Share your thoughts about our conversation!

Things—found objects, ephemera from the discarded world, are everywhere. A marble, a spoon, a coil of string. They’re forgettable and ignorable and they’re the magic ingredient that makes Jules Gilleland’s workshops work.

Jules developed Things as a problem-solving tool, informed by design thinking, to help people connect the dots and capture their problems in a physical form. It’s a context-neutral learning through play, a way to tap into ourselves when we can’t rely on language, and a means of overcoming the challenges that refuse to budge.

Learn all about Things, Jules’ story, and how a bit more visual thinking can make your workshops work even better. 

Find out about:

• What Jules’ Things are and why they can be so magical in workshop settings
• How the four principles of Collect, Connect, Capture and Communicate appear in Thinking with Things
• Why participants behaving like children is not such a bad situation
• How to get out of your head and improve your hosting by focusing on engaged participants
• How to turn a disparate pile of found objects into a problem-solving powerhouse
• Why Jules prioritises a remarkable ending to her workshops

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.

Think With Things website

Connect to Jules:

On LinkedIn

On Instagram

On Facebook

Support the show

✨✨✨

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more:
https://workshops.work/podcast

✨✨✨

Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

The latest milestone for the workshops work podcast—200 episodes! 200!

To celebrate the occasion, I’ve produced a special episode. Instead of speaking to a guest, I spoke to you.

And what better way to source my inspiration for episode 200 than to turn to the community that has grown and flourished around the show? I turned to my community to gather their questions—big and small, serious and silly—about the podcast, what I’ve learned, and my thoughts on facilitation at large.

Michelle Howard, previous guest on the show, asked the questions on your behalf.  

Find out about:

• My own misconceptions about facilitation that the podcast has revealed over time
• What I would say, if I could travel back in time, to the Myriam who was about to record episode one
• Why I’m always, at least partly, pursuing constructive ignorance in my interviews
• How my focus has shifted from what my guests ‘do’ and where it rests now
• What has changed in my professional facilitate practice since hosting the show
• Lessons and points of interest from building the NDB community

Big thanks to Patrick Cowden, Yvonne Chin Irving,  Lily Gros, Mirjam Leunissen, Vitalij Malahov, Zoha Sharifyazdi and Dov Tsal for contributing questions!

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

Links

Learn more about NeverDoneBefore

Connect to Myriam:

On LinkedIn

Support the show

✨✨✨

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more:
https://workshops.work/podcast

✨✨✨

Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

In May 2022, an academic research paper titled “Virtual communication curbs creative idea generation” was published in Nature (one of the most prestigious scientific publishers). They tested how the transition from in-person to online interaction affected innovation (measured by collective idea generation) and concluded that video calls were bad for brainstorming.

The media derived: “Zoom is a creativity killer.”

But, as (online) facilitators, we have first-hand experience with remote teams’ creativity and effective collaboration. But, we haven’t had hard evidence proving the study wrong.

My guests on today’s bonus episode, Elise Keith (CEO of Lucid Meetings, Author and Meeting Innovator) and Dave Mastronardi (CEO of the Gamestorming Group) have the ambition to test the hypothesis that online work killed creativity through a global mega experiment. As they kick off the project with a Symposium, Elise and Dave joined me to share their vision, drivers and open questions.

Listen to this episode to find out about:

• The definition of creativity and how to measure it
• How the project came to be
• The bigger vision behind the project: How online collaboration can tackle global challenges
• How you can get involved in the experiment

Don't miss the New Rules for Work Experiment and Symposium
Visit the New Rules for Work Website

And, 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.

Read the Article published in ‘Nature’

Read about the study

Watch the Youtube video: Why video calls are bad for brainstorming

Connect to Elise and Dave:

Connect to Elise on LinkedIn

Connect to Dave on LinkedIn

Support the show

✨✨✨

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more:
https://workshops.work/podcast

✨✨✨

Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

How do you create a culture of independent and empowered facilitation in a large business? Well, Rod Butcher and Nikesh Patel of Fidelity International posed me that question and, together, we came up with a radical solution.

This episode explains the story of how we built Fidelity International’s Facilitation Academy.

You can hear about the process we followed and the results we’ve seen, as well as how we interpreted the issues and questions that Rod and Nikesh started with.

Implementing facilitation skills at scale can be a daunting thought, but it’s eminently more enticing when it’s achieved through a generative, self-sustaining cycle of talent training talent!

Find out about:

• What the structure and process of the academy is and how it works
• How to look at a problem with a broad view, to find unexpected solutions
• The unique challenges of internal facilitation vs. external facilitation
• The unexpected benefits of implementing a facilitation mindset across an organisation
• Why an interdepartmental-by-default approach creates more meaningful space for change
• How framing facilitation as problem-solving generated more interest
• How to create a virtuous cycle of facilitation, training, and learning

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

Connect to Rod and Nikesh:

Rod on LinkedIn

Nikesh on LinkedIn

Support the show

✨✨✨

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more:
https://workshops.work/podcast

✨✨✨

Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

“Keep it simple, stupid” is a popular refrain which might be better translated as “make it harder, stupid”!

One of the most common misunderstandings Gabor Bittera encounters in his mission towards simplicity is the belief that simple = easy. Far from it, in fact. Sometimes, creating simplicity is the hardest task in a workshop.

Thankfully, Gabor has done the hard miles and has advice that can save you from complicating the process of simplifying your workshops… leaving you just with the fact that it isn’t always easy!

We explore what it means to facilitate simplicity, with simplicity, and for simplicity in this episode—jumping from practical advice and templates to deeper questions around purpose and effectiveness. It was a joyful conversation and I hope you will get as much from it as I did.

Find out about:

• Why Gabor prioritises simplicity over ease — no matter how complex it can be to simplify
• How to facilitate using principles from Scrum, linguistics and storytelling
• Why simple facilitation requires more of our attention and care
• Which part of the workshop process Gabor believes is hardest to simplify
• Why the art of facilitation includes designing constraints and restrictions
• What the perfect group size is for both subgroup and whole-group work
• How to use specific accountability to create more impactful workshops

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.

Subscribe to Gabor’s Substack — Scrum Times

Read or subscribe to Gabor’s Medium

Connect to Gabor:

On LinkedIn

Support the show

✨✨✨

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more:
https://workshops.work/podcast

✨✨✨

Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

In an on-site workshops, breakout groups are a tried and tested way to get the group thinking, communicating, and developing.

In online workshops, breakout rooms are a different beast.

You press a button and the group disappears — you don’t know what they’re saying, whether they’re collaborating, or anything about their time together!

Gwyn Wansbrough is on a mission to take the uncertainty out of breakout rooms and virtual facilitation. Her approach touches all ends of the workshop, helping you and your participants get clear on your shared purpose, rules for engagement, and much more.

Gwyn provides a crash course in breaking through the burden of breakout rooms, so you can turn them into a powerful option in your facilitation toolbox!

Find out about:

• Why your setup and warm-up will make or break the success of your breakout rooms
• What Gwyn believes to be the four biggest mistakes we make with breakout rooms
• How to use the start of your workshop to prepare the group for breakouts
• How to use a set of shared agreements to generate buy-in and commitment
• Why it’s vital to remain present for the group, even if you are outside of their breakouts
• The three things participants need to feel comfortable in breakout rooms

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.

Check out Gwyn’s website.

Gwyn’s free guide: How to Create Engaging Virtual Sessions Your Participants Will Love.

Connect to Gwyn:

On Twitter

On LinkedIn

Support the show

✨✨✨

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more:
https://workshops.work/podcast

✨✨✨

Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

Facilitation is a system that gives groups space to make sense — it’s not about guiding them towards something, nor is it about leading them.

But what is ‘deliberate sensemaking’ all about? To the uninitiated, it may sound a little simplistic — is it just about helping people understand stuff that they’re working on?

Michael Hamman, one of the foremost voices in Agile coaching and training, explains all in this episode and reveals the complexity behind seemingly simple sense-making. We discuss the facilitator’s role as a mirror for the group, the work before the work of sensemaking, and how our incessant and instinctive need to categorise is the last great barrier to topple if we want things to make more sense.

Find out about:

• How sensemaking and categorisation help groups make progress
• Why, once we understand categorisation, we shall dismantle it
• How to create deeper insight by leaving some questions unanswered 
• Why facilitation is about being a mirror, rather than a painting
• How to design workshops that prioritise sensemaking
• What happens when we break ourselves free from the categories we’ve created
• The common theme that emerges when Michael prioritises inner beauty in his workshop design

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.

Centre for Inner Agility website.

Connect to Michael:

On LinkedIn

Support the show

✨✨✨

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more:
https://workshops.work/podcast

✨✨✨

Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

Facilitation is a system that gives groups space to make sense — it’s not about guiding them towards something, nor is it about leading them.

But what is ‘deliberate sensemaking’ all about? To the uninitiated, it may sound a little simplistic — is it just about helping people understand stuff that they’re working on?

Michael Hamman, one of the foremost voices in Agile coaching and training, explains all in this episode and reveals the complexity behind seemingly simple sense-making. We discuss the facilitator’s role as a mirror for the group, the work before the work of sensemaking, and how our incessant and instinctive need to categorise is the last great barrier to topple if we want things to make more sense.

Find out about:

• How sensemaking and categorisation help groups make progress
• Why, once we understand categorisation, we shall dismantle it
• How to create deeper insight by leaving some questions unanswered 
• Why facilitation is about being a mirror, rather than a painting
• How to design workshops that prioritise sensemaking
• What happens when we break ourselves free from the categories we’ve created
• The common theme that emerges when Michael prioritises inner beauty in his workshop design

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.

Centre for Inner Agility website.

Connect to Michael:

On LinkedIn

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.

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

Meg Bolger is one of a few returning guests to this show, originally featured in episode 133 (’The conversation I wish I heard when I started facilitating’).

Our conversation this time was a far cry from discussing what we wished we’d heard at the start of our careers. Instead, we focused on Meg’s area of expertise after 12+ years of development and practice: facilitating diversity, equity, and inclusion workshops and processes.

We stripped things back to their basics in search of universal language, juggled with contradictions, and explored the wider aims and outcomes of committing to a DEI process.

I learned a great deal in this episode and I hope you will, too!

Find out about:

• Why language is holding back progress in the DEI space
• How to bypass buzzwords and reach a place of unity and understanding
• How to facilitate DEI processes
• How to consider DEI in your facilitation
• Why exclusivity can sometimes be used effectively to create inclusivity
• What to do when you feel friction or dissent against the workshop’s goals

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.

Meg’s wonderful Facilitator Cards

Episode 133 (Meg’s previous appearance on the show)

Connect to Meg:

On LinkedIn

On Twitter

Support the show

✨✨✨

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more:
https://workshops.work/podcast

✨✨✨

Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!