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In this episode, I talk to Jeremy Akers, an agnostic agile coach, trainer and public speaker. He accompanies businesses through their agile transformation with Wemanity and is associated with Instituut Core, an institute for management training programs. 

Jeremy and I speak about the facilitator’s mindset and what it means to be fully present in a workshop. He shares how he deals with his own discomfort and why it is important to share feelings of discomfort with the group. Tune in to hear about deep-democracy and techniques we can apply to decision-making processes that include everyone’s perspective without derailing into unproductive discussions. 

Don’t miss the part when Jeremy explains why he prefers hand-voting over dot-voting. This conversation will surely inspire you to explore your own areas of discomfort and will help you design workshops that work. 

Questions and Answers:

[1:23] What does “agnostic agile” mean?

[3:12] How did you become an agile coach?

[7:19] How would you apply your concept of awareness to a group context?

[7:35] How do you teach awareness?

[12:40] What is the mindset according to you that you need as a facilitator?

[15:30] How did you train for being able to be fully present with the group?

[18:50] Would you apply a different method to provide a safe space when you work with individuals or with a group?

[20:10] How can you become better in being fully present?

[22:33] What reaction do you get when you share your discomfort with the participants?

[27:11] What makes workshops fail?

[28:44] How do you snap the group out of an unproductive back and forth of arguments?

[34:26] How do you walk the thin line between providing safe space by agreeing and being the sparring partner who challenges the ideas of the group?

[37:56] How can we get to a clear decision while “yes ending” each other?

[40:43] How do you make sure that you get all concerns on the table?

[43:35] When it comes to voting, what are the pros and cons of different techniques?

[46:00] If our listeners fell asleep and just woke up, what shall they take away? 

Links we mentioned during the conversation:

• Instituut Core Management Training: https://www.instituutcore.nl/en/
• Vipassana meditation: www.dhamma.org
• Ray Dalio’s “Principles”: Episode 7 on Youtube
• Chris Voss book “Never split the difference” and the concept of tactical empathy
• Systems centred therapy: Functional subgrouping (Youtube)
• Deep democracy, Lewis method: https://deep-democracy.net/
• Liberating structures: http://www.liberatingstructures.com

Reach out to Jeremy via LinkedIn

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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/