Johnnie Moore’s Podcast

When we are flooded with information and advice, we risk a kind of cognitive overload. AI hallucination goes beyond errors of fact; human thinking is of wholly different quality. When facilitating, more and more I want to sense the next move at my fingertips, it’s an embodied practice of giving moment-by-moment attention. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subsc...

This is part of the space we’ll be exploring on a workshop in Cambridge in September. Details here: https://creativefacilitation.com/cfcam26/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnniem.substack.com

If we think meetings are mostly about sharing ideas and information, we may be missing something simpler than creates an important sense of belonging. A game I learnt from the world of improv theatres brings this to life in a primal and often hilarious way. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnniem.substack.co...

I found myself thinking about the play I studied as a teenager - and what it tells us about managing an uncertain world of performances we can’t trust. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnniem.substack.com

Managing anxiety is a familiar challenge for facilitators. Being able to meet the unexpected with calm is usually pretty helpful. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnniem.substack.com

I make short videos outdoors, and I always feel a flicker of performance anxiety just before I start — which is apt, because performance is exactly what I want to talk about. Facilitation is a performance, and I think we don’t pay enough attention to how we show up, beyond our favourite processes and techniques. I’m running a two-day workshop in Cambridge this September exploring just that. Get in...

I’m hosting a two-day workshop this September. Last year about 13 people attended and I’m expecting a similar number this year. We’ll spend two lively days exploring how to be a more responsive, engaging facilitator and how to find more satisfaction doing it. Although you will likely pick up some new techniques, the focus will be on your performance as a facilitator. My own training in gestalt psy...

I shot this in a single eight-minute take, which is in the spirit of an experience of Ralf Wetzel’s workshop, Leading from the Clown. Clown training is probably the deepest and most challenging work I’ve done. Enjoy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnniem.substack.com

Meeting a friend in the pouring rain, I ended going with him to pub instead. An observation of how his eyes closed when thinking connected to a conversation about inside-out expression and the importance of expressing ourselves from within, rather than being swept along by external stimuli. The conversation left me operating in a slower, more internally-driven way—a mellow creativity that feels de...

I recently thanked an optician’s receptionist for making me feel welcome, and her tearful reaction made me realize how rarely she must be noticed. This stayed with me. Despite technology’s promises of personalization, we’re drowning in sales messages and surveys, leaving many of us feeling unseen. In my team coaching work, I’ve noticed how presentation content can overwhelm personal connection—lik...

A simple experiment with eye contact on Zoom feels like a microcosm of how I like to work with groups. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnniem.substack.com

I’ve been talking to people who are coming to my facilitation training workshop in November and found myself riffing on an old Monty Python sketch - to talk about the times when I want to offer more of an explanation of what I’m doing. And expanding on my more improvisational approach to the work. Details of the workshop . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subs...

I observed a corporate MD's masterful stage presence at a conference, but later saw his insecure, controlling nature privately. This performative "big P presence" contrasts with authentic presence. Equally, true presence isn't all about peaceful retreat spaces, but being open and responsive to life's energy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get...

There’s a difference between “Big I" improv (fast, clever, funny and showy) and "Small I" improv (being sensitive to small gestures and moments). Facilitation is much more about the second than the first. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnniem.substack.com

In this video I contrast two kinds of leadership stories. Many are like that of Ernest Shackleton - heroic struggles against adversity. In contrast his rival explorer, Amundsen was much more successful in a less exciting way. Maybe we need to spend less time focussing on big excitement and see the beauty in small details, if we’re willing to be a bit more patient with things that may at first seem...

There will be two threads running through this - techniques, and then performance or presence. In the video I say more about how the latter can be a lot more important than the particular recipe you follow. If you’d like to know more, let me know. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnniem.substack.com

I was recently at a facilitation event with Rob Poynton where the client wanted a "pure" approach after bad experiences with know-it-all facilitators. Rob suggested we act as mirrors to the group - making observations about what we see rather than telling people what to do. This metaphor has been on my mind since, and I explore it in this short video This is a public episode. If you would like to...

I wandered into the AI uncanny valley and asked Google’s NotebookLM to turn Viv McWater’s and my mini manifesto into a podcast. We wrote it ten years ago, and I think it still stands the test of time. The result is pretty good if a bit cheesy. I think it makes the ideas a bit more… approachable somehow. And it makes a change from me wandering by the river and just talking. This is a public episode...

This video in a few words: Commercial messages constantly undermine us - from optician ads suggesting we're unfashionable to LinkedIn posts implying we lack leadership skills. These thousands of daily messages, multiplied by social media, create a persistent "you're not enough" narrative that promotes scarcity rather than abundance. On many workshops, people don't want more content, yet another mo...

I’m stepping back from social media, particularly LinkedIn, to escape the cycle of performative posting. It feels like everyone is just pushing snowballs of opinions, masking real human connection. AI is accelerating this, producing mediocre but polished content. I’m seeking more genuine interactions, avoiding rigid meeting formats that stifle spontaneity. A recent disrupted meeting reminded me ho...

I’ve been reflecting on facilitation, social media, and attention. I’ve realized how leading, even in facilitative way, can create a misleading sense of engagement. Similarly, social media encourages performance over genuine connection, and many people I know are exhausted by it. I’m stepping back, risking boredom, and exploring stillness—learning to be present rather than constantly seeking impac...

This video is longer and a bit more rambling than usual, just to let you why I’ve been quieter here and on social media. The TLDR is I got a bit tired on the always-on sharing of bright ideas and found myself seeing what it’s like to rein back. To avoid what I call “premature encapsulation.” I found I become more in my body and able to savour my thinking in a way that doesn’t happen when constantl...

Coming-of-age rituals in tribal societies often use confusion to encourage initiates to find their own meaning, reflecting the struggles of adolescence. This approach contrasts with conventional training, which prioritizes efficiency. However, allowing space for bewilderment and struggle can foster deeper understanding, as meaningful growth often arises from navigating challenges. This is a public...

In the game Kerplunk, players remove sticks carefully to avoid releasing a cascade of balls—a metaphor for meetings where teams avoid discussing sensitive issues. People often stick to vague ideas about teamwork and communication, fearing emotional fallout. However, meetings become more productive and energized when someone openly addresses a specific feeling or conflict. This honesty shifts the r...

I've noticed a recurring phenomenon in meetings: when I share an experience, someone often echoes my words while commenting on it. Though they’re nearly repeating me, hearing my own thoughts in their tone and gestures makes me feel them more deeply and understand them better. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit j...