Podcasts about Facilitation

Bevor's losgeht: Für alle Non-Profits, NGOs & Bildungseinrichtungen gibt's im Juli und August 50 % Rabatt auf unsere Leistungen – ob Inhouse-Trainings oder Team-Workshops. Nutzt die Sommerpause für frischen Wind in der zweiten Jahreshälfte! Bei Fragen zu dem Angebot schreib mir gerne eine Mail an lutz.hueser@helloagile.de oder auf LinkedIn. Und jetzt zur Folge: Wie moderiert man eine Gruppe mit über 100 Menschen, ohne im Chaos zu versinken? Wir geben Einblicke in die Welt der Großgruppen-Workshops – inklusive Lieblingshacks, wilden Locations und Team-Dynamik bei großen Formaten. Wir sprechen über Gongsignale, Zirkeltraining und darüber, was wirklich hilft, wenn viele Menschen gleichzeitig in Bewegung kommen sollen.

Welcome to In Presence We Trust a podcast about the art and heart of holding transformational group spaces. Hosted by Rachel Rickards, Founder of The Field Facilitator Training. This is a show to empower facilitators, coaches, space-holders and leaders to evolve their craft, deepen embodied leadership, and harness the transformative power of presence. In each episode, we'll harvest insights from pioneering facilitators and get a glimpse into what it means to walk this path, how they got to where they are today, and whats required to stay present to what wants to come through the collective field.   Connect with Rachel Rachel's Website: https://rachelrickards.com The Field Facilitator Training: www.the-field.com Podcast: www.rachelrickards.com/podcast Find us on Instagram  The Field Facilitator Training: www.instagram.com/thefieldfacilitation Rachel Rickards: www.instagram.com/rachel.rickards/

In this episode, Phil and Salvatore Manzi delve into the art of communication, particularly in educational settings. They discuss the significance of building trust through authentic communication, the importance of engaging introductions, and the impact of presence on audience perception. Salvatore shares insights on overcoming imposter syndrome and the balance between planning and spontaneity in communication. The conversation also highlights the role of storytelling in effective communication and concludes with Salvatore's upcoming book, 'Clear and Compelling,' aimed at empowering individuals to express their authentic voices.   Glossophobia is a prevalent fear that affects many people. Effective communication is essential for creating impact and influence. Building trust with participants is crucial for facilitators. Vulnerability in communication fosters deeper connections. Engaging introductions can capture audience attention. Presence and body language significantly affect audience perception. Charisma can be developed and is not solely innate. Imposter syndrome can hinder effective communication. Practice and feedback are vital for improving communication skills. Storytelling is a powerful tool for engaging audiences. Learn more about Salvatore - https://www.salvatoremanzi.com/ Info about the book - https://www.salvatoremanzi.com/ccpb/ Connect with Phil; email - podcast@high5adventure.org instagram - https://www.instagram.com/verticalplaypen/ Music and sound effects - epidemicsound.com

When we stop looking for the perfect question, when we choose to reflect rather than react, and when we wait and listen, for just a little while longer – it can change everything.Public speaker, serial entrepreneur and owner of Consider, Chedva Ludmir has made it her mission to help others embrace curiosity, listen deeply, and make friends with uncertainty. Together, we explore the power of asking thoughtful questions in all of life's moments – from time-restricted workshops, to orthodox religions, and scary career crossroads. And why when big decisions did loom, Chedva didn't ask herself should I do this? but rather started to ask, when it's time, will I know it?Find out about:How to stay present and curious in conversations, without leaping into question-askingThe importance and humility in asking gentle, gateway questionsThe tension between certainty and curiosity, and why it's okay not to knowWhat it means to hold space for ourselves, and others, to discover truthThe power of fictional characters or novels to explore sensitive topics or emotionsDon't miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Chedva Ludmir:LinkedInWebsite 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!

In this episode, Phil interviews Thomas Lahnthaler about his book 'Facilitating Reflections'. They discuss the inspiration behind the book, the role of facilitators, essential skills needed, and the concept of self-harming humility in facilitation. Thomas emphasizes the importance of recognizing one's contributions and the need for facilitators to be aware of their impact on group dynamics. The conversation also touches on the evolution of facilitation practices and the balance between experience and new facilitators.   Critique is essential for growth and care. Facilitators should not be the sole source of answers. Facilitation is about navigating human dynamics. Self-harming humility can hinder facilitators' growth. Facilitators need to acknowledge their contributions. Awareness is crucial for effective facilitation. Facilitators should embrace their unique styles. Reflection is key to improving facilitation skills. Facilitators must adapt to each unique group. The book encourages introspection and personal growth. Learn more about Thomas - https://www.lahnthaler.com/ Connect with Thomas - thomas@lahnthaler.com  Purchase the book - https://a.co/d/4E9fjKc Thomas' LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaslahnthaler/ Connect with Phil - podcast@high5adventure.org Podcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/verticalplaypen/ Music and sound effects - epidemicsound.com

Today, we're visiting Indianapolis to chat with our guest, leadership and facilitation consultant Therese Miclot. For the past two decades, Therese has helped people and organizations succeed by developing individuals into competent and compassionate leaders, drawn to the intersection between business and psychology, Therese discovered her calling at 15 when she came across career pamphlets while working at a library. Her interest crystallized further when she witnessed her single parent mum work at jobs with bad supervisors. It affected not only her and those she loved, but it motivated Therese to break the cycle by committing to a career of developing effective, supportive bosses in service of those with less power.  Visit the C4C website to gain full access to the transcript, show notes, and guest links. Coaching 4 Companies

In this solo episode, host Beth Cougler Blom reflects on how to create learning that truly lasts. Beth shares thoughts about how we can shift from simply delivering content to designing experiences that drive behaviour change and embed meaningful memories for learners. She also shares: Why behaviour change is the heart of lasting learning How relevance and meaning move ideas into long-term memory The importance of learner analysis in your design process Ways to reinforce learning beyond the session Links From the Episode EP 47 The Pivotal Role of Learning Outcomes with Beth Cougler Blom Canadian Museum for Human Rights Hollyhock Retreat Center Transformational Speaking with Gail Larsen EP 13 Experimenting with Experiential Learning with Romy Alexandra Connect with the Facilitating on Purpose podcast Follow Facilitating on Purpose on Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube Show notes and transcripts available at facilitatingonpurpose.ca Facilitating on Purpose Community on LinkedIn Connect with Host Beth Cougler Blom Give feedback or suggest upcoming show topics or guests at hello@bcblearning.com Visit bcblearning.com to explore Beth's company's services in facilitation and learning design Purchase a copy of Beth's book, Design to Engage Follow Beth on Instagram or LinkedIn Podcast production services by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions

In this episode, agile coach and creative facilitator Laura Re Turner shares how her neurodivergent traits have shaped her facilitation style—and what every product person should do to make workshops more inclusive, energising, and effective.00:00 Introduction02:19 Exploring Neurodivergence03:54 Facilitation and Coaching Insights05:24 Writing 'Becoming Agile' During the Pandemic13:00 Impact of Neurodivergence on Work25:11 Facilitation Techniques and Neurodiversity31:34 Understanding Zoom Fatigue32:04 The Impact of Resting Face33:10 The Joy of In-Person Workshops34:06 Exploring Creativity Through Sketching37:56 Rediscovering a Passion for Art43:19 Advice for Tech Newcomers45:48 Fun and Serious Superpower Wishes49:30 Connecting and Upcoming EventsGuest: Laura Re TurnerLaura Re Turner is an experienced coach and facilitator who blends professional coaching, expert facilitation, and Lean-Agile principles to support organisational change. As the founder of Future Focus Coaching, she helps leaders and teams thrive in complex environments through one-to-one coaching and dynamic group facilitation. Known for creating psychological safety and fostering deep collaboration, Laura draws on a wide range of approaches including systemic coaching, applied positive psychology, and Nancy Kline's ‘Time to Think'. She is the author of Becoming Agile: Coaching Behavioural Change for Business Results and a regular speaker on the intersection of coaching and Agile.Website: https://futurefocuscoaching.org/Book: https://futurefocuscoaching.org/about-us/laura-re-turner/becoming-agile/ISC25 Event: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/visualjam/1480999 Get full access to Superpowers School at www.superpowers.school/subscribe

Stale, stuffy boardrooms, awkwardly arranged furniture, and scratchy marker-pens that have nearly run dry. A facilitator's lament – and perhaps, our worst enemy.Tired of the constant shapeshifting to squeeze into spaces that were never meant for facilitation, Matt Homann moved into the business of hosting people – in his own space. He built Filament, a facilitation space with a codified approach at its core, to help people to meet, think and learn better, freeing creativity from logistical limitations, and making sure a terrible workshop never has to happen again.We talk about how space liberates us, the structures that spark the best conversations, and why simplicity always wins over complexity. Join us!Find out about:The role of environment in facilitation – and why it's your most powerful toolWhy owning your own facilitation space allows you to experiment, ideate quickly, shift group dynamics, and design for interactionWhy facilitation tools and frameworks need to be simple and memorableWhy the best facilitators often don't carry the titleDon't miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Matt Homann:LinkedInWebsiteShare 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!

Kory Daniels, Chief Information Security Officer at Trustwave,  highlights the unique cybersecurity challenges facing the healthcare industry, particularly in this environment of funding constraints and the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks. Healthcare data is highly valuable to cybercriminals, who can use it for ransomware attacks, identity and insurance fraud, and other nefarious purposes. AI can be part of both the attack and the solution, helping to build in more cyber resilience and awareness about vulnerabilities. Kory explains, "Healthcare is a prime target for cyberattacks for a very fundamental reason. When human lives are at risk due to a criminal objective—which is to make money—they view organizations where human lives are at risk as a greater potential and opportunity. Facilitation of ransomware payments: Ransomware is one of the largest tactics that criminals use to achieve financial gain, but it's not the only tactic they use to achieve financial gain. So, they're looking to exploit the fear and uncertainty, putting patient lives at risk and adding complexity to patient care through their nefarious actions. But also, healthcare data is very attractive for cybercriminals, and just criminal activity in general. And why that is, is that criminals are looking at healthcare data even more so—it's more valuable than driver's license data." "Look at the opportunity of what you can do with healthcare records, and what can you do with PII, Personally Identifiable Information. Threat actors are tapping into this data in several different ways to achieve the additional financial gain above and beyond targeting a healthcare organization with a ransomware attack." "But they're also committing fraud, and fraud toward healthcare insurers, and looking at submitting false claims, fraud against the prescription drug industry in terms of soliciting and looking to obtain prescription drugs through nefarious means, but utilizing data and identity data that comes from hospital and healthcare records. There are a variety of different ways that we've just scratched the surface on, which make the healthcare industry such a desirable target for those seeking to achieve financial gain in the criminal industry." #Trustwave #Cybersecurity #CyberAttacks #HealthcareSecurity #HealthcareIT #CISOInsights trustwave.com Listen to the podcast here

Kory Daniels, Chief Information Security Officer at Trustwave,  highlights the unique cybersecurity challenges facing the healthcare industry, particularly in this environment of funding constraints and the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks. Healthcare data is highly valuable to cybercriminals, who can use it for ransomware attacks, identity and insurance fraud, and other nefarious purposes. AI can be part of both the attack and the solution, helping to build in more cyber resilience and awareness about vulnerabilities. Kory explains, "Healthcare is a prime target for cyberattacks for a very fundamental reason. When human lives are at risk due to a criminal objective—which is to make money—they view organizations where human lives are at risk as a greater potential and opportunity. Facilitation of ransomware payments: Ransomware is one of the largest tactics that criminals use to achieve financial gain, but it's not the only tactic they use to achieve financial gain. So, they're looking to exploit the fear and uncertainty, putting patient lives at risk and adding complexity to patient care through their nefarious actions. But also, healthcare data is very attractive for cybercriminals, and just criminal activity in general. And why that is, is that criminals are looking at healthcare data even more so—it's more valuable than driver's license data." "Look at the opportunity of what you can do with healthcare records, and what can you do with PII, Personally Identifiable Information. Threat actors are tapping into this data in several different ways to achieve the additional financial gain above and beyond targeting a healthcare organization with a ransomware attack." "But they're also committing fraud, and fraud toward healthcare insurers, and looking at submitting false claims, fraud against the prescription drug industry in terms of soliciting and looking to obtain prescription drugs through nefarious means, but utilizing data and identity data that comes from hospital and healthcare records. There are a variety of different ways that we've just scratched the surface on, which make the healthcare industry such a desirable target for those seeking to achieve financial gain in the criminal industry." #Trustwave #Cybersecurity #CyberAttacks #HealthcareSecurity #HealthcareIT #CISOInsights trustwave.com Download the transcript here

You've been asked to facilitate a meeting? Chances are you learned by trial and error (like most of us)!In this episode, I sit down with professional facilitator Robin Parsons of Parsons to demystify what makes group discussions actually work. Robin shares how she spends 1-2 hours preparing for EVERY hour of facilitation—proving that great facilitation isn't magic, it's methodical.We dig into the powerful ORID model (Objective, Reflective, Interpretive, Decisional) that transforms how you structure any discussion. Robin explains why addressing emotions is essential (and how to do it without making everyone uncomfortable), plus practical strategies for handling those tricky participants we all dread.If you're leading strategic planning sessions or guiding important decisions, this gives you tangible tools to make a difference in your facilitation game. It sure did for me. So don't wing it—learn some real strategies!Robin referred to ICA Associates for training. Find them here: https://ica-associates.ca/Find Robin herself at https://www.parsonsdialogue.com/And, as ever, find me at https://thehrhub.ca

Is traditional education holding kids back from real growth? What if asking better questions — not giving better answers — is the key to raising tomorrow's leaders?In this episode, we sit down with Brittany Craveiro — a bold educator, mother, and mentor who's redefining learning through Socratic facilitation and purposeful leadership. As a roadschooling parent and Apogee Women affiliate, Brittany helps young women think deeply, lead confidently, and take ownership of their future.If you're ready to challenge the way we teach and inspire a generation to become, not just perform, this conversation is for you.Quotes:• "I love to refer to Socratic conversations as exercise for your brain, because the first time I had a Socratic conversation, it really was obvious to me that I was accessing different parts of my brain." - Brittany Craveiro• "It's been an experience, and it's been neat to live with less and to see how much we were attached to things. So that's been a really cleansing opportunity, for sure." - Brittany Craveiro• "I fell in love with Socratic facilitation because it allows me to exercise my brain." - Brittany CraveiroKey Takeaways:• Redefine Leadership in Your Home: Create space for your kids (or yourself) to think out loud without fear of being “wrong.” Start one dinner this week with a big question — no right answers allowed.• Reflect on the Question “Who Are You Becoming?” Use this as a journal prompt or conversation starter. Instead of focusing on goals or grades, shift attention to identity and intention.• Practice Socratic Listening: In your next conversation, don't just listen to respond — ask one follow-up question that challenges or deepens what the other person said. Exercise curiosity instead of control.• Build Your Rules of Engagement: Whether for your family, team, or classroom — define how you want to show up in conversations. (e.g., Eye contact, kindness, take a stand, ask clarifying questions.)• Create a Daily Discipline Challenge: Choose one small act of self-care — fitness, food, sleep, or gratitude — and commit to doing it every day for the next 7 days. Then reflect: how did that one choice shape who you became?Conclusion:In a world obsessed with quick answers and constant performance, Brittany Craveiro reminds us that the questions we ask — of ourselves and others — are what truly shape us. Whether you're a parent, mentor, educator, or simply someone striving to grow, this episode challenges you to lead with intention, think deeply, and care for the one thing you truly own — your mind, your body, and your character. You don't have to follow the script society handed you. You get to design the kind of leader — and the kind of human — you're becoming.So… who are you becoming today?

Context is everything. But when we remove ourselves from the tried-and-tested playing board of our work environment, to rewrite the rules and become new characters on fresh, unchartered ground? Everything changes.On a mission to create a world where people play to learn, Mohsin Memon returns to the show, now as the mastermind of Evivve. His new multiplayer, leadership strategy simulation immerses teams in safe, fictional worlds rooted in neuroscience – designed to create powerful learning opportunities and realisations rooted in truth.A conversation filled with lightbulb moments, rich insights and lots of learnings for leaders and facilitators alike. Press play!Find out about:The AFFER model that underpins Mohsin's work in behavioural changeThe five behavioural learning cycle stages of activation, forecasting, experimentation, realisation and reflectionWhy the most effective leaders are those who can make sense of complexityHow simulation can democratise an organisation, without hierarchy or expectationThe biggest data learnings from Evivve's 20,000 game containers 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.Connect to Mohsin Memon:LinkedInWebsite 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!

What if your meetings could go from frustrating to high-functioning? In this episode, we sit down with Douglas Ferguson, president of Voltage Control and author of The Magical Meeting, to explore why facilitation is an essential, and often underdeveloped, skill for product managers. Douglas shares how intentional meeting design, inclusive practices, and purpose-driven structure can turn routine meetings into game-changing moments of alignment and insight. You'll learn key facilitation techniques like “work alone together,” how to navigate the dual role of product manager and facilitator, and ways to measure meeting success. Whether you're running sprints or cross-functional check-ins, this episode will help you stop dreading meetings and start leading them better. For additional resources, visit: www.voltagecontrol.com and www.facilitationlab.com More at: www.pragmaticinstitute.com/resources/podcasts

Do you ever notice how some couples only sprint toward “saving the marriage” when the divorce papers are already drafted—while others seem to glide forward, energized by a shared dream? In this week's episode of Master Your Marriage, we tackle the sneaky trap of away-from motivation (fixing things only when the fire alarm blares) versus the power of a toward vision that pulls you closer every day. From the cautionary tale of “Mark and Lisa” to a five-minute future-pacing meditation you can try today, you'll discover why dodging pain keeps you on a hamster wheel—while chasing a vivid, magnetic dream propels your relationship into lasting joy.Key TakeawaysVision Beats Crisis Mode: Couples thrive when they're propelled by a clear picture of what they want—not just a terror of what might go wrong.Toward vs. Away Motivation: Toward taps the prefrontal cortex (planning, reward); away fires up the amygdala (threat detector). Guess which one fuels sustainable connection?Self-Sabotage Loop: Relying on fear creates boom-and-bust cycles—think lottery winners who go broke or spouses who coast till the next blow-up.Science-Backed Shift: Deci & Ryan's Self-Determination Theory shows goals aligned with values drive deeper satisfaction than “avoid-pain” goals ever will.One Tiny Action Wins: A single intentional habit—daily check-ins, a kind note, listening without fixing—can yank you off the crisis rails and onto the vision highway.Anchor the Future: Their guided five-minute meditation lets you feel next year's dream marriage now, then “anchor” it with a thumb-and-finger press you can trigger anytime motivation wanes.Dive Deeper“Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation” by Edward Deci & Richard Ryan – The classic paper on toward motivation.“Drive” by Daniel H. Pink – A page-turning breakdown of autonomy, mastery, purpose, and why carrot-and-stick fails at home and work.Roy Baumeister's Research on Loss Aversion – Why bad feels stronger than good (and how to stop letting it run your marriage).Vision-Setting Worksheet (free PDF) – Map out values, dreams, and one weekly action; grab it at greatergood.berkeley.edu/vision.Connect with UsEmail: masteryourmarriage@gmail.com – Reach out for coaching, share wins, or pitch episode ideas.Instagram: @masteryourmarriage – Daily tips, behind-the-scenes reels, and a healthy dose of Snow-family humor.Reviews Matter! If this episode sparked an aha moment, drop a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify...

Get ready for an inspiring conversation that dives deep into the magic of transformative retreats, where a little discomfort and a lot of collaboration spark real, meaningful change. Barbara Patchen brings the energy as she shares why empathy is the secret sauce of great facilitation and how retreats can become powerful catalysts for growth.With warmth and wisdom, Barbara explores how safe, authentic spaces can help people connect on a deeper level, both personally and professionally. She champions principle-centered leadership, intentional listening, and the joy of building strong, human-first relationships at work.From her own leadership journey to the surprising role the environment plays in retreat success, Barbara reminds us that growth doesn't have to be a grind. In fact, enjoying the ride is part of the magic. Leaders, take note, this conversation is a masterclass in showing up with heart, modeling the behaviors you want to see, and creating spaces where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued.Bio Barbara Patchen is an organizational psychology practitioner who helps leaders shape cultures that people actually want to work in. She partners with organizations in moments of growth, transition, and change, designing the conditions for people and performance to thrive.As Founder and Principal Consultant of Moonlight Strategy, Barbara provides a mix of organizational consulting, leadership development programming, and executive coaching. Her work lives at the intersection of strategy and humanity, balancing the business outcomes leaders need with the human practices teams deserve. Her current portfolio includes healthcare systems, fast-scaling private equity-backed companies, non-profit leadership teams, and global organizations navigating complexity and growth.Previously, Barbara served as Head of Growth at Stoked, a human-centered design firm, where she helped corporate and non-profit partners build more progressive and adaptable teams. Her client roster includes companies like Hyatt Hotels, Coach, AARP, Cigna, TVA, Uber, Expedia, RetailMeNot, CVS, and T-Mobile. Earlier in her career, Barbara led Talent and Organizational Development inside a Fortune 200 healthcare company, where her team earned multiple national awards for building environments where leaders could thrive.Barbara holds a master's degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and an undergraduate degree in Business & Global Leadership. She currently lives on a 50-acre farm in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with her partner, where she spends her time canoeing the local rivers, cooking overly complicated meals for friends, and writing forfun.ResourcesExclusive Membership Group ✨ Sign Up!New Merch 

This episode centers around the concept of "the hook," a transformative idea that has the potential to enhance participant engagement and foster meaningful connections during workshops and meetings.

In this episode, we dive into one of the most frequently asked—and misunderstood—facilitation challenges: How do you remain neutral without sounding like a robot?  Whether you're a Scrum Master, leader, coach, or facilitator, neutrality matters—but it doesn't mean disengagement.  We unpack seven strategies to help you guide teams, encourage innovation, and create space for diverse perspectives—all while keeping your humanity (and your humor).

If facilitation was a mirror, what would you see? Would there be frameworks propping you up, a lingering desire to be liked, or insecurities sat atop your shoulder, quietly whispering in your ear?In his new book Facilitating Reflections, the one and only Thomas Lahnthaler holds up this mirror for us all. He invites us to go inward, to step out of the buzzword charade, to close the theory books, and to rethink what we know – because the best facilitation isn't found in a textbook, but when we can see ourselves a little clearer.Together, we journey through two decades worth of Thomas' facilitation learnings, exploring chapters, ideas, stories, and the rich spaces between facilitation and self. What a joy!Find out about:The art of self-exploration, and why it's so necessary for facilitators to masterNavigating the desire to be liked, belonging, and falling in love with the groupWhy facilitation, by default, is disruptive and therefore a threat to psychological safetyThe binary of good vs. bad facilitation – can it really exist?The important role that context, values and presence plays in facilitationDon't miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Thomas Lahnthaler's BooksConnect to Thomas Lahnthaler:LinkedInWebsiteShare 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!

Hajj through a global lens: Dr Sumayyah Hendricks reflects on gratitude, diversity, and divine facilitation by Radio Islam

Mastering the Art of Facilitation with Therese MiclotSummaryIn this episode of Present Influence, host John Ball welcomes expert facilitator and author Therese Miclot to discuss the crucial role of facilitation in meetings and presentations. Therese compares facilitation to the leavening agent in baking, emphasising its often overlooked but essential impact. They explore key elements such as mindset, content, and process, as well as practical skills like active listening and storytelling. Therese shares insights on managing disruptive participants, creating psychological safety, and crafting effective group agreements, offering valuable tips for anyone looking to enhance their facilitation skills.Check out Therese's website for more information about leadership facilitation: https://www.thefacilitationadvantage.com/Join us on YouTube for clips and additional content. Link below.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Effective Facilitation01:18 Welcoming Therese Miclot01:49 Defining Facilitation04:14 Common Facilitation Challenges06:43 The Importance of Mindset11:28 Creating Psychological Safety18:15 The Power of Storytelling23:00 Adding Color to Your Stories24:27 The Importance of Preparation in Storytelling26:19 Handling Disruptors in Facilitation31:38 Creating Effective Group Agreements34:02 Dealing with Resistant Participants36:19 The Power of Restating and Peer Feedback39:30 Memorable Facilitation Experiences41:06 The Facilitation Advantage Book43:48 Upcoming Episodes and SeriesGo to presentinfluence.com to take the Speaker StrengthsFinder Quiz and discover your greatest strengths as a speaker as well as where to focus for growth. For speaking enquiries or to connect with me, you can email john@presentinfluence.com or find me on LinkedInYou can find all our clips, episodes and more on the Present Influence YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PresentInfluenceThanks for listening, and please give the show a 5* review if you enjoyed it.

In this conversation, Phil Brown discusses the nuances of training in challenge courses, emphasizing the importance of shared experiences and safety protocols. He recounts a near miss incident involving a participant and a helmet, highlighting the lessons learned and the need for vigilance among facilitators. The discussion encourages a culture of continuous learning.   Facilitators should encourage discussions about impactful moments. Safety protocols must be adapted based on real experiences. Helmets can be both beneficial and problematic in certain scenarios. Vigilance is crucial when managing participants on challenge courses. Facilitators should practice lowering techniques before climbing. Sharing stories helps build a learning community. Anecdotal experiences can provide valuable lessons not found in manuals. Continuous learning is essential in the outdoor education industry. Engagement with the community can lead to shared insights and improvements. Connect with Phil - podcast@high5adventure.org Music and sound effects - epidemicsound.com Support the podcast - verticalplaypen.org

Share your thoughts about our conversation!Curation is far more than an artistic act – it is a political one! It's what's to leave in, what to take out, what to filter and what to frame. And through this sense-making assembly, it becomes an invitation: to pay attention, to expand our minds, and to stumble into serendipitous encounters.And nothing masters this quite like TED. Curator of ideas, and a 20-year shaper of the TED conferences, Bruno Giussani helped make the cultural institution what it is today – he joins me to dissect the art and science of facilitation's dear cousin, and why now, more than ever, curation is so necessary.Hear the creative workings of the Ted stage, the evolution of TedX, and why Bruno believes ‘content' is a wrecking ball to culture. This is a conversation you won't want to miss!Find out about:The cultural responsibility of curation in our desensitised age of informationThe polarities of algorithmic filters, and real-life, intimate, theatrical curationHow to curate engagement with care, while gently bursting the filter bubbleHow the TED stage was built to blend intimacy with visual impactThe use of music to primes new moods, neutralise tastebuds and signal art as part of the conversationDon't miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Bruno Giussani:LinkedInSupport 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!

Hello my dear Today is FANTASTIC Subscribe & Get our 100 Global Empowerment Benefits For You Watch https://youtu.be/B4kyMIHXguERead All & ACT NOW:* First REGISTER at our https://1gpb.net & Enjoy doing Daily Peace Actions with our greatest global mutual prosperity partnerships franchise -Youth, Volunteers, Internships, Ecology, Sports, Hobby, Wellness, Travel and Global Village Association for Peace - Organize DAILY PEACE ACTIONS for Ultimate Global Peace this year just plan in your year around programs Peace Expos, Peace Trainings, Peace Festivals, Rallies, Marathons, or Crusades, Peace Events, weekly Peace Projects, Community Service and Programs to Drive New 2nd coming Global Peace Building heavenly Epic Culture thus setup victorious Model Peace Communities. at your places in your country and globally with our partnership logo and pictures download it https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1P39Ee3LiD5Snqws_uhiXQ2q1IC4Y52mc?usp=sharing* Enjoy Volunteer Pro - Donating, Fundraising, Team-building, Networking, Capacity Building, Partnerships, Joining as an Organization, Supporting with Social Businesses, Offering Services, Donating Materials, Sharing Knowledge, Contributing Education, Lending Expertise, Providing Legal Advising, Donating Technologies, Gifting, Donating Real Estate, Donating Cars, Donating Gadgets, Contributing Time, Donating Assets, Investing, Passing the Word, Uniting in Any Way Possible, Mentorship & Guidance, Creative Contributions, Community Mobilization, Research & Innovation, Policy Advocacy, Digital Support, Event Hosting, Translation & Interpretation, Accessibility Support, Storytelling & Testimonials, In-Kind Sponsorships, Impact Investing, Facilitation & Mediation, Data Analysis, Grant Writing Support, Photography & Videography, Public Speaking, Building Online Communities, Civic Engagement all other ofYour Skills & Possibilities Are Welcome for peace just contact us now about, as Our Global Peace Ambassadors build global peace, an ideal democracy, uniting all 8 billion+ people, and fostering one global family of humankind under God by building True Parents God's model peace communities with awarding 430+ new ambassadors franchise.* This is our daily global peace drive to EMPOWER YOU: Mobilize your nation with Daily Peace Actions, Nationwide! Start taking powerful daily peace actions TODAY! As an individual, group, or organization, enjoy reaping over 100 benefits for peace by mobilizing your community and raising funds through GPBNet's Daily Peace Actions, as our Ultimate Global #Peace2025 movement is already gaining momentum. GPBNet Peace Ambassadors are accelerating peace rallies and festivals in Kenya (July 17-18), Uganda (August 20), Nigeria (October 4), and beyond.* Please reply with the date when you will organize a #Peace2025 Rally in your country?* The tools for change are ready: Become a global leader. Print and award with our Presidential Rank Global Peace Ambassadors Award over 430+ leaders ready to mobilize their people, funds, and resources for your rally: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CqNtx4ld6xraqpF7wWSwy_6wZbE4RLsu/view?usp=sharing send us monthly donations, percent from all funds you get directly to our Global Peace Fund https://www.1gpb.net/en/donate

Our first guest is Kirsty Lewis. She is the founder of the School of Facilitation. Known for her passion for designing and delivering brilliant workshops that create purpose, ownership, safety and engagement, she is a convener of freelance facilitators and trainers through the SOF collective whilst supporting corporate clients to evolve their learning game. On the side she is dishing up SOFest 2025, a festival for all facilitators and trainers. www.schooloffacilitation.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-schooloffacilitation Sarah Wood loves creating learning and development programs that really help people grow and do their best work. With a solid background in L&D, she brings that experience into high-velocity sales enablement teams where things move fast and impact matters. Sarah builds practical, engaging frameworks that support both individual growth and team success. She's big on collaboration and enjoys working closely with stakeholders to make things happen. From early ideas to full rollout and review, she takes a hands-on, flexible approach—making sure every learning experience feels relevant, useful, and helps people thrive in fast-moving environments. https://www.linkedin.com/in/woodsarah/ Episode Links: Building Rapport in a Professional Setting (With Tips) | Indeed.com How to build rapport: 6 tactics to build strong relationships The 6 Stages of Sales Process: Sellers vs. Buyers Do You Know What Your Company Is Actually Selling? The ‘Reflective Elevator Pitch' – 100 Ideas for Active Learning The essential components of a successful L&D strategy L&D Disruptors Toolkit Part 1: How to sell learning internally Facing the Challenge: How to Sell eLearning Internally Daring to Zlatan: How To Sell E-learning Internally Selling consulting services into large organisations Women in sales: It's time to smash clichés (including real tips from female sales leaders) What is the Difference Between Sales and Marketing? Women in Sales: How Female Leaders Are Empowering the Sales Industry [2025 Data] You can contact Women Talking About Learning through our website, womentalkingaboutlearning.com You can buy us a coffee to support Women Talking About Learning via Ko-Fi. Or you can email us via hello@llarn.com  

If you're at that stage where it's time plan out how to pass on your farm or ranch to the next generation, you may also be discovering the dynamics and challenges that brings for many families.

If you're at that stage where it's time plan out how to pass on your farm or ranch to the next generation, you may also be discovering the dynamics and challenges that brings for many families.

Share your thoughts about our conversation!Hailing from Quaker circles and Berkeley's grassroots community movements in the 1960s, is the sagacious Parker J. Palmer – activist, facilitator, teacher and author. His unconventional entry into facilitation was piqued by a fascination with circle-work, which inspired a 30+ year career spent holding space for the mutable truth to emerge.This is a wise, thoughtful conversation grounded in a lifetime of Parker's lived experiences. From authoring your own life, to questioning the truth with kindness, being aware of hubris and approaching facilitation with fresh curiosity every day.There's an incredible amount to learn from Parker in our conversation alone, and I hope you're as inspired as I was!Find out about:The confluence of facilitation, writing and teachingWhy safe spaces are an on-going practice, requiring facilitator's to protect individuals from judgement and criticismUnderstanding the concept of ‘truth' amongst a group of different perspectivesThe importance of allowing groups to sit in reflection, before rushing to problem-solveWhy every group workshop must be approached with fresh eyesDon't miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Center for Courage and RenewalLiving the Questions with Parker J. PalmerParker J Palmer PublicationsConnect to Parker J. Palmer:LinkedInWebsiteSupport 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!

Improving Organizational Performance, with Deb Page, The Institute for Performance Improvement (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 872) In this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray interviews Deb Page, the president of The Institute for Performance Improvement. Deb shares her insights on how organizations can navigate complex challenges, particularly focusing on the role […] The post Improving Organizational Performance, with Deb Page, The Institute for Performance Improvement appeared first on Business RadioX ®.

Improving Organizational Performance, with Deb Page, The Institute for Performance Improvement (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 872) In this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray interviews Deb Page, the president of The Institute for Performance Improvement. Deb shares her insights on how organizations can navigate complex challenges, particularly focusing on the role […]

Paul Austin isn't here to evangelize psychedelics. He's here to demystify them.As the founder and CEO of Third Wave, Paul has spent a decade educating the public on responsible psychedelic use—from microdosing protocols to full-dose journeys. In this episode, he shares how psychedelics are being used not just to treat mental health conditions, but to enhance leadership, decision-making, and personal clarity.We explore the science of neuroplasticity, the legal gray zones, and the risks of skipping the prep work. For high-performers feeling stuck or burnt out, Paul outlines a roadmap grounded in safety, structure, and serious self-inquiry. Whether you're curious, skeptical, or somewhere in between, this conversation is a guide—not a push—for what transformation can look like when approached with respect.Key Highlights of Our Interview:Why He Started Third Wave—and Why His Dad Tried It Too“My dad once told me he hadn't been that disappointed since his brother died. Years later, I guided him through his first psilocybin journey.”From Microdosing to Life Design“Microdosing isn't about escape—it's about reprogramming. You still have to show up and do the hard stuff.”Psychedelics as a Skill, Not a Fix“Just like cooking or martial arts, this is a practice. You get better with time, feedback, and intention.”When Leaders Feel Stuck, This Is the Pattern Breaker“For many execs I work with, it's not about trauma—it's about lost clarity, emotional fog, or a 360 review that hit too close to home.”Start Low, Go Slow: Why That Advice Matters More Than Ever“You can always take more—you can't take less. Begin with microdosing. Build awareness before diving deep.”The Snow Globe and the Ski Slope: Two Metaphors That Explain It All“Think of psychedelics as shaking up the snow globe. Or fresh powder on a slope—you're no longer stuck in someone else's ruts.”Legal Doesn't Mean Safe. Illegal Doesn't Mean Dangerous.“Psychedelics became illegal for political—not medical—reasons. But that doesn't mean you can skip the legal risks.”Where It's Legal—And What to Do If It's Not“Colorado. Oregon. The Netherlands. Costa Rica. Go where it's legal. Work with a guide. Respect the law.”The Five Elements of a Safe Psychedelic Journey“Assessment. Preparation. Facilitation. Integration. Microdosing. Miss one, and the whole thing can derail.”Why No One Should Be Talked Into It“Don't do it for your friend, your spouse, or your coach. You have to want this for you.”_____________________Connect with us:Host: Vince Chan | Guests: Paul Austin  --Chief Change Officer--Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligencefor Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.EdTech Leadership Awards 2025 Finalist.18 Million+ All-Time Downloads.80+ Countries Reached Daily.Global Top 1.5% Podcast.Top 10 US Business.Top 1 US Careers.>>>170,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.

In part two of a two-part end of the year double feature special, Logan sits down with friend and fellow student Bryce Caron to reflect and discuss the year as first-year students. Additionally Logan reflects on his first year as a podcast host and producer and discusses what the future of Fun, Fear, & Facilitation might look like. Here's the breakdown: (0:39) Welcome and Guest Introduction (1:24) Quote of the Day (2:30) Reflection on Finals (7:15) Reflection on Podcast (11:13) Reflection on Year 1 (15:34) Facilitator Q&A (31:01) Final Thoughts and Outro

Show us how you handle facilitation and collaboration at the table…and specifically, how do you make sure everyone stays involved! Phil and Senda are pretty passionate about this because it’s part of both their hobby MORE

In this episode, Cristina Amigoni and Alex Cullimore dive into the often overlooked art of facilitation and the real impact of effective training. Reflecting on their experiences creating and delivering leadership programs, they explore what makes training successful—and why it's never just about memorizing content.We unpack why every change in an organization is, at its core, a behavioral change—and how facilitation helps people not only understand but internalize those changes. From navigating the unpredictability of live sessions to the profound personal growth that comes from teaching, Cristina and Alex share insights on what it takes to turn training into transformation.Whether you're a leader, facilitator, or team member stepping into something new, this episode will reshape how you think about change, learning, and human connection.

In this conversation, Phil Brown and Ken Weisner explore the significance of play in learning and personal development. Ken shares his journey into the world of play, highlighting key moments that shaped his understanding of its importance. They discuss the barriers adults face in engaging with play, the marketing challenges within the industry, and the profound impact play can have on team dynamics and personal growth. Ken emphasizes the essential qualities of a facilitator in creating a playful environment, underscoring the need for energy and passion in facilitating play. In this conversation, Ken Weisner shares insights on the importance of play in education and personal development. He emphasizes the need for a playful mindset, engaging activities, and the power of empathy in connecting with participants. Ken discusses his favorite activities that foster connection and learning, and he reflects on his journey towards writing a book about the significance of play.   Play is essential for learning and personal growth. Experiences in Montessori education can reshape perspectives on learning. Adults often fear looking silly, which hinders their ability to play. Creating a safe environment is crucial for adult play. Marketing play effectively can change perceptions of its value. Fun experiences can lead to significant personal insights. Team bonding through play can enhance relationships and performance. Facilitators must exude energy and passion to engage participants. Reflection can occur without verbal reporting; internalization is key. Play can break down barriers and foster connections among diverse groups. You have to have a child's mind. Learn more about Ken - https://www.beachplaycompany.com/ Ask me a question - podcast@high5adventure.org Support the podcast - verticalplaypen.org Music and sound effects - epidemicsound.com

What You'll Learn:Are you learning about improvement or actually doing it? In this episode, host Patrick Adams is joined by continuous improvement leader Brian DeVries to dig into the power of hands-on learning and why lectures alone just don't cut it. From the shop floor to the boardroom, real growth happens when you roll up your sleeves and apply what you've heard. Whether you're training teams or leveling up your own skills, tune in to discover how action-based learning builds true confidence, competence, and lasting change. About the Guest:Brian is a global leader with over 13 years of experience in driving lean strategy and assessments within manufacturing, food processing, and distribution facilities. Industries served in his career include agriculture, office furniture, food & beverage, golf course maintenance, and insurance. He is dedicated to improving lives through continuous improvement work and focuses on his core values of Happiness, Empathy, and Hope.Professionally, Brian has been recognized in the lean industry, having been featured on podcasts, served as an elected member of the Board of Directors for the Michigan Lean Consortium from 2016-2020, and spoken at various conferences, including the 2016 Lean Six Sigma World Conference where his team won the Project of the Year award. He prides himself on empowering those he works with to change their lives and continues to seek opportunities to inspire others.LINKS:Click Here For Brian DeVries' LinkedInClick Here to Enter the giveaway and to learn more about Kaizen Kit!The Big Thinking of a Small Knight

Share your thoughts about our conversation!How do we host ourselves as facilitators – and how do we host others? How do we grow bigger minds to meet the complexity out there, and then rest in it without needing to know the answers?Marco Valente joins me for a big, juicy and mind-opening conversation as we navigate the inner workings of the growing self – and the leader – to better understand the messy, unpredictable complexities of our world. It's about walking up to our mind's balcony in search of self-awareness and inner presence, it's about getting vulnerable in our wrongness, and getting comfortable with the unknown.Marco shares his thoughts, leadership advice and hosting tips with beautiful eloquence and I invite every leader, facilitator and sense-maker to press play to this wonderful episode.Find out about:The mind trap of identity, ego and feedbackThe evolutionary pulls of fear - how much helps or hinders us?Why KPIs can harm the collective, rather than help with long-term growthThe paradox of learning more facilitation methods, in order to detach ourselves from them The balancing act of structure and emergence to accurately address group needsDon't miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Marco Valente:LinkedInWebsite 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!

Stephan Kerby, director of the Mindscape Institute, comes back on the podcast to share all about his new book, Trauma-Informed 5-MeO-DMT Facilitation: An Educational Manual, which we produced together expanding on materials used for the class of the same name with the institute. In this conversation we discuss not only the content, but also the process of how the book came about, what it offers, and how it can be used for those looking to expand their awareness of facilitation. It's available now at Amazon in paperback and ebook. 

In part one of a two-part end of the year double feature special, Logan discusses summer programs, and how it is different from traditional programming. Here's the breakdown: (0:37) Welcome and Topic Introduction (1:48) Quote of the Day (2:34) Summer programming on a challenge course. (7:24) Community Engagement (12:59) Safety Considerations (14:31) Final Thoughts and Outro

Hey humans! I was absolutely thrilled to have a fascinating conversation with Alison Coward joining us all the way from across the pond (as I finally got to say!) Alison shared her incredible human experience, tracing her journey through the worlds of fashion promotion, supporting creative practitioners, and ultimately diving deep into the power of collaboration. We kicked off by exploring Alison's path, from her early fascination with the creative industries to her pivotal Master's research focused on collaboration within that sector. This led to the birth of her business, Bracket, which initially aimed to connect creative freelancers for collaborative projects.  Alison also sheds light on the application of design thinking principles to foster more human-centered and collaborative ways of working within teams. It was truly an insightful discussion that left me pondering how we can all be more intentional about fostering collaboration and creativity in our daily work. Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com. Alison Coward Bracket Website Alison Coward LinkedIn Alison Coward's new book, Workshop Culture

Share your thoughts about our conversation!Helping people to do their best thinking, is Amanda Cookson. A coach, facilitator and all-round neuroscience whizz, she's made it her mission to help leaders better understand what it means to be human.And it all starts with our own thinking-feeling, wildly brilliant, untamed brain! She guides us through its inner workings with effervescence and passion, showing us how to work with it – rather than against it – steer pulse-quickening conversations towards oxytocin, and design experiences that help rewire the brain for real, lasting change.An energising, thoughtful conversation, full of golden mind-training nuggets to try in both facilitation, and life!Find out about:Why the discomfort of cognitive dissonance can lead to richer learningsThe power of asking great questions in search of answers that ignite deep thinkingAmanda's feelings-based ground rules of presence, curiosity and generosityFriends vs Foe: how to turn self-fulfilling prophecies into human connection How to facilitate with the brain in mind, for insight, rather than informationDon't miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Connect to Amanda Cookson:LinkedInWebsite 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 greatest myth of creativity? It doesn't fall from the sky into our laps like Isaac Newton's apple! Creativity is far from that romantic, eureka moment, but rather it is messy, cultivated, and curiosity made manifest.Luckily for us, Amy Climer has created a system to go about finding this elusive, but valuable novelty with intention – consistently and at scale. A TEDx speaker,  trainer and author of the book ‘Deliberate Creative Teams: How to Lead for Innovative Results', Amy's work is a creative panacea for leaders, managers and facilitators in search of better ideas.From positive feedback fertilisers, to creative learnings from Thomas Edison, she shares her process and the ingredients you'll need to succeed.Find out about:The three pillars of creative teams: purpose, dynamics and processWhy conflict is a necessary means to recognise and embrace differenceWhy leaders must intentionally design for collaboration, or risk jeopardising the collectiveHow to cultivate the internal team conditions to allow for creativityDon't miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Links:Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.Deliberate Creative Teams Book: climerconsulting.com/bookClimer cardsConnect to Amy Climer:LinkedInWebsiteSupport 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!

Send us a textIn this episode, we're breaking down why some teachers stay on fire while others burnout, stall out, or check out—and it's not about how hard they're working.Backed by Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), we're unpacking how perceived value and accountability shape motivation—and what happens when one (or both) are missing.You'll learn the Value–Accountability Matrix—a practical tool that helps you:Spot the difference between thriving and surviving,Diagnose why effort isn't turning into progress,And figure out exactly where to boost meaning or tighten expectations.Reflection of the Week: “Which quadrant is each of my teachers operating in—and what do they need from me to move forward?”Because effort alone doesn't create progress.Effort with value and accountability does.Want even more insight into your coaching? Coaching isn't just about strategy—it's about belief. Take the Catalyst Mindset Quiz and uncover which belief shift your team (or you) need next.Curious how the other Catalyst Mindsets™ show up in your coaching?You've explored the Value Mindset—now discover which ones are showing up strongest and which need more attention.

Are you empowering others or unleashing agency? In this episode, Judith Katz and Fred Miller join Kevin to discuss the role of agency in the workplace. While autonomy and authority are often topics of discussion, agency — the ability for all individuals, regardless of their role or tenure, to possess power, influence, and a voice — is crucial for high-performance organizations. They explain how organizational cultures often "smother" this natural agency through excessive rules, approvals, and "checkers checking checkers," which leads to the slow implementation of even the best strategies. Judith and Fred highlight that organizations need to transition from control-based leadership to trust-based leadership. Listen For 00:08 Autonomy, Authority, and Agency Introduction 00:40 Join Future Episodes Live + Book Promo 01:31 Introducing Judith Katz and Fred Miller 02:15 Background of the Guests and Their Work 02:58 Focus on Their Book: The Power of Agency 03:43 Fred's Journey to Writing the Book 05:22 Constraints in Organizations Today 06:15 Speed vs. Bureaucracy and Motivation for the Book 07:03 Judith on Why the Book Matters Now 08:08 Uncovering Ideas and Talent in the Workplace 08:38 Defining Agency 10:02 Who Should Have Agency in Organizations 10:26 Agency vs. Empowerment 11:34 The Natural State of Human Agency 12:16 Smothering vs. Unleashing Agency 12:43 Empowerment as Bestowing vs. Agency as Unleashing 13:42 Is the Trend Toward or Away from Agency? 15:16 Organizational Culture Post-COVID 16:14 Importance of Being Physically Together Sometimes 17:21 Human Connection and In-Person Insights 18:17 Discretionary Energy Drives Great Organizations 18:53 Skills Needed for Practicing Agency 19:55 Trust, Experimentation, and Continuous Improvement 21:13 Ownership and Decision-Making in Action 22:16 Fear of Going Big in Organizational Culture 23:05 Leadership and Facilitation for Voice 24:14 Mindset Shift Needed for Agency 25:05 Fear, Control, and Trust in Talent 26:29 Talent Retention Through Agency 27:17 Disengagement and Side Gigs 28:03 Saying Yes as a Leadership Strategy 29:07 The Core of Agency in Action 29:34 What the Guests Do for Fun 30:41 What They're Reading Now 32:09 Where to Find the Book and Connect 33:39 Final Thoughts and Call to Action  This Episode is brought to you by... Flexible Leadership is every leader's guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos.  Book Recommendations The Power of Agency by Frederick A. Miller and Judith H. Katz No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese Like this? Understanding Employee Engagement with Jacqueline Throop-Robinson Creating a Culture of Reinvention - Lessons from Netflix with Erin Meyer A Practical Guide for Building Engagement with Brian Hartzer  

"The power of facilitation is to bring all the voices to the table, and as you may have heard this saying, "nothing for us without us," and I love that, it resonates so much."-Alexis Scranton In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, host Douglas Ferguson converses with Alexis Scranton from Aligned Impact Solutions. Alexis shares her journey from teaching kindergarten and third grade to training teachers on national reform projects, which led her to specialize in facilitating corporate social responsibility and social impact initiatives. The discussion highlights the importance of inclusivity in decision-making, the differences between facilitating adult learning and teaching children, and the role of effective questioning in overcoming resistance. Alexis emphasizes creating environments where all voices are heard, fostering collaboration, and drawing out collective wisdom for impactful outcomes.    

A frustrated CEO, a legacy system no one liked, and a looming contract deadline — this episode unpacks the story of how one team broke out of vendor-driven inertia and took back control of their tech strategy. What started as confusion and friction turned into clarity and confidence, all through the power of intentional facilitation and a tightly structured two-day workshop. You'll hear how a group of cross-functional stakeholders aligned on priorities, identified risky assumptions, and rapidly shaped a new path forward — including a validated RFP and scoring rubric — in just 16 hours. This episode is packed with practical tips for anyone facing a big, high-stakes decision with too many options and too little time. Inside the episode... A CEO's challenge with legacy tech and vendor pressure How a two-day workshop turned chaos into clarity The role of facilitation in accelerating strategic alignment Stack ranking, 2x2 matrices, and other prioritization techniques Why solo work before group discussion makes a huge difference Designing better user stories from the ground up Using ChatGPT to draft faster, better RFPs and rubrics How to spot and de-risk your most dangerous assumptions Tactical facilitation tips for running your own workshop The impact of intentional structure, breaks, and focus Mentioned in this episode ChatGPT RFP (Request for Proposal) templates and scoring rubrics Integral's Plus/Delta/Learn framework Facilitation techniques like 2x2 matrices, stack ranking, dot voting Data integration planning Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.   Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence

If your team keeps revisiting the same issues over and over again, Groundhog Day-style, this episode is for you. Leadership coach Marsha Acker shares why it happens, how to recognize hidden conversational patterns, and what to do when you feel stuck. Overview In this episode, Brian Milner sits down with executive team coach and author Marsha Acker to unpack one of the most frustrating challenges teams face: circular conversations that never seem to resolve. You know the ones; same issue, different day. Marsha introduces a practical framework, structural dynamics, to help leaders and Scrum Masters decode what’s actually happening beneath the surface of their team’s conversations. From identifying communication patterns to creating space for dissent and inquiry, they explore how to break out of those conversational loops, build psychological safety, and foster real change. Whether you're leading meetings or just stuck in too many of them, this episode will help you shift the dynamic for good. References and resources mentioned in the show: Marsha Acker The Art and Science of Facilitation by Marsha Acker Build Your Model for Leading Change: A guided workbook to catalyze clarity and confidence in leading yourself and others by Marsha Acker #137: Stop Wasting Time with Guests Kate Megaw #94: Connecting Teams and Leadership with Anthony Coppedge Retrospectives Repair Guide Better Retrospectives Join the Agile Mentors Community Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Marsha Acker is an executive coach, author, and the founder of TeamCatapult, where she helps leadership teams break out of communication ruts and lead real, lasting change. With two decades of experience guiding everyone from startups to Fortune 500s, Marsha specializes in transforming how teams talk, decide, and grow—one conversation at a time. Auto-generated Transcript: Brian Milner (00:00) Welcome back, Agile Mentors. We're back for another episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast. I'm with you as always, Brian Milner. And today I have the honor of having Ms. Marcia Acker with us. So welcome in, Marcia. Marsha Acker (00:12) Hi Brian, it's good to be here. Brian Milner (00:14) Very very happy to have Marcia with us. Marcia is the CEO of a group called Team Catapult and she is a team coach. She does a lot of work with teams and leaders. She's an author. She's a speaker and we wanted to have her come on because of a book that she has out recently called Build Your Model for Leading Change. She also has another book called The Art and Science of Facilitation, which I'm sure is really appealing to a lot of people here as well. You know, as Scrum Masters, if you're a Scrum Master out there, we do a lot of facilitating. So that's probably a really interesting pickup for you also. But we wanted to have Marsha on because we wanted to talk about an issue that I hear a lot about in classes. This is something that I hear a lot of questions around, and it can be a really big source of issues when you think about working together in close, tight units as a team. And that's how teams communicate. kind of the issues and problems that we have with communication amongst teams. So, you know, when we're talking about this, we're talking about teams not listening to each other, not understanding each other, misunderstanding someone's motives, something like that. And one of the things I know that I've seen a lot, I've encountered this a lot, and this is one of the things that I know you talk about quite a bit in your book, is this kind of loop that we get in a little bit, right? We have these conversations where... It just feels like we're stuck in a loop. We're saying the same things over and over again. it's like, I in Groundhog Day? Am I reliving the same thing we just went through? So let's start there and just say, why do you think that that happens? Why do you think that teams have this kind of Groundhog Day effect where you might have these conversations that just kind of keep popping up over and over again? Marsha Acker (01:35) Mm-hmm. It's a great question, Brian. think a number of years ago, I had a background in facilitation, but I got really interested in this particular question because I found not only in my own experience, I had multiple examples that I could give you of conversations that I felt like I'd have with somebody. then we would be, a week or two later, we'd be back talking about the same thing. And I'd think, I, you know, from my perspective, I thought we resolved that. So, so why are we talking about it again? And then I noticed in my work with teams that they would do the same thing. So, you know, I'd be in a session with a team, I'd help them facilitate a decision. They'd make the decision and then I'd be back with them a month later and the same topic would be up. And I'm I just found myself confused. So I think, I think there are many reasons why that happens. But if I were to, If I were to create a theme for that, think there's a couple of big themes that I see play out. I think there are many places on our teams today where we stay at the surface level of the conversation. Like we get super focused on what we're talking about. So whether it's the tool that we're using, the features that are gonna be in the next release, like we get so super focused on it. And then we're hyper. aware of time boxes. So we want to make sure we talk about the thing, get the decision, and we want to do it in 30 minutes or less. I saw a post on LinkedIn the other day where someone was advocating that there shouldn't be any meeting that would need to go past 25 minutes. And I thought, see it really differently because I think while there are places where we absolutely do need to maybe just quickly exchange information or keep things moving along, or we just want to hear briefly from people. I think if we're advocating that every meeting should only take 25 minutes, we are likely going to have those Groundhog Day conversations because it doesn't give us the space to get to the real topic. So I think that's where we spend a lot of time talking about the thing, the topic, and we really don't create enough time to drop down into focus on are we really, there space here for me to share what I really think or do you just want me to show up here in this meeting that you're running? You clearly have maybe your own agenda. You feel like you've already got the decision made. And so you'd really like my role to be to just receive your information and go off and do it. So I think there's a complexity here of Brian Milner (04:27) Yeah. Marsha Acker (04:32) What's the topic we're talking about? Is it the real topic that we need to talk about? Or is there, is it sort of the mask for what we might be able to drop into a deeper conversation to have? Are we being super focused on a time box? And are we creating enough range in our meetings that we've got spaces where we are efficient and fast and very deliberate about the conversation and then other spaces where, you know, those topics that keep returning. They're great places to go, there's data here for us. I think of them as yellow flags. there's something here for us to explore further. So let's take this topic and let's carve out a little bit more time for it. I'm curious what you see. Brian Milner (05:15) Yeah. No, that's a great observation. And I think you're right. It is a frustration. Looking back over my career and looking back through corporate meetings and things I've been a part of, there is frustration with someone who's coming in and not really having a meeting planned and not really having an agenda. But I think there is another kind of side issue there that can cause a lot of misunderstanding about Marsha Acker (05:33) Yeah. Brian Milner (05:44) what we're trying to achieve and that's the purpose. If we're here for a certain topic, I can understand that, but then what is it that's expected of me in this meeting? Am I here to just receive information? Is this a knowledge dump or a status update from someone else? is this, we have an issue and we need to talk through it and fully understand it. Marsha Acker (05:47) Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Brian Milner (06:13) And I think sometimes that's what I've kind of seen is that there's this mismatch of, well, I thought I was here for this. And now it's clear that you don't really want my opinion. You just want to tell me what it is. And so now I'm refocused or the opposite. I thought I was here just to receive information, but now I'm realizing that you really need me to dig in and give you my educated advice on this. Well, I wasn't prepared to do that. Marsha Acker (06:20) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think this notion, and I see it happen a lot with Agile teams, like somewhere in our professional careers, and I think there's very good reason for, like we get rewarded for, know, from the time we're in very early school all the way through the end of school, we get rewarded for having answers. And then we end up in the workplace and we find ourselves in collaborative spaces. And so I think there's this belief that, you know, someone who's calling the meeting, they will have a little bit of this internal story that if I come with only questions and no solutions, then what value am I adding? Like that's, how am I useful to this organization? I've actually had people say to me, why would this organization hire me to come in and ask other people questions? Brian Milner (07:28) Wow. Marsha Acker (07:29) And so I think that's really, I love giving voice to that because I do think that there's a narrative that sits in our organizations that I, and a little bit of a fear. Like if I come to a meeting and I'm asking people to collaborate or I'm truly asking them open ended questions and I want to hear what they have to say and we're going to listen to, you know, I talk a lot about wanting to create this collective intelligence. And I think it takes a while to access that in a group of people. that it requires us to be able to suspend this idea that we're not adding value if we're asking questions and to reframe our value as helping to tap into a collective. And you can certainly have a point of view or a perspective, but if you're really wanting to tap into that intelligence, then I think it requires something different of us if we're the meeting host or the meeting leader. I think the other thing that will happen too is depending on who's in charge, like senior architects or somebody senior in the team can also get caught in that trap. Like, well, I'm supposed to come with answers. And I think we can come with ideas. But if we're really wanting to collaborate, and then this gets to your point about why are we gathering? Because sometimes I think there will be places where somebody has already made the decision and they're not asking for input on the decision. Brian Milner (08:42) Yeah. Marsha Acker (08:50) but they're wanting to share the decision that's been made and enroll people in the decision that's been made and invite them into collaborating on actually how that's gonna get implemented. But we're not opening this conversation up for what's been decided about architecture, what's been decided about what's going into a release. So I think this clarity and intentionality like you talk about around purpose, why am I here? What do you want from me? It's huge. And I think it's really tied to also some of our thinking about how are we adding value. Brian Milner (09:23) Yeah. The comment about, know, people not feeling like they're adding value if they're just asking questions that, kind of, maybe it's just for my recent experience with coaching and everything, but to me that, that just, it's so contrary, you know, to, to my way of thinking now, I guess I would say in that, you know, when I've been a part of discussion, when I've been part of a meeting, that I've looking back, that I feel like has gone really well. Marsha Acker (09:26) . Mm-hmm. Brian Milner (09:48) Uh, or, or a person that I feel like has really contributed to the meeting. Oftentimes it, it is that person who is asking questions that get us to think in a different way to get us to consider from a different perspective. So, you know, that that's why it feels a little strange to think about it. I agree with you. I agree that that's, you know, the attitude of some people or that's the way they see, you know, how I contribute to a meeting, but it just feels like it's such the opposite of that. That might be the most valuable thing we could do is to get people to see things from a different perspective or consider maybe things they haven't considered about this issue. Marsha Acker (10:25) Yeah, I think it's one of the first mindset shifts in a transition from being a contributor to maybe managing or leading, whether it's you're just leading a team or whether you're leading a whole organization. I think this idea of where does value come from and what's my role in the value creation, it's a shift, I think, for us. I love when people can get to a place of thinking about creating containers in organizations where people get to be their best. And then it does, your thinking does shift from, what's the piece of content that I can contribute to? What's the question that would really unlock different perspectives? And I think the other piece about that is what's the question that would elicit a... I talk about it being opposed, but you know, a contrarian perspective or point of view, because I think that's the other thing that can keep us in these circular conversations is when what we're really thinking doesn't get said. So if I don't feel like I can tell you in the room what I'm really thinking, I'll tell everybody else offline. Brian Milner (11:34) Right. The meeting after the meeting, right? Yeah. Yeah. And that, course, gets to the heart of psychological safety and kind of those dynamics within a team. We started this off talking about kind of this feeling of getting stuck. And so I want to kind of come back to that a little bit and say, I want to ask you, what are some of the causes of that? Why do we find ourselves trapped in these loops? Marsha Acker (11:36) Yes. You Mm. Brian Milner (11:59) that just, know, whatever we decide doesn't actually do anything or we find ourselves right back in the same place. Why do these, what's causing this? Marsha Acker (12:08) Yeah, well, let's play around with a bit of a framework to help us think about what's happening in the conversation. Yeah. So there is a theory of structural dynamics. It comes from work of David Cantor. And what it allows us to do is sort of think about being able to code the conversation that we're happening. And by code, I mean it helps us focus not on the topic. So whatever the topic might be. It doesn't matter. It helps us focus on how we're engaging in that conversation more of the how. And so there are four actions. Everything that we say could actually be coded into one of four actions, which I think is really kind of fascinating. So you just made a move by taking us back and pointing to the topic about stuck conversations, right? So what keeps us stuck? And that's a move because you're pointing in a direction. So moves kind of set direction in the conversation. I could make a new move and say, you know, let's talk about, yeah, where we might meet at a conference sometime, Brian. But that's a totally different topic. So moves set direction in a conversation. The second action is a follow, which gets behind and supports. So I followed your move by saying, yes, that's great. Let's do that. Here's, and then. Brian Milner (13:12) Right. Yeah. Marsha Acker (13:26) And then a bit of a new move from me, let me introduce a language for thinking about that. So you made a move, I followed, and then brought in another move. So now we're starting to, by being able to name actions, we're starting to get a sense of patterns. So there's two more actions, the action of a pose. So a pose offers like really clear pushback. It says, no, hang on, stop. Let's not go off the bridge or. I really disagree with this piece about what you're saying. So it offers a clear pushback or constraint to what's been said. And then the fourth action is a bystand. And a bystand is a morally neutral comment that names what's happening in the conversation. So I could bystand on myself in a conversation and say, you know, I'm really feeling engaged by the dialogue, or I might say I'm really confused. or if we're noticing a pattern, somebody might say, I notice we're getting stuck. So a bystand is a way for people to name what's happening or bridge competing ideas. But the other thing, the benefit of the bystand is that sometimes it also slows down the conversation. So to your question about what gets us stuck, it's really helpful if we can separate. what we're talking about and start to briefly look at how we're talking because what gets us stuck in conversations is when one or more of those actions is missing over the course of time. So we need all four of them to be voiced. One of the biggest problems in our stuck conversations is that a pose goes offline. Not in every team. There will be teams for whom a pose is stronger. But in my experience in American business, for sure, a pose is often the thing that is missing or it goes offline. So the way it will play out, there's a couple of different patterns. One will be what we call serial moving. And those are teams. Like a meeting with serial moving will have lots of fast pace. So somebody says this. then we're talking about this topic, now we're talking about this. And it will, like, you'll have a feeling like we accomplished a lot, but then you walk out at the end of the session and you go. So we talked about, exactly, we talked about this, this and this, and I don't know what we decided. Brian Milner (15:52) What just happened, right? Marsha Acker (15:58) So people that leave those kinds of meetings, they'll have this sort of false sense of, yeah, we got somewhere when we really didn't, we didn't close things out. So serial moving can be a pattern that can keep us stuck because we don't close things. There can be another pattern where there's a lot of move and follow. We call it courteous compliance. Another word for it would just, I forget the other label that we can give to it, but there's the sense that somebody makes a move and everybody else just says, sure, fine. So it's lacking the energy of the dynamics that you would get if the other actions were active and being voiced. And then there's a pattern where we might have too much bystand. So in a team that starts to complain about why did we use this tool or, know, I'm noticing nobody's using Slack or I'm noticing, you know, when we, when something gets posted in Slack, nobody acknowledges it. So if you find yourself in a meeting where, people are sharing a lot of context or perspective, maybe we can, I call it a hall of mirrors. Like we've got lots of perspective, but what's needed is for somebody to really make a move and say, all right, so given that now, what do we want to do about it? So what's really fascinating about those, we can also get locked in a move and a pose, a really strong advocacy or argument. And what's needed in that kind of argument is we need more follow and bystand. But what I find fascinating, so a pattern that I see play out over and over again will be one of two, the serial moving or the courteous compliance. So we've got a lot of moves or we've got move and follow. Brian Milner (17:25) Yeah. Marsha Acker (17:45) And if I'm someone in the meeting that either doesn't feel like my voice is welcomed or that it would be a career limiting move to oppose you, what I'll do is start to use one of the other actions in place of my oppose. So if it's not okay for me to push back and say, Brian, I don't want to talk about that, or I disagree, I think we're going off track, then what I might start doing is just making new moves. Brian Milner (18:02) Hmm. Marsha Acker (18:15) So rather than say to you, hey, Brian, I don't want to do that, you'll be talking about something, and now I'm introducing another topic. Hey, can we talk about where we're going for lunch next week? Or can we talk about the meaning behind that word over there that we were using last week? we don't do it intentionally. It comes for really good reason. Brian Milner (18:36) Right. Marsha Acker (18:39) We will all have our own reasons about why we do or don't do that. But I think some of the greatest work to do in teams is to talk about those four actions, to normalize them, and to invite them. Brian Milner (18:52) I love this. what kind of fascinated me, caught my attention the most about what you were saying is when I saw these, and kind of reading up here and reading through your work prior to our discussion, those four modes, when I read it, the first time it seemed to make sense, move, follow, oppose, bystand. But when I saw bystand, it really did seem, my first initial gut response was, yeah. That makes sense. There are bystanders that are happening in meetings that just do nothing. They just kind of sit back and they're not going to be, you know, they're not going to get in the way of the flow of something. But the way you described it is really fascinating because it's not a passive thing. It is an active participation. Marsha Acker (19:35) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Actually, if somebody is, well, I love that you're naming that because I get asked that question all the time. So again, American business trends. So if you step into the mind of someone who believes that I'm really only adding value if I'm bringing ideas and the way we would code that would be often you're making moves. So people will tend to value. making moves and opposes because a lot of times that's what the culture values. If you're in an organization that says, bring me problems, bring me solutions, you will find a cultural pattern in there of people showing up and making moves and opposes throughout their whole meeting. It'll be a stuck pattern. It'll be overused actions. But if we think about, so bystand could be questions, asking powerful questions. what's that mean to us falls along the line of bringing inquiry into the conversation. And so it gives us a way to balance advocacy and inquiry. But bystand is, bystand and follow are active. If somebody was not saying anything in the conversation, we wouldn't know, we wouldn't be able to code them because they're not speaking. And those four relate to speech acts. So, We have to speak in order for it to be coded as something. But those people who are sitting back often have some of the best bystands. Like if you were to tap that person on the shoulder and say, hey, I would love to know what you see right now in the conversation, they'd probably be able to tell you. Brian Milner (20:57) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I love this. And, you know, one of the things we teach in our advanced Scrum Masterclass is having people kind of understand how to deal with conflict in their teams and stuff. And we talk about the Thomas Killman kind of five responses to conflict. And I'm seeing a lot of overlap here in these modes too of, some of these things sound like a certain response to conflict in certain ways as well. But before we run out of time, I want to... Marsha Acker (21:30) Mm. Yeah. Brian Milner (21:43) I want to make sure that we get to, if we're in this situation, what are some steps, what are some things we can do to break that chain and not just have the same conversation again next week. Marsha Acker (21:48) Yeah. Yeah. So I would love for people to just think about using those four actions, especially if you work with a team on a fairly frequent basis, right? You will likely, even as I describe those, you will likely start to be able to identify what's the pattern that might be showing up. So I think the first step is can you identify or create a hypothesis for yourself about what might our structural pattern be? So do I hear like really clear poses? You know, do we make a lot of moves? So if you can find the actions that are predominant in your conversation, that's really the first step. And then the second step, there are a couple of different things to counteract each of them. So if move is really strong and it's coming from certain people, designing your facilitated session or even inviting participants to other participants to be the ones to make the move. So inviting others to speak first is one way to do it. limiting the number of moves that people can make. So sometimes if I'm working with a team that has that pattern, I'll give them some kind of, I'll give them a poker chip or I'll give them a card that says move on it. And I will limit everybody to one move per meeting. So structurally, I'm asking people to start to constrain their own moves. And then asking them to then step into, know, if somebody makes a move, staying with it long enough. as, so as a facilitator, you might say, if you noticed that you've got multiple moves on the table, you might just say, Hey, we've got four topics. This, this, this, and this, which is the one that we want to dive into first. So that's another way of just prompting a group to follow a move that they've made. And I think if you're noticing, you don't have a pose. You. chances are that is not going to come naturally. So I think you've really got to design questions that surface it. asking for what are the risks or who sees this differently. A lot of times if I'm leading a session, I will ask people, where did I get it wrong or what do I have wrong? Brian Milner (23:47) Yeah. Marsha Acker (24:12) What am I missing? What might I not be seen? So those are all ways for me to prompt. And I think if you've got some hierarchy in the room or differentials about that, that's really got to come from the person who's sort of holding some of that positional power maybe. Brian Milner (24:29) Yeah, I love that because there's there's sort of a maybe it's an American culture thing. I don't know. But but I know in the business world I've experienced if you call a meeting if it's your meeting there there's sort of an expectation that you're in control, you know, you know, it feels like there's there's sort of a you're not invited to say something like, what am I missing? Marsha Acker (24:52) Yeah. Yep. Brian Milner (24:53) because that's sort of admitting that you weren't prepared for this meeting. But I agree completely with you, that's not really the case. It's just saying, I can't know everything, so what don't I know about this, I should. Marsha Acker (25:09) Yeah. And it's hard. That can be a hard question. And I often say to people, don't ask the question. Don't elicit a pose if you're not really ready to hear it. It can be hard when somebody says, I think it's a two-ee. I totally disagree with the direction that we're going. Because if I, as the person who's asked the question and now receiving that feedback, If it starts to show on my face or I disconnect from it, what's gonna happen is that gets registered across everybody in that room. And that'll be the last time anybody steps up to answer that kind of question. Brian Milner (25:36) Right. Yeah, I love as well when you were talking about, you know, the actions and maybe having tokens or stuff for people to have actions. think I don't, I'm sure this is maybe part of the intention of this as well, but I love the side effect of that, that yes, I'm limiting people who would be controlling to not, not take control of the entire meeting, but once they've spent theirs, now I'm in a situation where the people who maybe wouldn't be those people that would normally step up. They're the only ones who have that ability left. So you have that side benefit of I'm kind of making space for the quieter voices in this group to have a chance to speak up. And I think that's a really important thing in these kind of meetings too. Marsha Acker (26:35) Yeah, when we find ourselves in stuck patterns, there will be very good reason for, or the Groundhog Day conversation. There will be a pattern to the structure of that conversation that keeps repeating itself. And a lot of times what will be happening is somebody will make a move and very often the person that follows them will be the same person every time. So if Marsha speaks and then Brian follows and that's a pattern that gets set up. every single time. All it does is reinforce me to make more moves because I know you're going to be right behind me. And then over time, we're really unconscious, I think about it, as a structural pattern. But the rest of the team will start to fall back and be like, well, they seem to have it. There's no need. No need. So yes, what we're trying to do is change the behavior by looking at structure and finding ways to invite it. Brian Milner (27:34) That's awesome. This is fascinating. I want to be respectful of your time and everyone's time listening, I could go on for another hour in this conversation. This is just really fascinating stuff for me. And I want to point out to everyone again, if this is fascinating to you, we're going to put all the links to this stuff in our show notes so that you can easily just click on that and find it. But just to call it out again. Marsha Acker (27:41) You Brian Milner (27:55) Marcia has a couple of books out there that are in this topic area that could be really useful to you. One is the art and science of facilitation. And the one that I kind of took a deep dive into is called Build Your Model for Leading Change, which by the way, there's a subtitle of this, a guided workbook to catalyze clarity and confidence and leading yourself and others. And I just, would underline the workbook. Right? Because I think it's true. It is something to kind of work your way through. And it's not just a beach read. Yeah. Yeah. Marsha Acker (28:27) No, it's not. I like to think of it as a Sunday morning, maybe with a cup of coffee and a little bit of quiet space. Brian Milner (28:36) Yeah, love that. I love that picture. Well, Marsha, I can't thank you enough. You know, we've been kind of trading schedules and trying to align this to get Marsha on for a while. And, you know, when that kind of thing happens, for whatever reason, it always seems to be like, when the person comes on, it's like, wow, that was worth it. I'm really, really glad we went through that because this was a great conversation. So thanks so much. Thanks so much for sharing your research and wisdom here on this. Marsha Acker (28:56) I appreciate it. Brian Milner (29:02) and for coming on the show. Marsha Acker (29:04) Thank you for having me. It was great.

In this episode, Kyle Buller speaks with Kayse Geheret, founder of Microdosing for Healing and instructor for Psychedelics Today's Vital program. They explore what it means to be a modern guide in the world of psychedelics. Kayse shares how microdosing has become a key entry point for many and highlights the importance of training, community, and personal growth. They discuss how not all psychedelic work involves facilitation. Some guides support through integration, education, or community organizing. The conversation covers what makes a great guide—qualities like groundedness, empathy, curiosity, and the ability to hold space. They also talk about the growing need for psychedelic-literate professionals in all fields, not just therapy. Kayse and Kyle reflect on the importance of finding the right training—whether for coaching, integration, or peer support. With more people entering the space, education and connection are more important than ever. Whether you're curious about microdosing, thinking of becoming a guide, or simply want to better support your community, this episode offers valuable insight.

In this episode, Dan and Lauren speak with the co-editors of New Directions for Student Leadership #184, Drs. Jonathan R. Kroll, Cameron C. Beatty, and Amber Manning-Ouellette. They explore Facilitating Leadership Development in Training Contexts, released in Winter 2024. This special issue centers on student leadership training and emphasizes the need for leadership educators to both understand the theories, history, and complexities of the field and to model healthy leadership habits that help individuals thrive and organizations flourish. The editors share their collaborative process and underscore the importance of self-reflective practice, authentic identity development, and the creation of belonging in leadership spaces. The issue highlights facilitation strategies that move beyond lecture-style delivery to support meaningful leadership learning and application.