Unprofessionalism

David Mead is made for this podcast - and not because he's a speaker, consultant, and communicator...David's commitment and insights into leadership have taken him across the world, where he coaches teams and leaders towards closer relationships, stronger cultures, and genuine trust.In this episode, we explore what it means to build trust, create consistency, and stepping up into our responsibilities.David is an inspiring professional speaker on company culture and leadership today - and you get to enjoy an hour of his wisdom for free.  Find out about:How dissonance between our words and actions sow the seeds of distrustWhy leaders need to double down on integrity and responsibilityHow to design workshops that set and meet your participants' expectationsThe three character traits we display that signal we are trustworthyWhat it means to "show up to give" and why this changes everyone's experience of your workshopHow to find inspiration and prompts to implement behaviour change 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[01:10] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[02:26] Does your facilitation practice sit alongside your work as a trainer?[03:50] What (and when) was it that changed your mindset from trainer to facilitator?[06:08] What do you think the 'old' you as a salesman could learn from you as a facilitator?[07:44] And is there anything you've learned from training and sales that applies to your facilitation?[10:41] What's the story behind your interest in 'the trust gap' - what actually is it?[17:07] How do you approach bridging the trust gap? Lowering expectations or doing the hard work?[28:48] How do the traits of leadership apply to facilitation, if we feel our workshop has not delivered on its intentions?[33:00] Where do you draw the line when it comes to taking responsibility for a workshop's success?[37:49] What makes a workshop fail?[40:09] Can we train ourselves to carry more leadership traits, or is it a matter of maturity and time?[44:43] Do you have any exercises that someone can practice to develop these leadership traits?[49:11] What is your 'why'?[49:30] What would be the one piece of advice you'd give to facilitators, leaders, and coaches about bridging the trust gap?#[52:14] Was there anything else you wanted to share that we haven't discussed yet?LinksDavid’s LinktreeConnect to David:On LinkedInOn TwitterOn Instagram Any thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Is ‘facilitation’ the wrong word for what we do with corporate clients? Jordan Bower thinks it might be and proposes a new terminology to better suit our work…Welcome to ‘corporate therapy’!Jordan and I discuss some big questions in this episode, including the future of facilitation, how to focus on individuals when working with a corporate, and whether one-off workshops are a waste of everyone’s time.You might expect a conversation full of intense curiosity and deep questioning might be hard work – in fact, the conversation was full of light and laughter.So, sit back, relax, and let’s dive into some of the big questions of facilitation, its future, and how we can take the profession to another level.Find out about:Why facilitation is better understood as an infinite process, rather than linear progressHow story theory relates to workshops, and why the things we want and the things we need aren’t always the sameWhy the quickest route to failure is to worry about failingHow abundance and sharing have become the hallmarks of true powerSage advice on the process of pitching facilitation services to a new clientHow to help clients lean into their emotions when it doesn’t come naturallyDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. Exclusive offer from Facilitator Cards for workshops.work listeners you can get 15% off your entire purchase at shop.facilitator.cards by using code workshopswork. Questions and AnswersPart one[00:56] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[07:31] What changed in your mindset and skillset, as you went through this challenge?[09:49] What have you learned about storytelling – and what is something that people continue to get wrong about it?[13:23] How do you help people break out of the vicious circle of shallow ‘wants’ and into deeper ‘needs’?[15:13] How does (what sounds like) a very one-on-one practice translate to work at an organisational level?[17:58] What strategies do you use to get your finger on the pulse of a company? And how do you help them see the stories they tell themselves?[21:48] What do you think has caused this great shift in the function and purpose of organisations?[26:07] Do you think the collective experience of uncertainty with the pandemic has driven companies to look to facilitators rather than consultants?[28:36] Do you think ‘one-off’ facilitation is over? Can we achieve meaningful results in a single workshop?[31:51] What’s the inner game for facilitators in this future of ‘corporate therapy’?[38:10] How do you know when to step into authoritative facilitation and when to step back?LinksWebsite Connect to Jordan:On LinkedIn Any thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Some might not expect an introverted, neurodivergent woman like Sharon Leigh to ‘fit’ with facilitation. But anyone can access, practice, and succeed with it – as Sharon knows from personal experience. In fact, Sharon doesn’t just fit with facilitation – she excels at it.Together, we cover a huge amount of ground in the world of facilitation, taking in the sights of inclusion, digital spaces, and holding space for facilitators.We also take some unexpected roads and unmapped routes, traversing the hitherto uncharted territory of workshops and neurodivergence, collaborative living, and knowing how to give someone a mood-boosting hug through a computer screen.This episode is a perfect summary of why I started the podcast. We uncover some incredible insights around the practice of facilitation, but we get there by looking deeply at what it means to be human and how we can connect with each other in simple, meaningful ways.Find out about:What it takes – and why it’s so important – for facilitators and coaches to have their own space for reflectionFinding gold among the heavy rocks and fast flowing waters of the pandemicWhy going online can make meetings, group work, and connection more accessible to allWhat Sharon has learned about facilitation, boundaries, and communication from collaborative livingWhy great workshops don’t provide great content or solutions, but ‘brain vacations’How a pared-down agenda leaves space for the real magic of your workshop to come throughDon’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!ConnectOn LinkedIn Any thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Manal Sayid is a fascinating person, speaker, and podcast guest - as she proves in this episode of workshops.work! Her experience ranges from the suicide prevention helpline of Distress Centres Toronto, to all manner of corporate and third sector facilitation roles.And she’s achieved it all without an obvious role model or well-trodden footsteps to follow.We bring all of this together in this episode, discussing the vital lessons in facilitation she has learned in unexpected places and what it’s like to sit in workshops in which nobody looks like ‘you’.The conversation is smooth, surprisingly light despite its sometimes-heavy content, and utterly enriching.Enjoy this standout episode! Find out about:Why fear is so powerful and how we can harness it to help us connect, communicate, and growHow inclusive facilitation creates a ripple effectHow to hold uncomfortable conversations about diversity and inclusionWhat happens when we work with our anxieties, rather than against themWhy we really don’t need to “do” much to help others to step into vulnerabilityHow to create workshops and environments that are more inclusiveDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. Exclusive offer from Facilitator Cards for workshops.work listeners you can get 15% off your entire purchase at shop.facilitator.cards by using code workshopswork. Connect to Manal:On LinkedInOn Twitter Any thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Being a facilitator is one thing, but Stephen Berkeley is on a mission to live a facilitative life.This idea is incredibly intriguing - can it be done? How do we walk the line between staying curious and ‘coaching’ our relationships? Is it possible to use silence as a tool in our day-to-day lives?Stephen joins me in this episode to explore all of the above and much more. We wind our way through the edges of facilitation and find ourselves at the heart of what it means to be human, to hold space for others, and to be present in every situation we encounter.Find out about:Understanding the difference between facilitating and being facilitativeThe special things that happen when you start a workshop in silenceThe three-question process Stephen follows to reflect on his workshopsWhy a ‘bad’ or ‘failed’ workshop is a matter of perspectiveHow to nurture our natural curiosity so it easily extends into all facets of our livesStephen’s advice to anyone who is curious about living a more facilitative lifeDon’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[01:16] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[03:51] What is the difference between being facilitative and being a facilitator?[07:02] How can we detect our innate facilitative skill?[11:37] What does it mean, to you, to live a facilitative life?[13:02] How can we avoid ‘overfacilitating’ non-workshop situations and creating friction?[18:32] Is there a possibility that having experienced such high-intensity crises, you risk underestimating crises in a workshop?[21:47] What three questions do you answer to help you reflect on a workshop you’ve delivered?[24:52] Have you ever come to the conclusion that a workshop failed?[32:38] Do you use silence in other areas of your life or work?[37:08] What happens if we apply more silence in our daily conversations?[43:12] As facilitators, we listen and reflect all day. Does our capacity to listen outside of our work diminish as a result?[46:07] How can we nurture our facilitative nature so that asking questions, being curious, and listening come naturally to us and don’t require us to put our ‘facilitator hat’ on?[51:01] If someone in the audience would like to start living a more facilitative life, what would be your advice to them?LinksLink to the book including Stephen’s chapterConnect to Stephen:On LinkedInOn Twitter Any thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

There are a few questions that come up every week - no matter who the guest is, no matter what our topic of conversation is.One of them - and possibly my favourite - is:“What makes a workshop fail?”We learn so much more from our failures than our successes, which makes this section of the podcast a veritable goldmine of facilitation advice and learnings.It’s only sensible, then, to share answers of 20 of the most appreciated podcast episodes.Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. Exclusive offer from Facilitator Cards for workshops.work listeners you can get 15% off your entire purchase at shop.facilitator.cards by using code workshopswork.Answers to the Question00:48 (026) Gustavo Razzetti02:54 (027) Tenneson Woolf05:38 (030) Mireille Beumer06:20 (029) Bernhard Ferro 06:48 (042) Dave Mastronardi08:28 (002)Margreet Jacobs09:33 (037)Marjolijn de Graaf10:08 (058) Mary Alice Arthur11:38 (072) Laura Beckingham12: 38 (070)Elke Wiss13:59 (059) Nisaar Jagroep16:38 (054) Eugenio Moliní 18:38 (063) Laure Cohen van Delft20:36 (057) Coline Pannier22:51 (032) Matthew Kelly 24:13 (047) Tim Ferguson 25:05 (010) Dirk Verburg  25:13 (064) Bastian Küntzel 26:03 (060) Sara Huang 26:59 (049) SunShine Céline BenBelkacemAny thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

A game is just a game - silly, playful, and only useful for breaking the ice, right?Not if you ask Sophia and Jed Lazar, who have designed a card game that helps participants share, listen, and connect in a deep way.Cozy Juicy Real has been tried everywhere from kitchen tables to corporate board rooms and its founding partners attest to the same results - strengthened connection and communication.So, how have they done it? What are the misconceptions about games that they’re proving wrong? And can a board game really hold space for people to share their true selves?Listen in for the answers to these questions - and many more! Find out about:Jed & Sophia’s journey into facilitation, facilitating together, and creating Cozy Juicy RealHow a game can be designed to hold space for a groupHow Jed and Sophia have learned to incentivise deep listeningWhy asking questions is a muscle we can grow, not an innate talentHow Jed and Sophia safeguard participants whilst creating space for deep, emotional connectionDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. Exclusive offer from Facilitator Cards for workshops.work listeners you can get 15% off your entire purchase at shop.facilitator.cards by using code workshopswork.Questions and Answers[01:21] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator – and do you?[03:56] What do a protest and a workshop have in common?[04:41] What’s the story behind Cozy Juicy Real and when did you first start facilitating together?[07:22] What’s one of your favourite questions in the game?[10:56] Can a game hold space for a group and what does it take?[15:03] How do you design a structure that incentivises deep listening and communication?[17:09] What are the mechanics behind creating cozy, juicy, and real questions and how do they come together to help people connect deeply?[19:51] What makes a good question? Is there one question in particular that gets people to connect?[23:18] Do you think people can learn to ask more meaningful questions by playing the game?[24:26] Can you learn to ask questions and, if so, how?[28:35] What’s your favourite question?[33:25] Do you have a question that turned into a gift for you?[36:30] What are your observations from playing the game with friends?[40:24] How do you manage judgement when it appears in a group?[42:00] How do you create a game that allows for people to communicate deeply without risking trauma triggers and offence?[45:56] What’s your role as the host – and could anyone do it?[47:39] How do you handle check-ins and check-outs? Do you have favourite exercises for each?[49:10] What makes a workshop fail?[53:33] Is there anything that you’d like to share with the audience that we haven’t covered yet?Connect to Jed & Sophia:Jed on LinkedInSophia on LinkedIn Any thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

A nickname like “The Box Guy” belies Jimbo Clark’s effervescence and brilliance. In fact, Jimbo has spent many years trying to help us open the boxes we put ourselves in (or put over ourselves).And this mindset shift sits at the heart of our conversation in this episode - understanding the boxes we operate in and under, exploring what it means to step outside of them, and seeing what changes when facilitators adopt an unboxing mindset.Jimbo is an exemplary facilitator and a wonderful podcast guest, bringing light and charm in abundance to accompany his razor-sharp expertise.Find out about:Why we need to look at, in, and around our own ‘box’ before we ask anyone to look at theirsThe importance of taking what’s on the inside and displaying it on the outsideHow to help a group visualise their own box and physically create it – so they can escape itThe many reasons why facilitators need to have an ongoing relationship with self-awareness and self-developmentWhy we can’t lose sight of the client’s purpose in a workshop – and how that can present difficultiesWhat facilitators have in common with midwives 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!LinksJimbo’s Business: box.innogreat.com Connect to Jimbo:On LinkedIn Any thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

From reframing problems to taking tips from MacGyver, Thomas Lahnthaler is full of great advice for anyone who has to manage a crisis.And as our conversation in this episode revealed, facilitators are never far from a crisis – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.Thomas’ second time on the podcast brought just as much value as his first (episode 39), as we dive into the depths of crisis management, resourcefulness, reframing, creative activities, and why it’s so important to keep things person-centred rather than problem-centred.Enjoy this exploration of facilitation and crisis management, you might be surprised by how much is relevant to you and your work!Find out about:What we fatally misunderstand about the order of importance in our crisis managementWhy crises are, before anything else, a human issueHow to bring a group back from the brink of crisisWhy resourcefulness is the superpower of the crisis managerWhy knowing what the opposite of a crisis feels like will help us prevent future crisesHow we can use playful, creative activities to talk about difficult or personal issues Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. Exclusive offer from Facilitator Cards for workshops.work listeners you can get 15% off your entire purchase at shop.facilitator.cards by using code workshopswork. LinksThomas’ company (Crisis Compass) blogThomas’ MediumConnect to Thomas:On LinkedInOn Twitter Any thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Sonja Hanau is the person 99% of working professionals have prayed for at one point or another.For Sonja is a Meeting Designer. In fact, Sonja is one of the best Meeting Designers you’ll ever meet.And she’s the guest on this week’s episode, bringing her startling wisdom and clarity to our conversation in a way that truly energised me.We discuss everything from the big picture of the future of work and how meetings work in it, to the minutiae of how she creates training sessions to empower companies to improve their meetings at scale. Find out about:Three key rules for creating better meetingsWhy companies have bad meetings and what they can do to change itWhat goes into Sonja’s corporate meeting design training sessions, from technical videos to experience designHow the changing world of work and our relationships with our jobs is changing how we meetWhy it’s essential to have both an online and offline facilitator in hybrid meetingsHow one question at the end of your next meeting could totally change your meeting cultureDon’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player. Exclusive offer from Facilitator Cards for workshops.work listeners you can get 15% off your entire purchase at shop.facilitator.cards by using code workshopswork.Questions and Answers[01:08] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[02:58] What’s the story behind your role of Meeting Designer in a corporate setting?[06:24] Why do corporates have such bad meetings – and are there any quick fixes for them?[10:12] What does it take for managers and team leaders to embrace a new way of doing meetings?[15:00] What is something you have learned to implement after watching your son’s online classes?[16:38] How do you balance giving people the space to honour their feelings whilst also not wanting to disturb the flow of the wider group?[19:30] You’ve delivered training sessions to teach teams the art of designing, hosting, and facilitating better meetings at scale. How was this? What did you learn?[23:40] Which parts are best done independently, and which are best done together?[30:03] Is there a way that corporates can quantitatively measure the impact of learning to hold better meetings?[33:27] Would you say that, as meeting quality goes up, meeting quantity/frequency goes down?[35:09] Is the changing world of work – and our perspectives about being ‘busy’ – changing the nature of meetings?[39:57] What makes a meeting fail?[42:11] What are your thoughts on hybrid? Is it the future in corporate? What else might it be?[46:37] Do you have a favourite hybrid exercise?[49:35] Was there anything else that you wanted to bring to this conversation that we haven’t covered yet?[52:47] What is the one thing you would like listeners to take away from this episode?LinksSubscribe to her meeting inspiration (english) -  7 mistakes a meeting facilitator shouldn't do (substack.com)Subscribe to her meeting inspiration (german) -  Meetingschmiede | Einfach gute Meetings Connect to Sonja:On Any thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/