The Facilitation Studio

#24 Before you say yes

Before you say yes A leader has made a decision and wants the team involved. You design a proper workshop. Then you ask the sponsor what will actually change based on w

#23 Mapping: the engine your workshop runs on

Mapping is how you get all of your collaborators on the same page, speaking the same language and ready to work together productively. It's how you build the shared pictu

#22 The Butterfly Process

The Butterfly is the mental model I use to understand how workshops actually move. Two wings, active work and reflective work, and a single point at the centre that every

#21 The whisk, the recipe and knowing how to cook

Ever watched someone run a Design Sprint on a three-year strategy question? Every step executed perfectly. Entirely wrong outcome. That's not a facilitation problem — tha

#20 Moving from intent to activities

Most people start planning a workshop by dropping activities onto a board. An icebreaker here, a brainstorm there, a How Might We and some dot-voting to tidy things up. T

#19 Do we live in a dotocracy?

Should we be living in a dotocracy? Everyone uses dot-voting. It's fast, it feels democratic, and it gives a room full of people a satisfying sense of progress. The prob

#18 Your in-person workshop checklist

In this episode, we dive into the essentials for running successful in-person workshops. From packing the ultimate kit—including agendas, print materials, Sharpies, and s

#17 Your remote workshop checklist

Mastering Remote Workshops: An Essential Toolkit & Checklist Join me for this jam-packed episode where we dive into the essentials of running a remote workshop; get a s

#16 Should your workshop be hybrid, remote or in-person?

Remote, In-Person, or Hybrid: Choosing the Right Format for Your Workshop In this issue, we dive into the pros and cons of delivering workshops in different formats: in-

#15 The Art of the Presentation – Part 2: Your Slides and Your Structure

#15 - The Art of the Presentation pt 2: Slides, Structure, and Strategy In this episode from the Facilitation Studio, we jump into presentation slides and structure. Lea

#14 The Art of the Presentation – Part 1: Your Audience and Yourself

In this episode, we're diving into the essentials of presenting your own work effectively. Learn why you should be the one presenting your ideas, how to understand and en

#12 Managing "difficult" collaborators – part 2

I don’t understand what you want from me. Have you ever sat in a room full of people who are busily working away and felt like you’re outside the loop? Like you missed t

#11 Managing "difficult" collaborators – part 1

We all share a fear of the "difficult" collaborator. In this mini-series of three issues, we'll cover the top three reasons a collaborator might not play ball. This i

#10 Starting a conversation off well

You know that awkward pause when you open the floor for discussion? The one where everyone looks at you blankly, and you’re not sure if you’ve made a horrible error, you’

#9 The road to a valuable workshop is paved with a single good intention

Since you're reading this, I suspect you also think workshops are an excellent way to bring people together to collaborate, address complex challenges, and come to impact

#8 Drive good decision making with good criteria

Good decision-making starts with understanding the criteria you’re using to make your judgements. In this issue, we will walk through the process of defining your criteri

#7 There are four things you can do in a workshop

In this issue, we'll explore how you can select the best workshop activities for your session by grouping them into four categories: Dream, Map, Distill, and Prioritise.

#6 Are your collaborators' eyes shining?

In his funny and fantastic 2008 TED talk Benjamin Zander talks about his job as a conductor. The link with facilitation and leadership gives us plenty of insight to take

#5 Running a project retro - Template 🧰

In the previous issue, I introduced Edward de Bono's six-hat thinking tool, a powerful technique for exploring multiple perspectives and generating new ideas. In this iss

#4 Introducing The Six Thinking Hats 🧰

Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats is a tool for guiding teams through complex conversations and achieving specific outcomes using six different thinking styles. In this