Are facilitators just salespeople in disguise? We’re not on commission, we’re not driven by a desired outcome, we don’t have a product, and nor are we in a numbers game… and yet, the longer I spoke to Alan Versteeg this week, the more I realised just how much we have in common.

And if you still don’t believe me, Alan is here to change your mind - after all, this is where he shines! Alan has been selling perspectives to people for many, many years, inviting them in to  realise new ideas - rather like that of a facilitator.

Learn how Alan masters the influence of persuasion, how he’s perfected the art of authenticity to build trust, and why he believes the buy-in of a group is actually your secret sales pitch.

Find out about:

• The intersection of facilitation and sales: from trust to perception and psychology
• Alan’s 26-year sales experience in selling perspectives
• Why leaders need to master buy-in if they are to inspire new perspectives
• The importance of appealing to someone’s values - not their ideals
• The 6 Ps of persuasion

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Links:

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Download the 6P Cheat Sheet

Connect to Alan Versteeg:

LinkedIn

Website

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What is your inner calling? For many facilitators, it’s to build spaces of deep, life-affirming connection. After all, facilitation is more than just its methodologies and its tools; it’s about doing the soul-searching inner work to understand ourselves better, for participants and facilitators alike!

For Jutta Weimar, founder of the Berlin-based Facilitation Academy, her calling was a gift. She joins me for a big, warm hearted episode brimming with self-awareness, healing and connection, as she shares the inner game that has defined her outer facilitation game.

A beautiful and inspiring way to spend an hour of your day! Please press play and join us.

Find out about:

• How do we create the structures for freedom to take place?
• Why we learn as much from participating as we do from practicing
• We can make fairer spaces by understanding other people’s obstacles
• Authority projections, what they are and how to overcome them
• How to be your authentic self, to invite others into their authenticity

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Links:

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Connect to Jutta Weimar:

LinkedIn

Website

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There is great richness to be found in human connection - when we know how. To truly see others, to step into vulnerability and to find hidden reflections in ourselves.

Maria Arpa is an absolute powerhouse of inspiration. From mediation to facilitation, she’s made it her life’s purpose to change the path of others for the better: working with people in extreme poverty, areas of knife crime, and social deprivation to overcome conflict, seek peaceful dialogue, and find connection they never knew possible.

Guiding us through learnings from the streets of London, prisons and social neighbourhoods, all the way to the corporate corridors, this episode packs a powerful punch! It’s an exploration of humanity, hope, and the healing of the self.

Find out about:

• Maria’s Dialogue Road Map method of communication
• How we can support groups to have vulnerable conversations
• Why what you see in others is a reflection of yourself
• Expressing and recognising the language of needs
• Why we must create specific spaces to change the system

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Connect to Maria Arpa:

LinkedIn

Website

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How can you create the life of your dreams, where your work not only pays the bills, but brings you daily joy, creative fulfilment and purpose?

Possibilitarian, artist and author Dave Gray joins me in this episode to introduce us to the art of the possible. He generously shares his life’s lessons in business and creativity; from building his $10 million agency, to becoming an accidental author of 3 books, and his creative community brainchild, the School of the Possible.

A rich, expansive conversation, filled with inspiration, with lots to savour and apply in your own business!

Find out about:

• What becomes possible when you take away the label of facilitation
• The pitfalls of not having an external meeting facilitator
• The structures and rules needed to fulfill meeting roles
• How to apply standardised practices while still allowing room for emergence
• Why empathy maps can act as your north star
• The constraints you should put in place for starting a business

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Links:

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Connect to Dave Gray:

LinkedIn

Website

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Have we forgotten how to play? Applied play theorist, strategist, and consultant Minna Taylor, certainly thinks so!

As an actor and theatrical voice coach in a past life, Minna has made it her life’s purpose to invite creative expression, deliberate play, and the power of surrender into people’s lives. She now helps organisations to excel in the infinite game of work, showing them that play is not the pursuit of frivolity, but the spaciousness to think, to create, to adapt, and exist with ease.

Minna brings beautiful, articulate thoughts, intelligence and effervescence to some big ideas: from psychedelics to psychological safety, the industrial revolution, to decentralising your ego. What a joy to speak with her!

Find out about:

• The multi-layered notions of play - and its misconceptions
• Why play is both the absence of control and the opposite of performance
• The need for play in the corporate world
• Why we must dismantle belief systems in society to make space for play
• The importance of embedding learning into an organisation with integrity and intent

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Links:

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Connect to Minna Taylor:

Linkedin

Website

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A conversation is a delicate dance between two people. From one to the other, stories slowly unravel, surprises are met, ideas come to life, and life is learnt as words flow freely between us. But to make a conversation great, we must relish the silences, the questions, and the spaces in between - because it is only with curiosity and presence that we can take the conversation to places we never imagined.

This week, I am in conversation with me, myself, and I for a special solo episode on the lost art of conversation. As a facilitator, podcast host and experienced conversation partner, I share my wisdoms, tips, non-negotiables, and ingredients for a great conversation.

I hope the irony is not lost on you!

Find out about:

• My 3 rules for effective question asking
• Why the follow-up question is the most important question of all
• The beautiful importance of silence in conversations
• The power of the word ‘and’ to open the door to a new perspective
• Why do we stop having great conversations with our loved ones?

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Connect to Myriam Hadnes:

LinkedIn

Website

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Corporate training doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, it can be playful, curious, a little bit magical, and dare I say it - fun. And this week I am joined by the creative magic of not one, but two brilliant guests who are here to tell you how: Simon Edwards and Ian Byrne.

Hailing from the worlds of game design and facilitation, we delve deep into the wondrous realm of learning in all of its curious, human forms. Together, they share the eureka moments of their immersive experiences, the evolution of leadership in L&D, why ancient Vipassana meditation has the power to overcome ego, and the art of giving radical candor.

Tune in and get ready to learn!

Find out about:

• The two halves of an organisation: the informal and the formal
• The role and limitations of AI in organizational change, learning and facilitation
• Recognising the cultural differences of engagement
• Action learning: how to turn theoretical learning into reality
• What we can learn from neurodivergent thinking
• The power of pausing to listen to your body

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Links:

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Connect to Simon and Ian:

https://mindblown.io/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/mindblown-adventures/

https://www.facebook.com/MindBlown.io

https://www.instagram.com/mindblown.io/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-edwards-93312318/
https://living-systems.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/icbyrne/

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Defiant slowness: it’s a salve, a rebellion, and a lifelong endeavour when we have been taught to live fast, 100mph lives. Because only when we turn down the speedometer, can we be present enough to think deeply, connect to ourselves, bond with others, and experience the joys of simply being.

It’s why Marike and Clinton relish slowness in their facilitation practice, carving out interludes that delight in the details, welcome appreciation into the room, nurture real relationships, and create the breathing space for intention.

We explore the beautiful macrocosm of slowing down in episode 286. Woven with wonderful stories, aha! moments and words you will want to press pause upon, Marike and Clinton bring a rich, eloquent perspective to facilitating with thought.

Find out about:

• Why slowing down can help us to be more thoughtful, purposeful and connected
• How to address difficult participant behaviours with curiosity, rather than judgment
• Why genuine, deep relationships often comes at the price of discomfort
• The importance of delighting in the details, both inside and beyond the workshop space

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Connect to Marike and Clinton:

Marike Groenewald

Clinton du Preez

Website

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As the old adage goes, failing to prepare, is preparing to fail. But how do you prepare for something as catastrophic as a natural disaster?

Scott Winter helps people, teams and organisations to struggle more effectively and step into their greatness. He’s done so for communities in California to recover from the devastation of wildfires, as well as countless others, showing up with life-affirming purpose, humanity and presence as a facilitator, to re-mould stress into hardy resilience for the future.

In this brilliant and vulnerable conversation, he shares his work in co-regulating mindsets, how to make it easy to talk about difficult things, and why with the right tools, every experience can be turned into a learning opportunity.

Find out about:

• How to create safe spaces that address high-stress situations with rationality
• The three Rs of resilience: Readiness, Response, and Recovery
• The art and science of asking questions
• Learn about the Red Zone, Green Zone, Pink Zone framework
• Difficultating: how to facilitate difficult conversations
• How to mindfully embrace triggers in others
• The importance of asking: what do we not want to take into the room?

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LinkedIn

Website

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The relationships in our life are a lot like gardens: they need watering, a little pruning here and there, some de-weeding, and a whole lot of love! But what about the people we spend most of our time with?

Our co-workers are often overlooked in the garden of relationships, but it’s one that requires just as much time, care and attention as any other. Enter: the biggest mischief maker, Emily Hinks!

Firm in the belief that the world of work could do with more joy, she helps people to connect, collaborate and create company cultures to be proud of, in playful and energising ways. She generously shares her mischievous ways with us, her experience with the likes of Netflix, and how she facilitates richer human connection in the new era of work.

Press play and spend a joyful hour with Emily!

Find out about:

• The ROI of human connection at work and its role in building company culture
• The importance of connecting teams to company values in contextual ways
• Why the post-pandemic workplace needs facilitation to nurture digital connections
• How to host meetings more effectively as a non-facilitator
• Emily’s small but mighty hacks for elevating every voice in a meeting

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Connect to Emily Hinks:

LinkedIn

Website

www.emilyhinks.com
www.mischiefmakers.com
www.routesin.com

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In the autumn of 1996 in Palo Alto, Dan Newman had a career-defining epiphany: facilitation is playing other people’s games with your own rules. It’s something that has stayed with him on his journey from consultant to facilitator, as he solves complex organisational problems by asking: how are their rules preventing them from winning?

We cover a lot of ground from Dan’s storied career in this brilliant conversation, dancing from the debate of the neutral facilitator, to cultural communication traits, the psychology of music, and why he will happily fine his clients for breaking the rules!

Full to the brim with facilitation lessons to learn, try and apply yourself.

Find out about:

• Tips, insights and anecdotes from Dan’s nearly 30 year career
• The key differences between the role of the facilitator and the consultant
• How to rebuild people’s ‘finite games’ into ‘infinite games’, with a positive-sum outcome
• How to use Dave Snowden’s Cynefin framework to aid decision-making and de-complexify problems
• How to take a company out of their culture to see new perspectives

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Dan’s Book

Connect to Dan Newman:

LinkedIn

Website

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