First Time Facilitator

First Time Facilitator

By Leanne HughesBusinessEducationHow ToCareersManagement
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First Time Facilitator episodes

  • Q&A: Share some of the amazing facilitation tricks you’ve seen, Leanne! (Episode 14)

    Send Leanne a message

    Hello fellow first time facilitators and welcome to the show this week. This is the first solo episode I’m recording and it’s come in response to some feedback I received from a listener, Aminata N’Doye from Toronto, Canada. She asked me if I could incorporate listener questions periodically. I think it’s great suggestion, it allows […]

    The post Q&A: Share some of the amazing facilitation tricks you’ve seen, Leanne! (Episode 14) appeared first on First Time Facilitator.

    Your name can feature on Leanne's Wall of Work Fame.

    Just pre-order her book by 30 Sep 2026; and follow the details to claim your star.

    Also, there are a ton of bulk order incentives as well!

    Support the show

    15 min
  • Q&A: Share some of the amazing facilitation tricks you’ve seen, Leanne! (Episode 14)
    Hello fellow first time facilitators and welcome to the show this week.
    This is the first solo episode I’m recording and it’s come in response to some feedback I received from a listener, Aminata N’Doye from Toronto, Canada. She asked me if I could incorporate listener questions periodically. I think it’s great suggestion, it allows variety for the show and typically, we’ll keep these ones short -they won’t run for longer than 15mins.
    From time to time I’ll incorporate these episodes, either as an add-on feature for the week (I’d originally planned to call this Workshop Weds) ; or a standalone episode, depending on the length of my response!
    Would you like your question answered on the show?

    You can email me: [email protected]
    Send me a tweet @leannehughes
    Message me your question on Instagram @firsttimefacilitator

    Given Aminata had the idea for this segment, I threw it over to her to ask the first question, and her question is this:
    “Along the way, you’ve seen a number of tricks from fantastic facilitators. What were some of the amazing tricks where you thought, “Wow! I need to add this to my facilitation!“? 
    Listen to the show to find out the facilitator tricks that have stunned me (in a good way)!
    Resources mentioned in this episode
    The Air-dropped workshop notes from Sean DeSouza’s workshop:

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Andrew Tarvin’s Walk/Stop icebreaker or energiser:
    Create your own game show using Kahoot.
    Click here to view the episode transcript.
    15 min
  • Q&A: Share some of the amazing facilitation tricks you’ve seen, Leanne! (Episode 14)
    Hello fellow first time facilitators and welcome to the show this week.
    This is the first solo episode I’m recording and it’s come in response to some feedback I received from a listener, Aminata N’Doye from Toronto, Canada. She asked me if I could incorporate listener questions periodically. I think it’s great suggestion, it allows variety for the show and typically, we’ll keep these ones short -they won’t run for longer than 15mins.
    From time to time I’ll incorporate these episodes, either as an add-on feature for the week (I’d originally planned to call this Workshop Weds) ; or a standalone episode, depending on the length of my response!
    Would you like your question answered on the show?

    You can email me: [email protected]
    Send me a tweet @leannehughes
    Message me your question on Instagram @firsttimefacilitator

    Given Aminata had the idea for this segment, I threw it over to her to ask the first question, and her question is this:
    “Along the way, you’ve seen a number of tricks from fantastic facilitators. What were some of the amazing tricks where you thought, “Wow! I need to add this to my facilitation!“? 
    Listen to the show to find out the facilitator tricks that have stunned me (in a good way)!
    Resources mentioned in this episode
    The Air-dropped workshop notes from Sean DeSouza’s workshop:

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Andrew Tarvin’s Walk/Stop icebreaker or energiser:
    Create your own game show using Kahoot.
    Click here to view the episode transcript.
    15 min
  • Q&A: Share some of the amazing facilitation tricks you’ve seen, Leanne! (Episode 14)
    Hello fellow first time facilitators and welcome to the show this week.
    This is the first solo episode I’m recording and it’s come in response to some feedback I received from a listener, Aminata N’Doye from Toronto, Canada. She asked me if I could incorporate listener questions periodically. I think it’s great suggestion, it allows variety for the show and typically, we’ll keep these ones short -they won’t run for longer than 15mins.
    From time to time I’ll incorporate these episodes, either as an add-on feature for the week (I’d originally planned to call this Workshop Weds) ; or a standalone episode, depending on the length of my response!
    Would you like your question answered on the show?

    You can email me: [email protected]
    Send me a tweet @leannehughes
    Message me your question on Instagram @firsttimefacilitator

    Given Aminata had the idea for this segment, I threw it over to her to ask the first question, and her question is this:
    “Along the way, you’ve seen a number of tricks from fantastic facilitators. What were some of the amazing tricks where you thought, “Wow! I need to add this to my facilitation!“? 
    Listen to the show to find out the facilitator tricks that have stunned me (in a good way)!
    Resources mentioned in this episode
    The Air-dropped workshop notes from Sean DeSouza’s workshop:

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Andrew Tarvin’s Walk/Stop icebreaker or energiser:

    Create your own game show using Kahoot.
    Click here to view the episode transcript.
    15 min
  • A facilitator is an entertainer (even if you think it’s all about the content) with Greg Mitchell (Episode 13)

    Send Leanne a message

    Greg Mitchell is a bit of a superstar in the education world. He does many things – cartooning, MCing, consulting and of course, facilitating.  In this episode, we talk about some band-aid fixes you can use when participants threaten to de-rail your workshop, why you need to treat facilitation like entertainment, why unpredictability can also […]

    The post A facilitator is an entertainer (even if you think it’s all about the content) with Greg Mitchell (Episode 13) appeared first on First Time Facilitator.

    Your name can feature on Leanne's Wall of Work Fame.

    Just pre-order her book by 30 Sep 2026; and follow the details to claim your star.

    Also, there are a ton of bulk order incentives as well!

    Support the show

    40 min
  • A facilitator is an entertainer (even if you think it’s all about the content) with Greg Mitchell (Episode 13)
    Greg Mitchell is a bit of a superstar in the education world. He does many things – cartooning, MCing, consulting and of course, facilitating.  In this episode, we talk about some band-aid fixes you can use when participants threaten to de-rail your workshop, why you need to treat facilitation like entertainment, why unpredictability can also help hook your audience  and to notice and realise that facilitation is an emotional job.
    In this episode, you’ll learn

    Why it’s important to snap your participants out of their constant way of thinking
    The lowest common denominator for engagement (hint: It’s our favourite topic)
    Some incredible, simple activities you can throw-in to a workshop to create variety
    What to do when you have a spare 30mins left at the end of your workshop
    What he perceives the error of focus is for first time facilitators and how you can direct your energy to create more engagement
    Why you need to keep your participants moving (literally!).

    Like this show? Please leave me a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so I can thank you personally!
    Click here to let Leanne know about your number one takeaway from this episode!
    About our guest
    Greg Mitchell has been engaged with the world of education since he was four years old.  Since them, he has been a student, a parent, a teacher, a writer, a cartoonist, an assistance principal, a university lecturer and a consultant.  He has worked for both the Catholic and Government education systems and is currently enjoying being self-employed, having finally found a boss that he really likes.
    Greg suffers from enthusiasm, a condition which helps him deal happily with issues such as Stress Management, Positive Intelligence, Multiple Intelligences, Boys’ in Education, Conflict Resolution, Resilience, Values Education and Building Collaborative Communities.
    Resources

    Greg Mitchell’s website
    Video: Frank Warren: Half a Million Secrets

    Episode transcript
    Click here to view the episode transcript for Episode 13 with Greg Mitchell.
    40 min
  • A facilitator is an entertainer (even if you think it’s all about the content) with Greg Mitchell (Episode 13)
    Greg Mitchell is a bit of a superstar in the education world. He does many things – cartooning, MCing, consulting and of course, facilitating.  In this episode, we talk about some band-aid fixes you can use when participants threaten to de-rail your workshop, why you need to treat facilitation like entertainment, why unpredictability can also help hook your audience  and to notice and realise that facilitation is an emotional job.
    In this episode, you’ll learn

    Why it’s important to snap your participants out of their constant way of thinking
    The lowest common denominator for engagement (hint: It’s our favourite topic)
    Some incredible, simple activities you can throw-in to a workshop to create variety
    What to do when you have a spare 30mins left at the end of your workshop
    What he perceives the error of focus is for first time facilitators and how you can direct your energy to create more engagement
    Why you need to keep your participants moving (literally!).

    Like this show? Please leave me a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so I can thank you personally!
    Click here to let Leanne know about your number one takeaway from this episode!
    About our guest
    Greg Mitchell has been engaged with the world of education since he was four years old.  Since them, he has been a student, a parent, a teacher, a writer, a cartoonist, an assistance principal, a university lecturer and a consultant.  He has worked for both the Catholic and Government education systems and is currently enjoying being self-employed, having finally found a boss that he really likes.
    Greg suffers from enthusiasm, a condition which helps him deal happily with issues such as Stress Management, Positive Intelligence, Multiple Intelligences, Boys’ in Education, Conflict Resolution, Resilience, Values Education and Building Collaborative Communities.
    Resources

    Greg Mitchell’s website
    Video: Frank Warren: Half a Million Secrets

    Episode transcript
    Click here to view the episode transcript for Episode 13 with Greg Mitchell.
    40 min
  • A facilitator is an entertainer (even if you think it’s all about the content) with Greg Mitchell (Episode 13)
    Greg Mitchell is a bit of a superstar in the education world. He does many things – cartooning, MCing, consulting and of course, facilitating.  In this episode, we talk about some band-aid fixes you can use when participants threaten to de-rail your workshop, why you need to treat facilitation like entertainment, why unpredictability can also help hook your audience  and to notice and realise that facilitation is an emotional job.
    In this episode, you’ll learn

    Why it’s important to snap your participants out of their constant way of thinking
    The lowest common denominator for engagement (hint: It’s our favourite topic)
    Some incredible, simple activities you can throw-in to a workshop to create variety
    What to do when you have a spare 30mins left at the end of your workshop
    What he perceives the error of focus is for first time facilitators and how you can direct your energy to create more engagement
    Why you need to keep your participants moving (literally!).

    Like this show? Please leave me a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so I can thank you personally!
    Click here to let Leanne know about your number one takeaway from this episode!
    About our guest
    Greg Mitchell has been engaged with the world of education since he was four years old.  Since them, he has been a student, a parent, a teacher, a writer, a cartoonist, an assistance principal, a university lecturer and a consultant.  He has worked for both the Catholic and Government education systems and is currently enjoying being self-employed, having finally found a boss that he really likes.
    Greg suffers from enthusiasm, a condition which helps him deal happily with issues such as Stress Management, Positive Intelligence, Multiple Intelligences, Boys’ in Education, Conflict Resolution, Resilience, Values Education and Building Collaborative Communities.
    Resources

    Greg Mitchell’s website
    Video: Frank Warren: Half a Million Secrets

    Episode transcript
    Click here to view the episode transcript for Episode 13 with Greg Mitchell.
    40 min
  • The two hats: Switching your mode between facilitating and presenting with Paul Hellman (Episode 12)

    Send Leanne a message

    On Episode 12 of the First Time Facilitator podcast, I interview Paul Hellman from Express Potential about his secrets for communication in a distracted world.  Paul believes presenters only have 8 seconds to grab their audience’s attention. In this show you’ll learn How you can break through to ensure your message is heard (even in […]

    The post The two hats: Switching your mode between facilitating and presenting with Paul Hellman (Episode 12) appeared first on First Time Facilitator.

    Your name can feature on Leanne's Wall of Work Fame.

    Just pre-order her book by 30 Sep 2026; and follow the details to claim your star.

    Also, there are a ton of bulk order incentives as well!

    Support the show

    45 min
  • The two hats: Switching your mode between facilitating and presenting with Paul Hellman (Episode 12)
    On Episode 12 of the First Time Facilitator podcast, I interview Paul Hellman from Express Potential about his secrets for communication in a distracted world.  Paul believes presenters only have 8 seconds to grab their audience’s attention.
    In this show you’ll learn

    How you can break through to ensure your message is heard (even in a distracted world)
    How he likens facilitation to conducting a job interview
    The great advice he received when he started leading workshops about wearing two hats (and why it’s dangerous if you mix them up)
    * Why you need to use stories and analogies in your workshops to add more colour (even if you’re just presenting facts)
    * How to create a stronger, more confident presence (even though most of us think that presence is a mythical beast)
    * How he has personally developed his communication skills (and how you can do it too
    * Why there is a performance element in every interaction, including email and why warm-ups help to create a positive mood.

    Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider using your Twitter handle so I can thank you personally.
    About our guest
    Paul Hellman consults and speaks internationally. He has advised thousands of executives and professionals during his career. Companies hire Paul to get faster results from presentations, meetings, emails. His latest book is You’ve got 8 Seconds: Communication Secrets for a Distracted World.  His columns have appeared in leading newspapers like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.
    Resources
    Express Potential


    Show transcript
    Click here to view the full First Time Facilitator episode transcript with Paul Hellman.
    44 min

About First Time Facilitator

From the publisher's feed

Leanne Hughes from the First Time Facilitator blog reveals all of her group facilitation, training and workshop tips and tricks so you can be ahead of the curve the next time you step out in front of…