Episode 24: How to develop a workshop using a team profiling tool (while keeping it light and fun) with Sean Lavin

Listen to this episode from First Time Facilitator on Spotify. In today's episode, I talk to Sean Lavin about his experience with facilitation and the team profile tool called the 'Team Management Profile'. Sean is a passionate, optimistic and friendly personality with a strong background in both hotel/services and open-cut coal mining operations.

In today’s episode, I talk to Sean Lavin about his experience with facilitation and the team profile tool called the ‘Team Management Profile’. Sean is a passionate, optimistic and friendly personality with a strong background in both hotel/services and open-cut coal mining operations.

He is firmly focused on growth and learning, whilst simultaneously gaining as much insight and experience throughout the vast Human Resources sector. Sean’s favourite workshop theme is around networking, and giving people the permission to speak to each other. He believes that a great workshop is the one that is focused on interaction, with a sprinkling of humour and fun. 

Listen in to him when I ask him about his experience as a first-time facilitator and how that experience shaped him.

In this episode you’ll learn:

  • How to craft a team workshop using the Team Management Profile tool

  • The questions Sean uses to identify learner’s requirements for a workshop

  • Essential skills of a facilitator

  • What he’s changed since starting his facilitation journey

  • How his philosophy saying yes has opened up fantastic opportunities

  • Sean’s recommended opening icebreaker for a workshops

  • Strategies to keep a workshop light and fun.

About our guest

Sean is a professional, enthusiastic and passionate HR Graduate. His background stems from a mix of hotel/services management and open cut coal mining operations. Early in 2017, after obtaining his Master of Management (HR), he transferred internally from the coal face into the graduate program to begin his next professional adventure in the vast realm of human resources and facilitation. He's passionate about his family, consistently delivering high quality work outcomes and striving for personal happiness and fulfilment every day.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

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Quotes of the show:

  • “So when it comes to icebreakers, I think you've got all the resources you need in the room and that's just people.”

  • “The best workshops or the best say seminars and things you go to are the ones that are fun and get you laughing or you know thinking about something that's just completely silly and that's the sort of stuff that you take away. So if you can blend a lot of fun and humour with serious content the stuff that you're actually trying to get across to the audience I think it makes for a really good session.”

  • “I think the gold is in the conversation. So as a facilitator, it's about you know really trying to steer the ship as opposed to making sure it gets to its destination as fast as possible.”

  • “If the opportunity comes up or someone asks you if you want to do something, just say Yes!”

Episode transcript

View the First Time Facilitator episode transcript with Sean Lavin.

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Episode 25; Split brain workshop facilitation: How to balance the now with the ‘What’s next?' with Mark McKeon

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First Time Facilitator podcast transcript with Sean Lavin (Episode 24)