Eight Arms: Developing the craft of working with groups

A quick Toolbox episode to take into your next session: four practical steps for staying steady when something throws you mid-session.

If you want the psychology behind why these work, listen to the Deep Dive on wobble moments, the episode before this one (link below).

The four steps:

* Notice it, and name it to yourself: “Okay, this is a wobble.”

* Buy yourself some breathing space: a slow breath out, feet into the floor/grip the desk, and a rehearsed go-to phrase.

* Get curious, and try a different frame: swap the panicky story for a question.

* Try something small, and see what happens: an experiment, not a test.

Afterwards, ask yourself: What threw me? What did I do? What might I try next time?

One thing to try before your next session: choose your go-to phrase and practise it out loud a few times.

🤿 Go deeper: How to stay steady when something throws you. Listen to the Deep Dive episode on Apple | Spotify | Substack

🎧 For longer conversations about the human stories behind group work, listen to my other podcast, The Human Side of Facilitation on Apple | Spotify | Substack

💬 What helps you in a wobble moment? I’d love to hear. You can reach me here: [email protected] or connect with me on Substack, LinkedIn . You can find out more about my work at https://www.tom-cleary.co.uk/groupcraft

Something throws you mid-session: your mind goes blank, the energy drops, or someone challenges you out of nowhere. In this Deep Dive, we explore what’s really going on in those wobble moments, and four practical ways to stay steady.

In this episode:

* Why wobbles happen to experienced people too, not just beginners

* Donald Schön’s idea of moving from the “high ground” into the “swampy lowlands”

* Why your mind goes blank under pressure, even on material you know well

* The “second layer” we add on top of a wobble, and why it makes things harder

Four things that help:

* Notice it, and name it to yourself

* Buy yourself some breathing space, with your body and a go-to phrase

* Get curious, and try a different frame

* Try something small, and see what happens

One thing to try before your next session: choose your go-to phrase and practise it out loud a few times.

🧰 Want the quick version? The Toolbox episode, Four quick steps for when something throws you, is here: Apple | Spotify | Substack

🎧 Want to go deeper? Listen to Embrace or Escape the Swamp? on my other podcast, The Human Side of Facilitation, on Apple | Spotify | Substack

💬 What helps you in a wobble moment? I’d love to hear. You can reach me here: [email protected] or connect with me on Substack or LinkedIn . You can find out more about my work at https://www.tom-cleary.co.uk/groupcraft

Welcome to Eight Arms: practical episodes on developing the craft of working with groups.

In this short trailer, I share what the podcast is, who it’s for (trainers, facilitators, coaches, team leaders and anyone who runs group sessions), and why an octopus.

If you work with groups and care about doing it well, and staying well, you’re in the right place.

🎧 For longer conversations about the human stories behind group work, listen to my other podcast, The Human Side of Facilitation, on Apple | Spotify | Substack

💬 Is there something you’d love an episode on? Get in touch, I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me here: [email protected] or connect with me on Substack or LinkedIn . You can find out more about my work at https://www.tom-cleary.co.uk/groupcraft