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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

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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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Every day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.
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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.

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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. 

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• See what services I provide over at leannehughes.com
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Every day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.
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(Otherwise, enjoy the back catalogue of First Time Facilitator episodes).

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12 months ago, there is no way I would have committed to delivering 3.5 hour virtual workshops. I thought it was virtually impossible to keep up my own energy and engagement for that length of time.

This year however, I worked with a client on revamping our 3 day leadership program.  We sliced it to 4 x 3.5 hour modules. I’ve been delivering these sessions over the last few months, and I’ve learnt a ton from the experience.

That’s what I’m sharing this week on the podcast!

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

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.

Leanne has facilitated leadership, onboarding and team-development workshops across Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore and believes in a strengths-centred approach to learning and development.  She has over 14 years’ of experience across a range of industries including mining, government and tourism sectors.

She’s the host of the First Time Facilitator podcast and was a finalist in the 2018 Australian Learning Impact awards for Learning Professional of the Year.

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Every day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.
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When I ran my masterclass on booking out your workshops recently, I used a variety of tech tools to gain interaction from the live audience.  

I asked you to share your responses in chat, and also to jump into a tool called Slido, to ask your questions, upvote the ones you liked, share where you were joining us from, which facilitator business challenges you had, and more. 

It’s such a fun tool to use, and I’ve been leaning on it over the last 12 months as I deliver corporate workshops online.

So, I’m very excited to share a delightful conversation with a delightful person who is Employee #8 at Slido.  I’m not sure if you’ve heard the news but this company has just blown up in an amazing way and were acquired by Cisco last December.

Today’s guest is Juraj Holub, and he is a Chief Meeting Designer. 

Juraj is an executive team member at Slido which has made over 800,000 events interactive. He works with conferences like Web Summit or SXSW and Fortune 500 companies helping them transform their meetings and events. He also crossed Iceland by bicycle.

He was also first marketing person to accelerate the company's product-led growth and position Slido as a thought leader in the industry.

When you talk to someone who is like the face of the company, you kinda expect them to go on about how great their work is, how great the tech tool is (and it really is awesome technology) but what I love most about what Juraj shares today, is how their company became better because they listened to their clients.

They sought out amazing facilitators around the world, and asked how THEY would use their tool in a meeting, or a workshop. 

Juraj is also super humble, fun, and energetic, you’ll love this conversation.

About today’s guest: Juraj Holub

During his 7+ years at Slido, Juraj has been part of an amazing journey, helping to grow the company form $100.000 to eight-figures in revenue. He'd had an incredible career trajectory, joining as a content specialist, then he moved to New York City as a marketing manager, later becoming a marketing director and was finally promoted to the VP of brand and communications while being on Slido's executive team.

Over the years, he’s  spoken at dozens of conferences in the US, UK and EU sharing thought leadership on meeting design, conversational presenting and audience interaction.

In this episode you will learn:

• How you can use tech tools to give your audience a voice
• Some fun question you can ask to build a strong culture in your company and recognise the silent heroes in your business
• The importance of focusing on the success of your customers
• How Juraj learns the most about leading a remote team - note, it’s not really from any book
• That beautiful blend of marketing and facilitation - my favourite combination
• …And of course, a couple fun questions you can use w/ Slido during your next event!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Slido app
• Connect with Juraj Holub on LinkedIn
• What do our meetings look like in 2021? Grab the Slido 2021 Trends Report
• Video: The Essentials of Running Hybrid Meetings w

Every day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.
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His career began in public policy with the Ministry of Justice before a life-changing role with Lifehack, a systems-level initiative for supporting the wellbeing of young New Zealanders.  He then co-managed the Nelson branch of Literacy Aoteroa before being drawn to the variety of Business Lab’s work.

• Visit Business Lab
• Connect with Paul McGregor on LinkedIn
• Listen to the Beyond Consultation Podcast

Every day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.
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What if landing a DREAM gig was a joyful experience?

If you have your own training and facilitation business, or dreams of starting one up while you just try to survive your corporate job, today's bonus episode will provide a ton of inspiration for you.

Prina Shah was brave to sign up for my little experiment, seeing if I could help others land more workshop engagements, using my Booked Out Facilitator framework.

She used the tips in Module 3 to land a variety of AMAZING gigs, and you'll get to hear how she did that in this episode!

If you'd like to be part of the first Booked Out Facilitator LIVE program, doors close on Monday 21 June. Find out more and watch my free masterclass replay over at https://www.bookedoutfacilitator.com .

Reach out to Prina Shah, she's awesome! You can find her on LinkedIn, Instagram, or her website.

Every day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.
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(Otherwise, enjoy the back catalogue of First Time Facilitator episodes).

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Is it possible to test the emotional temperature of your virtual/workshop group?  Today’s guest share her ideas, and fun ways of reinvigorating her virtual sessions. She’s an absolute rockstar and I cant wait to share her facilitation story and experiences on today’s episode.

I met Nikki Bush when I was lucky enough to present a workshop for the Professional Speakers Association of South Africa (Jo’burg Chapter) a couple of months ago. We got along so well (thanks for the intro, Yoke!). I love Nikki's enthusiasm, resilience, presence, wisdom and her energy which you’ll pick up in today’s episode for sure.

About today’s guest: Nikki Bush

Human Potential and Parenting Expert, Nikki Bush from https://nikkibush.com/   empowers individuals, families and teams in business and education to win at work, home and life. She has the knack of putting difficult, complex and sensitive topics on the table (ones we often prefer to avoid), and making them accessible, such as disruption, future-proofing, dealing with loss and adversity, team dynamics, self-leadership, parenting and more. 

Nikki’s book on disruption, Future-proof Yourself (Penguin Random House) hits the shelves in July 2021.

(Comment from Leanne - I have a version of this book and the actionable tips across all aspects of work and life are spot on!)

Nikki has also has co-authored four best-selling parenting books with major publishers, including, Future-proof Your Child for the 2020s and Beyond, Tech-Savvy Parenting and Easy Answers to Awkward Questions . She has fielded almost 3 000 media interviews in the past 15 years. You may have seen or heard her on her weekly slots on Radio 702 and SABC3’s Expresso among many others.

Nikki always speaks with energy, passion, self-deprecating humour and a disarming honesty and vulnerability. She packs a powerful sound bite whether from the stage or the 18 different virtual conferencing platforms she has experience with. Your audience will be left with valuable insights and practical solutions to help them to win at work and life. 

Nikki is a founding member of the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa (PSASA), holds the international Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation, and was inducted into the Speakers Hall of Fame in 2019 – the first woman in South Africa to ever receive it. She was the 2020/21 President of the Johannesburg Chapter of the PSASA.

For more information and a full length bio, visit Nikki’s website. 

In this episode you will learn how to:

• Use the drivers of human nature to enhance your workshop experiences
• Detect the emotional temperature of your audience, even when you’re in a virtual workshop
• Boost the interactivity with your audience
• Increase your profile, to appear in media outlets (without using a PR agency) 

Here are some questions I asked Nikki during the conversation:

• Can you tell us the story of how you got here and where you started from?
• You talk about getting set up for remote work, you mention that one time you’re in a call, a parrot escaped and landed on your head. Talk us through that, how did you recover? Did you embrace it? What did you do next?
• What’s your advice to our listeners to create that engagement?

Resources mentioned in

Every day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.
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(Otherwise, enjoy the back catalogue of First Time Facilitator episodes).

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Free masterclass 16 June > Steal my Booked Out Facilitator framework to land repeatable workshop bookings

This week, I'm continuing the momentum from last week's solo episode, and responding to a listener question about how to create momentum and drive word of mouth, so that you can book out more workshops.

Here’s the question I received this week:

"Hello! I have no idea how to turn our initial client workshop into multiple ones.
Our clients and participants loved the day, and we have a few months of follow up because the technical implementation is important to them... 
But how do I now get others in? 
I know they have a lot more people in their organisation, who need our work.
I don't want to just wait and have it fizzle out..."

• Click here for show notes
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• See what services I provide over at leannehughes.com

Register now for my free webinar on 16 June 2021: Steal my Booked Out Facilitator framework to land repeatable workshop bookings 

Support the show (https://buymeacoffee.com/leannehughes)

Every day in 2025, Leanne is podcasting on her new show, Leanne on Demand.
Tune in over here!

(Otherwise, enjoy the back catalogue of First Time Facilitator episodes).

Support the show