First Time Facilitator

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"Your facilitation business (and busy-ness) is fully integrated with your life.”

My conversation this week is with Uyen Vo from Fierce Consulting.

I LOVE THE WAY Uyen sees the world, considers things, and ultimately - operates.

She thinks about things in an analytical way - though, not in a black and white way, I find her reflections are shared in a very playful analytical way!

Uyen shows people how to get more done, save resources, and reduce employee burnout. She does this through delivering engaging workshops on project management, personal effectiveness and leadership.

You’ll hear Uyen's analytical prowess and some great phrases she uses in this conversation to reflect on work and life.

After graduating from the University of Cambridge with a BA Hons in Economics, Uyen Vo joined Lloyds Banking Group in the City of London.

Needing a change from all those spreadsheets, she made a sideways move into people development. Since then, she’s been blessed with a really varied career, including corporate social responsibility and technical consulting, and she’s a facilitator, consultant and entrepreneur as the founder of Fierce Consulting.

In this episode, you will learn

• How Uyen deliberately planned her career transition, including weighing up the financial risks associated with going out on her own
• How Uyen landed on her powerful value proposition
• How she re-oriented her time marketing her business from a scattergun approach, to a relationship-centred approach
• Some of the economic concepts she uses to weigh up her decisions (including opportunity cost and utility)

For show notes, visit https://www.firsttimefacilitator.com/episode191

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This week I’m chatting to someone who has an extremely cool role in the university sector, in fact he works at my old university, The University of Queensland.  

I so wish he was in this role when I was there!

Marvin Fox is the Senior Program Officer for UQ Ventures, leading the Validate pre-accelerator program and running Design Sprints for research and industry clients.

As facilitators, we are in the business of experience design, and Marvin brings in an analogy I’ve never even thought about before, drawing parallels between gaming and workshops.

In this conversation, he also shares how he creates welcoming workshop experiences for his participants to drive word-of-mouth referrals (and boost participation levels). He also talks about the role of human centred design in teaching and learning.

Marvin has loads of cool catch phrases and ways of thinking about workshop delivery, design, engagement, which I’m sure will plant a seed in your brains to how you rethink your approach to sessions.

Throughout his career, Marvin has championed the importance of enterprise skills growth and development. With his background in International Business, he’s built a career in business and education in China and Japan. 

He’s also developed a strong focus on social entrepreneurship, recently designing and delivering programs at QUT Creative Enterprise Australia and QUT Entrepreneurship, focusing on the quality of the learning experience for students, creatives and emerging leaders. 

Not only that, he’s a cool bloke - funny, curious, self-deprecating,  - you’ll hear that in this conversation. 

Click here for show notes.

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

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I'm handing you an idea today that's worth at least $10k, and this idea applies to you whether you’re a consultant working externally, you work internally as a leader, as a director, as a Comms or L&D expert.

I don’t know about you but I often sign up to online webinars, events, courses, programs, [fill in the blank here] with incredible motivation.

As I take out my credit card to pay I say, “This is the program I’m going to engage in. I don’t care if it’s on at 2am my time. I’ll be there live!”. 

If you’re anything like me you’ll know that, in a couple of weeks, that 2am live webinar happens and I go to bed the night before, thinking, "I don't need to stay up for this. I'll watch the replay!"  

Watching that replay keeps getting taken over by other priorities, so I never get that time.

So, if you run a course, or work internally and you WANT people to hear your message, relying on them to watch a replay is not a good strategy.

If only 5-10% people who sign up for an online course, then we need to rethink our approach.
Why do we run video shows, or send through webinar replay links, when podcasts are the most joyful way to learn?

As a podcast listener, I’m preaching to the converted. However, you might work internally and want some ideas on how to persuade your company to start a podcast. Or, you might want a nudge to create your own show.

In this episode I share the Top 7 reasons why I think you, and your company needs to start a podcast.

If you'd like to get assistance with setting one up, send me a message on LinkedIn, oh and check out the tool I use to create my private podcasts, Hello Audio!

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!

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About a year ago, I had a conversation on this podcast that completely changed the way that I viewed my facilitation business. That conversation was with today’s guest, Alan Weiss, the Rockstar of Consulting.

Not only did that interview resonate with me, it resonated with many of you, so I had to invite Alan back on the show for an encore performance.  

Last year’s interview was a real watershed moment for me. Since then, I’ve been really adjusting, reshaping, rethinking the way I work... Spending less time on social media, and also focusing on my mindset… in an attempt to be more fearless! 

In this conversation (which is like a group coaching call!), we pick Alan’s brain on: 

• How to 10 x your fee
• What to do with feedback - the answer may surprise you
• What we can do everyday to build our self worth
• Free or fee? Should we charge for our webinars and information sessions (or not)?
• How to reach true, economic buyers in organisations
• How much research you should do before contacting a buyer
• …and much, much more.

Members of the Booked Out Facilitator program were my co-hosts, and jumped in to ask Alan questions about every aspect of building our facilitation businesses.  

I enjoyed being a lazy facilitator on this call and letting the brilliance of the Booked Out Facilitators take over the microphone.

Underpinning all of Alan’s responses is a philosophy of being fearless - of tooting your own horn, and of leaping into action. 

If you’re curious about joining the next round of Booked Out Facilitator, check out bookedoutfaciliator.com

About our guest: Alan Weiss

Alan Weiss is the rockstar of consulting. Marshall Goldsmith once called him “The finest entrepreneurial coach in the world.”

His consulting firm, Summit Consulting Group, Inc., has attracted clients such as Merck, Hewlett-Packard, GE, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and over 500 other leading organizations. 

His Ph.D. is in psychology. 

He is an inductee into the Professional Speaking Hall of Fame® and the concurrent recipient of the National Speakers Association Council of Peers Award of Excellence, representing the top 1% of professional speakers in the world. 

His prolific publishing includes over 500 articles and 60 books, including his best-seller, Million Dollar Consulting (from McGraw-Hill) which is one of my faves.

I also love Million Dollar Maverick and his ebook, The Martial Arts of language.

Contact with Alan on all of the platforms

Reach out to Alan - he LOVES hearing from you. Join him on social media - Twitter, LinkedIn - thats the reason he came back, he got some tremendous feedback from his last show.

• Connect with Alan Weiss on LinkedIn
• Follow Alan on Twitter
• Alan Weiss’ website
• Million Dollar Consulting Growth Access 
• Grab the second edition of The Consulting Bible

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!

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I love the metaphor that my guest today shares, when she explores how she manages group dynamics - it’s like an antenna, that you need to tune into!

This week, I’m talking to the delightful Lisa Evans from Speaking Savvy, and host of the Business Chat podcast.

I was using some of Lisa’s story activities before I even met her (through reading about them in The Story Cookbook).

I’m particularly inspired by her story of a major career shift in her 40s. A great reminder that we control the narrative of our lives and careers, and it’s never too early, or too late, to start in a new direction!

In this conversation, we explore many areas related to our facilitation craft. Lisa shares her views of what can sometimes hold us back from stepping up and sharing our ideas with others (including the key role of leaders and facilitators in enabling that psychological safety), how she likes to view extroversion and introversion, and her perspective on why we feel so tired after leading an all-day workshop!

Oh, we also have a fun rant on conference locations.

About today's guest: Lisa Evans

Lisa Evans is a certified executive speaker coach and a business storytelling consultant. She started off her career as a midwife and did that for over 20 years,

These days, Lisa helps leaders to mine, refine and deliver captivating ‘sticky’ stories for their business and brand.

She has empowered over 1,000 leaders to deliver stand out messages with engaging business stories. She is also a keynote speaker, trainer and the host of the Business Chat Podcast.

She lives in Perth with her family and a retired greyhound named Giraffe.

Contact with Lisa on all of the platforms

• Lisa Evans’ website Speaking Savvy
• Lisa’s LinkedIn profile
• Connect with Lisa on Facebook
• Follow Lisa on Instagram
• Listen to the Business Chat Podcast

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!

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I remember in those early days when you're called to run a workshop, or moderate a panel conversation, you feel like you need to do things "by the book". I remember my panel interviews being very pedestrian! Now I think (I hope) I've developed more confidence, and I'm willing to create some banter between panellists, and let some personality shine through.

In today's episode, my guest Peter Hopwood and I also banter on presentation, panel and moderation tips.

Peter is a British Global Speaker Coach, Virtual Speaking Specialist & TEDx Coach, Media Skills Trainer, Worldwide Events MC & Speaker.

He has lived in 7 countries (jealous), worked in 32 (even more jealous) and is currently based in Croatia, working worldwide on Zoom.

He is a communicator, confidence-booster & connector,  travelling the world (virtually) to help professionals define, craft and deliver stronger stories and take control of their messages, storyline & speaking impact.

In this chat, Peter also shares how you can keep any repeat sessions you deliver, feeling fresh (even if you’ve delivered it a million times!), how you can communicate more strongly on virtual calls, and tips for moderating panel conversations.

Resources mentioned in the show:

• Peter's website
• Connect with Peter on Twitter
• Follow Peter on Instagram
• Send Peter an email: hello(at)peter-hopwood.com
• Support the show (https://buymeacoffee.com/leannehughes)

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

Send Leanne a message

Deb Zahn from the Craft of Consulting is back on your First Time Facilitator airwaves this week. And even better? I’m joined by my fellow Booked Out Facilitators. We share the microphone in this episode to create an incredibly informative, helpful and awesome group masterclass if you have your own facilitation business.

Collectively, we pick Deb’s brain on all manners of consulting - how you can pick work up as a facilitator, what we can do to stand out, how we can market ourselves, identify our target audience, build our pipeline, write proposals, and how on earth do we decide what we charge.

Yup, it is jam packed with gold dust.

Deb was ON FIRE in this interview, I’ve listened to it back ac couple of times. You’ll be enthralled from her first story of winning a Request for Proposal , and her confidence in sharing her stories and experiences so openly with all of you.

If you’re listening in real time, Deb is running a free, live masterclass on the Top 5 Things You Must Do to Get Consulting Clients. Here’s the link to register: https://www.craftofconsulting.com/masterclass . It’s on August 20, 2021, 11 am PDT (2 pm EDT and 7 pm BST).

About today’s guest: Deborah Zahn

Deb Zahn is a sought-after consultant with 10 years of successful consulting under her belt. As a go-to source in her market, she routinely brings in 6- and 7-figures a year and has built a steady, reliable pipeline of work. Her consulting methods turn her clients into her biggest fans and best marketers. They come back to her again and again and continually send her new clients.

As a consultant, Deb is especially known for her ability to cure “decision-making disorders” with individuals and groups. She also has earned a reputation as “The Closer,” the consultant who can get high-value contracts with hard-to-get clients. Over the last decade, she has coached countless new consultants and helped them fast track their success. Recently, Deb helped a new consultant get their first contract—worth over $100,000—only three weeks after Deb started coaching them.

She is the host of the Craft of Consulting podcast, which features other successful consultants who share their strategies and insights about building their consulting businesses and delighting their clients as well as consulting clients who share what makes some consultants rise to the top of their hire list.

Resources mentioned in the show:

• Deb is running a free, live masterclass on the Top 5 Things You Must Do to Get Consulting Clients. Here’s the link to register: https://www.craftofconsulting.com/masterclass . It’s on August 20, 2021, 11 am PDT (2 pm EDT and 7 pm BST).
• Find out more about Deb’s program: Get more consulting programs (and used the code BOOKED to get a discount!)
• Connect with Deb on LinkedIn
• Check out Deb’s podcast, Craft of Consulting

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!

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The beauty of having a repeat client over many years is that you build a strong, trusting relationship. The not-so-beautiful part is the pressure we put on ourselves to create new content, experiences, and activities to keep our workshops fresh!

Truett Black has worked as a trainer, speaker, and executive coach since 2005 and in this episode, he shares how he reinvigorates his approach, and where he gets new inspiration for new activities.

As you can tell from this conversation, Truett LOVES this work. He grew up in the United States and has lived in greater China since 2001. He is based in Taipei and frequently consults, coaches, and facilitates workshops in Shanghai,Hong Kong, Singapore, and other cities in Asia. 

Having this background, I had to ask him how he gets wonderful conversations when he delivers sessions across Asia.  True shares some excellent, practical strategies if you find work over there - stuff that I wish I heard a few years ago for sure.

He also shares his self-talk before starting a workshop, and how he got started in running his own facilitation business (even when some people advised him otherwise!)

True’s primary expertise is in leadership and team development, influence and communication, organizational development, and executive coaching. He is bilingual in Mandarin and English, and also has five kids.

Reach out to Truett and let him know your thoughts!

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• See what services I provide over at leannehughes.com
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Support the show (https://buymeacoffee.com/leannehughes)

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

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This week, I’m excited to introduce you to a fellow facilitator in south-east Queensland, Australia: Kate Peardon from Zenith Journey.

In this conversation, I throw many questions at Kate because I’m fascinated in her experience using visuals in her work as a way to form connections, increase memory retention and even decrease anxiety (particularly when talking about a heated topic!).

The theme of unconscious incompetence as that bottom rung on the ladder of learning also is a common theme in this chat, as we realise that we’re always works in progress and we simply don’t know, what we don’t know!

We also discuss that failing art at high school is not an excuse for using visuals in your work (that’s a note for Leanne!), how Kate uses visuals to boost the engagement in her sessions (and on herself to boost memory retention), and how to balance that line between having too much structure in your session v being more looser and in the moment.

A business professional and coach, Kate specialises in unleashing brilliance in people, teams and companies.  In her career, Kate worked to the executive role of People and Development Director at Wiley & Co, and is now in a unique position as both an internal and external catalyst.  

Personally, in February 2018, Kate's life took an unexpected twist, and she shares that story in this episode - Kate has been rehabilitating and rewiring her neural-pathways, and life, using all her knowledge and experience in neuroscience, positive psychology, habit theory and performance coaching.

About today's guest: Kate Peardon

Kate helps executives to understand and grow their wisdom in leadership, so that they have a positive impact on themselves, their team, team, family, community, and leave a legacy on the greater world around them.

With more interests that a term deposit; and more degrees than a thermometer, Kate is an eternal student.  University education consists of a Bachelor of Business Management (Australia), an MBA (France/Australia), and an Executive Masters in Positive Leadership and Strategy (Spain). She is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation. A musician at heart she’s studied Musical Theater and Performance at National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA).  

For fun, you'll find Kate relaxing at any piano she finds (probably belting out a tune) and cycling at sunrise. 

Resources mentioned in this episode

• Visit Kate’s website: Zenith Journey
• Want to get better at your visuals? Me too! I’ve signed up for Kate’s online program, Rockstar Visuals 
• Connect with Kate Peardon on LinkedIn
• Follow Kate’s work on Instagram

About your host: Leanne Hughes
Leanne Hughes is an international facilitator, speaker and coach who loves creating unpredictable workshop experiences, that predictably work. 

She combines her experience in Marketing, with her education in Human Resources and Psychology, to help leaders create engaging everyday experiences - that are so contagious they scale across teams, functions and regions.

Social Media

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• Connect with Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn
• Follow behind the scenes on Leanne Hughes’ Instagram account

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!

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This week, I’m delighted to bring you an interview with my guest, who took up an amazing opportunity, that opened up insane learning and facilitation opportunities.

The example that he shares in the episode of SAYING YES is so encouraging, and I hope that after you listen, anything you’ve been unsure about, not sure that you’re really ready - well, I’d say, jump in! Give it a go!

My guest today is Khoury N Ahoosh ,the founder of Andina Advisory.

Khoury is a bilingual executive - and he’ll share that language is what provided some of the amazing opportunities he shares on today’s show.

During his university studies, he moved to Mexico to learn Spanish and to live the USA-Mexico relationship from a different perspective. This experience awakened an attraction to difference and change, a belief in the power of relationships and humane instincts, and a passion for Latin America and the world—all of which has shaped who Khoury is today and his contributions to clients.

In this episode you will learn:

• How to adapt from being an external consultant, to working in a leadership team inside an organization
• How to accept, then work with with unpredictable opportunities that open up the doors to new experiences
• How learning a new language can differentiate you, and help you get those opportunities
• The importance of being attentive, and being a great observer in your workshops

Khoury moved to Santiago, Chile, in 2018. In addition to his work with clients across the region, he has been a mentor for Promociona Chile and is a member of Job4Women, both organizations seeking to increase the participation of women in senior roles and in the workforce in general. He is currently a member of the World Economic Forum’s Mining & Metals Future of Work Taskforce.

His career in facilitation began through the colleagues he started to work with in the global consulting firm he joined just three years after undergrad, doing executive assessment and executive development work. 

He went into a double career transition, first into a Chilean copper mining company as a senior HR leadership team looking after organizational effectiveness. After two years in the company, he founded his own consulting firm in Chile.

Khoury travelled in 15 countries on six continents working across cultures, partnering with leaders and teams to bring change in organizations. 

• Don't forget to join The Flipchart community on Facebook
• Let's connect on LinkedIn
• See what services I provide over at leannehughes.com
• Support the show (https://buymeacoffee.com/leannehughes)

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