Episode 180: How to listen + unlock ideas from 10,000 workshop participants with Juraj Holub
When I ran my masterclass on booking out your workshops, I used a variety of tech tools to gain interaction from the live audience. I asked you to share your responses in chat, and also to jump into a tool called Slido, to ask your questions, upvote the ones you liked, share where you were joining us from, which facilitator business challenges you had, and more. It’s such a fun tool to use, and I’ve been leaning on it over the last 12 months as I deliver corporate workshops online.
So, I’m very excited to share a delightful conversation with a delightful person who is Employee #8 at Slido. I’m not sure if you’ve heard the news but this company has just blown up in an amazing way and were acquired by Cisco last December.
Today’s guest is Juraj Holub, and he is a Chief Meeting Designer. Isn’t that the best job title?
Juraj is an executive team member at Slido which has made over 800,000 events interactive. He works with conferences like Web Summit or SXSW and Fortune 500 companies helping them transform their meetings and events. He also crossed Iceland by bicycle.
He was also first marketing person to accelerate the company's product-led growth and position Slido as a thought leader in the industry.
When you talk to someone who is like the face of the company, you kinda expect them to go on about how great their work is, how great the tech tool is - and it really is awesome technology but what I love about what Juraj shares today, is how their company became better because they listened to their clients… they sought out amazing facilitators around the world, and asked how they would use a tool in a meeting, or a workshop.
You cannot go wrong with a listen -first approach whether that’s in marketing, or when you host your group experiences tool. I’m sure Slido were listening when they created their Meeting Zombies video which is hilarious, and has been viewed 2 million times on YouTube.
Juraj is also super humble, fun, energetic, you’ll love this conversation.
Oh and I connected with Juraj mainly for the 2021 Slido Trend report Slido - hybrid sessions and their 2021 trend report and launch event, where we explored, “What do our meetings look like in 2021?” Slido asked 1,500 remote workers to find out, the stats are incredibly interesting, a link to the report and the launch details is in the show notes. I also worked with the amazing Sabine and Simona from Slido on a webinar sharing our tips for delivering hybrid meetings.
About today’s guest: Juraj Holub
During his 7+ years at Slido, Juraj has been part of an amazing journey, helping to grow the company form $100.000 to eight-figures in revenue.
He'd had an incredible career trajectory, joining as a content specialist, then he moved to New York City as a marketing manager, later becoming a marketing director and was finally promoted to the VP of brand and communications while being on Slido's executive team.
Over the years, he’s spoken at dozens of conferences in the US, UK and EU sharing thought leadership on meeting design, conversational presenting and audience interaction.
In this episode you will learn:
How you can use tech tools to give your audience a voice
Some fun question you can ask to build a strong culture in your company and recognise the silent heroes in your business
The importance of putting the focus squarely on your customers (knowing that success will follow)
How Juraj learns the most about leading a remote team (Spoiler alert: It’s not from reading books)
How he blends his two favourite passions - content marketing and facilitation/education in the role he does today
…And of course, a couple fun questions you can use w/ Slido during your next meeting, or event!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Connect with Juraj Holub on LinkedIn
What do our meetings look like in 2021? Grab the Slido 2021 Trends Report
Video: The Essentials of Running Hybrid Meetings with Leanne Hughes | MASTERCLASS
Slido’s Meeting Zombies video (hilarious - I love it!)
Leanne’s article for Slido: Facilitating Great Meetings: 10+ Tips That Work
Article: What the hell is a Chief Meeting Designer?
Watch the video now!
About your host: Leanne Hughes
Leanne Hughes is an international facilitator, speaker and coach who loves creating unpredictable workshop experiences, that predictably work.
She combines her experience in Marketing, with her education in Human Resources and Psychology, to help leaders create engaging everyday experiences - that are so contagious they scale across teams, functions and regions.
Leanne has facilitated leadership, onboarding and team-development workshops across Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore and believes in a strengths-centred approach to learning and development. She has over 14 years’ of experience across a range of industries including mining, government and tourism sectors.
She’s the host of the First Time Facilitator podcast and was a finalist in the 2018 Australian Learning Impact awards for Learning Professional of the Year.