The Facilitation Studio

Before you say yes

A leader has made a decision and wants the team involved. You design a proper workshop. Then you ask the sponsor what will actually change based on what people say, and they pause — "we're fairly committed to the direction, we just want the team to feel heard." You've just been handed a brief to perform a workshop, not run one.

This episode looks at the hidden cost of running workshops that shouldn't have been workshops — the slow draining of what I call collaborative capital, and how it shows up as consultation fatigue. I name three signals that a brief is already decided (a sponsor advocating for a specific outcome, a timeline that doesn't leave room for the workshop to matter, and the word validate). Then a way out: reframing the brief around the questions that are genuinely still open — what would need to be true for this to work, what's the impact on your team, where are the gaps only you would know about — so you can give the sponsor something more valuable than the workshop they originally asked for.

Chapters

- Opening — the brief that's already decided- Collaborative capital and consultation fatigue- Three signals: outcome advocates, impossible timelines, the word "validate"- Finding the real question- What you protect when you reframe

Mapping is how you get all of your collaborators on the same page, speaking the same language and ready to work together productively. It's how you build the shared picture that the rest of the workshop runs on top of.

This is the first of four deep-dives into the workshop activity types — Dream, Map, Distil, Prioritise — picking up from issue #7 (the four types) and issue #22 (the Butterfly that links them).

I get into why mapping has to be an active thing the group does together rather than something presented at them, what the spectrum of mapping tools actually looks like (from immersive service safaris at one end to a quietly-handled empathy map template at the other), the three ways it most often goes sideways (rabbit-holing, treating an outlier as gospel, and pretending the gaps in the map don't exist), and how you know when you've done enough. There's a pre-mapping checklist at the end you can steal.

We cover:

[~00:00] Opening — what Map is actually for

[~02:00] Why you do it together — cognition, memory, and the collective notebook

[~04:30] What it looks like in practice — the spectrum from service safari to empathy map

[~07:00] Three things to watch out for — rabbit-holing, mole-hills into mountains, missing gaps

[~09:30] Doing just enough mapping — knowing when to stop, and the playback ritual

[~11:30] A checklist to take into your next mapping phase

Links

Service safari — https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/service-safari

Empathy mapping (Nielsen Norman Group) — https://www.nngroup.com/articles/empathy-mapping/

issue #7 — The four things you can do in a workshop

issue #22 — The Butterfly Process [paste Substack URL at publish]

The Butterfly is the mental model I use to understand how workshops actually move. Two wings, active work and reflective work, and a single point at the centre that every transition passes through without exception.

In this episode I walk through what that centre point actually looks, sounds, and feels like in practice. I also explain why the Butterfly and the Double Diamond aren't competing frameworks, they're doing different jobs. One is your compass. One is your collaborators' map.

Sections

[~00:00] Opening — the blur vs. the purposeful workshop

[~02:30] Introducing the Butterfly

[~05:00] What a Reflect point actually looks like

[~10:00] Where the Butterfly came from — the Double Diamond and its cousins

[~13:30] Working with the Butterfly in practice

Links mentioned

The Double Diamond — The Design Council's framework for design and innovation

Issue #7: Dream, Map, Distil, Prioritise

Issue #21: The whisk, the recipe, and knowing how to cook

Ever watched someone run a Design Sprint on a three-year strategy question? Every step executed perfectly. Entirely wrong outcome. That's not a facilitation problem — that's a vocabulary problem.

In this episode I'm unpacking a distinction that I think sits at the heart of getting better at this work: the difference between a tool, a method, and a process. They're not the same thing, they don't do the same jobs, and mixing them up is one of the most common reasons workshops fail to deliver.

We use a kitchen analogy to work it out. A whisk is a tool. A Victoria sponge recipe is a method. Knowing how to cook is a process. And — crucially — no amount of perfect recipe-following will get you an omelette.

In this episode:

Why tools are only powerful in combination, and in the right moment

What makes a method brilliant — and when it becomes a liability

The difference between following a process and understanding one

Why two facilitators with identical tools and methods will still run completely different sessions (that's the seasoning)

Whether you actually need to understand process at all — or whether mastering one good method is entirely the right ambition

Resources mentioned:

Hyper Island Toolbox

Interaction Design Foundation

FigJam Community Templates

Liberating Structures

Sprint by Jake Knapp

Practical Facilitation by Dr Christine Hogan

Gamestorming by Dave Gray

Read the full article at facilitationstudio.substack.com

What's in your toolkit? And is there a method you swear by, or one you've seen spectacularly misapplied? I'd love to hear — drop me a message or leave a comment on the Substack.

Most people start planning a workshop by dropping activities onto a board. An icebreaker here, a brainstorm there, a How Might We and some dot-voting to tidy things up. Two hours, looks solid. The problem is, you've just picked the words before you know what you want to say.

In this episode, I'm talking about the step that sits between your intent and your agenda — the one most facilitators skip entirely. Critical questions are the scaffolding that holds your activities in place, and without them, you're building on hope rather than structure. I'll walk you through the five steps I use to find, test, and sequence them so that by the time you're thinking about activities, every single one has a job to do.

If you've ever stood in front of a room wondering whether the pieces are actually going to connect, this one's for you.

In this episode:

- Why choosing activities first gives you an agenda with very weak foundations

- How to find the questions that only your collaborators can answer

- Why not every question belongs in the room — and how to figure out which ones do

- How to stress-test your questions against the people you've invited

- Why the right sequence isn't always the tidy one

Links and resources mentioned:

Issue #9 — The road to a valuable workshop

Find out more about facilitation coaching

Should we be living in a dotocracy?

Everyone uses dot-voting. It's fast, it feels democratic, and it gives a room full of people a satisfying sense of progress. The problem is that most of the time, it's being asked to do something it was never designed for.

In this episode I'm talking about the difference between narrowing a list and making a decision — and why confusing the two is one of the most common ways workshops quietly go wrong. I'll cover why dot-voting without criteria is just a popularity contest, why the dots are contagious, and why not everyone's vote is equal — and why that's absolutely fine.

If you've ever watched a cluster form on a wall of post-its and wondered whether anything actually got decided, this one's for you.

In this episode:

• Why groups surface options but individuals make decisions

• Yhree ways dot-voting goes wrong

• How to set it up so it actually means something

• When to put the dots away entirely

Links and resources mentioned:

Issue #8 — Drive good decision-making with criteria

Read the full article

Find out more about facilitation coaching

In this episode, we dive into the essentials for running successful in-person workshops. From packing the ultimate kit—including agendas, print materials, Sharpies, and super sticky Post-its—to setting up the perfect environment and managing logistics, this issue has got you covered.

Learn the tricks to handle tech failures, plan ahead, and keep your workshop running smoothly. Plus, get tips on efficient time management and prepping your space for an engaging, collaborative session.

00:00 Introduction and Recap

00:23 Preparing for In-Person Workshops

00:49 Essential Workshop Kit

06:45 Additional Important Items

11:25 The Process Checklist

13:51 Final Preparations and Execution

15:22 Post-Workshop Follow-Up

15:47 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Mastering Remote Workshops: An Essential Toolkit & Checklist

Join me for this jam-packed episode where we dive into the essentials of running a remote workshop; get a sneak peek into an expert’s desk setup designed to boost workshop delivery, from must-have gadgets to delightful extras. You'll also find a step-by-step checklist for a stress-free preparation, ensuring your tech and participants are ready to rock. Plus, learn about the tools to keep sessions dynamic and engaging. For those ready to up their game, explore an exciting course on crafting impeccable workshop agendas.

Let's make remote facilitation fun and effective!

00:00 Issue 17: Your remote workshop checklist.

00:13 Introduction to Remote Workshop Facilitation

01:09 Essential Tools for Remote Workshops

05:05 Advanced Gadgets for Enhanced Facilitation

07:20 Pre-Workshop Planning and Preparation

12:21 Post-Workshop Follow-Up and Feedback

13:10 Conclusion and Further Learning Opportunities

Remote, In-Person, or Hybrid: Choosing the Right Format for Your Workshop

In this issue, we dive into the pros and cons of delivering workshops in different formats: in-person, remote, and hybrid. You'll learn about the key benefits of each, such as building relationships and managing environments in-person, achieving global reach and pre/post engagement in remote sessions, and the complex yet rewarding hybrid setup. We highlight ideal scenarios for each type to help you make a deliberate choice for your next workshop

00:13 Introduction: Choosing Your Workshop Format 00:47 In-Person Workshops 05:30 Remote Workshops 11:25 Hybrid Workshops 15:19 Summary and Conclusion

#15 - The Art of the Presentation pt 2: Slides, Structure, and Strategy

In this episode from the Facilitation Studio, we jump into presentation slides and structure. Learn about the effective use of slides, keeping presentations concise, and prepping like a pro. Plus, get top tips on slide design and pacing, explore the intense PechaKucha method, and discover why practice is your best friend.

00:00 Introduction to the Art of Presentation

00:22 Upcoming Online Course Announcement (survey link - https://maven.com/forms/1a1043)

01:00 Effective Use of Slides

02:54 Guidelines for Preparation and Presentation

07:13 Practice Makes Perfect

10:41 Encouraging Audience Engagement

11:43 Conclusion and Final Thoughts