workshops work

On episode 044 I speak with Enrique Rubio, founder of Hacking HR - the fastest growing online community of HR professionals. This show is different compared to the other podcast episodes as we don't explicitly speak about workshops and workshop facilitation. Instead, we dive deep into the topic of the Future of Work and the future of HR and the role of facilitation in both.   Enrique shares his vision of the role of HR in the Future of Work and the role that methods such as agile and Design Thinking play. As a facilitator of a huge online community, Enrique tells what it takes him to build bridges between the national chapters of the community and to share information easily.    Don’t miss the part when Enrique refers to the TV show Friends and what he learned from it about leadership. Click here to download the free 1-page summaryDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.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. Questions and Answers [1:35] What’s the story behind “Hacking HR”? [4:38] In your imagination, what is the future of HR?[7:10] From what you are saying, does it mean that HR will become more of a facilitator in the future?[7:59] Would you call yourself a facilitator?[8:24] When did you realise that you were more interested in HR than in engineering? And when did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[10:01] Why did you call the movement Hacking HR and not "Disrupting HR"?[16:28] How can you assure that "Hacking HR" doesn't remain an echo-chamber?[20:02] Is HR using the wrong language for being heard by the leadership?   [22:14] To what extent can Design Thinking enable HR to better address the leadership?[26:11] Would that require HR to develop a “facilitation skill”?[28:16] What does it take to facilitate such a large online community?[30:30] How do you create the space for sharing beyond the technical aspects? [33:56] Are you applying organizational models such as Holacracy to the coordination of your chapters?[34:24] Do you have a hack to stop hierarchy from avoiding people to ask questions in the workshops space?[35:20] Is there any other way to address critical conversations with the leadership being present?[36:35] In a movement of almost 100 self-organizing chapters, how do you make decisions and set priorities?[38:48] How do you facilitate such a conversation where there are many equal opinions and no right or wrong answer?[43:15] Would these leadership characteristics also apply to facilitators?[44:22] What’s your favourite exercise?[45:58] What makes an online gathering fail?[47:12] How do you make sure that people will participate in the call and feel invited?[50:48] Is there anything you would like to share 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!

On episode 043 I speak with Michelle Howard, a specialist facilitator and MD of collaborations in Melbourne.  She has written a book on the relevance of presence and has worked in the government, private and not-for-profit sectors. “The most valuable (facilitation) tool we have is ourselves.” Michelle HowardIn less than one hour, Michelle and I explore many different spheres besides the relevance of presence for facilitation and, how we can learn to be more present. We also speak about the analogy facilitation and parenting, the ingredients of facilitation superpowers, the role of ego, and the limitations of accreditation programs when it comes to the assessment of "being" over "doing".Unfortunately, the connection wasn’t really good but Michelle was able to compensate all the technical hiccups with great content and value bombs. Click here to download the free 1-page summaryDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.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. Questions and Answers  [1:36] How did you discover your superpower of facilitation?[4:35] What have you learned from community work that you apply to your facilitation within organisations?[5:54] What is the most important skill set a facilitator needs?[8:42] In an earlier conversation we spoke about the analogy of parenting. What prompted this idea in you?[12:21] Would you consider such behavior as “ego”?[16:19] Can we learn presence and being as a facilitation skill?[18:55] How do you create the trust a group needs to go with you through a sometimes uncomfortable process?[22:17] Would you design for discomfort or is it something that naturally happens?[24:20] If you were to train future facilitators on presence, what would be the first lesson?   [26:23] To what extent does this framework of learning your story to the concept of authenticity?[29:52] What is the role of community for facilitators to find comfort in being enough?[31:29] Is the notion of being over doing something that is agreed or discussed across your network?[34:27] When it comes to accreditation, is the “being” part of the facilitation skillset something that can be evaluated?[36:51] What makes a client difficult?[41:17] What’s your favorite exercise?[42:45] Would participants then bring their own images to the workshop?[50:11] What makes a workshop fail? Links to check Michelle's business website: https://www.collaborations.com.au/Michelle’s bookVictorian facilitators network 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!

On episode 042, I speak with Dave Mastronardi, the CEO of the Gamestorming group. Dave is a business-focused strategist and facilitator who sees business challenges through the lens of game design. In our conversation, we speak about the structure and nature of games and the difference between gamestorming and gamification. In that line, we touch on topics such as experimentation to avoid repetition in the workshops that we deliver and improvisation, and, how professional facilitators turn into magicians of co-creation. As Dave emphasizes the importance of scheduling sufficient time for the closing, he also provides all kinds of examples of how to close workshops in a creative way that doesn’t cut off the conversation flow.Don't miss the part when Dave and I discuss the pros and cons of using an extreme stereotype versus a real stakeholder for the design of an empathy map.Click here to download the free 1-page summaryDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.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. Questions and Answers  [1:30] What’s your story? What brought you to Gamestorming?[5:02] What is the magic behind Gamestorming?[13:44] What does it take to flatten the room? What is it a game can do that a normal meeting cannot? [17:27] What is the best room set up for Gamestorming?[22:32] What are you doing to avoid being bored with your own workshops?[32:12] What is for you the biggest mistake a facilitator can make?[33:52] How much time would you plan for the closing?[35:37] Would this be your closing? It sounds like a part of the “storming” phase to me.[38:07] Would you walk us through the "empathy map" exercise that you mentioned before?   [42:54] To what extent would you use a real person or make one up?   [48:18] What shall someone take away from the show? Links to check Gamestorming website: www.gamestorming.comGamestorming book on AmazonFinite and infinite games by James CarseMedium post on empathy map or game storming Big head canvas on Gamestorming.com  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!

On episode 041, I speak with Amaranatho Robey, who was a Buddhist Monk for 15 years and now applies his learnings to coaching and facilitation. He has run over one hundred retreats, workshops, and public talks around the world, impacting thousands of people. Our interview comes in two parts: The first part introduces Ama's major learnings from his life as a monk for facilitation and coaching. In the second part, we explore what presence and mindfulness can teach us to hold space for our workshop participants and to control our ego. During our conversation, we touch upon many other topics such as anger and jealousy, about play and about leadership.Don't miss the part when Ama tells the story why the monastery bought him a punch-bag and what that taught him about dealing with anger. Click here to download the free 1-page summaryDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.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.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!

This interview with Tamara Eberle, trainer and facilitator of Design Charrettes and Organizational Game Designs comes in two parts. In this first part, we speak about "serious games" as an alternative to the usual workshop design. You will learn the difference between 'gamification' of a process and a 'serious game' used to clarify or define a process. Tamara also answers the question for what kind of questions and challenges games can be a suitable option. Since serious games help the group to suspend reality and approach their topic from a new angle, they might not be for everyone. So, don't miss the part when Tamara explains how to distinguish "game-clients" and "non-game clients" and what it takes to turn the latter into the former.Check out Tamara's business page and connect directly to her via LinkedIn.   Click here to download the free 1-page summaryDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.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.And don't miss part 2, in which Tamara and I speak about how to facilitate workshops without sticky notes! 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!

On episode 039, I speak with Thomas Lahnthaler, co-founder of Groundwork, who worked in the field of conflict and crisis resolution and now applies his learnings and expertise to executive training and workshops.On our way to the core topic - facilitation without questions - we touch many other themes, such as conflicts inside the workshop space and how we can effectively deal with them. We also speak about the relevance of psychological safety and how to create and maintain it and what to do if you realise that an exercise is not working in the way you expected it. Thomas learned the art of not asking questions from experiencing a traditional conflict resolution ritual in the North of Australia. There, he realised the frustrating and empowering effect of taking away the tool. Since then, Thomas and his team use the technique for multi-day leadership training to help participants sharpen other senses and self-reflect in a new way.     Don't miss the part when Thomas and I brainstorm on how to adjust the technique of not asking questions to a mini-version that can be used as an exercise.Click here to download the free 1-page summaryDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.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. Questions and Answers  [2:30] What is your story? How did you get from development aid and conflict management to facilitation?[5:22] In a nutshell, what have you learned from conflict management on the ground that you apply in trainings and workshops?[6:49] How do you get participants to open their minds and listen to different perspectives in emotionally loaded situations? [10:57] How do you facilitate the situation in which participants can show their emotions and anger and how can you deal with that afterwards?[13:13] To what extent would you debrief an emotional situation? [15:07] According to you, what is the difference between inviting participants to do something instead of giving them permission or asking them? [21:42] What if we took away the tool of asking questions? And, why would we do that? [30:42] What was the topic of the multi-day workshop in which participants couldn't ask questions? [33:31] Could you think of a mini version of the technique that one can use in a one day workshop? [37:46] How do you deal with a participant who wants to take over control and coordinate the group process? [39:25] How much time would you allocate to such an exercise? [43:04] What makes a workshop fail?  [45:38] When you say pre-talk, with whom would you have these pre-talks?  [50:00] When the facilitator shows vulnerability, the group can either react with appreciation or blame. What is the differentiating factor according to you?  [54:43] What is tShare 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!

On episode 038, I speak with Sam Bradd, graphic recorder and facilitator, change-maker and principal of Drawing Change. With his team, Sam contributes to positive change by helping their clients to solve complex problems and distil big ideas that promise to make the world a better place.Sam helps me and the audience to grasp the complexity of visual facilitation - we begin with the basics, such as the difference between visual facilitation and graphic recording, explore the concept of the graphic recorder being a "public listener" and dive deep into the concept of psychological safety.You will learn techniques to get the maximum impact from the visual recording - in terms of the connection between the participants, their engagement with the topic and their contribution. I was particularly intrigued by Sam's view on workshops and group dynamics - from the perspective of the graphic recorder, the observing facilitator. Click here to download the free 1-page summaryDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.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. Questions and Answers  [2:00] What is the story behind your company's name "Drawing Change"?[3:41] If you were a hashtag, what would you be?[7:09] What do you have in mind when you refer to visualisation as a translation? [8:58] How do you organise information in a visual?[10:54] What is the difference between a visual recorder and a visual facilitator? [15:02] How can you create a safe space for a group while your focus is on the drawing? [22:06] Are visual facilitators always working in duos? [22:55] Would you have a conversation about the visual with the participants during the session? [30:18] How long did it take you to stop overthinking everything you draw? [34:16] What is the best way to integrate the visual in the post-workshop process?[36:51] Do you have a story that showcases the impact of the visual?[39:53] From the perspective of the "public listener", what makes a workshop fail?[44:08] Which exercise provides you with the most insights for drawing?[50:31] Do you also work with corporate clients?[37:55] This means that you would first expose all the extreme differences in perspectives?[50:31] And then it comes to decision making in step 4?[54:13] What is the nugget to take away from our conversation?    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!

Episode 037 is all about decision-making! On the show with me is Marjolijn de Graaf,  decision designer and change architect, and author of "Decisions by Design". On the show, Marjolijn guides us through the 4-step approach that she developed to assist organizations with complex decision-making.   We speak about the art of decision-making and how a simple design process can lead to decisions that will be implemented. On the show, Marjolijn walks us through the 4-steps and uses clear analogies to explain that a decision-making process can take between 5 minutes and several days. ​​You will learn the importance of exploring differences before seeking agreement and what you have to do so that the final step of making the decision appears natural to the group.​Don't miss the part when Marjolijn explains how she uses the 4 steps approach to decide on the most suitable workshop format with her client!Click here to download the free 1-page summaryDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Questions and Answers  [1:47] When did you start calling yourself a decision designer?[3:32] What makes it so difficult to make decisions, why would we need a designer for that?[5:01] You have developed a multi-step process for effective decision-making. Could you guide us through this process?[8:35] Which would be the four steps?[9:31] What is your role as a facilitator in this process and what do you consider the biggest challenge for them to make a decision? [13:10] Who would you invite to that decision-making workshop? [14:20] Would you invite different people to the different phases? [17:03] How do you help groups to include perspectives that they wouldn't have thought about at first? [19:10] How do you sort these facts to help the group to make a decision? [26:01] Must the group be together for step 1, the fact discovery?[27:50] What is the time span you calculate for the first two steps?[31:47] How did you come to realise that you had to adjust the workshop format and how did the client react?[33:37] What happens after step 2?[35:02] How do you facilitate the step where you open the discussion to the group level?[37:55] This means that you would first expose all the extreme differences in perspectives?[40:45] And then it comes to decision making in step 4?[41:50] Are you seeking consensus?[42:53] What makes workshops fail? [46:24] Would delay the decision making when you feel the group isn't ready?[48:23] What is the nugget to take away from this episode?  LinksMarjolijn's business page: https://www.impactcompany.nl/Her book "Decisions by Design" 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!

Episode 036 is special because we are shifting perspectives: Kirsty Lewis, founder of the School of Facilitation joins me for a conversation about how corporates or "clients" can find the most suitable facilitator or trainer for their needs.After a corporate career, Kirsty started her own training, coaching and facilitation business. Since 2012, Kirsty grows and nurtures her tribe of expert facilitators and trainers to grow and develop their skills together. In our conversation, we take the perspective of a client and assess what they can do to find the most suitable facilitator or trainer for their needs. We discuss various questions clients could ask to get a better picture of the person they aim to hire. We also discuss under which circumstances it makes sense to use internal facilitators, pair them with an external facilitator or hire externals uniquely. Don’t miss the part when Kirsty shares what fellow facilitators and trainers can do to find their perfect client.Click here to download the free 1-page summaryDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.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. Questions and Answers [1:58] How did you get from sales to facilitation?[6:08] What topics can be covered by internal facilitators and for which shall we hire externals?[8:16] Would you apply the same reasoning to facilitators?[9:35] How can corporates assess whether they need a trainer or a facilitator?[14:55] How can you do-design a session with your client given their time restrictions and lower experience? [16:31] Do you think we can design a full agenda for someone else to facilitate? [18:14] How do you know that you can trust the facilitator to find the balance between too much and too little guidance? [19:06] What are the different 'energies' you can be looking for in a facilitator? [26:38] Why do workshops fail? [32:28] To what extent is the facilitator responsible for the outcome?[35:10] What's your favourite exercise?[40:36] How can corporates find the right facilitators for their needs?[42:13] How can we as facilitators evaluate fellow facilitators? How do we know whether someone is good?[46:19] How can we distinguish between someone having a different style from having poor skills?[48:52] Is there anything else you would like to explore?[51:35] How much time would you recommend clients to count for the preparation work?[53:36] What are the pros and cons of pairing an external with an internal facilitator?[55:32] If someone in the audience fell asleep after minute one, what shall they learn from our show?  Links to checkKirsty's School of FacilShare 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!

On episode 035, I speak to Wayne Turmel, expert of virtual facilitation and co-founder of the Remote Leadership Institute about the struggles and challenges when it comes to virtual workshops. Wayne explains clearly what it takes to make the transition from the physical into the virtual space successful and what many of us still get wrong.You will learn what mistakes to avoid, how to practice and what features to use so that your next virtual meeting becomes as engaging and effective as if participants were physically present.   Don't miss the part when Wayne explains why hybrid meetings (when some participants join virtually) should be forbidden and how you can still make them work using the right techniques and toolsClick here to download the free 1-page summaryDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.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. Questions and Answers [2:24] What is the magic skill a facilitator needs to master virtual workshops?[5:09] What would be your advice to get out of our own head and over that hump?[12:08] According to you, which is the most underused feature?[17:44] We spoke about virtual classrooms and meetings until now, to what extent are things different when we talk about virtual team meetings or workshops?[25:05] What is your favourite virtual workshop exercise to engage participants? [30:08] How can you create meaningful connections among the participants in a virtual space? [32:57] How can you facilitate this process? How can we make it easier for the participants? [35:11] How would you deal with workshops where only some participants join virtually? [38:27] How do you document a virtual workshop? [45:16] What ground rules do you set for a workshop and which do you consider most important? [47:35] What do you do if participants are late? [48:01] What are the ground rules you would define in session one? [49:40] What is the minimum equipment one would need to start an online workshop?   Links to checkWayne's business page https://www.remoteleadershipinstitute.com/Remote leadership certificate seriesWayne's book: Meet like you mean itOur sponsor Session Lab - An online agenda builder and exercise libraryOther episodes we mentionedEpisode 028 with Pam Hamilton on breakout roomsShare 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!