Forum Theatre is a unique approach to facilitation – creating space for change and reflection through creativity, play, and certainly some bravery (to begin with!)

Though the concept fascinates me, I have not had the chance to explore it in as much detail as I would have liked to. To have Pernille Jacobsen, a brilliant facilitator and Forum Theatre practitioner, join me on workshops work gave me the opportunity to change that – and I was not left disappointed.

Forum Theatre and facilitation share many similarities but cast the other in new lights when considered as two halves of a ‘whole’.

In this episode, you will find out about: 

• What makes Forum Theatre unique and so impactful
• How Forum Theatre works on a practical level, and how Pernille uses it in a facilitative setting
• What Forum Theatre has taught Pernille as a facilitator, and what facilitation has taught her as a Forum Theatre practitioner
• How, if at all, Forum Theatre can be translated into a virtual environment
• What facilitation and Forum Theatre might look like in the future

Click here to download the free 1-page summary

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

Feeling inspired by the conversation in this episode? We can have our own - take a seat at my virtual table as part of a Mastermind Group.

A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners!

Questions and Answers

[01:11] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?
[03:03] What would your hashtag be?
[05:47] Can you explain more about Forum Theatre?
[09:19] Are participants actively involved in scenes from the beginning, or do you take the lead on the performance and bring them in afterwards?
[18:38] Do participants play themselves or put themselves in others’ shoes?
[21:00] How do you debrief in Forum Theatre?
[24:09] Do you combine Forum Theatre with other types of facilitation?
[25:21] What have you learned about facilitation from Forum Theatre, and vice versa?
[29:00] How do you brief a group before starting a Forum Theatre workshop?
[38:02] What makes workshops fail?
[42:32] How do you translate Forum Theatre into a virtual environment?
[45:08] Are participants more willing or reluctant online?
[48:44] What is your vision for Forum Theatre in 2021?
[52:42] What one thing would you like listeners to take away from this episode?

Links

• Klods-Hans for Viderekomne - Pernille's Forum Theatre venture 
• Forum Theatre
• Snapstories - Pernille’s conversational game

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

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!

Questions are the lifeblood of communication. Without questions, we only have statements – cold, certain, absolute. If there is no room for curiosity, there is no room for growth or change.

But not all questions are created equal and, sometimes, a question can do more harm than good.

This week, Elke Wiss – trainer, speaker, facilitator, author of Socrates in Sneakers, and self-styled ‘Thinking Doctor’– joins me on workshops work to explore how we can ask better questions. We cover so much, from Socratic Philosophy and psychological safety to lattes vs. cappuccinos.

Join us in this episode and find out:

• What separates good and bad questions
• Why “why” questions can be simultaneously revelatory and destructive
• Whether we can train our curiosity to be childlike again
• How to create spaces in which you can ask questions that might usually feel unsafe
• How we can all start asking better questions

Click here to download the free 1-page summary

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

Feeling inspired by the conversation in this episode? We can have our own - take a seat at my virtual table as part of a Mastermind Group.

A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners!

Questions and Answers

[01:25] Do you call yourself a facilitator?

[02:03] Where did your fascination with questions come from?

[06:46] Do you have a set of questions to inspire your creative process?

[11:30] What makes a good question?

[13:00] Can one learn to be curious?

[17:00] What is it about “why” questions that makes them feel so sharp?

[20:25] How do you create a space that feels safe for asking questions?

[25:48] What makes us shift away from the curiosity of childhood?

[30:56] What makes a workshop fail?

[32:02] How can we invite groups to ask questions?

[33:27] What is your favourite question?

[34:48] What would be your hashtag?

[37:19] How can we end the process of questioning?

[38:48] Is it more dangerous to ask the wrong question, or to take the first answer you receive?

[40:58] What makes a bad question?

[46:57] Is there anything else you wanted to highlight?

Links

• Brené Brown’s TED talk
• Elke's Book - Socrates in Sneakers (with an English preview of the book to download!)

Connect to Elke

• Elke's LinkedIn
• The Think Forge
• Elke's personal website

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

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!

workshops work is a podcast for facilitators, by a facilitator, about facilitation… so why have I invited Assistant Professor of Humanities and Liberal Studies at San Francisco State University and comic book artist Nick Sousanis to join me in this episode?

I read Nick’s remarkable work ‘Unflattening’ recently and immediately knew that the world of facilitation needed to know about it. I was delighted when he accepted my invitation!

What followed was a beautiful exchange of ideas and reflections from two distant fields, worlds that do not normally collide but have more in common than you might first think. 

This is a very special episode of workshops work – and one that I think could change our practice in a deep and powerful way.

Listen to find out: 

• Why trying to think outside of the boxes we are in isn’t necessarily a good idea
• The most important question Nick believes we need to answer in this moment in time
• Why unflattening is a journey, not a destination
• Why images aren’t simply aesthetic, but communicative in novel and detailed ways
• How creative constraints and limits help us learn, grow, and unflatten

Click here to download the free 1-page summary

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

Feeling inspired by the conversation in this episode? We can have our own - take a seat at my virtual table as part of a Mastermind Group.

A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners!

Questions and Answers

[01:44] Is it correct that Unflattening was your dissertation?

[02:33] What prompted you to draw your dissertation?

[05:25] Where was the idea of Unflattening born?

[08:58] How does Unflattening relate to ‘thinking outside the box’?

[12:47] Did you create Unflattening to intentionally remove as many of these ‘boxes’ as possible?

[17:47] What is the magic ingredient for hearing each other’s arguments?

[22:27] Is Unflattening a journey, a philosophy, a destination?

[27:51] How can we practice Unflattening when it comes to emotive topics?

[31:50] What can pictures teach us that words cannot?

[36:21] How do you encourage people to follow the path of your writing without being too explicitly directional?

[45:05] – What makes a workshop – or a class – fail?

[01:02:13] – What is the one thing you would like listeners to take away from this episode?

Links

• Nick’s website
• An excerpt of Nick’s book, Unflattening

Connect to Nick

• On Twitter

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

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!

Sarah McVanel is a recognition expert, a public speaker, a facilitator… and she thinks that we are “mutts”.

Put your pitchforks down, this is a good thing – and she explains herself beautifully!

Sarah’s perspective on the transferable skills in facilitation will leave you feeling empowered and inspired. You might even be happy to call yourself a mutt!

Sarah has successfully pivoted to work as a public speaker (as well continuing as a facilitator and recognition expert) and believes that facilitators are uniquely placed to transfer into other fields.

Listen to the episode to find out:

• Why facilitators are ‘mutts’ – and why that is a wonderful thing!
• Why recognition is a superpower we all have without knowing it
• How facilitators have some amazing transferable skills for public speaking
• What Sarah believes facilitators can learn from public speakers
• What it means to ‘FROG’ and some examples of how Sarah practices this beautiful act

Click here to download the free 1-page summary

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

Feeling inspired by the conversation in this episode? We can have our own - take a seat at my virtual table as part of a Mastermind Group.

A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners!

Questions and Answers

[01:27] When did you first call yourself a facilitator?

[06:29] What is a ‘savvy facilitator’?

[08:47] What would your hashtag be?

[14:21] What is a recognition expert?

[18:11] How can we better recognise others – and how do you teach this when you speak on stage?

[31:22] How did you get into speaking from facilitation?

[36:55] Did your facilitation skills make you a better public speaker, or vice versa?

[45:26] What do you wish you had known before you started a career in speaking?

[51:50] What makes a workshop fail?

[56:38] What is the one thing you want listeners to take away?

Connect to Sarah McVanel

Sarah’s website

Sarah’s LinkedIn

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

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!

Everyone has their strengths, but not everyone gets to work in a way that is congruent with them. Well, that is unless they attend one of Murray Guest’s workshops.

Murray is a strengths-based facilitator with a litany of qualifications and a lifetime of experience in helping teams work to their individual and collective strengths, facilitating lasting change in organisations of all shapes and sizes.

But strengths-based facilitation is a nuanced practice and isn’t what some people might believe it to be. I wanted to dive deeper into what this practice looks like and uncover the lessons we can all take from it to enhance our own work.

In this episode, find out about:

• What strengths-based facilitation is and how Murray practices it
• Why strengths-based workshops are at their best when they are flexible and responsive
• Why embedding learning is the only way to truly deliver lasting results
• How enforced remote work is helping and harming teams, and what we can do to shape a new normal that is healthy and productive for everyone
• Why challenges and care are interlinked, and are blunted without each other

Click here to download the free 1-page summary

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

Feeling inspired by the conversation in this episode? We can have our own - take a seat at my virtual table as part of a Mastermind Group.

A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners!

Questions and Answers

[01:42] When did you first call yourself a facilitator?

[07:21] How can we manage our energy as facilitators to prevent our participants feeling discomfort?

[11:23] What does strengths-based facilitation mean?

[21:43] Would you design a workshop around the participants’ strengths?

[22:34] How do you use strength-finding tools to drive outcomes?

[26:41] How can we take some of the communication skills and practices we have learned in remote work back to our offices?

[33:27] Why are certain conversations harder in virtual spaces?

[39:03] What makes a workshop fail?

[42:29] What is your favourite exercise?

[49:13] Is there anything else you wanted to share?

[52:26] What is the one takeaway you want listeners to have?

Links

• Murray Guest’s business page
• Cliffton Strength Framework
• “Fremdscham”
• Helium Sticks Exercise

Connect to Murray Guest

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

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!

Teeth gnashing, fists waving, pulses racing… Conflict conjures up a certain image in many people’s minds.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

In fact, conflict can be one of the most powerful tools we have to drive meaningful change.

In this episode of workshops work, I speak with Marcus Crow, co-founder of 10,000 HOURS and specialist in high stakes facilitation,  about his brilliant approach to diving headfirst into conflict in a way that puts safety and growth at the heart of the discussion.

Whether you’re the kind of facilitator who avoids conflict at all costs or loves to embrace it, Marcus shares such a breadth of great ideas and insights from his own facilitation practice that there is something in this episode for everyone.

• Why the dominant narrative in management prevents meaningful change
• How Marcus helps teams face up to their conflicts whilst fostering an environment of safety
• What we can learn from ‘low stakes’ conflicts and how we can use these situations as practice for bigger conflicts
• How Marcus helps his clients ‘depathologise’ conflict
• Why Marcus believes a ‘Royal College of Facilitation’ would help advance our industry

Click here to download the free 1-page summary

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

Feeling inspired by the conversation in this episode? We can have our own - take a seat at my virtual table as part of a Mastermind Group.

A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners!

Questions and Answers

[01:11] When did you first start calling yourself a facilitator?

[02:55] If you were a hashtag, what would you be?

[05:03] How do you help groups benefit from their collective intelligence?

[07:43] Can managers be facilitators for their own teams?

[10:40] Do we need 10,000 hours to become a facilitator?

[14:29] How do you prepare yourself for ‘high stakes’ facilitation in settings with lots of localised context?

[21:04] What is the difference between standing at the front of the room and being in the room?

[26:00] How do you confront the group and its conflict?

[28:48] What does it mean to conflict safely?

[31:29] Do you see replicable patterns between high stakes and low stakes conflict?

[38:48] What makes a workshop fail?

[45:24] What about the facilitation ‘industry’ are you opposed to?

[52:28] If someone fell asleep at the start of our conversation, what is the one thing you’d like them to take away?

Connect to Marcus Crow

10,000 Hours’ website

Marcus’ LinkedIn

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

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!

A workshop that goes exactly to plan is a workshop that exists in our dreams.

The unexpected isn’t something we should be afraid of – fantastic ideas and outcomes can come from the moments we don’t see coming (and can never plan for) – but being prepared to adjust to the whim of the room is a vital skill for effective facilitation.

But what do we need to learn – and unlearn – if we want to become adaptive, Nimble Facilitators?

Rebecca Sutherns is the author of Nimble: A Coaching Guide for Responsive Facilitation and she joins me in this episode of workshops work to share the secrets of holding onto our plans a little more loosely. 

Find out about:

• Why being Nimble is proving to be just as essential in virtual spaces as it is in on-site settings

• What the sweet spot of preparation looks like and how to find yours

• Why inner work is the foundation of growth, change, and progress

• How to balance the needs and requirements of your client, your group, and yourself

• How to strengthen your decision-making muscles

Click here to download the free 1-page summary

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

Feeling inspired by the conversation in this episode? We can have our own - take a seat at my virtual table as part of a Mastermind Group.

A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners!

Questions and Answers

[01:11] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?

[05:43] What is the story behind Nimble Facilitation and why did you write this book?

[07:51] What is the core skill for Nimble Facilitation?

[13:55] How do you manage clients who require a lot of detail and structure?

[19:55] How do you close sessions to synchronise everyone’s takeaways?

[25:34] Have you found it is harder to be Nimble in virtual workshops?

[31:40] How will what we’ve learned from virtual workshops influence our future on-site workshops?

[41:02] What makes a workshop fail, and is the answer different for virtual workshops?

[47:14] What’s your favourite exercise?

[49:55] Is there anything you wanted to mention that we haven’t touched upon yet?

[55:36] What is the one thing you want listeners to take away from this show?

Links

· Nimble: A Coaching Guide for Responsive Facilitation

· Collaborative Planning to Make Wiser Decisions Faster (Video) 

Connect to Rebecca

· Rebecca’s website

· Rebecca’s Twitter

· Rebecca’s LinkedIn

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

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!

Stories are far more than books we bury our noses in; they are the fabric of our culture and history, and the foundations of our progress. A world without stories is no world at all.

Storytelling is such an innate feature of the human condition, from the way we understand ourselves to the world we live in. If we can harness this powerful tool to design our workshops, the results can potentially be transformative.

Bastian Küntzel is one of the best people to learn from if you are interested in the power of storytelling – especially in the context of workshop design. Sharing lessons from his book, The Learner’s Journey, Bastian joins me on this episode of workshops work to explain how storytelling can be utilised as a design tool to facilitate change that sticks.

Find out about:

• How Bastian got started as a facilitator and his early experience of intercultural communication helped him understand deeper commonalities in participants
• Why storytelling is such a powerful design principle for workshops
• What the eight steps to story design are
• How to apply the eight steps to workshops – at both the design and output stages
• Why storytelling is one of the easiest design principles to incorporate into any workshop

Click here to download the free 1-page summary

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

Feeling inspired by the conversation in this episode? We can have our own - take a seat at my virtual table as part of a Mastermind Group.

A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners!

[01:21] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?

[03:00] What is the difference between a facilitator and a trainer?

[04:19] What is the difference between an educator and a trainer?

[06:11] How did you find the transition from working with young people to corporations?

[09:35] How did your experience of intercultural communication help you get started in facilitation?

[11:48] How did you get into storytelling?

[15:36] Can you guide us through the 8 step storytelling process and how it applies to workshops?

[47:52] What makes a workshop fail?

[48:59] What is the one takeaway you want the audience to have?

• Hero’s Journey
• The Hero with a Thousand Faces
• Joseph Campbell
• Dan Harmon
• Dan Harmon’s Story Struct

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

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!

When I first read about AI and facilitation, I was worried the robots were coming for my job… but then I spoke with Laure Cohen van Delft and realised AI is a most welcome addition to our profession!

This is because AI, in this context, refers to Appreciative Inquiry – a framework and approach that facilitates purposeful change in organisations. The approach is centred on outcomes that grow in value (Appreciate) and a curious mindset (Inquiry).

AI encompasses many facets of other facilitative approaches that are joined together by the belief that every living system has potential for growth.

Laure’s explanation of AI is fascinating – a truly unique perspective – and every facilitator can learn something from her.

Find out about:

• How Laure utilises LEGO Serious Play within her workshops
• What Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is
• How AI can be practiced in workshops
• Why AI can be so effective
• The outcomes made possible by designing a workshop around AI

Click here to download the free 1-page summary

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

Feeling inspired by the conversation in this episode? We can have our own - take a seat at my virtual table as part of a Mastermind Group.

A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners!

[01:44] When did you first call yourself a facilitator?

[03:06] What does facilitation mean to you?

[06:08] What have you learned from LEGO Serious Play?

[09:55] How do you define Appreciative Inquiry (AI)?

[14:34] Is there a specific structure to AI?

[24:05] How do we put the principles of AI together in a workshop?

[38:08] What is your favourite question to ask in a workshop?

[42:06] What makes a workshop fail?

[48:10] What is one thing you want listeners to take away from this episode?

• David L. Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry
• AI Commons
• The 5 principles of AI 
• Essentials of Appreciative Inquiry by David Cooperrider, Diana Whitney and Jacqueline Stavros, 2008
• Encyclopedia of Positive Questions second edition by Diana Whitn

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

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!

Workshops are arranged for many different reasons, but so often there is something more beneath the surface – a deeper question that needs to be answered or a problem that the client cannot yet articulate.

Clients are ‘inside’ the problem, so it is understandable that they might not be able to truly define and understand it.

So, how do we cut through the noise and get to the real purpose of our workshops?

Britt Andreatta has been asking this question for a long time and has developed a brilliant participant-focused strategy to identify the real topic of workshops that remains true to the client’s needs.

Listen in to learn:

• What Britt believes are key differences between virtual and physical workshops
• Britt’s strategy for helping clients define the real purpose of their workshop
• How designing psychological safety for the group and for the leader differ
• How Britt ensures the right people are in the room
• Why asking diagnostic questions at every stage of your workshops will improve them

Britt is also offering Workshops Work listeners a free chapter of her book, Wired to Grow. Get your free chapter!

Click here to download the free 1-page summary

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

Feeling inspired by the conversation in this episode? We can have our own - take a seat at my virtual table as part of a Mastermind Group.

A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners!

[01:42] How did you get started in facilitation?

[03:49] What are the differences between designing a virtual and a physical workshop?

[07:32] How do you help clients identify the real purpose of their workshop?

[13:37] What are the differences between designing psychological safety for groups and leaders?

[22:21] How do you ensure the right people are in the room?

[24:14] What makes a workshop fail?

[32:46] How would you describe the future of facilitation?

[41:06] What hashtag would you give yourself?

[41:48] What do you wish you had known when you started your career in facilitation?

[45:19] What is the one thing listeners should take away from this?

• Britt’s business page
• Book chapter “Wired to Grow” 
• 30 days LinkedIn learning trial

• Britt's website
• Linke

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

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!