We all speak the language of music. It’s life’s medicine, a beautiful escape when we need one, and it feeds our soul in ways that feel, somehow, inexplicable.But there is of course method to the magic. Musician, vocalist, singer, and songwriter Sam McNeill has been singing all his life – from the Sydney Opera House, to the heavyweight headquarters of Spotify - he now works as a musical facilitator for SongDivision, bonding teams all over the world through the science of music.In their songwriting workshops, deep reflections take place, honesty emerges in the lyrics, and teams are given a new voice to creatively express values and reveal the unspoken.Press play and treat your ears to this fascinating episode with Sam as he shares his personal experiences as a performer, offering a unique platform for us to examine the intersection of music and facilitation. You’ll learn:Why songwriting is a powerful tool for teams to express themselves, encourage discussion and strengthen bondsHow music can remove hierarchy, putting employees on a level playing field in a workshop settingThe science behind music: how activating the prefrontal cortex can enhance creativity and set the scene for fruitful collaborationWhy failure is a better outcome than impartiality, offering us learnings for improvementThe parallels that lie between an artist’s performance and that of a facilitatorWhy a lack of clarity around what success looks like in a workshop can cause failureHow musical genres can help teams or organisations to better define themselvesDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.Put the episode's best takeaways into practice with Skillding. Visit skillding.com/workshop to begin your journey from learning to doing. Track your progress as you hone your new skills. Start now!Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.The episode with Rich Goidel we referred to on the show.Connect to Sam McNeill:LinkedInSongDivisionSupport 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!

From the US Military, to the world of professional coaching, my guest this week is not only an ex-army officer, but an executive coach, leadership mentor, facilitator, and an inexorably passionate learner.At aged 17, Pat D’Amico was enlisted into Valley Forge Military Academy where he went on to serve in multiple humanitarian and combat deployments around the world. But it was here in military training, that his personal leadership journey began. It shaped him into the exceptional facilitator that he is today, teaching him the lifelong discipline of continuous learning, the importance of being passionate, and why knowing your stuff should be approached with military precision.Pat takes us on a fascinating expedition this week into powerful course design, the world of leadership training, why practical training will always triumph over classroom learning – and much, much more!Find out about:Pat’s learnings from his time in the military and how army training has helped him to become a better facilitator, mentor and coachThe importance of mastering your content, and how facilitation mastery and content quality complement each other Why it’s important to listen to the high performers, instead of the low performers to understand organisational challengesLearn practical tips on how participants can retain and apply key learnings after a workshop has concludedWhy creating a safe environment for participants to make mistakes is so valuablePassion, content customisation, and relatability are crucial for a workshop to succeedDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.Put the episode's best takeaways into practice with Skillding. Visit skillding.com/workshop to begin your journey from learning to doing. Track your progress as you hone your new skills. Start now!Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Pat D’Amico:LinkedInSupport the show: Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.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 episode is a special one! You’re invited to time travel back to the NeverDoneBefore Festival, and join me in my virtual podcast boat where I speak to six of our talented facilitators over the 24-hour event: Becky Sawle, Sonja Sinz, Mirjam Leunissen, Célia Rene Corail, Etrit Shkreli and Marianne Oh. It’s a jam-packed journey, full of rich, multifaceted wisdom; each conversation offers a fascinating and thoughtful perspective, making the next hour and a half an exploration into facilitation as a whole, in its many wondrous forms.We talk about the balance between structure and emergence, we find unexpected learnings in a Christian Andersen folktale and teachings from a Hindu goddess, we delve into embodiment, trust, costumes, language and neutrality, and how we can support neurodiversity in workshop settings. Phew, it’s a whistle-stop tour!Find out about:How costumes can create a safe space to tap into our creativityThe balance between structure and emergence that appears through co-creation, and how to navigate the twoWhy conflict isn’t necessarily a bad thing; when you lean into it, we can strengthen relationshipsWhy as a facilitator, we are the ultimate source of energy, transferring our feelings and emotions to the groupHow to use embodiment to shift moods, develop new behaviours, and why observing a deeper connection with our body is a journey into self-discoveryWhy we can draw inspiration from Shiva and Kali in Hindu mythology, to find the balance between presence and actionHow facilitators can balance diverse needs and preferences to support neurodiversity Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.Put the episode's best takeaways into practice with Skillding. Visit skillding.com/workshop to begin your journey from learning to doing. Track your progress as you hone your new skills. Start now!Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to the guests on LinkedIn:Becky Sawle Sonja SinzMirjam LeunissenCélia Rene CorailEtrit Shkreli Marianne OhSupport the show:Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.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!

My guest this week is not an artist, nor a designer, but a facilitaper. A self-confessed chaotic creative, Matthias Lenssen has honed his craft over the past 10 years, finding creative freedom and wonderous new ways to facilitate with a bare wall and simple rolls of coloured tape.His workshops spark curiosity among participants, encourage exploration of movement, illustrate stories and ideas, and establish creative parameters. In the process, Matthias transforms his spaces into an interactive playground that becomes a Third Facilitator, masterfully assisting him in his delivery.Many, many rolls later, we are lucky enough to share in his art. In this episode, he generously offers his tips on how you too can become a facilitaper, and why tape is a versatile and expressive tool to add to your facilitation toolbox.You’ll learn:How the physical space of the workshop rooms can become a Third Facilitator by establishing spatial boundaries, guiding participants and setting the atmosphereHow the role of tape can transform workshops into creative, interactive playgrounds, by illustrating stories and ideas, and turning walls into immersive canvasesHow to use tape for team building exercises, such as The Triangle of Common ThingsWhy tape can be a powerful tool for prototyping your own workshopsDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.Put the episode's best takeaways into practice with Skillding. Visit skillding.com/workshop to begin your journey from learning to doing. Track your progress as you hone your new skills. Start now!Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Matthias Lenssen:On LinkedInOn InstagramExplore Matthias' businessSupport the show:Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.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!

Most of us live our lives in a natural, psychological state of comfort. It’s cushioned, it’s safe - it’s what we know. But what happens when we dare to seek out the unknown? When we raise our heads above the parapet of comfort?Jenny Theolin dares to live her life in this space. As a facilitator, she braves the difficult questions, has a sixth sense for when to change course, and has curated a toolkit of techniques that intuitively challenge participants to yield the greatest impact. After all, it’s in the pivots, in the furrowed faces, in the zone of discomfort, that we grow. And the more we dare, the further we go!She joins me in this episode as we explore the possibilities that unfurl when we test our perceived limits, the concept of innovation mashups, and why effective workshops are challenging, and dare I say, uncomfortable.Find out about:How to become more daring as a facilitator by seeking out experimentationWhere to find new inspiration, brave ideas, and facilitation techniquesWhy workshops can fail when participants feel too comfortable – often, the best facilitators know how to explore discomfort in fruitful waysWhy adhering to rigid timelines, processes or schedules can stifle the organic, fluid nature of meaningful learning experiencesWhy workshops can produce a ripple effect of value – the true benefits manifesting themselves to participants weeks, months, or even years laterDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.Put the episode's best takeaways into practice with Skillding. Visit skillding.com/workshop to begin your journey from learning to doing. Track your progress as you hone your new skills. Start now!Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Jenny:Jenny’s studioJenny’s bookInstagram Dare to Facilitate InstagramLinkedInSupport the show:Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.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!

The fundamental skills of leadership have changed in the 2020s. Whether you’re brand-new to a leadership role or a seasoned veteran, the remote work boom has added a new layer of complexity to your work.What does it mean to lead in a virtual space and how can we connect, communicate, and inspire others without that face-to-face contact? Stephan Dohrn has been asking these questions for longer than most. In fact, they have been key to his work with Radical Inclusion, Remote-how, and his own consulting business.He joins me in this episode to explain and explore the changing face of leadership in the age of remote work, the new skills that are needed, and how we can facilitate teams and their leaders into happier, more productive remote working arrangements.Find out about:Why leadership — and the work of those under leaders — is more habitual than we realiseHow to make a team gel because of (not in spite of) their different working stylesWhy traditional, ‘static’ teams are becoming outdatedHow remote work has made leadership easier and more fruitful, as well as its challengesWhat to do when ‘team building activities’ don’t appeal to individuals within a teamTools and tips for facilitating team conversations without in-person connectionsDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.Put the episode's best takeaways into practice with Skillding. Visit skillding.com/workshop to begin your journey from learning to doing. Track your progress as you hone your new skills. Start now!Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Stephan:On LinkedIn.Explore Stephan’s businessSupport the show:Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.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!

A sense of belonging is one of the incalculable elements of a healthy, happy team. It’s either there or it’s not, right?Not so, as Kate Spacek explains in this episode.Kate’s work, for many years, has been in the realm of belonging: how we feel it, generate it, and nurture it. That work has brought her closer and closer to a strong thesis: that movement, sensing, and awareness are foundational to the whole process.In this episode, she shares the journey of discover she’s been on, the most valuable tips and tricks she’s learned, and where she sees movement fitting in the wider world of facilitation. It’s a fascinating tool to add to one’s toolbox — don’t miss out.Find out about:How Kate works to generate and amplify a sense of belonging in her facilitationWhy building a workshop on foundations of humour, playfulness, and levity creates a more accepting environmentHow movement helps us access ourselves and others in a deeper wayWhy moving without feeling is an incomplete processHow corporate work gets our brains and bodies out of balanceWhat we can learn from our bodies that our brains can’t tell usDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.Put the episode's best takeaways into practice with Skillding. Visit skillding.com/workshop to begin your journey from learning to doing. Track your progress as you hone your new skills. Start now!Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.The Movement of Belonging website.Follow Movement of Belonging on Instagram.Follow Kate on Facebook.And find Kate's podcast, Movement of Belonging, anywhere you listen to podcasts. It offers movement recipes you can try at home or as a fresh way to start your meeting or class.Connect to Kate:On LinkedIn.Support the show:Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.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!

From the basketball courts of Northern Ireland to the C-suites of tech giants, Tony McGarahan just can’t stop coaching!After a decade at Google, Tony set up his own training and people development company, People Playbook. Calling on experience from Sweden to Singapore, Tony’s honed his skills worldwide and with a huge range of groups.In that time, he’s found some common truths and universal experiences. He shares them in this episode — dribbling between basketball and facilitation, coaching and learning design, and more.Find out about:What Tony learned from a decade in Google’s People operationsWhy he set out to create People Playbook at the onset of the pandemic and how he grew the businessHow his qualification as a basketball coach has helped him grow as a facilitator and coachWhat facilitators can learn about sustainable performance and why financial incentives are never enoughWhy authenticity and humility are so important — for modelling to the group and as a principle of practiceHow to facilitate in the margins to help a successful, effective group continue developingDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.Put the episode's best takeaways into practice with Skillding. Visit skillding.com/workshop to begin your journey from learning to doing. Track your progress as you hone your new skills. Start now!Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.People Playbook.Connect to Tony:On LinkedIn.Support the show:Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.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!

Changing behaviour is something of a holy grail in our line of work. It’s one thing to help a group see things in a new light, but to integrate it in a way that creates lasting change… that’s the ultimate goal.As one might expect, its not the easiest task.Shamir Joseph’s approach to this challenge is especially interesting to me — because he isn’t focused purely on one variable. He looks at the full picture of facilitation: frameworks, methodologies, inner game, repetitions. It’s refreshing and hugely informative. There’s a lot to learn in just one hour with Shamir.Find out about:How the ‘knowing, doing, being’ framework relates to our work in the room, as well as our roleWhat sustainable behavioural change looks like and how to avoid the fallible, ‘easy’ versionsWhy, sometimes, facilitators are well-advised to rein in their creative, experimental tendenciesDifferentiating the ways trainers, coaches, and facilitators are involved in behaviour changeHow adaptability is a symptom of empathyWhy independent teams follow wherever effective leaders and facilitators go — and how to discern the impact of bothHow Shamir practices self-reflection and the framework he uses to do soDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.Put the episode's best takeaways into practice with Skillding. Visit skillding.com/workshop to begin your journey from learning to doing. Track your progress as you hone your new skills. Start now!Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Shamir’s Linktree.The Leadership Through Facilitation course, co-created by Shamir and others in the NDB community.Connect to Shamir:On LinkedIn.Support the show:Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.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!

The corporate world can feel like a theme park — a place that’s recognisably ‘of our world’, with all the normal features (people, furniture, work), but an unshakeable feeling that something is… unreal.People aren’t quite themselves, conversations and relationships don’t work the way they do elsewhere in life, and the coffee often tastes strange!Göran Hielscher notices it, too, and his work in corporate workshops looks to undo this unrealness and bring something more authentic to the room. He explains his approach, experiences, and tactics in this value-packed episode.Find out about:Why we can — and should — dream a little bigger with corporate workshopsHow to be ‘professionally human’ — and why it benefits everybody in corporate workshopsWhat DJs and spiritual leaders can teach us about corporate transformationHow to remain intentional in the design process, as well as the workshop itselfWhy corporate resistance to facilitation isn’t about facilitation, but a misunderstanding of itHow to encourage embodiment, using body language as a primary communication toolDon’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Göran’s company, The Inspiracy Group.Connect to Göran:On LinkedIn.Support the show:Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.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!