How can we facilitate meaningful change in a sector that is infamous for being rigid and slow-moving? (Though I am not sure I agree with that position!)

Sara Huang is the person to ask – so that’s exactly what I did! Sara is an expert in facilitation within the public sector and governmental organisations.

Join me in this episode of Workshops Work, in which Sara and I discuss the differences in facilitation within the public sector, the secrets to success in this field, and what all of us can learn from this unique perspective.

Find out about:

• What it means to ‘twist’ in the public sector and why it produces great results
• The importance of play if we want to create movement and possibility
• How to encourage creativity and open-mindedness
• When transparency can be useful (and not)
• How to flatten the room in an organisation with strict hierarchies

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Feeling inspired by the conversation in this episode? We can have our own - take a seat at my virtual table as part of a Mastermind Group.

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Questions and Answers

[01:21] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?

[03:44] What’s the difference between being a facilitator and an advisor, and where does neutrality come into it?

[06:23] Can you explain the name of your company?

[08:02] How does your vision of ‘twisting’ fit into working in the public sector?

[10:39] What do you mean by ‘play’?

[12:25] Do you work with visual facilitators?

[14:25] How do you encourage a workshop mindset in a rigid public sector environment?

[18:24] Is it true that, in government, people like to conform and, if it is, how do you challenge that to encourage new ideas?

[21:19] How do you encourage people to assess every side of an argument?

[27:14] How do you facilitate when there are so many layers to decision making processes in the public sector?

[30:02] How transparent are you about the limitations within an organisation?

[31:19] What is your favourite exercise?

[34:19] How do you flatten the room in a patently hierarchical organisation?

[37:19] What makes a workshop fail?

[43:12] Is there anything else you wanted to share today?

Links to check

• Sara's website
• Mastermind

Connect with Sara

• Sara's Twitter
• Sara’s Instagram

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

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