Joe Weston has been helping individuals, teams, and companies look deeper within themselves for 30+ years. His unique mind-body approach — prioritising empowerment and resilience, but also great empathy and inclusivity —  has taken him around the world and back again. And, now, it brings him to this podcast!

There is so much to ask Joe, it was a struggle to keep this to just one episode. Thankfully, we were able to cover a lot of ground.

We set out to try to understand how conflict can still be so prevalent, given all we know about our minds, bodies, and relationships. In the depths of that complicated question, we encountered even more to enjoy — from martial arts to somatic resonance.

Tune in and learn new ways to see your body, brain, relationships, and more.

Find out about:

• What Joe has been practicing for the last 30 years and how his approach has evolved
• Why we still find ourselves in conflict, even with more knowledge than ever about how to navigate ourselves and our relationships
• How to understand your nervous system and how it relates to others’
• What respectful confrontation is and the four steps to follow if you want to try it
• How to approach a difficult conversation and navigate it healthily
• Why a conflictual situation needs us to go deeper into ourselves, rather than the other person

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

Links:

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

Weston Network Facebook.

Weston Network LinkedIn.

Sign-up for Joe’s Newsletter.

Connect to Joe:

On Facebook.

On LinkedIn.

Support the show:
Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.

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If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Learning is a lifetime’s adventure, but, for many adults, a few bad experiences or a little bit of overconfidence can see them set in their ways and losing their love for learning.

In fact, this can be one of the greatest challenges we face as facilitators — entering professional environments in which participants are not primed or prepared for learning.

Joyce Matthews joins me in this episode to discuss the theory, practice, and nuance of adult learning. You may not be surprised to hear that facilitation plays a central role in it!

Find out about:

• Why a shift from pedagogy to andragogy is the first step in improving adult learning
• What makes adults more complex learners than children
• How facilitation and emotional intelligence interact in the context of adult learning
• Why training is fine for theory, but facilitation is required to embed deeper learning
• How to make learning an exploration of the self, using inner and outer resources
• Why adults benefit so greatly from ‘eye-level learning’ and how you can adopt it in your work 

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

Links:

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

Connect to Joyce:

On LinkedIn.

Support the show:
Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

Support the show

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If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Want to turn your passion for facilitation into a full-time, thriving, scalable business? Or are you already facilitating as your main job, but want to take it to a new level?

Michael Zipursky is one of the best people to turn to, if that’s the case. As a coach for consultants, bestselling author, and prolific writer and podcaster, Michael is at the top of the game when it comes to practical, actionable advice for developing your career to the place you desire.

Turning his expertise towards the world of facilitation, we found that some of his advice is near-universal… and that there are some novel and exciting applications specific to facilitation.

Unlock the next level of your facilitation business with this episode!

Find out about:

• How to turn your passion for facilitation into a viable business — but why passion alone isn’t enough
• Which processes and structures can make the best foundation for your business
• How to identify, enter, and own your niche and perfect clients
• Why Michael recommends using specialised content to sell your services
• The two things Michael believes we should prioritise to build a successful business
• How to work for free without devaluing yourself or your work

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

Links:

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

Michael’s website, Consulting Success.

Myriam on Michael’s podcast

Connect to Michael:

On LinkedIn.

On Twitter.

Support the show:
Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

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If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

You leave school and enter the ‘real world’ of work. That’s the process, that’s the plan. But who’s to say that they should be so distinct? What if we brought knowledge from educational systems, such as Montessori, into corporate settings?

Benedikt Schmaus joins me in this episode to discuss how can take the best of education and use it to improve work. We explore what it takes to keep facilitation fresh, how to create a literal ‘heartbeat’ in an organisation, and how the MG Taylor method influences his work.

This conversation ended up being a much bigger inquiry into complex organisations, knowledge-sharing, and ideation and iteration. A wonderful way to spend an hour, I’m sure you’ll agree!

Find out about:

• Translating best practice from educational systems into complex organisations
• How to unlearn top-down leadership, even in places where it’s never been challenged
• What the MG Taylor approach is, how Benedikt uses it in his work, and why it’s so effective
• How to embrace novelty and avoid getting caught in the ‘same old’ processes
• What it takes to bring human-centred, participatory processes into any organisation
• Understanding organisational maturity, self-organisation, and problem-solving
• Why facilitation is a skill of bridge-building

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

Links:

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

Connect to Benedikt:

On LinkedIn.

Support the show:
Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

Support the show

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If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

The remote revolution is underway. Accelerated by the pandemic and snowballing ever since, the future of work is fast becoming our present day default.

But is it all going to plan? Lisette Sutherland flies the flag proudly for remote work, but readily admits our approach might be a little off-course currently.

Has our focus been misplaced, so intently on tech and tools rather than communication styles and new etiquette?

Lisette joins me in this episode to discuss it all — from the tips and tricks that make the switch to remote work smooth, all the way to psychology and group dynamics.

Find out about:

• Why a work from anywhere policy has such a huge impact on quality of life 
• The etiquette of virtual offices and why we cannot just transplant our in-person culture
• How to work with ineffective remote tools, when you don’t have the freedom to choose
• The value of embracing your personal style and signature — and those of your colleagues
• What matters most (and what’s overrated) in the transition from office to remote work
• Which systems, processes, and information management approaches have worked best for Lisette

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

Links:

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube

Lisette’s website

Connect to Lisette:

On LinkedIn

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

Support the show

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If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

How would you facilitate something that doesn’t exist? Or, more to the point, how you would facilitate a group in a way that something inexistent could emerge?

Complexity and uncertainty make up most days for Jason Frasca and Iain Kerr. As co-founders of Emergent Futures Lab, they wouldn’t have it any other way.

The opportunity to hear from two experts in emergence, innovation, and facilitation felt like an early Christmas present! We explore what it takes to create space for genuine innovation and novelty, why collaboration and creativity are natural partners, and how to take our focus off of ‘ideas’ and onto experimentalism.

Find out about:

• How facilitators can create a space for emergence, rather than ideas
• Whether we can teach something that doesn’t yet exist
• How to integrate provocation and perturbation into your facilitation toolkit
• Why power structures need to change for novel ideas to emerge
• How creativity, emergence, and collaboration feed each other
• How to get comfortable with experimental thinking and step back from our obsession with ‘ideas’

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

Links:

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

Emergent Futures Lab publishes a weekly newsletter answering the questions: What is Innovation? and How to Innovate? Subscribe here: https://emergentfutureslab.com/newsletter

Connect to Jason and Iain:

Jason’s LinkedIn.

Iain’s LinkedIn.

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

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If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Say cheese, dear listeners! This week, Else Kramer joins me to discuss the creative and connective power of photography in a facilitation context.

Through the camera lens, we can see our environment and problems in new ways — and, as a result, can find new solutions. And the really magical thing? Photography isn’t an individualistic activity; when shared as part of a group it can be connective and attuning.

There is a huge amount to learn about the specifics of photography and the broader picture of facilitation in this episode. Enjoy!

Find out about:

• How to enhance any workshop with photography and specific advice for photography work
• Why photography is an open door to vulnerability, connection, and progress
• How a daily photo sharing practice can transform a group and the individuals within it
• Why simplifying a concept isn’t about ‘dumbing down’, but making it easier for participants to invest their energy in a topic
• How facilitation skills flow naturally into coaching, especially in creative pursuits
• Why ‘fun’ workshop design helps the group… and why it will eventually prevent real progress

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

Links:

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

Connect to Else:

On LinkedIn.

On Twitter.

On Instagram.

Support the show:
Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

Support the show

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If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Everybody in the workshop process experiences some element of vulnerability.

The client is taking a risk on your skills and the outcomes that might emerge from using them. The participants are taking a risk in showing up, bringing what they bring to the room, and trusting (or fighting) the process. You — the facilitator — is taking a risk on your work, reputation, and ability.

So why should we expect any of us to be the perfect picture of confidence throughout?

Michelle Howard helps me understand the value of vulnerability (and its inevitability) in this episode, explaining the dance between power and vulnerability that happens in workshops — no matter who you are.

Find out about:

• Why vulnerability and courage are two sides of the same coin
• Understanding how our individual actions can be responses to and prompts for the collective
• Why a facilitator built of 100% confidence is unlikely to produce great results
• How community acts as a crucial filter for the shiny new objects/tools/trends in facilitation
• Why addressing individual needs makes a big difference to the whole group
• How to help clients relax their desire for the safest route and embrace the risk of empowering the group

Links:

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

Collaborations, Michelle’s company.

Connect to Michelle:

On LinkedIn.

Support the show:
Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

Support the show

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If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

Jo Nelson is one of the founders of ICA Associates Inc. and the International Association of Facilitators, as well as an IAF Hall of Fame inductee. All of which is to say, this episode is special. To speak with a founding mother of the organised practice of facilitation is a rare privilege.

As a result, this episode is one that zooms out a little, so that we might trace the growth of facilitation as a movement. Jo walks us from facilitation’s roots as a modular component of training to its blossoming as a unique and powerful resource for leaders in every corner of the world.

We didn’t just stay in the macro view, though. We had (and enjoyed) plenty of opportunities to talk about some micro learnings and specific takeaways. There’s lots to learn, reflect on, and enjoy in a conversation with Jo — it’s a delight to share it with you. 

Find out about:

• Jo’s view on the evolution of facilitation, having been involved from the earliest days
• Why listening is fundamental to facilitation and how it touches so much more than our work
• How Jo learned to leave her ideas and preferences at the door — and how that improved her facilitation
• What it means to master the art of facilitation
• Why a binary search for ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ is incompatible with facilitation
• Jo’s five Working Assumptions that guide her workshops and approach to facilitation
• Examples and resources from ICA and Jo’s own toolkit

Links:

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

Jo’s website.

ICA Associates website.

More on ORID/ Focused Conversation Method.

Working Assumptions resource.

Connect to Jo:

On LinkedIn.

Support the show:
Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

Support the show

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If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/

The prevailing view in organisations (and among their leaders) is that change processes are rational challenges — a question of getting from A to B with efficiency and minimal interruption.

After 30+ years of facilitating change processes and training others to do the same, Rob Evans has learned that a great deal of the work to be done is anything but rational.

The emotional and political contexts in which groups exist matter. The decision-making structure around the team matter. The restrictions and fears matter.

Join us for a discussion in the depth and detail of group dynamics, participant empowerment, and the deeply human sides of facilitation.

Find out about:

• Why prioritising participants learning and growth is an ever-reliable foundation for workshop planning
• How to account for emotional and political contexts in your workshop and avoid over-rationalisation
• Why Rob believes successful workshops hinge on having a large enough group
• How to approach a problem that is too big for the group to fix
• Why it’s worth asking why a change hasn’t happened yet, before we ask how to make the change
• What Rob has learned form helping drug users to rehabilitate from their addictions

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

Links:

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

The Collaboration Code website.

Connect to Rob:

On LinkedIn.

Support the show:
Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

Support the show

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If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/