Unprofessionalism

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 worksh...

Ask a group of leaders about heart connections in their organisations and you will likely be met with raised eyebrows and doubtful looks. Their loss—and Breeze Dong’s gain, as a veritable expert in heart connections in the context of organisational development. Breeze joins me in this episode to unravel the concept of heart connections—explaining what the phrase really means, how companies benefit...

We’ve had plenty of opportunities to practice online facilitation since 2020, but have we reached a plateau? Has complacency crept in? John Chen has been hosting (and training others to host) engaging virtual meetings for longer than many of us have even thought about them! He’s the perfect candidate to discuss this topic. John joins me in this episode to discuss the magic ingredients of online fa...

What is it like to be on ‘the other side' of the workshop — to be a participant or a client? This podcast has always focused on conversations with facilitators, but perspectives from clients are just as valuable for understanding our work and processes. Hence, why this episode features Sandy Wilson, Director of Culture and Learning at Insights Learning and Development. In 2021, Insights initi...

Tobias Mayer’s experience as a scrum master has taken him around the world and across the upper echelons of the biggest names in tech. Those 20+ years have taught him a lot, but perhaps more importantly, have provoked some challenging questions. In this episode, we discuss a bit of everything! We challenge assumptions, we question the unquestionable, and we explore what it takes to facilitate chan...

Mohsin Memon is a gaming expert—but he’s not spending his days playing shoot ‘em ups. Mohsin’s expertise lies at the crossroads of learning and gaming, where he spends his time creating immersive experiences and teaching others how to do the same. Our conversation in this episode was a speed-run of all things experiential learning, from the nuts-and-bolts details of what makes a game enjoyable, to...

There are few spaces in which facilitation skills have a greater impact than diplomacy, yet conversations connecting the two are rare. This episode changes that. With over 30 years of experience in mediation and mediation training, Ron Ton has unique and unparalleled insights to share. Explore the incredible world of diplomacy, negotiation, and mediation with one of its pre-eminent experts. Tune i...

When you think of business transformation, what do you picture? Expensive consultants armed with long presentations and a briefcase of jargon? Or a voluntary grassroots movement of trust, equity, and contractual safety within an organisation? Douglas Breitbart sees it one way and one way only. You may be able to guess which method gets his vote. This episode was hugely refreshing and inspiring. Do...

Love is wonderful, it’s all around. Love is the finest thing in the world… but what’s it got to do with facilitation? Spend and hour with Lorenz Sell and you’ll see the many threads that connect love and facilitation together. From creating connection and honest communication to presence and validation — facilitators may as well be love incarnate! Lorenz and I discuss a range of themes in this epi...

Games or card decks are often used as fun activities in workshops. They’re seen as good tools for keeping a group energised and interested… but they can also be a tool for connection and communication. Nick Kellet, the founder of Deckible, understands the power the right game can have in group settings. Whether it’s giving participants new ways of expressing themselves or creating a container for...

Presence — it sounds like a simple concept, but it is littered with deeper questions. Does our presence change when we are in a physical workshop or an online one? How can we work with a group that lacks presence? Can we push ourselves to be more present? To interrogate this challenging topic, we need a special format. This episode is a live recording of a NeverDoneBefore Seedling forum — our incu...

Before a workshop, training, or speech, which do you spend more time thinking about: what you will say or how you will say it? Joep Hegger would argue that your voice — your tonality and delivery — are just as critical to successful communication as the words you use. And he has plenty of research to back this up! In this episode, Joep and I explore the enormous power of vocal training and the imp...

Facilitation is such a broad brush with which to paint. Why is it, then, that so much of our work takes the form of workshops? Meeting our clients’ needs and desired outcomes requires a flexible approach - one that will sometimes take us beyond the workshop format. But what does that look like and how can we step into new ways of working? Joeri Schilders, founder of innovation specialists The Magi...

How many facilitators dream of a workshop in which everything goes exactly to plan? And how many facilitators have experienced that dream? The nature of our work means we enter a space of uncertainty from the minute we step into the room. For some, this might be a paralysing thought. Our desire for control is powerful and understandable. But for others, like Matthew Bellringer, uncertainty is an o...

Play is for kids, playgrounds, and light-hearted fun. It’s just not ‘the done thing’ in corporate settings, is it? If you speak with Susanne Heiss, you’ll soon see why play is so powerful - especially in the most straight-laced, professional spaces. In fact, you’ll quickly learn that professional and playful don’t have to be antonyms. A playful spirit and attitude can unlock new perspectives on ol...

Psychological safety rose on a wave of popularity in recent years. It became the flavour of the month and everyone had an idea about how to ‘add it’ into workshops. But psychological safety is the bedrock of successful workshops, not an optional bolt-on. When we see at as an added extra, not an essential foundation, we discredit the group and risk the success of their workshop. Join me and Romy Al...

Cynthia Umurungi is a storyteller who gives a human voice to African organisations and businesses. Her voice is one I have wanted to share on this podcast for a long time - and not only because I have underrepresented voices of African heritage so far on this podcast. Cynthia’s work delicately combines storytelling and creativity with deep empathy and insights. In this episode, we explore the chal...

Community is on the rise. It was just a few episodes ago that I spoke with Anamaria Dorgo about facilitating communities, but in this episode I’m looking further into the future. What do communities look like in the metaverse? Can we connect in digital spaces? What needs to change or emerge for us to find community in virtual or augmented reality? Daniel Liebeskind is just the person to address th...

Process is a personal thing. We all have different ways of preparing workshops and designing their structure and flow. When process design is so specific to each facilitator, is it possible to find a middle ground or a central truth? That’s the crux of this episode - which isn’t a normal episode! We recorded one of Michelle Howard’s NeverDoneBefore Seedlings sessions, following the group’s worksho...

Kelvy has been a scribe for almost 30 years - there are few people better placed to share insights and reflections on the discipline & its impact on collaborative work. Scribing is far more than ‘just’ drawing pictures or transcribing speech, as Kelvy explains with perfect clarity & engaging spirit in this episode.   We explore what it means to listen without seeing, to participate without...

Creating, maintaining, and growing a community is not for the faint-hearted. It’s an ongoing process of trial and error that requires a huge amount of commitment. But, if you can get it right, you will see the value and joy it can bring. As the curator of NeverDoneBefore - a relatively new community - I’ve started to geek out on all things community-based. This episode is the culmination of this o...

We all hope to facilitate breakthroughs - those “a-ha” moments when participants have a lightbulb over their heads, ideas synthesise, and new ideas emerge. But we can’t legislate and plan for them, can we? Of course, there are no guarantees... but Kimberly Wiefling (and her approach to facilitation) is as close to a guarantee as you can get! Join us in this episode as we discuss failure, emergence...

Why do we facilitate? Who are we, as facilitators? Is shared understanding a goal? Dov Tsal - Tao-inspired coach, mentor, and facilitator - is not one to shy away from the deep and challenging philosophical questions of our craft. In fact, he’s usually the one asking them! This was certainly the case in this episode - which is more of a conversation than an interview. We examine the role, purpose,...

Supporting employee self-development isn’t a sacrifice for organisations. In fact, it is often a precursor to the organisation’s own growth and progress. In Kristiaan Hartman and Wouter Smeets, we have two of the best people possible to discuss self-development in the workplace - and its impacts throughout organisations. As the founders of Prototype You, Kristiaan and Wouter have been facilitating...

Intersectionality is a fundamental part of facilitation - and a common topic on this podcast - but, usually, we discuss it in relation to other professional disciplines. It’s high time we looked at how facilitation can influence our personal lives, in our deepest and dearest relationships. Ez Bridgman, creative experience designer and playful vitality proponent, joins this episode to discuss playf...