Unprofessionalism

Laura Beckingham, a highly-experienced Systemic Coach, dives into the world of systemic coaching and constellation facilitation. She explains how this unique approach can lead to profound transformation in both personal and organizational contexts. The discussion highlights the importance of authenticity, the interconnectedness of experiences, and the crucial role of closure in coaching. Laura also emphasizes nurturing trust among participants and the value of a flexible atmosphere in workshops, allowing true connections and insights to flourish.

Forum Theatre is a unique approach to facilitation – creating space for change and reflection through creativity, play, and certainly some bravery (to begin with!)Though the concept fascinates me, I have not had the chance to explore it in as much detail as I would have liked to. To have Pernille Jacobsen, a brilliant facilitator and Forum Theatre practitioner, join me on workshops work gave me the opportunity to change that – and I was not left disappointed.Forum Theatre and facilitation share many similarities but cast the other in new lights when considered as two halves of a ‘whole’.In this episode, you will find out about: What makes Forum Theatre unique and so impactfulHow Forum Theatre works on a practical level, and how Pernille uses it in a facilitative settingWhat Forum Theatre has taught Pernille as a facilitator, and what facilitation has taught her as a Forum Theatre practitionerHow, if at all, Forum Theatre can be translated into a virtual environmentWhat facilitation and Forum Theatre might look like in the futureDon’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[01:11] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[03:03] What would your hashtag be?[05:47] Can you explain more about Forum Theatre?[09:19] Are participants actively involved in scenes from the beginning, or do you take the lead on the performance and bring them in afterwards?[18:38] Do participants play themselves or put themselves in others’ shoes?[21:00] How do you debrief in Forum Theatre?[24:09] Do you combine Forum Theatre with other types of facilitation?[25:21] What have you learned about facilitation from Forum Theatre, and vice versa?[29:00] How do you brief a group before starting a Forum Theatre workshop?[38:02] What makes workshops fail?[42:32] How do you translate Forum Theatre into a virtual environment?[45:08] Are participants more willing or reluctant online?[48:44] What is your vision for Forum Theatre in 2021?[52:42] What one thing would you like listeners to take away from this episode?LinksKlods-Hans for Viderekomne - Pernille's Forum Theatre venture Forum TheatreSnapstories - Pernille’s conversational gameAugusto Boal – the inventor of Forum Theatre/theatre of the oppressedKatrin Byreus – Pernille’s biggest role model when it comes to Forum Theatre and facilitation Connect to PernillePernille's LinkedInPernille's website 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/

Questions are the lifeblood of communication. Without questions, we only have statements – cold, certain, absolute. If there is no room for curiosity, there is no room for growth or change.But not all questions are created equal and, sometimes, a question can do more harm than good.This week, Elke Wiss – trainer, speaker, facilitator, author of Socrates in Sneakers, and self-styled ‘Thinking Doctor’– joins me on workshops work to explore how we can ask better questions. We cover so much, from Socratic Philosophy and psychological safety to lattes vs. cappuccinos.Join us in this episode and find out:What separates good and bad questionsWhy “why” questions can be simultaneously revelatory and destructiveWhether we can train our curiosity to be childlike againHow to create spaces in which you can ask questions that might usually feel unsafeHow we can all start asking better questionsDon’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[01:25] Do you call yourself a facilitator?[02:03] Where did your fascination with questions come from?[06:46] Do you have a set of questions to inspire your creative process?[11:30] What makes a good question?[13:00] Can one learn to be curious?[17:00] What is it about “why” questions that makes them feel so sharp?[20:25] How do you create a space that feels safe for asking questions?[25:48] What makes us shift away from the curiosity of childhood?[30:56] What makes a workshop fail?[32:02] How can we invite groups to ask questions?[33:27] What is your favourite question?[34:48] What would be your hashtag?[37:19] How can we end the process of questioning?[38:48] Is it more dangerous to ask the wrong question, or to take the first answer you receive?[40:58] What makes a bad question?[46:57] Is there anything else you wanted to highlight?LinksBrené Brown’s TED talkElke's Book - Socrates in Sneakers (with an English preview of the book to download!)Connect to ElkeElke's LinkedInThe Think ForgeElke's personal websiteAny 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/

workshops work is a podcast for facilitators, by a facilitator, about facilitation… so why have I invited Assistant Professor of Humanities and Liberal Studies at San Francisco State University and comic book artist Nick Sousanis to join me in this episode?I read Nick’s remarkable work ‘Unflattening’ recently and immediately knew that the world of facilitation needed to know about it. I was delighted when he accepted my invitation!What followed was a beautiful exchange of ideas and reflections from two distant fields, worlds that do not normally collide but have more in common than you might first think. This is a very special episode of workshops work – and one that I think could change our practice in a deep and powerful way. Listen to find out: Why trying to think outside of the boxes we are in isn’t necessarily a good ideaThe most important question Nick believes we need to answer in this moment in timeWhy unflattening is a journey, not a destinationWhy images aren’t simply aesthetic, but communicative in novel and detailed waysHow creative constraints and limits help us learn, grow, and unflatten 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[01:44] Is it correct that Unflattening was your dissertation?[02:33] What prompted you to draw your dissertation?[05:25] Where was the idea of Unflattening born?[08:58] How does Unflattening relate to ‘thinking outside the box’?[12:47] Did you create Unflattening to intentionally remove as many of these ‘boxes’ as possible?[17:47] What is the magic ingredient for hearing each other’s arguments?[22:27] Is Unflattening a journey, a philosophy, a destination?[27:51] How can we practice Unflattening when it comes to emotive topics?[31:50] What can pictures teach us that words cannot?[36:21] How do you encourage people to follow the path of your writing without being too explicitly directional?[45:05] – What makes a workshop – or a class – fail?[01:02:13] – What is the one thing you would like listeners to take away from this episode?LinksNick’s websiteAn excerpt of Nick’s book, UnflatteningConnect to NickOn TwitterOn FacebookAny 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/

Sarah McVanel is a recognition expert, a public speaker, a facilitator… and she thinks that we are “mutts”.Put your pitchforks down, this is a good thing – and she explains herself beautifully!Sarah’s perspective on the transferable skills in facilitation will leave you feeling empowered and inspired. You might even be happy to call yourself a mutt!Sarah has successfully pivoted to work as a public speaker (as well continuing as a facilitator and recognition expert) and believes that facilitators are uniquely placed to transfer into other fields.Listen to the episode to find out:Why facilitators are ‘mutts’ – and why that is a wonderful thing!Why recognition is a superpower we all have without knowing itHow facilitators have some amazing transferable skills for public speakingWhat Sarah believes facilitators can learn from public speakersWhat it means to ‘FROG’ and some examples of how Sarah practices this beautiful actDon’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 first call yourself a facilitator?[06:29] What is a ‘savvy facilitator’?[08:47] What would your hashtag be?[14:21] What is a recognition expert?[18:11] How can we better recognise others – and how do you teach this when you speak on stage?[31:22] How did you get into speaking from facilitation?[36:55] Did your facilitation skills make you a better public speaker, or vice versa?[45:26] What do you wish you had known before you started a career in speaking?[51:50] What makes a workshop fail?[56:38] What is the one thing you want listeners to take away?Connect to Sarah McVanelSarah’s websiteSarah’s LinkedInAny 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/

Everyone has their strengths, but not everyone gets to work in a way that is congruent with them. Well, that is unless they attend one of Murray Guest’s workshops.Murray is a strengths-based facilitator with a litany of qualifications and a lifetime of experience in helping teams work to their individual and collective strengths, facilitating lasting change in organisations of all shapes and sizes.But strengths-based facilitation is a nuanced practice and isn’t what some people might believe it to be. I wanted to dive deeper into what this practice looks like and uncover the lessons we can all take from it to enhance our own work.In this episode, find out about:What strengths-based facilitation is and how Murray practices itWhy strengths-based workshops are at their best when they are flexible and responsiveWhy embedding learning is the only way to truly deliver lasting resultsHow enforced remote work is helping and harming teams, and what we can do to shape a new normal that is healthy and productive for everyoneWhy challenges and care are interlinked, and are blunted without each otherDon’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[01:42] When did you first call yourself a facilitator?[07:21] How can we manage our energy as facilitators to prevent our participants feeling discomfort?[11:23] What does strengths-based facilitation mean?[21:43] Would you design a workshop around the participants’ strengths?[22:34] How do you use strength-finding tools to drive outcomes?[26:41] How can we take some of the communication skills and practices we have learned in remote work back to our offices?[33:27] Why are certain conversations harder in virtual spaces?[39:03] What makes a workshop fail?[42:29] What is your favourite exercise?[49:13] Is there anything else you wanted to share?[52:26] What is the one takeaway you want listeners to have?LinksMurray Guest’s business pageCliffton Strength Framework“Fremdscham”Helium Sticks ExerciseConnect to Murray GuestMurray's LinkedInAny 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/

Teeth gnashing, fists waving, pulses racing… Conflict conjures up a certain image in many people’s minds.But it doesn’t have to be that way.In fact, conflict can be one of the most powerful tools we have to drive meaningful change.In this episode of workshops work, I speak with Marcus Crow, co-founder of 10,000 HOURS and specialist in high stakes facilitation,  about his brilliant approach to diving headfirst into conflict in a way that puts safety and growth at the heart of the discussion.Whether you’re the kind of facilitator who avoids conflict at all costs or loves to embrace it, Marcus shares such a breadth of great ideas and insights from his own facilitation practice that there is something in this episode for everyone.Why the dominant narrative in management prevents meaningful changeHow Marcus helps teams face up to their conflicts whilst fostering an environment of safetyWhat we can learn from ‘low stakes’ conflicts and how we can use these situations as practice for bigger conflictsHow Marcus helps his clients ‘depathologise’ conflictWhy Marcus believes a ‘Royal College of Facilitation’ would help advance our industryDon’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[01:11] When did you first start calling yourself a facilitator?[02:55] If you were a hashtag, what would you be?[05:03] How do you help groups benefit from their collective intelligence?[07:43] Can managers be facilitators for their own teams?[10:40] Do we need 10,000 hours to become a facilitator?[14:29] How do you prepare yourself for ‘high stakes’ facilitation in settings with lots of localised context?[21:04] What is the difference between standing at the front of the room and being in the room?[26:00] How do you confront the group and its conflict?[28:48] What does it mean to conflict safely?[31:29] Do you see replicable patterns between high stakes and low stakes conflict?[38:48] What makes a workshop fail?[45:24] What about the facilitation ‘industry’ are you opposed to?[52:28] If someone fell asleep at the start of our conversation, what is the one thing you’d like them to take away?Connect to Marcus Crow10,000 Hours’ websiteMarcus’ LinkedInAny 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 workshop that goes exactly to plan is a workshop that exists in our dreams.The unexpected isn’t something we should be afraid of – fantastic ideas and outcomes can come from the moments we don’t see coming (and can never plan for) – but being prepared to adjust to the whim of the room is a vital skill for effective facilitation.But what do we need to learn – and unlearn – if we want to become adaptive, Nimble Facilitators?Rebecca Sutherns is the author of Nimble: A Coaching Guide for Responsive Facilitation and she joins me in this episode of workshops work to share the secrets of holding onto our plans a little more loosely. Find out about:• Why being Nimble is proving to be just as essential in virtual spaces as it is in on-site settings• What the sweet spot of preparation looks like and how to find yours• Why inner work is the foundation of growth, change, and progress• How to balance the needs and requirements of your client, your group, and yourself• How to strengthen your decision-making musclesDon’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[01:11] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[05:43] What is the story behind Nimble Facilitation and why did you write this book?[07:51] What is the core skill for Nimble Facilitation?[13:55] How do you manage clients who require a lot of detail and structure?[19:55] How do you close sessions to synchronise everyone’s takeaways?[25:34] Have you found it is harder to be Nimble in virtual workshops?[31:40] How will what we’ve learned from virtual workshops influence our future on-site workshops?[41:02] What makes a workshop fail, and is the answer different for virtual workshops?[47:14] What’s your favourite exercise?[49:55] Is there anything you wanted to mention that we haven’t touched upon yet?[55:36] What is the one thing you want listeners to take away from this show?Links· Nimble: A Coaching Guide for Responsive Facilitation· Collaborative Planning to Make Wiser Decisions Faster (Video) Connect to Rebecca· Rebecca’s website· Rebecca’s Twitter· Rebecca’s LinkedInAny 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/

Stories are far more than books we bury our noses in; they are the fabric of our culture and history, and the foundations of our progress. A world without stories is no world at all.Storytelling is such an innate feature of the human condition, from the way we understand ourselves to the world we live in. If we can harness this powerful tool to design our workshops, the results can potentially be transformative.Bastian Küntzel is one of the best people to learn from if you are interested in the power of storytelling – especially in the context of workshop design. Sharing lessons from his book, The Learner’s Journey, Bastian joins me on this episode of workshops work to explain how storytelling can be utilised as a design tool to facilitate change that sticks.Find out about:How Bastian got started as a facilitator and his early experience of intercultural communication helped him understand deeper commonalities in participantsWhy storytelling is such a powerful design principle for workshopsWhat the eight steps to story design areHow to apply the eight steps to workshops – at both the design and output stagesWhy storytelling is one of the easiest design principles to incorporate into any workshopDon’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[01:21] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[03:00] What is the difference between a facilitator and a trainer?[04:19] What is the difference between an educator and a trainer?[06:11] How did you find the transition from working with young people to corporations?[09:35] How did your experience of intercultural communication help you get started in facilitation?[11:48] How did you get into storytelling?[15:36] Can you guide us through the 8 step storytelling process and how it applies to workshops?[47:52] What makes a workshop fail?[48:59] What is the one takeaway you want the audience to have?Links to checkHero’s JourneyThe Hero with a Thousand FacesJoseph CampbellDan HarmonDan Harmon’s Story Structure 101: Super Basic ShitBastian’s bookA webinar Bastian delivered about The Learner’s JourneyConnect with BastianBastian’s websiteAny 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/

When I first read about AI and facilitation, I was worried the robots were coming for my job… but then I spoke with Laure Cohen van Delft and realised AI is a most welcome addition to our profession!This is because AI, in this context, refers to Appreciative Inquiry – a framework and approach that facilitates purposeful change in organisations. The approach is centred on outcomes that grow in value (Appreciate) and a curious mindset (Inquiry).AI encompasses many facets of other facilitative approaches that are joined together by the belief that every living system has potential for growth.Laure’s explanation of AI is fascinating – a truly unique perspective – and every facilitator can learn something from her.Find out about:How Laure utilises LEGO Serious Play within her workshopsWhat Appreciative Inquiry (AI) isHow AI can be practiced in workshopsWhy AI can be so effectiveThe outcomes made possible by designing a workshop around AIDon’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 first call yourself a facilitator?[03:06] What does facilitation mean to you?[06:08] What have you learned from LEGO Serious Play?[09:55] How do you define Appreciative Inquiry (AI)?[14:34] Is there a specific structure to AI?[24:05] How do we put the principles of AI together in a workshop?[38:08] What is your favourite question to ask in a workshop?[42:06] What makes a workshop fail?[48:10] What is one thing you want listeners to take away from this episode?Links to checkDavid L. Cooperrider Center for Appreciative InquiryAI CommonsThe 5 principles of AI Essentials of Appreciative Inquiry by David Cooperrider, Diana Whitney and Jacqueline Stavros, 2008Encyclopedia of Positive Questions second edition by Diana Whitney, Amanda Trosten-Bloom, David Cooperrider and Brian S. Kaplin, 2014Connect with LaureLaure's websiteFacebookTwitterLinkedInAny 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/