5 Books That Made Me a Way Better Facilitator (2 You’ve Never Heard Of) | #ADAW Ep. 20

Most workshops don’t fail because of bad ideas.They fail because people don’t feel safe enough to share them.

In this solo episode of Another Day, Another Workshop, I’m sharing 5 books (plus a bonus) that genuinely made me a better workshop designer and facilitator, from running more inclusive brainstorms to designing memorable experiences… and even using humor the right way.

Some are the usual suspects. But two of them are not (and they’ll surprise you).

In this episode:

✅ Why “I’m not the creative type” is a myth (and how to respond as a facilitator)

✅ The workshop “recipe” that helped me start with confidence

✅ A simple way to make sessions more inclusive (introverts included)

✅ How to design workshops people actually remember (beginning, peak, end)

✅ Two humor techniques you can use without being a comedian

✅ How to improve fast with deliberate practice (instead of vague “get better” goals)

Facilitators Corner BootcampWant to become a more confident facilitator with structure, practice, and feedback?The next cohort starts March 2.

More info here: https://facilitators-corner.com/bootcampChapters below.

🛠️ Resources & LinksThe Workshop Deck (28 activities to design workshops faster): https://facilitators-corner.com/workshopdeck

Jake Knapp’s “17 tips” article:https://sprintstories.com/23-facilitation-tips-for-design-sprints-34d876aa5317

📌 Chapters:

00:00 — “I’m not the creative type” (and how to handle it)

01:10 — Intro: 5 books (2 you’ve never seen)

01:54 — Book 1: Sprint (the workshop recipe)

03:35 — Moving forward beats being right + timeboxing

03:55 — Together alone (inclusive and reduces bias)

06:33 — Book 2: Creative Confidence (everyone is creative)

07:45 — Fear of judgment + making it safer (anonymous notes)

08:55 — Creativity warm-up: small steps before big ideas

11:10 — Four-step sketch + inspiration as a creativity hack

13:40 — Why breaks matter (your best ideas come when relaxed)

15:40 — Reframing problems (surgeon scalpel example)

16:55 — Book 3: AJ and Smart Workshopper Playbook (4Cs + LDJ)

20:37 — Book 4: The Power of Moments (beginning, peak, end)

24:40 — Book 5: The Comedy Bible (callbacks + act-outs)

28:35 — Bonus: Grit (deliberate practice to improve fast)

31:56 — Outro + support the show