workshops work

Do you want to create meetings that participants actively engage with?When online meetings fail, it’s almost always because the offline meetings were bad in the first place. If you want every participant to engage with the meeting, you must be intentional from the start. The last thing you want to do is leave anyone out! As the facilitator, you must try and involve all participants by giving them enough opportunities to think, speak, and contribute to the meeting.In this episode of workshops work, I take you on a journey of discovery and let you in on some of my top tips to create engaging online meetings. I talk about why Zoom fatigue has become a widespread phenomenon and what you can do to ensure your online meetings engage, inspire, and motivate real change.So, are you ready to put the life back into your online meetings? If so, I hope this solo episode of the podcast helps you to do just that!Find out about:The real reason why facilitators have bad online meetingsWhy you need to have intention from the beginning of the meeting for it to be engaging and effectiveHow to actively involve all participantsHow to host engaging online meetingsWhy online meetings fail and how to avoid boring meetingsWhy preparation is so important when hosting an online meetingWhy you must allow participants to close the previous task before startingHow to give the team lead more headspace to listen and contributeDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Click here to download the free 1-page summaryFeeling 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. Share your thoughts about our conversation!Support the show✨✨✨Subscribe to our newsletter to receive 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✨✨✨Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

Do you want to get better at creating mind-blowing visual experiences for participants?If so, you need to think about the story and method behind your canvas and its templates. A template is designed to guide participants through the various experiences of the workshop. You can think of it like a visual guide that provides participants with the instructions they need to follow. However, you can take your templates a step further and use them to create captivating visual experiences for your participants.Shayne Smart is an architect, designer and highly versatile change consultant with 5000 hours of experience in workshop design, facilitation, and delivery. So, who better to talk to about creating mind-blowing visual experiences than Shayne? I had the pleasure of speaking to him in this episode of workshops work, where he shares some of his best tips and advice to help you create unique templates that use icons and layouts that participants understand from their natural environment.Shayne also reveals how to create a template that works and how to guide groups through online collaborative experiences!Find out about:What a canvas is and the importance of designing captivating templatesWhy facilitators must learn to lead groups through an equal-voice conversationHow to use prompts from the real world to design a space that participants can navigate as if it were in a placeWhy a lack of alignment can lead to a workshop failingHow to know you’ve done well as a facilitatorHow to create a canvas for participants who work in small groups or asynchronouslyWhy you shouldn’t reveal the complexity of a problem in one go… and so much more!Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Click here to download the free 1-page summaryFeeling 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.Questions and Answers[01:47] – When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[02:15] – What does it mean to you to be a facilitator?[05:17] – How do you translate the key task of a facilitator into the templates you create?[07:47] - What do you think most people get wrong when they design templates for workshops?[15:55] – What is the difference between designing a template where you want a group to go from A to B and designing a landscape where you want a group to go from A to B?[23:15] – How can you reduce the fear of waking something for the user?[26:52] – How can you create an environment that triggers curiosity, and the will to interact?[33:23] – How do you create a new habit of using a journal?[42:38] – What makes a workshop fail?[43:02] – What is your favourite exercise?[47:07] – What is the one thing regarding the design production of the MURAL that you would have liked to know earlier?Share your thoughts about our conversation!Support the show✨✨✨Subscribe to our newsletter to receive 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✨✨✨Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

Facilitators want to inspire, motivate, and cultivate change and growth. However, facilitators cannot see into the future. No matter how hard we try, we cannot predict what will happen to the seed we planted. Whether the seed blossoms into a beautiful plant or withers away depends on so much more than the facilitator. While facilitators cannot guarantee a good crop, we can provide intention, care, and thoughtful leadership. A facilitator who understands how to do all three things (and so much more) is Lee Kim, the Co-Founder of Design Dream Lab and Design Thinking Facilitator at Cornell University.Lee is driven and passionate about human-centred problem-solving. Through the Design Dream Lab, Lee helps others foster empathy, overcome challenges, explore new opportunities, and fulfil their wildest dreams. I was so happy to have Lee join me as a guest on this episode of workshops work, where we talked about why facilitation is like gardening – if you don’t nurture the garden and the outcomes of a workshop, the results will wither and fade.Find out about:How facilitation is like gardeningWhy facilitators must be both humble and confident at the right timesHow conversations foster human connectionA fun exercise to help participants connect and explore their inner desiresWhy facilitators should never be arrogantThe importance of being intentional when pursuing success from a workshopWhy successful workshops always lead to a transformationWhy facilitators must be great leadersHow to encourage a team to get to know each otherDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Click here to download the free 1-page summaryFeeling 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.Questions and Answers[00:15] – When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[01:56] – What is the difference between a coach and a facilitator?[03:48] – What makes a successful experience or journey?[05:35] – How can we measure the success if we’re not part of the aftermath of a workshop?[21:33] – What are the shortcomings of design thinking?[23:39] - Some clients have a solution already, and they are just looking for confirmation. Isn't this the red flag for a facilitator?[29:53] - What is the role of soil in the ‘facilitation is like gardening’ metaphor?[36:30] - What have you learned from facilitation about gardening?[39:09] – Do you build stories into the design of your workshop?[50:45] – What makes a workshop fail?[51:38] – What is the main take away from our conversation?LinksDesign Dream LabVisual ExplorerShare your thoughts about our conversation!Support the show✨✨✨Subscribe to our newsletter to receive 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✨✨✨Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

How can you use the creativity of a daydream to solve a very real problem? Being able to access creative thought when necessary is a skill and it can be taught, much like any other discipline. Founders of The Drawing Board, Pat Byrnes and Jonathan Plotkin are cartoonists who facilitate creative workshops. They teach participants how to unlock creative thought using cartoonist exercises and processes. They can then use these tools in other aspects of their career to help generate creativity, problem solve, and more.We had a fascinating discussion about the psychology behind cartooning, including why art creates a safe space to disagree and how you can surprise yourself through improv. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did, and that it inspires you to pick up a pen and start cartooning!Find out about:How cartooning facilitation worksHow to access the discipline of cartooning to help your careerThe three components of a cartoon and how they relate to the creative processWhat exercises Pat and Jonathan use in their workshops and how they establish them as tools for future useWhy improv unlocks creative thoughtsThe psychology behind combining your daydreams with realityHow doodling can help you engage How art can be a safe space to facilitate disagreement Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Click here to download the free 1-page summaryFeeling 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.Questions and Answers[01:17] – Would you call yourselves facilitators?[08:18] – What makes a good cartoon? How do you introduce quality into your group sessions?[10:44] – How do you teach people to use a cartoonist’s way of thinking?[13:51] – How do you get a group to improv using paper?[18:08] – What do you mean when you say improv on paper?[27:56] – Is focusing on a daydream to bring it to reality different in cartooning to drawing? Can we learn how to do it?[36:16] – How can building a cartoon can help groups collaborate better or to solve a problem?[42:41] – What makes a bad cartoon?[43:30] – How would you turn a bad cartoon into a good cartoon?[45:21] – What makes a workshop fail?[49:12] – How do we find meaning?[52:55] – What’s the one thing you’d like listeners to take away?Links:Jonathan and Pat's websiteEpisode 49 with Sunny BenBelkacem Connect to Pat and Jonathan:Pat’s LinkedInJonathan’s LinkedIn Share your thoughts about our conversation!Support the show✨✨✨Subscribe to our newsletter to receive 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✨✨✨Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

What is art-based learning? And how can art-based learning workshops be successful virtually?In this episode of workshops work, I find out how we can facilitate deep insights through art and how to overcome the challenges of shifting this intimate workshop experience from a physical museum to a virtual one.Here to answer all of my questions is Roumayne Schepers, an art-based learning facilitator at LerenVanKunst.nl. Roumayne speaks passionately about her role and reveals how she uses art-based learning to help people develop personally and build strong bonds with their teams.Listening to her processes was fascinating, and I was especially interested to hear how she’s successfully managed to transition her workshops from in-person to a fully online experience. I hope you find this episode as eye-opening as I did and encourages you to approach art in a new and exciting way.Find out about:What led Roumayne to art-based learning and why she’s considered a facilitatorWhat art-based learning is and what it aims to achieveHow participants grow, and often surprise themselves, through the learning processHow to shift art-based learning from a museum to an online spaceHow to facilitate the online transition from a personal to a group experienceWhat art-based learning can bring to a teamHow to facilitate a safe space for sharing ideasWhat to bear in mind if you’re considering using art in your workshopsDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Click here to download the free 1-page summaryQuestions and Answers[01:10] – When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[02:47] – How did you go from the pharmacy to the museum?[05:44] – What does art-based learning mean?[07:47] – What is art-based learning’s goal?[12:26] – How do you choose the artwork?[13:59] – How do you choose the question?[16:25] – How does art-based learning work online?[17:56] – How do you guide the group from a personal to a group experience?[22:08] – Is it beneficial if learners know the artwork already? Or is it better to exclude them?[23:18] – What is your experience transitioning from offline to online?[27:59] – What is your strategy or your favourite exercise to create a safe space?[30:19] – How can you find out what’s holding a participant back?[33:00] – When you’re sharing stories, do you move as a group from artwork to artwork? [34:18] – How do you approach a breakout room without disrupting a potentially intimate conversation?[35:21] – What is your role in smaller group discussions?[36:39] – What makes a workshop fail?[37:21] – How do you create a safe environment?[39:29] – What would you recommend for someone who would like to use art in their workshops?[43:35] – What is the one thing you would like listeners to take away from this episode?[46:17] – Do you use any exercisShare your thoughts about our conversation!Support the show✨✨✨Subscribe to our newsletter to receive 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✨✨✨Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

Great facilitators aren't always subject matter experts. In fact, they may know very little about the workshop's topic. A successful facilitator acts in service of others and knows when to lead from the back, as well as from the front.Jay Melone believes that being a great facilitator requires a unique mindset. He stresses that to be a good facilitator, you must practice curiosity, patience and leave your concerns about being the expert behind. After meeting Jay earlier this year, I couldn't wait to talk to him about his approach to facilitating, both as an expert in the field and as a "shy extrovert".Jay is the Founder and Principal Facilitator at New Haircut, an innovation strategy firm. He shared many thoughtful insights into a facilitator's role and how you can effectively lead a group, even if you're not comfortable being the centre of attention. I hope this episode inspires you to step outside of your comfort zone and facilitate with confidence.Find out about:Why being curious makes a great facilitatorThe difference between an expert and a facilitatorWhy people are now willing to prepare for workshops ahead of timeHow to leverage your personality type as a facilitatorHow to design an agenda for measurable workshop successWhy Jay encourages everyone to step out of their comfort zonesHow to trust your workshop’s designWhy you don’t need to be an expert to support a team Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Click here to download the free 1-page summaryFeeling inspired by the conversation about the NeverDoneBefore Facilitation Festival? Click here to find out more.Questions and Answers[01:28] – When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[02:27] – What makes a good facilitator[06:15] – To what extent is a facilitator a mix between a journalist and an engineer?[09:40] – What is your experience placing yourself as a facilitator? Do you facilitate from the centre of the conversation or from the side? [20:01] – What did you learn about being a participant in an 1,800 person workshop?[21:36] – Do you think it's easier or more difficult for an introvert, or shy facilitator, to guide groups online versus on-site?[28:42] – What would you advise aspiring facilitators who think they’re too shy to be a good facilitator? [34:56] – What makes a workshop fail?[36:06] – How do you know when your workshop is failing due to a design problem or an external problem caused by the group?[44:01] – What is your favourite exercise?[48:35] – How do you trust yourself to lead your team?[52:51] – What is the main takeaway from our conversation?LinksJay’s website‘How to Be Yourself’ by Dr. Ellen HendriksenConnectShare your thoughts about our conversation!Support the show✨✨✨Subscribe to our newsletter to receive 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✨✨✨Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

To achieve great workshop collaboration, participants must find a way to work together. In times of change, positivity is often the magic ingredient that makes workshops work. However, being positive doesn’t mean you neglect relevant problems. Positivity is about embracing uncertainty and stating things as they are so that you can work out a feasible solution.Lisette van de Sandt is one of the most positive people I have ever had the pleasure to meet (virtually or otherwise). She is a spirited optimist that believes positivity is contagious. She helps organisations and facilitators work together using positivity to help people “be positive about what works today, and optimistic about what you could do better tomorrow.”In these uncertain times, we could all do with more positive thinking in our lives, so I asked Lisette to join me in this episode of workshops work. This has been one of my favourite conversations because Lisette shares what it means to be positive. She helps us practice positive thinking more often in both our personal and professional lives.Find out about:Why positivity should be viewed as a mindsetThe difference between positivity and optimismHow to build your positive thinking skills and resilienceHow to alter your positivity through positive thinkingHow connecting informally can help build your team’s resilience through positivityWhy you should start group conversations by focusing on small winsWhy workshops must focus on solving the real problem to be successfulDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Click here to download the free 1-page summaryFeeling inspired by the conversation about the NeverDoneBefore Facilitation Festival? Click here to find out more.Questions and Answers[01:20] – When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[02:29] - What do you think distinguishes a good workshop from a bad workshop?[05:33] - What are you doing to be mindful about positivity and mindset across the group? And, how can you lift it without neglecting the troubles and emotions that people are going through?[09:36] – Do you think check-ins and asking how people are doing needs more time in a workshop session?[11:24] - How can an unexperienced manager create and build resilience as a team together in this time?[13:53] - Are there tricks to boost positivity within a group without forcing it?[18:47] - What is the difference between positivity and optimism?[21:23] – How can we nurture this positivity or even resilience? What is the difference between resilience and positivity?[27:34] - How do you bring positivity into a conversation without sugar-coating or just ignoring the negative side?[36:59] - What is the story with these positive experiments?[40:39] - How do you measure positivity, happiness, or satisfaction?[41:42] – What makes a workshoShare your thoughts about our conversation!Support the show✨✨✨Subscribe to our newsletter to receive 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✨✨✨Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

Since March 2020, almost 100 facilitators have collaborated to bring to life a bold vision: A 24 hours long, global facilitation festival. In this bonus episode, Michelle Howard, collaborator and facilitator at the NeverDoneBefore facilitation festival (and guest on episode 043 of the podcast) interviews Myriam Hadnes who initiated the project and invited all podcast guests to host workshops in a way that they have never done before. In this episode, you will hear about What facilitation means to me (Myriam Hadnes) and why it is so close to my heart to bring the community together.How the festival idea came to life.My biggest learnings from the process.What participants can expectHow can we use the different time zones, participants will be joining from as bridges, uniting us instead of challenges we need to overcome.Curious about the NeverDoneBefore Facilitation Festival and Community?Click here to find out moreQuestions & Answers:[01:54]   What drives your enthusiasm for facilitation in general and NDB in particular? [04: 15] What have you learned about supporting collaboration?[06:59] How does NeverDoneBefore fit into this picture you draw about the facilitation community?[10:42]  Can you tell us about this very collaborative and very new process of how NDB is organised? [16:33] What can the audience expect to experience and what might people take away?What do people need to know about the platforms and what if they feel nervous about not being good or skilled enough?[24:28] What is the mindset that people shall bring to the event?[26:32] What do you hope people will take away from the festival?[33:34] What are the options to join and how can people sign up? Links:The NeverDoneBefore Facilitation FestivalThe NDB festival agendaPodcast episode 043 with Michelle HowardShare your thoughts about our conversation!Support the show✨✨✨Subscribe to our newsletter to receive 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✨✨✨Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

As the facilitator, it’s up to you to act as the group’s vehicle and guide them from one place to the next. You do this by providing the context that enables the group to work better together by building trust, communication, and collaboration.Of course, helping groups work better together online is an entirely different story in many ways. I wanted to learn more about how facilitators can help groups work better together, which is why I reached out to Robert Skrobe and invited him to join me on workshops work.Robert trains people to use design sprints effectively, and he shares what he has learned from hosting a series of global virtual design sprints. Professionals from across the globe come together to collaborate with the same goal to showcase their work in the best possible light.I really enjoyed learning more about the Global Virtual Design Sprint, and Robert shared a lot of tips to help participants align and work more effectively together. I hope this episode brings you clarity and inspiration to help your groups communicate and collaborate better online.Find out about:What the Global Virtual Design Sprint is and why it’s so usefulWhy workshops fail when participants leave without learning anything newHow online and offline moments leads to meaningful collaborationHow to make sure that participants align on a certain way of working togetherHow to bring participants together with help from a sketching exerciseDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Click here to download the free 1-page summaryFeeling inspired by the conversation about the NeverDoneBefore Facilitation Festival? Click here to find out more.Questions and Answers[03:41] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[05:14] What have you learned from this project of organising the community of the disabled children for the work you're doing today?[06:29] What was the moment you decided to fully engage in that project and scale it the way that you did?[09:58] What do you think creates the opportunity to connect in a meaningful way online?[12:18] How do you facilitate connection amongst teams who have never met offline?[15:29] How do you encourage engagement on slack?[20:20] What do you think most people get wrong about the concept of a design sprint?[22:13] What are your biggest learnings in terms of the hybrid process?[29:37] What makes a design sprint fail?[38:28] What do you think is the context that really facilitates the team to make the best use of these four days they spend together?[40:14] To what extent are the personalities of participants in each group relevant?[44:22] What does your code of conduct consist of at its core?[53:44] What would you like listeners to take away as the one nugget from our conversation?LinksShare your thoughts about our conversation!Support the show✨✨✨Subscribe to our newsletter to receive 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✨✨✨Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

Online meetings have risen in popularity since the COVID-19 outbreak, but they must cover more than ticking boxes from the agenda list. Creating stronger bonds and giving people that human connection they’ve lost from in-person meetings is so important. After all, we’re all in this together. The more we can be there for each other, the better.Kevon Cheung is the Co-Founder and CEO of Toasty.ai, a new video conferencing tool that simplifies the process of meeting facilitation so that participants can express and collaborate freely. I was so happy to have him join me in this episode of workshops work because I wanted to know how Toasty works and how it combines facilitation exercises with a shared Google drive, amongst other things.I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. I hope it helps you see how you can bring the human element back into your meetings, conferences, and workshops.In this episode, find out about:How and why Kevon launched Toasty.aiHow to change the dynamics of an online meetingWhat Toasty is and how facilitators can use it to create engaging meetingsWhy participants need to open up and how to make people feel comfortable to do soHow to stop participants from getting distractedWhy you must have a plan but also the freedom to adjust according to the flow of the sessionHow to stimulate a group’s creativity using fun exercisesDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Click here to download the free 1-page summaryA 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[01:45] Would you call yourself a facilitator [05:08] What is the hashtag you would give yourself?[07:30] How did you come up with the idea of putting a new video conferencing tool out there?[09:34] What changes the dynamic of a meeting?[11:33] What have you learned from your conversations with facilitators?[14:53] How do you minimise the awkward feeling of when the first participants join the call?[16:10] How did you change your own team meetings since learning about the art of facilitation?[20:40] What has been the most surprising thing that happened in one of these calls?[23:44] What would you recommend to someone who still hosts these boring meetings where they talk a lot, and feel frustrated at the end?[26:09] Why do you think it takes longer in the virtual space than in the physical?[27:31] How can you decide whether you're overdoing it and then it feels awkward, or whether you’re reluctant because of habit?[29:54] What are the biggest challenges when translating solutions to problems to the software?[32:50] Why did it take so long to have more competitors to platforms like Zoom?[Share your thoughts about our conversation!Support the show✨✨✨Subscribe to our newsletter to receive 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✨✨✨Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!