Facilitation might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of courage — we do not charge valiantly into battle or wrestle wild animals! — but the closer one looks at it, the more the connection becomes visible.

It takes courage to bring a group of people together and challenge them to grow and make progress. It takes courage to stand up and say “I will do this”. It takes courage to ask difficult questions.

And it takes courage to get out of our own way — and the group’s.

Roi Ben-Yehuda joins me in this episode to dissect what it means to facilitate with courage, why questions are the currency of the courageous, and what he’d plan to say if zombies attacked.

Find out about:

• Why courage has nothing to do with escaping fear, but everything to do with contextualising it
• Why open vs. closed questions is an outdated binary — and Roi’s more qualitative alternative
• How collectivism operates as a shortcut to courage
• How the magic of workshops isn’t in the content, but in how the group interact with the content
• What you can do to prevent being triggered out of courage
• Where leadership and facilitation intersect — and why collaboration and cocreation are critical to both

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.

Next Arrow, Roi’s company

Connect to Roi:

On LinkedIn

On Twitter

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

Support the show

👉 Are you looking for an old "workshops work" podcast episode? You can search and find all 355 episodes by keyword here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/267818/episodes 👈 

Improvisation seems to have an inescapable connection with facilitation. It’s a topic we’ve touched on many times in this podcast but, to really dig into its depths, it made sense to speak with the man who — quite literally — wrote the book on it!

Robert Poynton is the multi-talented author of Do Improvise and Do Pause, creator of Yellow (a unique online learning programme), and the fabled On Your Feet experiential workshop studio.

In this episode, we explore what it means to improvise — by saying no as much as yes, by learning to trust our embodied instinct and responsiveness, and by trusting that there are no wrong roads in the journey towards facilitating change.

Find out about:

• Why the unpredictable flow of a workshop is the only flow it can realistically take
• How to facilitate with instinct, as well as intellect
• How to embrace ideas, challenges, and interruptions in your workshops as creative inputs 
• Why a workshop that meets your expectations may not be so successful
• How to pan for golden nuggets in a stream of silence
• Why Robert disagrees that improv is all about saying ‘yes’
• What acceptance, rather than agreement, does to transform the room

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

And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.

Links

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

Robert’s website

The Everyday Improviser (online course)

The Do Books: Do Improvise and Do Pause

Yellow, Robert’s online learning programme

Connect to Robert:

On LinkedIn

On Instagram

On Twitter

Support the Show.

**
Click here to navigate through all episodes via this interactive podcast map.
**
If you're inspired by our podcast and crave similar conversations, consider joining Dr Myriam Hadnes' NeverDoneBefore Facilitation Community.
**
If you're keen to master the art of facilitation, discover our expert-led live, online Facilitation Courses at the NDB Academy.
**
If you enjoy the show, consider a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.

Improvisation seems to have an inescapable connection with facilitation. It’s a topic we’ve touched on many times in this podcast but, to really dig into its depths, it made sense to speak with the man who — quite literally — wrote the book on it!

Robert Poynton is the multi-talented author of Do Improvise and Do Pause, creator of Yellow (a unique online learning programme), and the fabled On Your Feet experiential workshop studio.

In this episode, we explore what it means to improvise — by saying no as much as yes, by learning to trust our embodied instinct and responsiveness, and by trusting that there are no wrong roads in the journey towards facilitating change.

Find out about:

• Why the unpredictable flow of a workshop is the only flow it can realistically take
• How to facilitate with instinct, as well as intellect
• How to embrace ideas, challenges, and interruptions in your workshops as creative inputs 
• Why a workshop that meets your expectations may not be so successful
• How to pan for golden nuggets in a stream of silence
• Why Robert disagrees that improv is all about saying ‘yes’
• What acceptance, rather than agreement, does to transform the room

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.

Robert’s website

The Everyday Improviser (online course)

The Do Books: Do Improvise and Do Pause

Yellow, Robert’s online learning programme

Connect to Robert:

On LinkedIn

On Instagram

On Twitter

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

Support the show

👉 Are you looking for an old "workshops work" podcast episode? You can search and find all 355 episodes by keyword here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/267818/episodes 👈 

Accessibility — ensuring the spaces we create are open, welcoming, and easy for everyone to join — is a critical, but often neglected, issue in facilitation. It took the rise of online workshops to take accessibility from an afterthought to a main event.

But this increased focus on accessibility, long overdue as it was, has proven to be to everyone’s benefit. A rising tide lifts all boats and more accessible workshops help everybody feel included.

Marie Dubost has been shouting for accessibility in facilitated spaces for many years and it’s a joy to know that her voice is now being heard. In this episode, we focus on the specifics of how we can make our online workshops more accessible, whilst also touching on some broader reflections on facilitation and inclusivity.

Find out about:

• What percentage of internet users have access needs
• How much variation there is in access needs, from colour-blindness to traumas
• How to become a proactively inclusive facilitator
• Why accessibility starts long before the workshop begins
• The quick wins you can start practicing today to create greater accessibility in your workshops
• Why accessibility in workshops is more about mindfulness than deep expertise  

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

And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.

Links

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

UX Facilitation Hub 

Connect to Marie:

On LinkedIn

On Twitter

Support the Show.

**
Click here to navigate through all episodes via this interactive podcast map.
**
If you're inspired by our podcast and crave similar conversations, consider joining Dr Myriam Hadnes' NeverDoneBefore Facilitation Community.
**
If you're keen to master the art of facilitation, discover our expert-led live, online Facilitation Courses at the NDB Academy.
**
If you enjoy the show, consider a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.

Accessibility — ensuring the spaces we create are open, welcoming, and easy for everyone to join — is a critical, but often neglected, issue in facilitation. It took the rise of online workshops to take accessibility from an afterthought to a main event.

But this increased focus on accessibility, long overdue as it was, has proven to be to everyone’s benefit. A rising tide lifts all boats and more accessible workshops help everybody feel included.

Marie Dubost has been shouting for accessibility in facilitated spaces for many years and it’s a joy to know that her voice is now being heard. In this episode, we focus on the specifics of how we can make our online workshops more accessible, whilst also touching on some broader reflections on facilitation and inclusivity.

Find out about:

• What percentage of internet users have access needs
• How much variation there is in access needs, from colour-blindness to traumas
• How to become a proactively inclusive facilitator
• Why accessibility starts long before the workshop begins
• The quick wins you can start practicing today to create greater accessibility in your workshops
• Why accessibility in workshops is more about mindfulness than deep expertise  

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.

UX Facilitation Hub 

Connect to Marie:

On LinkedIn

On Twitter

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

Support the show

👉 Are you looking for an old "workshops work" podcast episode? You can search and find all 355 episodes by keyword here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/267818/episodes 👈 

Some of you who listen to this episode will not have been alive for 30 years, which gives Barb Pedersen the wonderful claim that she’s been facilitating since before you were born!

Not that she would boast in such a way; Barb’s approach is informed by humility, curiosity, and positivity (as you will quickly come to learn in this episode).

Those tenets have served her brilliantly in her three decades of facilitation and, you may not be surprised to hear, she has seen a lot of change in that time. This episode was our opportunity to zoom out and look at the macro changes in facilitation over the course of a working life — as well as the constants and evergreen skills.

Find out about:

• How facilitation has changed over the three decades of Barb’s practice
• The ever-increasing awareness of facilitation within organisations
• What online facilitation has changed about our work — and which parts remain the same
• How to empower groups to solve individual issues in a workshop
• Why great recording and note-taking is an art of synthesis, not verbatim writing
• Why prioritising your values and beliefs serves you better than perfecting a facilitation method

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

And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.

Links

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

Barb’s website

Connect to Barbara:

On LinkedIn

On Twitter

On Instagram

Support the Show.

**
Click here to navigate through all episodes via this interactive podcast map.
**
If you're inspired by our podcast and crave similar conversations, consider joining Dr Myriam Hadnes' NeverDoneBefore Facilitation Community.
**
If you're keen to master the art of facilitation, discover our expert-led live, online Facilitation Courses at the NDB Academy.
**
If you enjoy the show, consider a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.

Some of you who listen to this episode will not have been alive for 30 years, which gives Barb Pedersen the wonderful claim that she’s been facilitating since before you were born!

Not that she would boast in such a way; Barb’s approach is informed by humility, curiosity, and positivity (as you will quickly come to learn in this episode).

Those tenets have served her brilliantly in her three decades of facilitation and, you may not be surprised to hear, she has seen a lot of change in that time. This episode was our opportunity to zoom out and look at the macro changes in facilitation over the course of a working life — as well as the constants and evergreen skills.

Find out about:

• How facilitation has changed over the three decades of Barb’s practice
• The ever-increasing awareness of facilitation within organisations
• What online facilitation has changed about our work — and which parts remain the same
• How to empower groups to solve individual issues in a workshop
• Why great recording and note-taking is an art of synthesis, not verbatim writing
• Why prioritising your values and beliefs serves you better than perfecting a facilitation method

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.

Barb’s website

Connect to Barbara:

On LinkedIn

On Twitter

On Instagram

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

Support the show

👉 Are you looking for an old "workshops work" podcast episode? You can search and find all 355 episodes by keyword here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/267818/episodes 👈 

Some episodes of this podcast have an extremely tight focus — a specific topic, inspected under scrutiny. Some episodes are like walks through a beautiful park, stopping and admiring different beautiful moments and places.

My conversation with Francis Laleman — a trainer-of-trainers, a facilitation teacher, and an excellent facilitator in his own right — was most certainly one in the latter category. We spent an hour or so weaving our way through big questions and small curiosities. It was a joy and an opportunity for both of us to think more deeply about the fundamentals of our work.

Explore the depths of change, the art of not doing anything, and the hidden designs we create in our lives and work.

Find out about:

• Why change is the common goal that links facilitation, training, and coaching
• What Francis aims to achieve by hosting workshops with ‘provocative absence’ and invisibility
• Why the ‘you’ that facilitates a group is unique to each group
• How learning is a cooperative affair and, so, training is a matter of creating readiness for cooperation
• What ‘exformative’ learning and facilitation are
• Taking inspiration from acting and theatre
• Why our view of workshops as singular events can inhibit our effectiveness

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.

Visit Francis’ website.

Connect to Francis:

On LinkedIn

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

Support the show

👉 Are you looking for an old "workshops work" podcast episode? You can search and find all 355 episodes by keyword here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/267818/episodes 👈 

Dance—especially improvised dance—is an arena for deep vulnerability, connection, and growth. It requires careful and considered facilitation, as you may have guessed!

Enter, Tom Goldhand! Tom helps participants understand themselves and each other through the power of dance and authentic movement. Perhaps most impressive is how Tom can apply his skills in business settings, offering unique workshops for groups and companies to move their way into new ways of thinking.

We had a lot to discuss, which might not surprise you, but we managed to fit so much into this episode. Step up to the stage and enjoy the rhythm of our conversation.

Find out about:

• What every workshop—from dance and improv to corporate clients—has in common
• Why creating a space to share knowledge is very different to teaching
• How emergent dynamics in dance workshops reflect wider truths of human connection
• What happens to individuals and groups when they improvise
• How to protect participants from a ‘vulnerability hangover’
• Why it can be beneficial to think about a ‘good enough’ outcome for your workshop
• How ‘movement with awareness’ can make dance feel more accessible

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

And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.

Links

Tom’s website

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

Connect to Tom:

On LinkedIn

On Instagram

Support the Show.

**
Click here to navigate through all episodes via this interactive podcast map.
**
If you're inspired by our podcast and crave similar conversations, consider joining Dr Myriam Hadnes' NeverDoneBefore Facilitation Community.
**
If you're keen to master the art of facilitation, discover our expert-led live, online Facilitation Courses at the NDB Academy.
**
If you enjoy the show, consider a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.

Dance—especially improvised dance—is an arena for deep vulnerability, connection, and growth. It requires careful and considered facilitation, as you may have guessed!

Enter, Tom Goldhand! Tom helps participants understand themselves and each other through the power of dance and authentic movement. Perhaps most impressive is how Tom can apply his skills in business settings, offering unique workshops for groups and companies to move their way into new ways of thinking.

We had a lot to discuss, which might not surprise you, but we managed to fit so much into this episode. Step up to the stage and enjoy the rhythm of our conversation.

Find out about:

• What every workshop—from dance and improv to corporate clients—has in common
• Why creating a space to share knowledge is very different to teaching
• How emergent dynamics in dance workshops reflect wider truths of human connection
• What happens to individuals and groups when they improvise
• How to protect participants from a ‘vulnerability hangover’
• Why it can be beneficial to think about a ‘good enough’ outcome for your workshop
• How ‘movement with awareness’ can make dance feel more accessible

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

Links

Tom’s website

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

Connect to Tom:

On LinkedIn

On Instagram

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

Support the show

👉 Are you looking for an old "workshops work" podcast episode? You can search and find all 355 episodes by keyword here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/267818/episodes 👈