We can find inspiration for our work as facilitators in the most surprising places. I would have said that game design is one of those surprising sources, but after speaking to Coline Pannier, the similarities and interconnections were abundantly clear.

Game design is the path to mastery in a controlled environment.

While we might look for convenience and facilitate in a way that creates ease, game designers approach tasks from another angle. They create interesting challenges that help players to develop a skill. In a workshop environment these challenges are small frictions or imaginary environments that make it interesting for the group to solve a problem together.

Learn about: 

• What video game design and workshop design have in common
• Why humility is essential for facilitators
• The power of frustration and challenges, and why we should embrace them in workshops
• How restriction boosts creativity
• What facilitators are responsible for, what they can control, and what they should leave behind

Click here to download the free 1-page summary

Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

Feeling inspired by the conversation in this episode? We can have our own - take a seat at my virtual table as part of a Mastermind Group.

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!

[01:28] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?

[03:03] How do you combine enjoyment of creating with enjoyment of facilitation?

[04:23] What do you think other educators can learn from facilitation?

[06:16] How does humility fit into education?

[08:24] What from game design can we apply to workshop design?

[10:23] Can facilitators purposefully introduce challenges to our workshops?

[15:23] How can we use obstacles that already exist for participants?

[17:17] How do you define, as a game designer, the right amount of challenge?

[19:50] Would you reframe existing challenges in a new way?

[22:58] What would be a nice, meaningful obstacle that you would create in a workshop?

[26:39] Can you give an example of creating a loop between ‘levels’ in a workshop?

[30:28] What can we learn about sprints from game design?

[34:02] How do you know that you ‘went in the wrong direction’ outside the game environment?

[36:42] Do you share with the group if you feel something has gone wrong in a workshop?

[38:04] What would the signs be that a group is getting a process wrong?

[39:18] What is a failed workshop?

[41:43] Can you give an example of taking on a job for the wrong reasons?

[44:08] Is it possible to use game design to structure an organisation?

[51:19] What is your favourite exercise

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

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!