workshops work

Send us a textWe can find inspiration for our work as facilitators in the most surprising places. I would have said that game design is one of those surprising sources, but after speaking to Coline Pannier, the similarities and interconnections were abundantly clear.Game design is the path to mastery in a controlled environment.While we might look for convenience and facilitate in a way that creates ease, game designers approach tasks from another angle. They create interesting challenges that help players to develop a skill. In a workshop environment these challenges are small frictions or imaginary environments that make it interesting for the group to solve a problem together.Learn about: What video game design and workshop design have in commonWhy humility is essential for facilitatorsThe power of frustration and challenges, and why we should embrace them in workshopsHow restriction boosts creativityWhat facilitators are responsible for, what they can control, and what they should leave behindDon’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[01:28] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[03:03] How do you combine enjoyment of creating with enjoyment of facilitation?[04:23] What do you think other educators can learn from facilitation?[06:16] How does humility fit into education?[08:24] What from game design can we apply to workshop design?[10:23] Can facilitators purposefully introduce challenges to our workshops?[15:23] How can we use obstacles that already exist for participants?[17:17] How do you define, as a game designer, the right amount of challenge?[19:50] Would you reframe existing challenges in a new way?[22:58] What would be a nice, meaningful obstacle that you would create in a workshop?[26:39] Can you give an example of creating a loop between ‘levels’ in a workshop?[30:28] What can we learn about sprints from game design?[34:02] How do you know that you ‘went in the wrong direction’ outside the game environment?[36:42] Do you share with the group if you feel something has gone wrong in a workshop?[38:04] What would the signs be that a group is getting a process wrong?[39:18] What is a failed workshop?[41:43] Can you give an example of taking on a job for the wrong reasons?[44:08] Is it possible to use game design to structure an organisation?[51:19] What is your favourite exercise?[54:48] Is there anything else you would like to mention that you haven’t already?[56:37] What is your view of gamification?[1:03:31] If someone fell asleep after minute one what would the one thing you want them to take away?Links to checkCodesign-ItSupport 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 textPrototyping is a mainstay of the tech world, but nothing exists in a vacuum anymore. Disciplines are increasingly cross-pollinating and useful strategies from disparate fields are finding new life in places we may not have expected.Prototypes are one of those strategies, and my guest on this week’s podcast can attest to that. Douglas Ferguson sits at the intersection of tech users and tech teams, with the workshops he leads creating positive outcomes and outputs for both parties.But how does he integrate prototypes into workshops and what can we, as facilitators, learn from this traditionally tech-focused technique?Start prototyping your understanding and dive into this fascinating episode of Workshops Work!Learn about:The prototyping mindset and how almost anything can be prototypedHow the interface between users and tech vs. teams and workshops share similaritiesWhy you need to embrace either fidelity or ambiguityHow to spot and manage typical issues that arise in prototypingWhat designing for frustration and managing expectations looks likeWhy labelling emotions build connection and empathy in a roomDon’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[01:40] What led you write your book, Beyond the Prototype, and would you call yourself a facilitator?[05:29] What do you understand by the word prototype? Is there something you cannot prototype?[09:36] Are there prototypes that are prone to fail? How would you characterise them?[16:36] Would you say you work at the interface between the user and a workshop?[19:20] Can you give an example of a low resolution prototype?[23:20] What are the minimum requirements for a prototype to survive the ‘beyond’ phase?[28:54] How do you rebuild or maintain the excitement after the first prototype, especially if it is not well-received?[32:43] Are expectation management and careful design the key factors in reducing frustration for teams developing prototypes?[39:09] How would you distinguish the need for facilitative leadership versus the need for an external facilitator?[42:06] At what point do you hand over your Design Sprint to the in-house leader?[44:57] What are the key ingredients to help organisations keep momentum and move beyond the prototype?[49:36] At what point do you craft the design narrative and how do you do it?[50:38] What would be the strategy you use to design the narrative?[52:16] Do you build a narrative with the entire group or subgroups? And how do you bring it together?[55:04] What makes a workshop fail?[56:44] If someone fell asleep after the first minute and doesn’t have time to relisten to this episode, what is the one takeaway you want them to have?Links to checkDouglas’ company, Voltage Control Douglas’ book, Beyond the PrototypeSupport 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 textAs part of the Virtual Collaboration Campus 2020, we invited all participants to join an inclusive Fishbowl conversation (similar to the one for Episode 50) around the question “What makes virtual workshops work?”.A total number of 73 participants joined the Zoom call and we covered many topics around virtual workshops and virtual collaboration: What works and what doesn't? What are our best practices?The questions we asked and answered: What makes virtual workshops work?  What are your opinions on showing your personal space or having an artificial background? What kind of workshops can we only do in the analogue world that we cannot do in the virtual space? What can we learn from this crisis that would help us to have a better future? How can we use our facilitation skills to help to navigate the crisis? What rules do we need to make a “global society” instead of a “global economy” work?  Although I highly recommend keeping a pen and paper at hand to take notes, you can also just download mine!And, don't miss the next show: Subscribe to my newsletter and check your favourite podcast player to subscribe to the show. 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!Links to checkThe Workshops Work "Virtual Mastermind"The Virtual Collaboration NetworkSupport 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 textBeauty appears in different ways – with our intention or entirely without provocation – but how can we purposefully create beauty in our workshops, and what effect can it have on the outcomes of our practice?Eike Niclas Schmidt believes beauty is an essential component of a successful workshop, and that it can be encouraged and created in simpler ways than you might imagine.As an Art of Hosting specialist, Eike is acutely aware of the impact our spaces and presence have on the people we share them with. The perfect person for me to speak to, then, in my investigation into beauty and its role in making workshops work.In this episode, find out about:How the Art of Hosting and facilitation have combined perfectly for Eike’s practiceWhat it takes to hold space as a facilitatorHow to make people shineWhether it is possible to facilitate beautyWhere in our work it is most important to curate and encourage beautyDon’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 [01:27] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[02:42] Is there a difference between holding space for children and adults?[03:20] Do you recall a mistake you made early on that taught you a lot?[05:48] What was it that made you feel at home when you found the Art of Hosting tribe?[07:24] What does it take to hold space as a facilitator?[10:23] What does it mean to make people shine, and how do you facilitate that?[13:00] Are there ways of creating connectedness, or shine, without physical contact?[18:10] What does it mean to create a beautiful space to you?[22:53] Is beauty something we can facilitate?[24:36] What does the Art of Hosting mean?[27:24] How do you make outcomes visible?[31:06] How important is the beauty of the tangible materials we use (such as flip charts, notes, or recordings)?[34:29] What is it about circles that makes magical connections?[37:02] What makes a workshop fail?[40:30] What is your favourite exercise?[42:11] How do you think facilitation can contribute to planting seeds for the future?[45:27] If someone fell asleep after the first minute of this podcast and has just awoken, what would you like them to take away?Links to checkEpisode 047 with Tim Ferguson on Outputs and OutcomesEpisode 049 with Sunny on the Third Facilitator in the RoomChristina Baldwin and Ann Linnea: The circle Way: A Leader in Every ChairConnect to Eike Niclas SchmidtEike’s LinkedInEike’s profile on the Art of Hosting online communitySupport 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 textAs facilitators, change is our business, our livelihood, our North Star.Eugenio Moliní has spent his life thinking about change. He’s chased it, avoided it, and now he is accepting it. Perhaps more accurately, he has found that it is only by accepting our truths that we can truly find change.As you might expect from someone with such depth of thought and consideration for the process of change, Eugenio is fascinating to speak with and listen to.His thoughts on self-acceptance, anxiety, and conflict are astonishing and gave me great cause for reflection. I hope they will do the same for you too.In this episode, find out about:What helped Eugenio decide to work as an external change agent, rather than an internal oneWhat Eugenio has learned about facilitation from the most unexpected sourcesHow we can identify anxiety and hold it in our shared spacesWhy solving conflicts isn’t often necessary or helpfulWhy self-acceptance is the root of all changeDon’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[01:44] When did you start to call yourself a facilitator?[02:55] What changed that meant you began to receive payment for your services?[04:47] Can you talk about your background in conflict resolution?[07:53] How does inner peace impact your practice as a changemaker?[10:23] What can we learn from silence that we cannot learn from words?[10:52] Do you use silence in your sessions?[15:22] Can you explain “the only science you believe in is your own experience” further?[20:06] How do you define neutrality and how that can work in situations of conflict?[22:12] What happened that made you take the decision to not work with conflict?[25:54] Can you explain the paradox of change, and why it is you only believe in change that comes from within the company?[31:02] What changes when you get the room to state the truth and accept themselves?[36:04] Can you share an example of working with an organisation in which people want change but not the company?[39:39] Would you have done anything differently in that difficult situation?[40:27] How did the ‘oak table’ story end?[43:20] What makes a workshop fail?[49:51] If somebody fell asleep just after starting this episode and has just woken up, what is the one thing you would like them to take away?Links to checkLisa Feldman Barrett’s Ted Talk on anxietyNora BatesonConnect to Eugenio MoliníEugenio’s websiteEugenio’s 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/

Send us a text As facilitators, we are used to holding physical and mental space for groups – but what changes when we do this virtually and how can we facilitate effective collaboration in digital spaces?The Virtual Collaboration Campus is a community of 35 facilitators who are coming together (virtually, of course!) to discuss and teach the ways we can effectively organise and conduct virtual meetings and work.Storytelling, collaborating, space sharing, understanding, and listening remain the same in virtual spaces, but they can take on different forms, require different approaches, and have their own idiosyncrasies.In preparation for the Virtual Collaboration Campus, some of the contributors join me on Workshops Work to discuss their thoughts on virtual collaboration.In this episode, hear Yannis Angelis, Tanja Murphy-Ilibasic, Tina Meckel-Wille, and Mary Alice discuss their specialisms and get a taste of the content that will be delivered in the Virtual Collaboration Campus.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[01:53] What has Tanja Murphy-Ilibasic learned from being a translator that she can apply to her work as a facilitator?[02:49] How does Tanja apply Conversational Intelligence to a workshop space?[08:43] Does Tanya have a favourite exercise to help a group understand the power of words?[12:01] Why does Tina Meckel-Wille feel we undervalue virtual collaboration?[13:27] What does Tina believe makes a good virtual conversation?[16:14] How does Tina create a safe space where vulnerable, deep, and intimate conversation can take place through a screen?[24:08] Does Tina have a favourite exercise to conduct in virtual workshops?[25:26] What does Tina believe makes a virtual workshop fail?[29:47] How does Mary Alice Arthur believe we can bring the mentality of the Art of Hosting and the campfire conversation into the virtual world?[35:59] How does Mary Alice believe we can control the physical space or use physical communication in the virtual space?[39:32] When did Yannis Angelis start calling himself a facilitator?[42:26] What did Yannis learn from being a mediator that he can apply to being a facilitator?[43:17] How would Yannis translate the stage in a virtual space?[44:28] How does Yannis use storytelling to guide the group?[46:47] How does Yannis use storytelling to make workshops work?[48:34] How does Yannis think we can become better story-listeners?[50:14] What does Yannis think makes workshops fail?[51:42] What word would Yannis use to describe the experience of being in a virtual network of facilitators?Links to CheckVirtual Collaboration CampusJudith E. Glaeser: Conversational IntelligenceSponsor: www.workshops.work/mastermind     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 textHeleen Kuiper is an expert in the practice of holacracy – a system for shifting organisations and teams towards self-management, helping them to focus on purpose, responsibilities, and getting work done. So, who better to talk to about holacracy than Heleen herself?It is a fascinating take on facilitation and there are lessons every facilitator can learn from it, regardless of whether they entirely agree with it. In this episode, we discuss:How personal development and organisational development are connectedHow to create team spirit in holacratic systemsWhat the differences are between holacratic and traditional facilitationDon’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[01:36] What led you to facilitation and holacracy?[02:24] Would you call yourself a facilitator?[03:21] What are the key things you teach people how to facilitate meetings?[08:05] What is holacracy and what does a meeting look like in a holacratic structure?[10:25] How do employees in managerial roles react in holacratic meetings?[13:34] What does an organisation need to commit to in order to work with you?[17:39] How do employees in managerial roles react if you are helping an organisation move from a hierarchical to a holacratic structure?[21:48] How do you create warmth and a safe space in a holacratic system?[26:53] How do you handle trust issues in holacratic meetings?[29:28] If an employee raised that they felt overworked, how would this be addressed?[33:43] Does holacracy find its way into your personal life?[37:17] How do you balance the art of hosting with holacracy?[38:37] What is your favourite exercise or practice?[40:28] How do check-ins and holacracy work together?[43:14] What makes a workshop fail?[45:00] What do you do if a client has told you their expectations, but the group does not want to work to achieve it?[50:13] If a listener fell asleep at the start of this episode and has just awoken, what is one thing you would like them to takeaway?Links to CheckHolacracy Tactical Meeting Structure (pdf)Deep DemocracyEmpowerment Dynamic vs Drama Triangle: powerofted.comArt of Hosting Theory USabotage Line (Dutch only): deepdemocracy.nl/over-deep-democracy/tools-en-methodiekConnect to HeleenHeleen's websiteTwitterSupport 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 is a fascinating intersection between Agile and facilitation.With experience of integrating Agile into both marketing and HR teams, Eoin Cannon has a unique perspective on why certain approaches prove fruitful and others fall short.In this episode of Workshops Work, Eoin shares how Agile can help to shape smarter, more effective teams in any department to be better equipped to overcome problems.There are dozens of points that Eoin picks out that hold huge value, so if you want to learn about the application of Agile in workshops (and vice versa), advice for how you might apply those principles in your workshops, and deeper interrogations of what Agile, HR, and facilitation really mean – this is the episode for you!In this episode, we discuss:Eoin’s move from marketing to HR by way of facilitationWhy it can be so impactful to make leaders co-facilitatorsHow behavioural change creates cultural changeWhat HR really meansAdvice for first-time experience mappingAn explanation of the Agile HR processDon’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[01:15] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[03:08] What is the difference between a workshop in marketing and a workshop in HR?[05:25] How do you get marketing teams to open up and participate more in a sharing culture?[10:00] What does Agile HR mean?[11:58] Can you share an example of how Agile works with, not against, human behaviour and psychology?[14:11] What got you into Agile HR and how do you apply it?[17:22] How would you start a project and workshop for the topic of changing or removing a company’s bonus system?[22:46] How do you facilitate ‘downloading’ in a workshop whilst preserving the participants’ own opinions and contributions?[25:48] Would you let participants design personas?[29:21] How do participants differentiate between Agile vs. non-Agile coaching and training?[32:28] How does an Agile HR professional operate differently to a non-Agile one?[34:27] When do you think the mindset shift from non-Agile to Agile occurs?[35:51] What is your favourite exercise?[43:15] What makes a workshop fail?[49:32] Is there anything else you would like to discuss?[50:06] What does the term ‘agile facilitation’ mean to you?[52:29] What is the one thing you would like listeners to take away from this episode?Links to CheckEpisode 50 of Workshops WorkAgile ManifestoAgile origins: Mindset not processes:  principles on how to work in Agile                Behaviours: Article on BehavioursScrum: Scrum mindsetSupport 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 text50 episodes of Workshops Work – wow! What a joy every episode has been. Thank you for joining me on this journey – whether this is your first or fiftieth time listening.To mark this milestone, I brought together ten Workshops Work alumni for a fishbowl discussion about facilitation.We covered a range of topics in such detail, it’s a struggle to summarise it in these show notes. If you are interested in hearing what a room of facilitators has to say about the complexities, joys, and novelties of our profession, I am very happy to present to you this episode.Thank you again for helping me on my journey to 50 episodes. Here’s to the next milestone…In this episode, we discuss:The different roles in workshopsWhy it’s so important to give participants and their discussions spaceWhether neutrality should be the facilitator’s goal – and whether it is even possibleHow best to tease out conflict in a safe and healthy mannerOur experiences of our discussion – from excitement to discomfortDon’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 [03:23] How do you ensure everyone in the room has the same understanding? Do you do so before or during a workshop? [08:08] How do you make sure everyone has a role? [11:51] What is your experience of wanting to act as a facilitator but knowing that you should not? [13:10] How do you deal with having assumptions about participants? [14:41] Neutrality and conflict [21:52] How do you make space for people in a fair and balanced way? [25:39] Neutrality, readiness, and being present [30:51] Reflecting on the experience of the fishbowl [40:54] What brings you the most joy from the transformation in the room of your workshops? [41:56] Coming back to discomfort [49:21] What do you do to limit yourself and avoid taking too much space when speaking? [51:54] Do you have any short lines you use to transfer power in the room? [53:11] Checking in on the participant’s experiences of the discussionLinks to Check007 – Mindset Management – with Jeremy Akers011 – How to design brainstorming sessions for huge groups – with Frans Scheepens020 – Create experiences for your audience to achieve results – with Rein Sevenstern021 – How to use Liberating Structures to translate the purpose into a process – with Max Brouwer030 – The day after! How to effectively document to achieve results – with Mireille Beumer037 – How to facilitate group decisions in 4 easy steps – with Marjolijn de Graaf041 – Presence, Mindfulness and Facilitation – with Amaranatho RobeySupport 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 textCan an object – a passive actor – be considered a facilitator?That’s what Sunny BenBelkacem and I came to agree in this episode of Workshops Work. As a graphic recorder and communication artist, Sunny brings workshops to life by visualising the discussions that take place.The work produced by a graphic recorder can become a facilitator in itself – sparking discussion, pulling at threads, and creating meaningful connection and change.Sunny has been helping facilitators to capture their workshops in visual form for over 20 years and, as you might expect, has some amazing ideas to share about the ways facilitators and graphic recorders can work together.If you’re curious to know more about graphic recorders, Sunny’s experience of facilitation, or would just like to listen to an engaging and enthusiastic speaker, you will surely enjoy this episode.You can hear Sunny discuss:Why you might want a graphic recorder in your workshopsHow graphic recorders and facilitators work togetherHow she translates buzzwords and jargon into something of depthWhether the skills required to be a graphic recorder can be taught or are innateWhat changes in a room when you have your back to its occupantsHow imagery differs between culturesDon’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 [01:29] How did you get into visual facilitation? [03:49] How was it to realise that a hobby and interest of yours was actually a profession? [04:59] Why would a client pay for a graphic recorder? [09:08] How can facilitators and graphic recorders help each other? [12:05] How do you translate buzzwords into something of depth? [14:23] Can you learn to be a graphic recorder or is it a natural talent? [20:33] As you draw with your back to the room, do you hear hierarchies and patterns emerging in groups? [22:07] Do you communicate with the facilitator if you feel something important has gone unexplored? [23:54] How do you balance creating an honest representation of the discussion with creating something the clients will be happy to see? [27:34] Is there a difference between the way you visualise things in different cultural settings? [32:46] Who is the ‘third facilitator’? [36:28] Does the chart/drawing take on ‘afterlife’ once the facilitator(s) has left the room? [40:30] What makes a workshop fail and can you see a workshop’s success (or failure) in a visualisation? [46:18] Are you ever asked to add anything after the workshop is finished? [47:36] What is your favourite facilitation exercise? [53:31] Is there anything else you would like to say to the listeners?Links to CheckSunny’s websiteInternational Forum of Visual PractitionersOne-page episode summaryJanine Underhill, of IDEA360Support 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/