Facilitation Lab Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

"I think that is one of the best gifts that you can give other people is yes, we're all just chemical biological beings at the beginning of these, and we have all the choices in the world to go somewhere else."- Nathan Hughes

In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, host Douglas Ferguson converses with Nathan Hughes, COO and co-founder of Detroit Labs. Nathan shares his journey from a technology-focused career to embracing facilitation and leadership. He discusses the pivotal role of facilitation in managing teams, especially during crises like the pandemic. Nathan highlights the importance of practice in low-stakes environments to build facilitation skills and emphasizes the need for trust and connection within teams. He also offers advice for technology leaders transitioning into management, stressing the value of redefining success and maintaining personal creative outlets.

"I take the opportunity to build culture and connection with that team to make them stronger. And that's something that's really rewarding for me—when I leave the process to see after nine months of working with them that this team is much more close, more connected, and trusts each other more.."- Julie Baeb

In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, host Douglas Ferguson speaks with Julie Baeb, a Senior Consultant at Team Works. Julie shares her diverse career journey from advertising to architecture and eventually education, where she developed a STEM enrichment program. They discuss pivotal moments in Julie's facilitation career, including a transformative professional development session and a human-centered design retreat she led for school administrators. Julie emphasizes the importance of icebreakers, observation, and incorporating play and movement into sessions to foster engagement and psychological safety. The episode highlights Julie's commitment to building strong, connected teams through thoughtful facilitation.

""When you just take the time to apply a few of these facilitation techniques, it really can help people focus, help them make better, more efficient decisions, and ultimately feel like they're all bought in on it."" - Phil Canning

In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, host Douglas Ferguson talks to Phil Canning, leader of the Human Centered Design Studio and Facilitation Practice at Ally Financial. They discuss Phil's journey into facilitation, the importance of design thinking, and how it has transformed the way Ally Financial operates. Phil shares his experiences of facilitating workshops, emphasizing the need to create a safe and inclusive environment. They also discuss the importance of cross-industry learning and the transformative power of facilitation. The episode concludes with an encouragement for listeners to explore the potential of facilitation in their own work environments.

"We have two really strong capacities [as human beings]. One is about discipline, finishing things and staying aligned. ...We'll call that the discipline muscle.  The other muscle is the initiative muscle. That's where we're going out on a limb, we're taking a risk, we're being creative, we're curious about what might happen if." -Diana Joseph

Diana Joseph is the Founder of the Corporate Accelerator Forum, an organization that builds a space for key relationships, stories, & tools in corporate entities to thrive in innovation.  Diana's vast "mission-driven" projects creates an entrepreneurial perspective for both individuals and organizations. Diana empowers others to embrace the failure when innovation projects are unsuccessful and learning from the "why." Her work encourages organizations to foster connections and innovate cohesively. As a Co-Host of the Ecosystem Show on Clubhouse, she continues to inspire organizations'  approaches in self-determination, creative confidence, and innovation culture alike.  

In this episode of Control the Room, Diana and I discuss the need for open dialogue between startup & corporate organizations, the unique space Diana curates to collectively come together through specified expertise, a look inside the world of anthropology and its benefits of implementation in the workplace, an understanding of design-based research thinking, and the reminder of an entrepreneurial approach in facilitation. Listen in to hear Diana reveal her passion in design-based research and the explorative efforts both organizations can gain in changing the conversation and working together.  

"Learning by being with an expert and learning how they think and why they think is super important, but not necessarily an expert who's the best. ...The best ways that you can learn are from people who just learned it. Scaffolding your learning and putting yourself in environments where you're learning from someone who just learned something is the fastest way you can basically learn things in the modern world." -Spawrks

Spawrks is the Co-Host of Space Pencils, a community built to enrich leadership skills where leaders can solely focus on leadership development within their organizations. Spawrks's cutting edge point of view changes the narrative in the learning process as he understands the significance of learning in the moment. He emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions towards ultimately accomplishing your goals in organizations. Spawrks believes the way you approach learning can not only have a direct impact on your work, but also in collaboration with other members in your organization. As a leading software engineer at Vrbo, he challenges the learning approach through learning in action as the most impactful solution forward.  

In this episode of Control the Room, Spawrks and I unpack the benefits of learning from an unorthodox perspective, the moments of stepping outside of the traditional learning loop, the crucial "linking" aspect in facilitation, and the responsibility of learning from the lessons of the pandemic as we embrace a new hybrid workplace.  Listen in to hear Spawrks explores the endless possibilities of an innovative hybrid workplace and the significance of the learning process reimagined in the modern world.  

"As leaders, I think it's very important to determine 'what kind of community are you building?' 'What kind of space are you providing?' Leaders then have to decide 'what kind of communities are we creating [in the organization], what kind of spaces and what kind of empathy do we have for the people on our team?'" -Elizabeth Maloba

Elizabeth Maloba is the Co-Founder of Nahari, an organization built for creating authentic spaces where collaborative learning and collective decision-making unfold. She understands the critical foundation of building community in the ecosystem of an organization and the level of trust needed to thrive when seeking solutions. Elizabeth ultimately believes that community is more than a place, it's also an identity and ongoing process. Her work leans into the continuous journey of improving team dynamics and a leader's need to transform conversations. As an expert facilitator with architectural influence, she challenges organizations' approaches when conflict arises to instill sustainable, implementable resolutions from direct collaboration.  

In this episode of Control the Room, Elizabeth and I discuss the value of experiential methods, the impact the pandemic had on mental health in the workplace, the necessity and personal meaning behind community in organizations, and the benefits having challenging conversations has on cross cross-sectoral collaboration. Listen in to hear Elizabeth unveil the elements behind creating the community you envision for your organization. She also explores how to identify the root of core challenges your organization faces so that your team can build greater solutions together.  

"The way that your organization and your team meet is either something that can emerge out of habit and grow organically, which may or may not be a good thing, or it's something that you can design. It...starts by actually looking at what you're doing and having an honest conversation about whether that's working for you." -Elise Keith

Elise Keith is the CEO of Lucid Meetings, a company that leads with innovation to improve the quality of organization's meetings. She understands the reality of taking a detailed look at the structure and underlying processes behind organizations' meetings to identify areas of opportunity for better engagement and exceptional performance. Elise believes successful, everyday meetings are achievable and encourages teams to lead with conversation and tailor-made meeting experiences. According to Elise, the ultimate challenge is for every team member within an organization to initiate the meeting about meetings and watch the benefits of your organization unfold. 

In this episode of Control the Room, Elise and I discuss the layers of rules for "the meeting," in productive organizations, the impact of creating custom meeting systems through Lucid Meetings, the significance of effective decision-making, and the need for intentional conversations about the meetings that take place in your organization. Listen in to hear how Elise reveals the methods behind productive meeting outcomes and the importance of clarity before, during, and after your next meeting, while allowing everyone to ultimately succeed. 

"This work really is about the design of human connection because there is a design. There's a design to conversations that turn out well, and there's a design to conversations that don't. If you...start to understand the design of what brings people together to actually produce more than you might imagine, you can create that magic...regardless of the circumstances." -Robin Anselmi

Robin Anselmi is the Chief Executive Officer at Conservant, a consulting agency that specializes in having high-quality conversations with team organizations and ultimately sets them up for success to achieve their biggest goals. She believes in the power of a grounded, connected leader to set the standard in growing together. Robin continues her mission at Conservant to reinforce the importance of human connection within organizations and striving towards innovation. As she encourages leaders to personify staying present, Robin reminds us to create the culture and strategy that works best for your own organization together. The foundation resides in the quality of your team's honest, authentic conversations.  

In this episode of Control the Room, Robin and I discuss the impact of presence in leaders leading to team innovation, the ongoing balance in assumptions, the leader's unique challenge of correction instead of perfection, and the magnitude of a connected leader in its organization. Listen in to hear how Robin reveals the importance of human connection leading to authentic conversations, and the significance of a leader listening while remaining grounded in presence. 

"More and more people are starting to recognize that the problems that we're having usually aren't issues of good versus evil.  It's differences of perspective. And if we can take the time to learn these skills and use negotiation as a tool to resolve these conflicts, we could leave these conflicts with stronger relationships and better deals." -Kwame Christian

Kwame Christian is the Director at the American Negotiation Institute, a consulting firm that focuses entirely on embracing the negotiation skills of entrepreneurs and small-business owners. He believes negotiation is arguably the most important skill set as professionals. As the current host of the 'Negotiate Anything' Podcast, Kwame continues the conversation surrounding negotiation as the foundation forward when conflict or uncomfortable conversations arise.  As he empowers others to seek confidence in conflict, Kwame is committed in his mission of leaning into conflict to uncover resolution, while building better relationships through authentic, honest conversations.   

In this episode of Control the Room, Kwame and I discuss breaking down biases in negotiation, the unique approach in negotiation scenarios, strategizing conversations and key recommendations within conflict, and the unique superpower of negotiation in all aspects of life. Listen in to hear how Kwame is encouraging voices to lean into uncomfortable conversations, and how to have effective relationships from the kitchen table to the conference room. The power is in the art of negotiation. 

"I realized...that I could teach people[leaders in organizations] to pay attention to their own body all day and all night, but that doesn't change the system unless that person has a motivation to look outside themselves and make a change with the people around them. "

Jade Duggan is the Strategic Counselor at Mindbody Leadership, a Communications Culture Design expert, and Wellness Coach in Holistic practices. She inspires organizations to lead in mindfulness & self-awareness as the foundation of their company culture. She is committed to establishing healthy practices in business rooted in sensory skills & the intentionality of leadership in organization structure.  From her early holistic roots of acupuncture in the family business, Jade began to recognize its connection towards social reform. Jade continues her mission towards social change in organizations through transformative leadership and unleashing the power of listening to your own body.

In this episode of Control the Room, Jade and I discuss locating your sensory skills as humans through the "light-switch hijack," navigating facilitation through mindfulness, applying the skills of self-awareness in leadership towards organization infrastructure, and the evolution of the micro-habit practice. Listen in to hear how Jade is inspiring her wellness expertise through organizations to reestablish company structure in mindfulness & self-awareness.