Leanne Hughes from the First Time Facilitator blog reveals all of her group facilitation, training and workshop tips and tricks so you can be ahead of the curve the next time you step out in front of a group.Discover how you can tweak elements of your facilitation style, or incorporate new techniques to engage your audience and leave with lasting impact (and 5-star feedback). Icebreakers, leadership, group interaction, preparation, games, conflict, props, flip-charts, delivery, voice, body language, confidence, discussions and everything that works (and doesn’t work) to help you better understand how to deliver and connect with your audience, every single time.
Fresh off a Las Vegas red carpet experience, Leanne Hughes sits down with legendary consultant Alan Weiss for a candid conversation about career risks, professional reinvention, and the art of strategic decision-making.
Drawing parallels between Vegas gambling and career moves, this episode delivers unexpected insights about when to hold steady and when to make bold moves in your professional life.
Whether you're contemplating a career pivot or looking to level up your impact, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on professional risk-taking.
What You'll Learn:
Key Quote: "You need to pursue what you love doing that can make you money... The ideal thing is you should be making money to support the lifestyle to which you aspire and loving what you do every day." - Alan Weiss
Whether you're an independent consultant, corporate professional, or aspiring entrepreneur, this episode offers practical wisdom for making strategic career moves without gambling away your future.
Want to connect?
Imagine the Best Professional Development Experience of 2025…
Coming to you in March, it's The Red Carpet Campout!
If you love building connections, creating communities, and generously sharing their ideas, you'll LOVE this experience.
I’d love to see you there!
In this episode of the First Time Facilitator podcast, host Leanne Hughes welcomes Mary-Louise (ML) Huppatz, CEO of the Association for Tertiary Education Management (ATEM), to discuss her unique approach to conferences, leading change, and facilitation.
ML's passion for people and creating meaningful learning experiences comes through as she shares insights into how she transforms conferences from routine events into transformative experiences.
Abut today's guest: ML Huppatz
ML is CEO for the Association for Tertiary Education Management (ATEM) - a job that she describes as being the #1 cheerleader for people working in the sector. She is passionate about people with a capital P - and focuses on creating learning experiences which support self mastery and confidence, development of an individual's leadership, and helping people to thrive in their own career journeys.
On a Thursday night you will find her moonlighting as Rakali - a Joey leader at 5th Brunswick Scouts, and loving nurturing the next generation of leaders."
Episode Highlights:
The Delegate Experience: Redefining Conferences:
ML discusses the importance of creating meaningful networking opportunities and how ATEM designs conference spaces to encourage organic connections.
Key Strategies for Crafting Unforgettable Conferences
Innovating the Role of the MC: The Conference Catalyst
ML’s Personal Leadership Journey
Key Takeaways:
Imagine the Best Professional Development Experience of 2025…
Coming to you in March, it's The Red Carpet Campout!
If you love building connections, creating communities, and generously sharing their ideas, you'll LOVE this experience.
I’d love to see you there!
In this episode of the First Time Facilitator podcast, I am thrilled to welcome Steve Demedio to the show. Steve shares his inspiring journey from a career in sales leadership to becoming a passionate facilitator obsessed with creating engaging and memorable learning experiences.
Join us for our retreat: The Red Carpet Campout
Psst.. Come along to our Red Carpet Campout 10-12 March, 2025, only 90 mins from Brisbane, Australia. Only six tents remain!
What You'll Learn:
About Steven Demedio
Steve Demedio is an entrepreneur, facilitator, travel consultant, and home-made pizza and camping enthusiast, but above all, a devoted father and husband. His career is built upon a foundation of roles in sales, management, learning, and facilitation across the travel, IT, and corporate services sectors.
Steve’s career has been full of unexpected twists, yet his clear purpose has always been rooted in people, connection, and communication.
Recently, Steve joined forces with his long-time friend Mark Hodgson, who founded Mind & Body Travel in 2019. Together, they’ve created a unique synergy between travel, training, and events.
As Director of Mind & Body Group, Steve curates and facilitates inspiring retreats and training programs that bring teams together, unlocking deeper levels of authentic connection and collaboration.
Connect with Steven Demedio:
Imagine the Best Professional Development Experience of 2025…
Coming to you in March, it's The Red Carpet Campout!
If you love building connections, creating communities, and generously sharing their ideas, you'll LOVE this experience.
I’d love to see you there!
Host Leanne Hughes takes you behind the scenes of the recent "How to Face Change" event she co-hosted with Michael Bungay Stanier (MBS).
From brainstorming ideas, locking in the perfect venue, to manufacturing demand for tickets, Leanne spills all the details on how they turned a bold idea into an unforgettable experience.
Expect candid reflections, actionable tips, and a whole lot of fun as Leanne shares the highs, challenges, and big wins from this Brisbane-based event.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Episode Highlights:
Links Mentioned in the Episode:
Upcoming Events with Leanne:
Join the Conversation: What resonated with you from today’s episode? Let us know! Share your thoughts on social media and tag Leanne and Michael.
In this episode, we're joined by Hitomi Whitlock, Organizational Change Manager at the University of Washington's Housing and Food Services, and an experienced real estate investor.
Hitomi shares her journey from moving to the U.S. as a child to leading change at one of the nation's top universities—all while managing a successful real estate business.
🔍 What You’ll Learn:
About Hitomi Whitlock
Hitomi is an Organizational Change Manager at the University of Washington's Housing and Food Services and a real estate investor, co-owning a property management business in the Seattle area since 2005. She attributes her success to her customer-centric focus and effective communication, always thinking about how to best serve her customers. Hitomi loves making new connections and friends while nurturing existing relationships. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling, attending concerts, and exploring new restaurants/bars with family and friends.
📌 Links Mentioned in the Episode:
Come along to our event! https://lu.ma/rooftopbne
In this episode, host Leanne Hughes chats with Michael Bungay Stanier on their upcoming event in Brisbane together on 3 Sep 2024, and the art of co-facilitation.
Reflecting on their first podcast experience in Brisbane, they dive into topics such as managing facilitation dynamics, preparing for keynotes, and what makes their upcoming event in Brisbane unique.
They also share personal anecdotes and practical tips for successful facilitation, offering valuable insights for anyone interested in leadership and change management.
Welcome and Introduction
Reflecting on Past Collaborations
Upcoming Event: How to Face Change
The Art of Co-Facilitation
Why You Should Attend
Closing Remarks and Excitement
In this episode, host Leanne Hughes provides an update on her activities as a solopreneur and content creator, sharing insights from her recent experiences and projects.
She provides an update on her book, some of the work she's delivered this year, including a recent innovative conference presentation focused on flexibility.
She also shares upcoming events like a rooftop workshop in Brisbane with Michael Bungay Stanier and a small group workshop in Las Vegas.
You'll also hear the first episode of Talk the Walk with Alan Weiss, a bi-monthly broadcast coming to you on LinkedIn and YouTube!
Cool events:
Are you currently running workshops, generating ace ideas, have some cool toolsup your sleeve? Maybe you should turn all of that great stuff into a book!
If you're curious how to do that, you'll love today's conversation with fellow first-time authors and Brisbane business owners, Mel Loy and Jade Miller.
Both Jade and Mel are experienced workshop hosts, and they share their journeys from facilitating workshops to writing books. We discuss how their workshop experiences influenced their writing, the challenges they faced, and tips for turning workshop content into a book.
Connect with Jade Miller
Connect with Mel Loy
Watch our conversation on YouTube.
Alan Weiss returns to the podcast this week, for the third time, to (metaphorically) poke me in the eye again.
In this conversation, we riff on:
Connect with thousands of facilitators from all over the world in our free Facebook group called The Flipchart: / firsttimefacilitator
Love Alan’s shares? Contact him and let him know!
Learn more about the host, Leanne Hughes' work at https://www.leannehughes.com
Grab Leanne’s book, The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint: https://2hourwork.shop
Alan Resources
Today, I'm joined by Lisa Leong, a broadcaster, author, and facilitator.
Watch us chat on YouTube.
Her superpowers, which you'll hear very clearly in this episode, are curiosity and creativity.
She's a former IP, technology, and wine lawyer—yes, that's actually a thing. She caught the radio bug in 2001, which is exactly why I brought her on the show.
Wedelve into the parallels between having talk-back radio and getting listeners to call in to hosting workshops and being truly present.
We also talk about energy, meeting the room where it's at, and the best ways to prepare to be spontaneous—an awesome oxymoron, right?
And Lisa shares how she does this, even down to the detail, like her unique research approach, which includes a bit of LinkedIn stalking.
Lisa draws on her unique experiences, combined with design thinking and mindfulness practices, to bring a fresh approach to conversations and connection.
She presents on ABC Radio Melbourne on Sundays and also hosts 'This Working Life' on ABC Radio National, which is an awesome show.
Connect with Lisa Leong
Why you can't miss this episode
It's not every day you get to hear from someone who's mastered the art of engaging people through radio, law, and facilitation. Lisa's stories are not just inspiring—they're packed with actionable tips you can use to level up your facilitation game. Plus, her take on mindfulness and presence is a game-changer for anyone looking to connect more deeply with their audience.
Memorable Quotes:
Resources Mentioned:
In the First Time Facilitator podcast, host Leanne Hughes introduces guest Sally Prosser, a voice and confidence coach.
We riff on the concept of 'breveloquence', a portmanteau of brevity and eloquence, and how they aim to develop and use this tool in verbal and written forms.
We also take you behind the scenes of our new workshop called Get to the Point, which we're co-hosting in Brisbane on 16 April 2024.
Find out more about the Brisbane workshop and grab your ticket here.
Conversation time-stamps
About today's guest: Sally Prosser
Sally helps you fire-up your voice so you can share your light with the world.
Her background as a TV reporter, company spokesperson and speech & drama teacher gives her the ideal skill set to work with professionals, biz owners and corporate teams on -
⭐ Building confidence
🥊 Combating a fear of public speaking
❤ Producing a warm, trustworthy voice
🎤 Speaking with clarity and impact
🎥 Media Awareness and Spokesperson Training
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