workshops work

Send us a textPsychological safety is a bastion of facilitation, collaboration, and connection.But has it reached a tipping point?As the phrase permeates more corners of consultancy and the echelons of management, is it depreciating into another buzzword, losing its groundbreaking origins?Gustavo Razzetti, acclaimed workplace culture consultant, will gladly admit that this is a controversial topic, but there are few better equipped to address it – and that’s what we set out to do in this episode of workshops work.Join us for a challenging, inspiring, and rewarding discussion about the merits and limits of psychological safety.Find out about:●     Why a top-down focus on psychological safety has a fatal flaw●     How reflection and action at an individual level form true psychological safety●     Whether personal integrity is a more valuable metric to measure●     The Catch 22 of psychological safety and the tension between safety and conflict●     How subcultures influence and make up wider company cultures●     Healthy, manageable ways to introduce risk and conflict into workplacesDon’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!Questions and Answers[01:48] Where do you see the paradox when it comes to psychological safety in organisations?[03:18] What does psychological safety really mean? And what have people taken it to mean?[09:44] Is it the leader that sets the tone and models psychological safety to their team?[14:29] Do you think the desire of some leaders to return to the office is rooted in their desire for safety?[17:19] How can leaders create psychological safety for themselves?[20:46] Is it a mistake, then, to look to the leader to create psychological safety?[24:18] How can we feel confident enough to speak up if we don’t feel safe? This is the chicken and egg situation![30:03] Would we be better placed discussing integrity? Why is there such a dearth of discussion around integrity in the corporate world?[34:29] Can we feel psychologically safe if we operate from a position of defensiveness?[39:44] How important is the art of asking questions and giving feedback? Is it something we can learn?[42:46] If we need smaller groups to truly create psychological safety, how do we avoid silos?[47:24] What happens if subcultures don’t trust each other?[49:38] Is a lack of collaboration among middle management a structural problem or an issue of incentives?[52:24] If we want middle management to change, would that be a problem for leadership to solve?[54:10] How, then, would middle managers create an alliance if they all feel in competition with one another?[56:29] How can we transform silos into subcultures that communicate and collaborate?[57:32] Do you believe in hybrid?[01:02:58] Are we experiencing a ‘mass avoidance’ event by focusing so much on the concept of hybrid?[01:05:16] Would our work become more sustainable in an asynchronous model?[01:10:21] How do you prioritise and protect idea-sharing afterSupport 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 textAfter a year and a half of panicked, rushed remote and hybrid work, we are long overdue a calm presence - a voice of reason. Someone to steer the ship and settle the stormy waters, to help us see sense and chart a path towards a more successful, enjoyable, and thriving hybrid work environment.We need Cliff Pollan!Cliff’s been navigating the depths of hybrid and remote work for decades – having penned articles about video calls before Zoom was even a noun and worked in hybrid-first companies before the internet even existed!I invited Cliff to hold a conversation about hybrid work, what we need to take on (and leave behind) to make it succeed, and the role of facilitation in that success.This conversation truly opened up a world of possibilities, perspectives, and positive ideas for me – I hope it will do the same for you!Find out about:The deeper-than-expected roots of hybrid workExamining and overcoming the linguistic traps in “remote work”Why agency is at the heart of successful hybrid teamsUnderstanding hybrid work as a space, rather than just a collection of toolsNavigating the ‘laws’ of video calls, visibility, and presenceFacilitation as an essential professional and life skillWhy we need to abandon the idea that the physical space is ‘the centre of the universe’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[01:02] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator, if you do?[01:33] How would you describe the ‘craft’ of facilitation?[03:15] What makes a workshop fail?[05:41] Can you explain a little about Welo, the tool you’ve developed?[11:00] How did you perceive and experience hybrid work pre-pandemic?[16:29] What role does agency play in making hybrid work succeed?[20:13] How do ‘office hours’ work in a virtual space?[27:17] Do you have a favourite icebreaker or interaction-promoting exercise?[32:27] What role does video play in hybrid work?[35:58] Did we need to collectively experience ‘Zoom fatigue’ to find the right frequency for video calls?[40:23] How important is it to share your reason for having your camera off?[43:44] What does it take to equip people with the skills to facilitate better, more equitable discussions?[46:31] Why have we not yet had the watershed moment of widespread facilitation training?[52:22] What merit is there in having on-site staff share the same space in a hybrid meeting?[55:48] What is it about sharing a physical space that feels special?[58:28] If your team sits across time zones, how can you account for the impact on group dynamics?[59:36] What is the one thing you would like listeners to take away from this episode?LinksWELO - Cliff’s companyConnect to Cliff: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 text123 episodes later, we return to where it all started.In truth, I believe I could have recorded 124 episodes exclusively with Patrick Cowden and we’d still have another 124 episodes’ worth of discussion in us.Anyone who has met Patrick - whether in our monthly NeverDoneBeore ‘spa’ sessions, in a client setting, or in passing - can attest to his warmth, vision, and energy.We sat down to explore his much-loved and much-lauded method for establishing human connection - his ‘interaction protocol’. We also explore why appreciation is the universal building block and how we can understand the domino effect of interaction, connection, and collaboration.And, if that wasn’t enough, you can hear us practice the interaction protocol ‘live’ on the show! Find out about:●     What it means to embody ‘beyond’ in life and work●     The magical 90 second protocol that helps people find themselves and each other in a conversation●     A live enactment of Patrick’s interaction protocol – between the two of us!●     What Patrick has learned from over 3,000 sessions using his protocol●     Why Patrick prioritises appreciation over listening and reacting●     The fatal tension that Patrick sees in our push for hybrid work●     Patrick’s advice for anyone who wants to start using the interaction protocolDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. Click here to download the free 1-page summary.Click here to watch the conversation on Youtube 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[01:35] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator – if, in fact, you do?[03:08] When did you start calling yourself a ‘beyonder’ and what does it take to move from facilitator to beyonder?[05:58] Are there some key skills or mindsets that we should practice to help groups go ‘beyond’?[09:29] What does it take to have your curiosity? How do you get there?[12:51] What happens in the 60 to 90 seconds of your interaction protocol?[20:50] How do you create the space or people to follow the interaction protocol? How do you articulate the invitation to speak this way with each other?[27:04] What have you learned about the protocol, about people, and about yourself after 3,000 sessions?[36:36] Why is the three-minute (90s each) window so powerful – what does it permit us?[44:11] Why are we seeing such a push towards hybrid working right now?[01:00:58] What would your advice be to anyone who wants to take the first step towards practicing the interaction protocol?LinksPatrick’s company pageThe NeverDoneBefore Facilitation FestivalConnect to PatrickLinkedinSupport 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/

In this engaging discussion, Quanita Roberson, founder of Nzuzu Consulting, dives into the transformative power of facilitation. She emphasizes the importance of addressing grief as foundational in group dynamics and discusses the necessity of clearing emotional hurdles before sessions begin. Quanita also views fear as an invitation for growth, rather than a warning. Her insights link personal experience with community healing, highlighting how understanding privilege and cultivating vulnerability can lead to authentic connections and impactful workshops.

Send us a textMagic isn’t stuck in children’s books and feel-good films, it’s here. It’s among us. It’s in our vulnerability, our connection, and our understanding.The moment I met Jan Keck, I knew I wanted to speak to him on workshops work.Jan has spent many years facilitating magical human moments - deep phases of connection and communication between people - and, well, isn’t that what so much of our work as facilitators comes down to?So, join us as we weave threads between psychological safety, experience design, vulnerability, owning our mistakes and imperfections to find, when we look back, that we’ve inadvertently captured so much of what it truly means to be a facilitator.It really is magical.Find out about:What it means to make magical human moments and Jan’s ‘campfire formula’ for themHow to design activities that level the playing field and suit different personalitiesThe power of stating out-of-bounds topics (such as small talk!) before an eventWhy vulnerability is a gateway to connectionHow Jan uses ‘cellphone sleeping bags’ to encourage connection in his workshopsThe power of reframing and how it gives us permission to failWhat happens in the room when the facilitator admits something has gone wrongDon’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! Questions and Answers[01:05] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[03:41] What do you mean by “making magical human moments?”[04:45] And what is it that makes magical human moments?[10:29] How do you find the right level of vulnerability with which to open a workshop?[15:09] How can we avoid the trap of falling into small talk?[20:14] What’s a question you love to start with that isn’t “what do you do for work?”[22:09] How do you handle the difference between individuals who sign up for a workshop with you and a team whose manager has brought you in for a workshop?[24:05] How do you come up with creative ideas?[26:56] What’s the story behind your ‘campfire formula’ for facilitating magical human moments?[29:42] Explain to us your ‘cell phone sleeping bag’![32:30] Can you talk about the three different types of listening?[36:13] What makes a workshop fail?[40:44] Do you keep a list of the mistakes you’ve made?[42:19] What is your favourite in-person exercise?[47:17] What is your favourite online exercise?[49:40] Was there anything else you wanted to bring to this conversation?[51:35] What is the one thing you would like listeners to take away from this episode?LinksWebsiteCardsVirtual Facilitator TrainingVirtual Eye Gazing ExperimentZoom Tips free PDFSupport 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 textWe are experiencing a long-overdue explosion of information and awareness about mental health. Just as we’ve steadily developed great interventions for our physical ills, we are now developing similar solutions for our mental ills.But prevention is always preferable to cures.Developing our mental fitness can have a hugely positive effect on us as individuals, collectives, and professionals, but it’s not yet a prominent part of the public discussion around mental wellbeing.Jodie Rogers, founder of Symbia, mental fitness expert, and published author, is on a mission to make mental fitness a key part of how we live and work. She joins me in this episode to share how we can start practicing better mental fitness individually and collectively.Find out about:What the difference is between mental health and mental fitnessThe evidence behind mental fitness and Jodie’s work in the fieldHow Jodie coaches mental fitness in corporate settingsHow we can all work on our mental fitness independentlyThe common cognitive traps we set ourselves and what we can do to increase our awareness of themHow and why to prime a group before a workshopWhy Jodie thinks it’s important to call out signals of discontentment, boredom, or disagreement in a groupDon’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 “Dancing with Markers”. Click here to get the workshops work discount for Lauren’s upcoming visual facilitation course.Questions and Answers[01:00] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator, if you do at all?[04:20] Can you explain what mental fitness is?[09:07] Would you call mental fitness a growth mindset?[14:21] How do you go about teaching groups mental fitness?[18:08] Does raising this group- and self-awareness improve our understanding of perceptual differences?[19:50] Do you use any specific tools or ideas to help people understand how their attention works?[25:56] Do you have a favourite tool or exercise for applying mental fitness?[29:16] How do you recognise whether a group is mentally available or if there is tension in it?[31:46] How would you advise someone about calling out visible tension in a group?[36:04] What sort of scene-setting do you do to make ‘calling out’ possible in a group setting?[41:03] What makes a workshop fail?[43:26] What would be your advice for showing up even when we don’t feel very mentally fit?[45:20] What is the one thing you would like listeners to take away from this episode?LinksSymbia, Jodie’s companyJodie’s Mental Fitness ScorecardConnect to Jodie: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 textGroup dynamics are always present in the room, whether or not we choose to acknowledge them.What can we do to understand and manage group dynamics - and our place within them?As an organisational psychologist, vastly experienced facilitator, and insightful thinker, Grace Lau is the perfect person to answer this complicated question.Tune into this episode to get a stronger grasp on group dynamics, explore organisational psychology, and to hear the surprising reason Grace why locks herself in the bathroom during workshop breaks!Find out about:How and why people’s characters flex and flow in different groupsWhy it’s okay to interfere with a group’s dynamic for the sake of the workshop’s objectiveWhy we should reconsider the unnatural (and impossible) idea of neutralityHow changes in dynamics are often the result of patterns, not single eventsStories from Grace’s experience of facilitating workshops on group dynamicsHow social cues have (and have not) translated to online tools, adjusting group dynamics without us realisingWhat impact hybrid workshops will have on group dynamicsDon’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[01:04] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[03:34] How do you apply your background in organisational psychology to your facilitation practice?[05:38] How do you approach psychological safety?[11:39] How do you account for the fact that different personalities have more impact than others in a group?[15:32] Where does a facilitator’s responsibility for group dynamics start and end?[18:12] Can one truly be neutral and facilitate oneself out of unconscious biases?[24:18] When something changes in a group’s dynamic, can we point to the cause?[30:37] In this example of a workshop that the group sees as a ‘tick box’ exercise, how would you add a little friction and interest to proceedings?[34:06] Does the majority of the work that goes into a session happen before the group arrives?[37:08] What makes a workshop fail?[41:08] Is it easier to sense or handle group online?[49:26] Can individual people or moments change a group’s rules – without even necessarily noticing?[53:03] How can we manage two separate conversational spaces (e.g. a video call with a chat function)?[54:53] What should facilitators pay attention to with group dynamics in the hybrid space?[59:53] What is your favourite exercise?[01:04:11] What is the one thing you would like listeners to take away from this episode?LinksCompany site: www.atrain-apac.com HSD site: https://www.hsdinstitute.org/resources/inquiry-is-the-answer-covid-19-recordings.html Connect to Grace: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 textAnalogies are a powerful tool - they’re communication kaleidoscopes, reflecting and refracting our ideas into a multitude of new, eye-catching alternatives.It’s a tool that we use regularly. I know in my workshops, I will fall back on helpful analogies to explain complex topics. On this podcast, guests (and I) will use analogies to explain new concepts. In many conversations, you’ll find analogies cropping up.It was about time workshops work dedicated some space to this powerful tool! Thankfully, I was able to speak to one of the best possible analogists - Michael Barrett, founder of Resonance, LLC and multi-hyphenate-careerist.Michael’s thinking is a breath of fresh air and our conversation flowed beautifully. Journey with us as we explore the power of analogies in facilitation. Find out about:Michael’s portfolio career of massage therapy, consultancy, and facilitationHow massage therapy taught Michael to see organisations as organismHow interdisciplinary thinking helps Michael see the world in analogiesWhy we shouldn’t always avoid pain, as it can lead to sustained reliefThe neuroscientific reasons for using analogies when you facilitateKnowing where an analogy’s limits areUnderstanding the ground rules of using analogies effectively in workshopsDon’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!Questions and Answers[01:38] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[06:52] Where do you see the parallels between facilitation and being a massage therapist?[10:46] It sounds like the environment - making a safe space - matters just as much there?[15:58] Do you think the focus on “fixing” afflicts massage therapists and facilitators equally?[19:45] Can pain be productive and healing - as in massage therapy?[21:33] Do analogies’ power in workshops come from adding personal, experiential relatability?[24:33] How do you usually use analogies in your facilitation practice?[28:28] Does knowing the science behind how analogies work allow you to use them in new, boundary-pushing ways?[30:57] How can you determine what good and bad analogies are?[34:06] Has a participant ever refuted or pushed back on one of your analogies?[38:00] Are there specific moments when you use an analogy, or would you build an entire workshop around one?[40:15] What makes a workshop fail?[45:52] Do you have a favourite analogy?[48:26] Is using analogies effectively a talent or a muscle?[54:02] Do you have a favourite exercise?[57:51] What is the one thing you would like listeners to take away from this episode?LinksResonance Facilitation, Michael’s companySouth East Association of FacilitatorsConnect to Michael: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/

Pilar Orti, a passionate advocate for theatre and podcasting, shares her unique insights on facilitation. She discusses how her theatre background enhances collaborative spaces and the dynamics of audio-only workshops. Pilar emphasizes the value of creative processes, using abstract metaphors to promote honest team dialogues. The conversation reveals the potential of podcasting as a facilitation tool, empowering teams while highlighting the importance of engagement and clarity in communication. Expect laughter and lightheartedness throughout!

Send us a textIt’s not uncommon for guests on workshops work to introduce new and unique angles to the practice of facilitation, but I should have known things would jump to another level when I invited transdisciplinary, systems-thinking, complexity-loving Johanna Tysk to the show!Our conversation was intriguing, challenging, daring, and endlessly enjoyable.Join us in this week’s episode for an exploration of systems thinking, object constellations, modern physics, and many more beautifully intertwined topics.Find out about:Johanna’s background and belief in transdisciplinary designWhat it looks like to disentangle different types of cultureWhat happens when we use our bodies to help us understand, perceive, and solve problemsWhy letting go of our desire for control and embracing emergence will make us better facilitatorsHow Johanna creates safe spaces in workshops for creative self-exploration and -identificationWhy the study of complexity needs communities to really make progressDon’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!Questions and Answers[01:31] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator - do you call yourself a facilitator?[02:24] What is the difference between facilitating and carrying the identity of ‘a facilitator’?[04:17] Can you talk a little about transdisciplinary design and how it influences your work today?[05:38] How would you define systems thinking?[07:52] How do you approach the different systems within a group and work with them as a whole?[11:51] Why do you think object constellations can be so impactful?[17:31] Are there disciplines that combine particularly well together? How do you find that out?[19:03] How does Chaos Theory come into your work?[23:25] How do you bring people’s deeply personal object constellations together into group work?[31:20] What’s your approach to gently introducing object constellations to a group?[32:54] What do you mean by “bringing your body into the space”?[37:45] What is your process for designing a facilitated session?[41:24] How do you equip people to step out of the safe space you create in your workshops?[45:45] What makes a workshop fail?[49:22] When would you choose constellations instead of another creative medium?[52:37] Are there any red flags you would encourage people to look out for if trying object constellations for the first time?[55:35] Is there anything else you wanted to bring to this conversation that hasn’t come up yet?Connect to Johanna:On LinkedInSupport 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/