Episode 187: Tuning your “facilitation antenna” in to manage group dynamics with Lisa Evans
I love the metaphor that my guest today shares, when she explores how she manages group dynamics - it’s like an antenna, that you need to tune into!
This week, I’m talking to the delightful Lisa Evans from Speaking Savvy, and host of the Business Chat podcast.
I was using some of Lisa’s story activities before I even met her (through reading about them in The Story Cookbook).
I’m particularly inspired by her story of a major career shift in her 40s. A great reminder that we control the narrative of our lives and careers, and it’s never too early, or too late, to start in a new direction!
In this conversation, we explore many areas related to our facilitation craft. Lisa shares her views of what can sometimes hold us back from stepping up and sharing our ideas with others (including the key role of leaders and facilitators in enabling that psychological safety), how she likes to view extroversion and introversion, and her perspective on why we feel so tired after leading an all-day workshop!
Oh, we also have a fun rant on conference locations.
About our guest: Lisa Evans
Lisa Evans is a certified executive speaker coach and a business storytelling consultant. She started off her career as a midwife and did that for over 20 years,
These days, Lisa helps leaders to mine, refine and deliver captivating ‘sticky’ stories for their business and brand.
She has empowered over 1,000 leaders to deliver stand out messages with engaging business stories. She is also a keynote speaker, trainer and the host of the Business Chat Podcast.
She lives in Perth with her family and a retired greyhound named Giraffe.
Contact Lisa on all of the platforms
Lisa Evans’ website Speaking Savvy
Connect with Lisa on Facebook
Follow Lisa on Instagram
Listen to the Business Chat Podcast
Here’s some questions I asked Lisa during the Interview:
What holds people back from stepping up and sharing their ideas?
What’s the introvert advantage when it comes to facilitation?
What’s your advice for first time facilitators?
How do you like to manage your energy during a workshop?
Do you have a favourite activity to start a session?
Resources mentioned in the show:
Listen to my interview with Lisa on her Business Chat podcast
Support the show (https://buymeacoffee.com/leannehughes)
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.
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Keeping panel conversations, workshops and presentations fresh with Peter Hopwood (Episode 186)
I remember in those early days when you're called to run a workshop, or moderate a panel conversation, you feel like you need to do things "by the book". I remember my panel interviews being very pedestrian! Now I think (I hope) I've developed more confidence, and I'm willing to create some banter between panellists, and let some personality shine through.
In today's episode, my guest Peter Hopwood and I also banter on presentation, panel and moderation tips.
He has lived in 7 countries (jealous), worked in 32 (even more jealous) and is currently based in Croatia, working worldwide on Zoom.
He is a communicator, confidence-booster & connector, travelling the world (virtually) to help professionals define, craft and deliver stronger stories and take control of their messages, storyline & speaking impact.
In this chat, Peter also shares how you can keep any repeat sessions you deliver, feeling fresh (even if you’ve delivered it a million times!), how you can communicate more strongly on virtual calls, and tips for moderating panel conversations.
About our Guest: Peter Hopwood
Peter is a British Global Speaker Coach, Virtual Speaking Specialist & TEDx Coach, Media Skills Trainer, Worldwide Events MC & Speaker.
Here are 6 popular ways Peter can help you out:
1/ EXECUTIVE SPEAKER COACHING
Helping leaders, managers and teams to speak with impact, become confident speakers and deliver fabulous, strong presentations. One-to-one coaching, group training, virtual or hybrid coaching.
2/ VIRTUAL SPEAKING & PRESENCE WEBINARS
Building team's virtual skillset to boost engagement, connection and stronger presence online. Getting great at using the virtual world to your advantage. Showing-up and standing out online through persuasive speech, voice and body awareness, storytelling and delivery techniques.
3/ TEDx SPEAKER COACHING
Taking global independent TEDx speakers on the process of defining, crafting and delivering their stories and ensure their moment makes the right impact. Ultimately helping speakers to share their value and gloriously own the stage.
4/ STARTUP PITCH COACHING
Working alongside accelerators, incubators and founders to define and develop startup stories, boost pitching presence and deliver powerful messages to persuade, evoke curiosity and gain investment. Workshops, seminars or individual sessions.
5/ INTERNATIONAL EVENTS MC / PRESENTER / VIRTUAL MODERATOR
Shaping the (virtual) stage for global events - more than 300 events in 20 countries for some of the strongest tech events in the world including the Middle East, Europe, Asia and North America.
6/ MEDIA SKILLS TRAINING
Specifically training professionals to be media-ready and shine in the spotlight. Media interview techniques, how to predict questions, focus on delivering key messages and ultimately create the right impact on your or your company’s reputation
Here’s some sample questions I asked Peter during the Interview:
When you are presenting the same presentation over and over again, how do you make it fun and fresh for yourself?
What skills/attributes make a Moderator great?
When you’re in the role of MC introducing various speakers, do you feel that you are part of the event?
How do you prepare in terms of your energy before a workshop?
Resources mentioned in the show:
Send Peter an email: hello(at)peter-hopwood.com
Support the show (https://buymeacoffee.com/leannehughes)
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.
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Episode 185: Pipelines, proposals and pricing your facilitation services with Deborah Zahn
Deb Zahn from the Craft of Consulting is back on your First Time Facilitator airwaves this week. And even better? I’m joined by my fellow Booked Out Facilitators. We share the microphone in this episode to create an incredibly informative, helpful and awesome group masterclass if you have your own facilitation business.
Collectively, we pick Deb’s brain on all manners of consulting - how you can pick work up as a facilitator, what we can do to stand out, how we can market ourselves, identify our target audience, build our pipeline, write proposals, and how on earth do we decide what we charge.
Yup, it is jam packed with gold dust.
Deb was ON FIRE in this interview, I’ve listened to it back ac couple of times. You’ll be enthralled from her first story of winning a Request for Proposal , and her confidence in sharing her stories and experiences so openly with all of you.
If you’re listening in real time, Deb is running a free, live masterclass on the Top 5 Things You Must Do to Get Consulting Clients. Here’s the link to register: https://www.craftofconsulting.com/masterclass . It’s on August 20, 2021, 11 am PDT (2 pm EDT and 7 pm BST).
About today’s guest: Deborah Zahn
Deb Zahn is a sought-after consultant with 10 years of successful consulting under her belt. As a go-to source in her market, she routinely brings in 6- and 7-figures a year and has built a steady, reliable pipeline of work. Her consulting methods turn her clients into her biggest fans and best marketers. They come back to her again and again and continually send her new clients.
As a consultant, Deb is especially known for her ability to cure “decision-making disorders” with individuals and groups. She also has earned a reputation as “The Closer,” the consultant who can get high-value contracts with hard-to-get clients. Over the last decade, she has coached countless new consultants and helped them fast track their success. Recently, Deb helped a new consultant get their first contract—worth over $100,000—only three weeks after Deb started coaching them.
She is the host of the Craft of Consulting podcast, which features other successful consultants who share their strategies and insights about building their consulting businesses and delighting their clients as well as consulting clients who share what makes some consultants rise to the top of their hire list.
Here are some questions we asked Deb during the group interview
Yoke van Dam: What are your guidelines for determining your target audience?
Prina Shah: How did you prepare your pain points for your RFP?
Deanne Gagnon: I am early in my journey. I am just wondering if you have any quick tips for someone who is brand new to business?
Yoke van Dam: What is crucial to include in you proposal? How do you make your proposal stand out?
Rose Allett: My work is more preventing something from happening, preventing something unthinkable from happening. So I guess my question to you is, have you ever done any sort of preventive consultancy work where you’ve been asked to come in, to stop something from happening, that’s not already happening now? And if so, even if you haven’t how your proposal would be shifted, how would you shift that?
Resources mentioned in the show:
Deb is running a free, live masterclass on the Top 5 Things You Must Do to Get Consulting Clients. Here’s the link to register: https://www.craftofconsulting.com/masterclass . It’s on August 20, 2021, 11 am PDT (2 pm EDT and 7 pm BST).
Find out more about Deb’s program: Get more consulting programs (and used the code BOOKED to get a discount!)
Deb has some incredible free templates to help you start over here
Video: Watch our group interview with Deb Zahn
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.
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Episode 184: You live a long time. You never stop learning with True Black
The beauty of having a repeat client over many years is that you build a strong, trusting relationship. The not-so-beautiful part is the pressure we put on ourselves to create new content, experiences, and activities to keep our workshops fresh!
Truett Black has worked as a trainer, speaker, and executive coach since 2005 and in this episode, he shares how he reinvigorates his approach, and where he gets new inspiration for new activities.
As you can tell from this conversation, Truett LOVES this work. He grew up in the United States and has lived in greater China since 2001. He is based in Taipei and frequently consults, coaches, and facilitates workshops in Shanghai,Hong Kong, Singapore, and other cities in Asia.
Having this background, I had to ask him how he gets wonderful conversations when he delivers sessions across Asia. True shares some excellent, practical strategies if you find work over there - stuff that I wish I heard a few years ago for sure.
He also shares his self-talk before starting a workshop, and how he got started in running his own facilitation business (even when some people advised him otherwise!)
About today’s guest: Truett Black
True Black has worked as a trainer, speaker, and executive coach since 2005.
True grew up in the United States and has lived in greater China since 2001. He is based in Taipei and frequently consults, coaches, and facilitates workshops in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other cities in Asia. He also trains and mentors internal trainers and freelance trainers.
True’s career in executive management began in the United States, where he held positions with the Washington Post Group as Area Director; Enertron USA as Global Director of Marketing and Sales; and Revolution Tea as President.
True’s primary expertise is in leadership and team development, influence and communication, organizational development, and executive coaching. He is certified in Hogan Assessments, Tracom Social Styles and several specialized training methodologies.
True is bilingual in Mandarin and English. He holds a degree in Chinese Language and Literature from Brigham Young University and a Master of International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. He is the father of five children.
In this episode you will learn:
Tell everyone what you want to do, when you figure out what you want to do
Focus not on yourself, but focus on the people in the room
How to make Asian audience unable to shut up in a workshop
Feeling okay about yourself
Here are some questions I asked True during the interview
Can you discuss some of those opportunities where there’s a hundred doors, you said it’s a bit of a windy path before you find your way there?
Can you share with our listeners what you’ve learned in your experience running workshops in Asia?
When you have a long term client, and you know you have to bring something new into the workshop, how do you prepare for that? How do you bring novelty and flavour?
Have you been leaning on your marketing and sales background in terms of going to business?
Resources Mentioned:
True Development: Go here to sign up for our free monthly resource rich newsletter, True Insights.
True Development on Youtube: Go here for short videos that support your workshops or coaching engagements.
True’s Personal Site for Trainers: Go here for a tip sheet on how to differentiate yourself as a facilitator.
True’s Linkedin Profile: He welcomes new connections.
True’s E-mail: true@true-development.com. Feel free to reach out to Truett!
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.
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Episode 183: Let's use our facilitation superpowers on ourselves! with Kate Peardon
This week, I’m excited to introduce you to a fellow facilitator in south-east Queensland, Australia: Kate Peardon from Zenith Journey.
In this conversation, I throw many questions at Kate because I’m fascinated in her experience using visuals in her work as a way to form connections, increase memory retention and even decrease anxiety (particularly when talking about a heated topic!).
The theme of unconscious incompetence as that bottom rung on the ladder of learning also is a common theme in this chat, as we realise that we’re always works in progress and we simply don’t know, what we don’t know! We also discuss that failing art at high school is not an excuse for using visuals in your work (that’s a note for Leanne!), how Kate uses visuals to boost the engagement in her sessions (and on herself to boost memory retention), and how to balance that line between having too much structure in your session v being more looser and in the moment.
A business professional and coach, Kate specialises in unleashing brilliance in people, teams and companies. In her career, Kate worked to the executive role of People and Development Director at Wiley & Co, and is now in a unique position as both an internal and external catalyst. The internal role at Wiley as a Leadership Facilitator and Coach; as well as externally as an Executive Coach and Leadership Facilitator in other companies.
Personally, in February 2018, Kate's life took an unexpected twist, and she shares that story in this episode - Kate has been rehabilitating and rewiring her neural-pathways, and life, using all her knowledge and experience in neuroscience, positive psychology, habit theory and performance coaching.
About today’s guest: Kate Peardon
Kate helps executives to understand and grow their wisdom in leadership, so that they have a positive impact on themselves, their team, team, family, community, and leave a legacy on the greater world around them.
Unlike other consultants who are ‘in and out’ without seeing the impact of their work, Kate has over a decade of history with her Leadership and Culture work at Wiley. This gives her great scope to be cutting edge, yet understand the practicalities to what it is really like as an executive leading an Australasian business today.
With more interests that a term deposit; and more degrees than a thermometer, Kate is an eternal student. University education consists of a Bachelor of Business Management (Australia), an MBA (France/Australia), and an Executive Masters in Positive Leadership and Strategy (Spain). She is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation. A musician at heart she’s studied Musical Theater and Performance at National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA). For fun, you'll find Kate relaxing at any piano she finds (probably belting out a tune) and cycling at sunrise.
She is also a keen yogini, and is a qualified Yoga Teacher. Passionate about holistic leadership, you’ll notice her approach (and that with Zenith Journey), is about supporting the whole person - mind, body, heart and soul.
Resources mentioned in this episode
Visit Kate’s website: Zenith Journey
Want to get better at your visuals? Me too! I’ve signed up for Kate’s online program, Rockstar Visuals
Connect with Kate Peardon on LinkedIn
Follow Kate’s work on Instagram
Watch the episode 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.
Social Media
Thoughts on the episode? Share your comments below!
Episode 182: Saying YES to unpredictable workshop experiences that open up extraordinary opportunities with Khoury N Ashooh
Khoury N Ashooh is a bilingual executive, the founder of Andina Advisory. Originally from New Hampshire, over that period in his life, he described it as “just kept moving south.” He started with moving south to the University of North Carolina, lived in Atlanta for 13 years, and eventually moved further south to the bottom of South America.
This week, I’m delighted to bring you an interview with my guest, who took up an amazing opportunity, that opened up insane learning and facilitation opportunities.
The example that he shares in the episode of SAYING YES is so encouraging, and I hope that after you listen, anything you’ve been unsure about, not sure that you’re really ready - well, I’d say, jump in! Give it a go!
My guest today is Khoury N Ashooh , the founder of Andina Advisory.
Khoury is a bilingual executive - and he’ll share that language is what provided some of the amazing opportunities he shares on today’s show.
During his university studies, he moved to Mexico to learn Spanish and to live the USA-Mexico relationship from a different perspective. This experience awakened an attraction to difference and change, a belief in the power of relationships and humane instincts, and a passion for Latin America and the world—all of which has shaped who Khoury is today and his contributions to clients.
Khoury moved to Santiago, Chile, in 2018. In addition to his work with clients across the region, he has been a mentor for Promociona Chile and is a member of Job4Women, both organizations seeking to increase the participation of women in senior roles and in the workforce in general. He is currently a member of the World Economic Forum’s Mining & Metals Future of Work Taskforce.
His career in facilitation began through the colleagues he started to work with in the global consulting firm he joined just three years after undergrad, doing executive assessment and executive development work.
He went into a double career transition, first into a Chilean copper mining company as a senior HR leadership team looking after organizational effectiveness. After two years in the company, he founded his own consulting firm in Chile.
Khoury travelled in 15 countries on six continents working across cultures, partnering with leaders and teams to bring change in organizations.
About today’s guest: Khoury N. Ashooh
Khoury N Ashooh is a bilingual executive, the founder of Andina Advisory. Originally from New Hampshire, over that period in his life, he described it as “just kept moving south.” He started with moving south to Davidson College in North Carolina, lived in Atlanta for 13 years, and eventually moved further south to the bottom of South America.
His career in facilitation began through the colleagues he started to work within the global consulting firm he joined just three years after undergrad, doing executive assessment and executive development work.
He went into a double career transition, first into a Chilean copper mining company as a senior HR leadership team looking after organizational effectiveness. After two years in the company, he founded his own consulting firm in Chile.
Khoury travelled in 15 countries on six continents working across cultures, partnering with leaders and teams to bring change in organizations.
In this episode you will learn:
How to adapt from being an external consultant, to working in a leadership team inside an organization
How to accept, then work with with unpredictable opportunities that open up the doors to new experiences
How learning a new language can differentiate you, and help you get those opportunities
The importance of being attentive, and being a great observer in your workshops
Using breaks to process what has transpired in facilitation.
Here are some sample questions I asked Khoury during the interview:
How did you find your career in facilitation?
Can you share, maybe a story of when you actually travelled to your first international location?
Did you do any sort of courses or did you have any role models within your organization that was telling you this is how you run a workshop?
What do you find that seems to work in terms of behavior change with an individual?
How do you get ready then for, let’s say you’ve got a one or two-day event?
Resources
Quotes:
“Try not to be something that you’re not.”
“So the perspective and the change in mindset is so critical.”
“You can set a goal that can be achieved through any variety of mechanisms.”
“I just feel like awareness, the concept of awareness is so important.”
Watch the episode 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.
Social Media
Thoughts on the episode? Share your comments below!
Episode 181: What I’ve learnt from hosting 3.5 hour virtual workshops with Leanne Hughes
How do you keep up the energy and interaction when hosting and facilitating 3.5 hour training sessions on Zoom? Leanne Hughes, host of the First Time Facilitator podcast shares her tips.
12 months ago, there is no way I would have committed to delivering 3.5 hour virtual workshops. I thought it was virtually impossible to keep up my own energy and engagement for that length of time.
This year however, I worked with a client on revamping our 3 day leadership program. We sliced it to 4 x 3.5 hour modules. I’ve been delivering these sessions over the last few months, and I’ve learnt a ton from the experience.
That’s what I’m sharing this week on the podcast and I’m breaking my lessons learnt into the following categories:
Mindset shift
Run sheet
How I re-imagined what the face-to-face event would look like as a virtual event
Format and logistics
Technology
Managing dynamics
Resources mentioned in this show
Don't forget to join The Flipchart community on Facebook
Let's connect on LinkedIn
See what services I provide over at leannehughes.com
Support the show (https://buymeacoffee.com/leannehughes)
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.