Do you run team meetings? Deliver training? Navigate difficult conversations? Bring people together to think through problems or make decisions? Have you moved from 1:1 coaching or HR work into running groups?

If so, you're probably already facilitating - even if you've never called yourself a facilitator, never trained as one, or don't think of yourself that way.

In this episode, I explore what facilitation actually is, why I chose this word (despite struggling to say it!), and why so many people I talk to say "oh, maybe I DO do that!" when we unpack what facilitation really means.

 You'll hear about:

- The difference between training and facilitation (and why the best practitioners often blend both)

- Where facilitation shows up in everyday work - team meetings, project planning, difficult conversations, even 1:1s

- The "accidental facilitator" - people who've ended up facilitating groups without formal training, often doing it brilliantly but doubting themselves

- Why recognising facilitation as a craft matters for your development and wellbeing

- How two very experienced training leads discovered they were doing far more facilitation than they realised

I also share why "facilitation" isn't the perfect word (and I'm open to better suggestions!), how people often blend training and facilitation, and why naming what you do helps you develop it intentionally.

Whether you're a manager running team meetings, an HR professional leading employee forums, a coach who's moved into group work, a trainer who facilitates discussions, or anyone who regularly brings people together - this episode is for you.

Because if you're doing this work, you're already making a difference. And getting the support you need to keep developing your craft while staying well matters.

Connect with me: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Read and comment on Substack: https://substack.com/@tomclearyuk  Find out more about Thoughtful Facilitation: https://www.tom-cleary.co.uk/thoughtful-facilitation

Do you love feedback or dread it? For many of us working with groups, feedback can feel like judgment rather than information - especially when we care deeply about our work.

In this episode, I explore the complicated relationship we have with feedback: why some of us avoid it entirely, why others refresh the feedback link almost obsessively on the journey home, and how our need for validation can sometimes get in the way of genuinely useful insights.

You'll hear about the psychology behind feedback avoidance, why "constructive criticism" often feels like personal rejection, and practical approaches including how I reframed one training company's entire feedback process when they were only capturing problems, not successes.

I also share my own journey from someone who mentally beat themselves up over every mistake, to someone who (mostly) embraces feedback as growth - including some feedback that didn’t feel true… but improved my practice significantly.

Whether you're freelance and your livelihood depends on reviews, employed and impacted by participant scores and group outcomes, or simply want to get better at asking for and processing feedback without the emotional overwhelm, this episode offers both permission and practical strategies.

Connect with me: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Read and comment on Substack: https://substack.com/@tomclearyuk Find out more about Thoughtful Facilitation: https://www.tom-cleary.co.uk/thoughtful-facilitation

Drawing in group sessions can be great fun! ... Or sometimes feel intimidating - both for facilitators who "can't draw" and participants who panic at the thought. But the research is clear: drawing supports learning, memory, and understanding in ways that text alone doesn't. And the quality of the 'artwork'? Completely irrelevant.

In this episode, I explore why drawing works so well in training and facilitation, even when no one in the room has artistic talent. You'll hear about the psychology behind it, how to remove the pressure and make it feel safe, and practical examples including getting groups to compete against AI-generated images.

Whether you work with analytical teams, nervous groups, or just want to add more creative energy to your sessions, this episode offers permission-giving approaches that actually work.

Connect with me: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Read and comment on Substack: https://substack.com/@tomclearyuk Find out more about Thoughtful Facilitation: https://www.tom-cleary.co.uk/thoughtful-facilitation

We all have moments when working with groups that throw us - awkward silences, unexpected challenges, times when our usual approach just doesn't work and you just want to get back to solid ground. Most of us try to escape them. But research on reflective practice suggests these are exactly the moments where real professional learning happens. The question is whether we're willing to stay in them long enough to learn... and how.Read more on Substack: https://substack.com/@tomclearyuk

Most people hate CPD. I used to as well - it was just admin, ticking boxes, not actually helping me get better at work.

Now I've found a way to make it genuinely useful - something that actually interrogates whether I've embedded what I think I know, not just whether I've read an article and hoped it stuck.

This episode is about what works for me, and why I got genuinely (sadly?) excited about professional development today.

An exploration of psychological safety in learning - what it really means, common misconceptions, and what it looks like in practice. I share stories from my early career and reflect on how we create the conditions where people can take interpersonal risks.

Whether you're new to training and facilitation or have been doing this for years, this episode explores how psychological safety shapes what's possible in a room.

Welcome to The Human Side of Facilitation. An introduction to the podcast, me, and what we'll explore together in future episodes.