workshops work

Phil Brown, Lead Trainer at High 5 Adventure Learning Centre, specializes in adventure education focused on overcoming vulnerability. He discusses how true adventure education goes beyond physical challenges, emphasizing emotional and social exploration. Phil highlights the importance of fostering trust and risk-taking in shared experiences, and how individual growth is enhanced through collective vulnerability. He also touches on the vital role of play in learning and the facilitators' responsibility in creating safe spaces for deeper connections.

Leanne Hughes, a coach and guide to facilitators and host of the First Time Facilitator podcast, explores the unique challenges of audio-only workshops. She discusses how the absence of visual cues affects communication and collaboration, highlighting hidden cultures that can emerge in these spaces. Leanne emphasizes strategies for effective facilitation, such as creating conversational rules and responding dynamically to participants. She also addresses the importance of psychological safety and adaptability in fostering engaging discussions.

Send us a textSara 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 harmfulThe three ingredients that can make or break online workshopsHow Sara prioritises the ‘three Rs’ of facilitation in her workshopWhy we need to be mindful of organisational and societal pressures at play in all workshopHow 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. 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?Linkswww.bureautwist.nl/englishConnect to Sara:On LinkedInOn Instagram Support the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Send us a textNicole 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 2020Why a shift of focus from ‘resources’ to ‘humans’ has become imperativeWhat it looks like to apply Design Thinking to HR and how Nicole does itHow Design Thinking asks us to challenge the judgement mindset HR can demandWhy the number of workshops in a Design Thinking project will shift depending on an organisation's cultureHow to present the results of a Design Thinking process in a memorable narrative structureDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. 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?LinksCheck out Nicole’s design thinking servicesJoin the HR.Hackathon AllianceListen to the Talent Tales ShowRead about Support the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Send us a textThere’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 workThe three layers that make up a board game and a gamified workshop - and how to use them in your designsWhy converging our expectations is essential for the success of a workshopHow a lack of context can sometimes be a boon to your workshopsWhy it's better to aim too high than too low in your aspirations for a workshopThe surprising 'flattening' power of board games in established hierarchies Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. 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 AnswersPart 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?LinksWebsiteMeetup group Connect to JanekLinkedInSupport the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Send us a textDavid Mead is made for this podcast - and not because he's a speaker, consultant, and communicator...David's commitment and insights into leadership have taken him across the world, where he coaches teams and leaders towards closer relationships, stronger cultures, and genuine trust.In this episode, we explore what it means to build trust, create consistency, and stepping up into our responsibilities.David is an inspiring professional speaker on company culture and leadership today - and you get to enjoy an hour of his wisdom for free.  Find out about:How dissonance between our words and actions sow the seeds of distrustWhy leaders need to double down on integrity and responsibilityHow to design workshops that set and meet your participants' expectationsThe three character traits we display that signal we are trustworthyWhat it means to "show up to give" and why this changes everyone's experience of your workshopHow to find inspiration and prompts to implement behaviour change Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. 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[01:10] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[02:26] Does your facilitation practice sit alongside your work as a trainer?[03:50] What (and when) was it that changed your mindset from trainer to facilitator?[06:08] What do you think the 'old' you as a salesman could learn from you as a facilitator?[07:44] And is there anything you've learned from training and sales that applies to your facilitation?[10:41] What's the story behind your interest in 'the trust gap' - what actually is it?[17:07] How do you approach bridging the trust gap? Lowering expectations or doing the hard work?[28:48] How do the traits of leadership apply to facilitation, if we feel our workshop has not delivered on its intentions?[33:00] Where do you draw the line when it comes to taking responsibility for a workshop's success?[37:49] What makes a workshop fail?[40:09] Can we train ourselves to carry more leadership traits, or is it a matter of maturity and time?[44:43] Do you have any exercises that someone can practice to develop these leadership traits?[49:11] What is your 'why'?[49:30] What would be the one piece of advice you'd give to facilitators, leaders, and coaches about bridging the trust gap?#[52:14] Was there anything else you wanted to share that we haven't discussed yet?LinksDavid’s LinktreeConnect to David:On LinkedInOn TwitterOn Instagram Support the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Send us a textIs ‘facilitation’ the wrong word for what we do with corporate clients? Jordan Bower thinks it might be and proposes a new terminology to better suit our work…Welcome to ‘corporate therapy’!Jordan and I discuss some big questions in this episode, including the future of facilitation, how to focus on individuals when working with a corporate, and whether one-off workshops are a waste of everyone’s time.You might expect a conversation full of intense curiosity and deep questioning might be hard work – in fact, the conversation was full of light and laughter.So, sit back, relax, and let’s dive into some of the big questions of facilitation, its future, and how we can take the profession to another level.Find out about:Why facilitation is better understood as an infinite process, rather than linear progressHow story theory relates to workshops, and why the things we want and the things we need aren’t always the sameWhy the quickest route to failure is to worry about failingHow abundance and sharing have become the hallmarks of true powerSage advice on the process of pitching facilitation services to a new clientHow to help clients lean into their emotions when it doesn’t come naturallyDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. 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 AnswersPart one[00:56] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[07:31] What changed in your mindset and skillset, as you went through this challenge?[09:49] What have you learned about storytelling – and what is something that people continue to get wrong about it?[13:23] How do you help people break out of the vicious circle of shallow ‘wants’ and into deeper ‘needs’?[15:13] How does (what sounds like) a very one-on-one practice translate to work at an organisational level?[17:58] What strategies do you use to get your finger on the pulse of a company? And how do you help them see the stories they tell themselves?[21:48] What do you think has caused this great shift in the function and purpose of organisations?[26:07] Do you think the collective experience of uncertainty with the pandemic has driven companies to look to facilitators rather than consultants?[28:36] Do you think ‘one-off’ facilitation is over? Can we achieve meaningful results in a single workshop?[31:51] What’s the inner game for facilitators in this future of ‘corporate therapy’?[38:10] How do you know when to step into authoritative facilitation and when to step back?LinksWebsite Connect to Jordan:On LinkedIn Support the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Send us a textSome might not expect an introverted, neurodivergent woman like Sharon Leigh to ‘fit’ with facilitation. But anyone can access, practice, and succeed with it – as Sharon knows from personal experience. In fact, Sharon doesn’t just fit with facilitation – she excels at it.Together, we cover a huge amount of ground in the world of facilitation, taking in the sights of inclusion, digital spaces, and holding space for facilitators.We also take some unexpected roads and unmapped routes, traversing the hitherto uncharted territory of workshops and neurodivergence, collaborative living, and knowing how to give someone a mood-boosting hug through a computer screen.This episode is a perfect summary of why I started the podcast. We uncover some incredible insights around the practice of facilitation, but we get there by looking deeply at what it means to be human and how we can connect with each other in simple, meaningful ways.Find out about:What it takes – and why it’s so important – for facilitators and coaches to have their own space for reflectionFinding gold among the heavy rocks and fast flowing waters of the pandemicWhy going online can make meetings, group work, and connection more accessible to allWhat Sharon has learned about facilitation, boundaries, and communication from collaborative livingWhy great workshops don’t provide great content or solutions, but ‘brain vacations’How a pared-down agenda leaves space for the real magic of your workshop to come throughDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. 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!ConnectOn LinkedIn Support the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Send us a textManal Sayid is a fascinating person, speaker, and podcast guest - as she proves in this episode of workshops.work! Her experience ranges from the suicide prevention helpline of Distress Centres Toronto, to all manner of corporate and third sector facilitation roles.And she’s achieved it all without an obvious role model or well-trodden footsteps to follow.We bring all of this together in this episode, discussing the vital lessons in facilitation she has learned in unexpected places and what it’s like to sit in workshops in which nobody looks like ‘you’.The conversation is smooth, surprisingly light despite its sometimes-heavy content, and utterly enriching.Enjoy this standout episode! Find out about:Why fear is so powerful and how we can harness it to help us connect, communicate, and growHow inclusive facilitation creates a ripple effectHow to hold uncomfortable conversations about diversity and inclusionWhat happens when we work with our anxieties, rather than against themWhy we really don’t need to “do” much to help others to step into vulnerabilityHow to create workshops and environments that are more inclusiveDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. 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. Connect to Manal:On LinkedInOn Twitter Support the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Send us a textBeing a facilitator is one thing, but Stephen Berkeley is on a mission to live a facilitative life.This idea is incredibly intriguing - can it be done? How do we walk the line between staying curious and ‘coaching’ our relationships? Is it possible to use silence as a tool in our day-to-day lives?Stephen joins me in this episode to explore all of the above and much more. We wind our way through the edges of facilitation and find ourselves at the heart of what it means to be human, to hold space for others, and to be present in every situation we encounter.Find out about:Understanding the difference between facilitating and being facilitativeThe special things that happen when you start a workshop in silenceThe three-question process Stephen follows to reflect on his workshopsWhy a ‘bad’ or ‘failed’ workshop is a matter of perspectiveHow to nurture our natural curiosity so it easily extends into all facets of our livesStephen’s advice to anyone who is curious about living a more facilitative lifeDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. 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[01:16] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[03:51] What is the difference between being facilitative and being a facilitator?[07:02] How can we detect our innate facilitative skill?[11:37] What does it mean, to you, to live a facilitative life?[13:02] How can we avoid ‘overfacilitating’ non-workshop situations and creating friction?[18:32] Is there a possibility that having experienced such high-intensity crises, you risk underestimating crises in a workshop?[21:47] What three questions do you answer to help you reflect on a workshop you’ve delivered?[24:52] Have you ever come to the conclusion that a workshop failed?[32:38] Do you use silence in other areas of your life or work?[37:08] What happens if we apply more silence in our daily conversations?[43:12] As facilitators, we listen and reflect all day. Does our capacity to listen outside of our work diminish as a result?[46:07] How can we nurture our facilitative nature so that asking questions, being curious, and listening come naturally to us and don’t require us to put our ‘facilitator hat’ on?[51:01] If someone in the audience would like to start living a more facilitative life, what would be your advice to them?LinksLink to the book including Stephen’s chapterConnect to Stephen:On LinkedInOn Twitter Support the show✨✨✨You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/