Language-based change process. New Rules for Work experiment, applying Clean Language. Connect to Judy: On LinkedIn. Support the show:
| |||
| 20 Jun 2023 | 222 - Collabor(h)ate: Insights and Strategies for Effective Teamwork with Deb Mashek | 01:06:30 | |
Why is it that so many groups come together with a shared goal… and fail to make any meaningful progress? This is the question that’s plagued Deb Mashek’s professional life — and it’s taken her to some fascinating places. Deb’s work and the lessons she’s taken from it have made her a go-to speaker, author, and commentator in popular media, but she’s not one to sit comfortably on the sidelines. She still loves nothing more than diving into mission-critical projects that live or die by the strength of collaboration. As you might expect, she’s got some wonderful insights to share from it all! Dive into the details of collaboration and how we can all take responsibility for better work together. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links: Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Sign up to receive twice-monthly collaboration tips from Deb: https://debmashek.lpages.co/one_simple_tip Download the Mashek Matrix poster: https://debmashek.lpages.co/mashekmatrix Connect with Deb on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debra-mashek/ Connect to Deb: On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter Support the show:
| |||
| 27 Jun 2023 | 223 - Demystifying Experiential Learning with Romy Alexandra | 01:05:39 | |
Romy Alexandra is a one-woman revolution in Experiential Learning, driven by a passion for turning dull events into genuinely memorable and long-lasting trainings. Combining the principles of Experiential Learning with the ‘unconference’ tool of Open Space Technology, Romy is at the forefront of the interactive and collaborative learning space. The way she brings disparate threads and dry content together, parsing them through her creative mind and powerful approaches, is a true marvel. Enjoy this episode and learn how Romy creates collaborative, emergent, effective training that puts ego aside and brings everybody together — and how you can, too. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links: Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Romy’s website. Connect to Romy: On LinkedIn. On Instagram. Support the show:
| |||
| 04 Jul 2023 | 224 - Cracking the Code: Mastering Activism Facilitation and Empowering Communities with Anuschka Ruge | 01:10:22 | |
Activists are the fuel behind social change. Without them, we would stall and stutter and stop making progress. These are people who are driven by passion and strong beliefs — which certainly makes life interesting for facilitators who work in the space. In all the energy and conviction of activism, facilitation can be crucial to turn grand plans for changing the world into something manageable, measurable, and achievable. Anuschka Ruge has been doing this work for many years — in the climate movement, education, and beyond — and has invaluable experience to share with other facilitators. This episode is her platform to do so, so please listen closely and make the most of it! Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links: Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Connect to Anuschka: On LinkedIn. Support the show:
| |||
| 26 Jun 2019 | 017 - Master the Room! How to Create Engagement with Your Audience with Derek Bruce | 00:55:06 | |
In this episode, I talk to Derek Bruce. He is a Leadership Development Director, and has worked in HR, Learning & Development and is also an expert keynote speaker and event moderator and host. Derek and I speak about the importance of engaging the audience - whether it is in a workshop, meeting or at a conference. When our audience feels engaged, they will listen to us and interact, they will feel enabled to act upon the content we try to bring across. Besides engaging the audience, Derek and I touch on a million other topics: the skillset of managers to survive the “future of work”, the impact of preparation on our mindset and the workshop atmosphere, and: why you may want to ask your audience to take a selfie. Don’t miss the part when Derek shares his lessons learned from facilitating a workshop where half the participants were physically present and the other half joined via video call. Tune in to learn how to assure that the virtual participants are as engaged as if they sat in the same room…. ✨✨✨ Subscribe to our newsletter for a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more: https://workshops.work/podcast ✨✨✨ Questions and Answers [1:32] If you were a hashtag, what would it be? [1:53] What is your story? Where does your energy and your skill to engage the audience come from? [2:56] What have you learned from your roles in HR and Learning & Development about facilitation? [4:34] Where do you see the challenges and benefits of being a corporate versus an external facilitator? [8:02] What is your experience in collaborating with an external facilitator? [8:52] How do you measure success? [10:32] What does it take to engage an audience? [12:54] To what extent does seating matter and how do you set up the room? [14:06] Do you use different approaches to engage the audience depending on whether it is a meeting, workshop or conference? [19:50] When you say that engagement starts within the first minute and you often use humour. What have you learned from improv or stand-up comedy about engagement? [22:59] Stand-up is scripted whereas improv is not. Would you script your first joke when coming on stage? [24:41] So, does “humour” boil down to “authenticity”? [25:35] What makes for you a good facilitator? [28:26] Do facilitators of e.g. Design Sprints need different skills than facilitators who teach groups? [31:18] How did you connect the virtual and physical participants in the beginning? What were the exercises? [33:41] For anyone who hasn’t facilitated a partly virtual workshop – what would you advise? [35:40] What is your opinion on the statement that in the future of work, every manager must develop facilitation skills? [38:22] What’s the difference between soft and emotional skills? [40:40] Are these emotional skills then also the ingredients you need to engage the audience? [47:59] What’s your silver bullet exercise? Related links you may want to check out: Our sponsor Ses
| |||
| 11 Jul 2023 | 225 - Unleash Audience Engagement - From Ignored to Involved with Tina Lyngdoh and Lux Narayan | 01:18:26 | |
We’ve had plenty of practice with online meetings by now; we have fallen into the common trapdoors and know how to avoid them in the future. But is effectiveness enough? Shall we really set the bar at running a ‘smooth and easy’ event? Many attendees still report that they feel unheard or unable to contribute in online event spaces — we are still missing a critical ingredient in a genuinely meaningful event, then. That’s why I felt so happy to speak with Tina Lyngdoh and Lux Narayan in this episode. As the co-founders of StreamAlive, they are at the very forefront of the push for universal involvement. Their work helps me to believe that we can still make meeting online connective and powerful. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links: Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. The StreamAlive website. Connect to Tina and Lux: Lux on LinkedIn. Tina on LinkedIn. Support the show:
| |||
| 18 Jul 2023 | 226 - The Process is the Outcome with Kirsten Clacey | 01:05:23 | |
Kirsten Clacey is a facilitator and coach, currently Head of Facilitation at Automattic’s Learn Division, with some brilliant perspectives on process, content, and learning. What’s even better is that she holds these ‘competing’ views with wonderful balance and nuance. In this episode, Kirsten shares why she places so much value on process — without sacrificing content. The key, as she sees it, is to create a process that lets learning opportunities emerge naturally for the participants. Learn how Kirsten creates integrated processes, makes learning happen fast, and adjusts her process and content depending on the circumstance. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links: Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Kirsten’s website. Kirsten’s new blog (coming soon!) Kirsten’s book: The Remote Facilitator’s Pocket Guide. Connect to Kirsten: On LinkedIn. On Twitter. Support the show:
| |||
| 25 Jul 2023 | 227 - Collaboration: Unlocking the Secrets to Successful Partnerships with Alison Coward, Rebecca Sutherns and Sunni Brown | 01:12:53 | |
Alison Coward, Rebecca Sutherns and Sunni Brown are each exceptional facilitators in their own right, but that doesn’t mean they see things in exactly the same way. They came together for this unique episode, a fireside conversation all about collaboration, and provided some incredible thoughts and reflections. Pull up a chair by the fire and dive into the particulars of what it means to collaborate, how we can create the conditions for creative connection, and why the ‘right’ people will fail to collaborate without a deliberate structure. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links: Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Rebecca Sutherns Website Connect to Alison, Rebecca, and Sunni: Alison on LinkedIn. Rebecca on LinkedIn. Sunni on LinkedIn. Support the show:
| |||
| 01 Aug 2023 | 228 - Leading Through Facilitation: Unpacking the Complexity of Group Dynamics with Rob Evans | 01:16:26 | |
The prevailing view in organisations (and among their leaders) is that change processes are rational challenges — a question of getting from A to B with efficiency and minimal interruption. After 30+ years of facilitating change processes and training others to do the same, Rob Evans has learned that a great deal of the work to be done is anything but rational. The emotional and political contexts in which groups exist matter. The decision-making structure around the team matter. The restrictions and fears matter. Join us for a discussion in the depth and detail of group dynamics, participant empowerment, and the deeply human sides of facilitation. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links: Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. The Collaboration Code website. Connect to Rob: On LinkedIn. Support the show:
| |||
| 08 Aug 2023 | 229 - Mastering Facilitation to Navigate a Fractured World with Jo Nelson | 01:10:51 | |
Jo Nelson is one of the founders of ICA Associates Inc. and the International Association of Facilitators, as well as an IAF Hall of Fame inductee. All of which is to say, this episode is special. To speak with a founding mother of the organised practice of facilitation is a rare privilege. As a result, this episode is one that zooms out a little, so that we might trace the growth of facilitation as a movement. Jo walks us from facilitation’s roots as a modular component of training to its blossoming as a unique and powerful resource for leaders in every corner of the world. We didn’t just stay in the macro view, though. We had (and enjoyed) plenty of opportunities to talk about some micro learnings and specific takeaways. There’s lots to learn, reflect on, and enjoy in a conversation with Jo — it’s a delight to share it with you. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links: Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Jo’s website. ICA Associates website. More on ORID/ Focused Conversation Method. Working Assumptions resource. Connect to Jo: On LinkedIn.
| |||
| 15 Aug 2023 | 230 - Shaping the Room: Power, Vulnerability, and the Art of Facilitation with Michelle Howard | 01:05:19 | |
Everybody in the workshop process experiences some element of vulnerability. The client is taking a risk on your skills and the outcomes that might emerge from using them. The participants are taking a risk in showing up, bringing what they bring to the room, and trusting (or fighting) the process. You — the facilitator — is taking a risk on your work, reputation, and ability. So why should we expect any of us to be the perfect picture of confidence throughout? Michelle Howard helps me understand the value of vulnerability (and its inevitability) in this episode, explaining the dance between power and vulnerability that happens in workshops — no matter who you are. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links: Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Collaborations, Michelle’s company. Connect to Michelle: On LinkedIn. Support the show:
| |||
| 22 Aug 2023 | 231 - Through a New Lens: The Transformative Power of Photography with Else Kramer | 01:21:11 | |
Say cheese, dear listeners! This week, Else Kramer joins me to discuss the creative and connective power of photography in a facilitation context. Through the camera lens, we can see our environment and problems in new ways — and, as a result, can find new solutions. And the really magical thing? Photography isn’t an individualistic activity; when shared as part of a group it can be connective and attuning. There is a huge amount to learn about the specifics of photography and the broader picture of facilitation in this episode. Enjoy! Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links: Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Connect to Else: On LinkedIn. On Twitter. On Instagram. Support the show:
| |||
| 29 Aug 2023 | 232 - Facilitating the New and Teaching the Inexistent with Jason Frasca and Iain Kerr | 01:15:55 | |
How would you facilitate something that doesn’t exist? Or, more to the point, how you would facilitate a group in a way that something inexistent could emerge? Complexity and uncertainty make up most days for Jason Frasca and Iain Kerr. As co-founders of Emergent Futures Lab, they wouldn’t have it any other way. The opportunity to hear from two experts in emergence, innovation, and facilitation felt like an early Christmas present! We explore what it takes to create space for genuine innovation and novelty, why collaboration and creativity are natural partners, and how to take our focus off of ‘ideas’ and onto experimentalism. Find out about:
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand. Links: Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube. Emergent Futures Lab publishes a weekly newsletter answering the questions: What is Innovation? and How to Innovate? Subscribe here: https://emergentfutureslab.com/newsletter Connect to Jason and Iain:
| |||