Podcast Episodes First Time Facilitator Podcast Episodes First Time Facilitator

Episode 111: Never let a good crisis go to waste with Murray Guest and Steph Clarke

*BONUS EPISODE* During these unprecedented Covid-19 times, I thought it would be helpful for listeners to lean into a conversation between their facilitation peers.

With less than 24 hours notice, I invited Murray Guest and Steph Clarke onto a Zoom call, to have an open conversation on how we're feeling, how we're responding, and how our clients are also adapting to the ever-evolving situation.

Listen to this episode from First Time Facilitator on Spotify. *BONUS EPISODE* During these unprecedented Covid-19 times, I thought it would be helpful for listeners to lean into a conversation between their facilitation peers. With less than 24 hours notice, I invited Murray Guest and Steph Clarke onto a Zoom call, to have an open conversation on how we're feeling, how we're responding, and how [...]

*BONUS EPISODE* During these unprecedented Covid-19 times, I thought it would be helpful for listeners to lean into a conversation between their facilitation peers.

With less than 24 hours notice, I invited Murray Guest and Steph Clarke onto a Zoom call, to have an open conversation on how we're feeling, how we're responding, and how our clients are also adapting to the ever-evolving situation.

Hope you enjoy this impromptu, imperfect episode!

About Steph Clarke

Steph is a Team Coach and was a guest on Episodes 33 and 53. She hosts the Steph's Business Bookshelf podcast, and

Steph is an accountant turned facilitator and team coach and pommy (that’s a Brit living in Australia for the uninitiated) based in Melbourne.

She loves finding tools, techniques and concepts that are proven and work so she can apply them and share with you and your teams.  You’ll find that most of her workshops and facilitation combines the best of leadership theory, team coaching, the actionable science of behaviour change and habit building; along with the real life stories of her and her clients, to set your team up for success in effectively applying the lessons.

When she’s not transforming teams you’ll find her in the pilates studio, in the kitchen, on a plane or hiding somewhere with a podcast, book or a great Spotify playlist.

Listen to her podcast, Steph's Business Bookshelf - where she does the reading, so you don't have to!

About Murray Guest

Murray Guest is one of Australia’s leading Strengths coaches, helping over 1,000 people unlock and apply their strengths to achieve their professional and personal goals. As a Gallup certified Strengths coach he partners with organisations to build strengths-based cultures and realise the benefits a strengths-based approach brings. 

The founding director of Inspire My Business, he combines his diverse experience in HR, QA and Business Development to inspire leaders and their teams along the pathway of change and continuous improvement. 

His recognition includes one of only two coaches to speak at all three of the Gallup Strengths Summits in Omaha and receiving the HMA Excellence in Training Award for leading significant improvements as the Learning and Development Manager of Tomago Aluminum.

He's also the host of the Inspired Energy podcast and appeared on Episode 30 of the First Time Facilitator podcast.

About the 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 13 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 110: We all have a choice to get to the next level with Nicholas King

In this episode I chat with Nicholas about how to strive to become the best version of yourself as a facilitator and how to make a difference in others lives. I think that's one of our goals as facilitators: Create some type of transformation from when a participant enters our workshop. We want to spark some idea, or unique way of thinking that was different before our workshop experience.

Listen to this episode from First Time Facilitator on Spotify. In this episode I chat with Nicholas about how to strive to become the best version of yourself as a facilitator and how to make a difference in others lives.

In this episode I chat with Nicholas about how to strive to become the best version of yourself as a facilitator and how to make a difference in others lives.

I think that's one of our goals as facilitators: Create some type of transformation from when a participant enters our workshop. We want to spark some idea, or unique way of thinking that was different before our workshop experience.

Sometimes that change is raising your awareness levels on a topic, or spurring you to reflect on choices you make in work/life. While this topic does have a facilitation focus, there are also some terrific life lessons in the mix!

Nicholas is a wonderful, entertaining, humorous person + speaker and he’s based in Brisbane as well. We connected first through LInkedIn and then I met him and his wonderful wife Holly at the 100th episode party, and geez - he’s funny + a really compelling storytelling, so you can only imagine when he ramps things up for a presentation!

I like a bit of unpredictability and Nicholas blew me away with an example he shares in this one, relating to one of my favourite actors, Tom Cruise.

Nicholas also throws down a listener challenge in this one. Please connect with us both on Linkedin. If you can pull off what he did in a workshop, please record and share it! 

About today's guest: Nicholas King

Nicholas King is a highly engaging speaker, MC, trainer, facilitator and coach that helps others become better versions of themselves. 

He is the Principal Facilitator & Trainer | Sales Enablement & Performance at Oracle Sales & Partner Academy, where he provides training, facilitation and sales performance coaching within the Oracle Digital portfolio. He’s also the president of the Oracle Toastmasters Club.

He marries his 18 years of selling and sales leadership experience to deliver world class sales training and enablement on sales skills and methodology to enhance the performance of sales organisations.

Nicholas is an international speaker and with his company, Thinking Mechanics, delivers insight into the most important leadership role anyone of us will have, the leadership of ourselves.

Thinking Mechanics exists to help others who may "suffer" the same thought-life and need to help to set themselves free. The importance of this is tied to the fact that what you think about - and add belief to - will, eventually, manifest into your life. 

In this episode you will learn:

  • Awesome gadgets to use during and after your facilitation

  • How to make your facilitation better and more effective

  • Tracking your performance to be consistent

  • The ‘why’ of connecting with people on social media

Resources mentioned:

Quotes:

“People get stuck because they are not aware of something. People can progress out of something they learn.”

“We all have a choice to get to the next level.”

“What you allow yourself to deliberately think or dwell on is fed to us by what we hear.”

Join The Flipchart

An incredible group of facilitators from all over the world, The Flipchart is a free group on Facebook. See you there!

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Episode 109: Facilitating your passion pivot (and being brave to step into it) with Scott Armstrong

It was really amazing getting on today’s guest and talking about things like career pivots, how to find our passion and more - this is from a guy who has not only pivoted but has done 180 degree turns into different careers.

His name is Scott Armstrong, he’s Canadian and he started his career as a corporate banker who was deeply frustrated and knew there had to be more for than pushing paper. He went on to work at Canada’s largest rehabilitation centre for abandoned exotic animals. Swimming with jaguars, running with wolves, playing in the snow with tigers, helping an owl take flight again.

Listen to this episode from First Time Facilitator on Spotify. It's been just over a year now since I stepped out as a solopreneur and I feel like I'm still trying to find that ultra niche topic for me to really double down on.

It’s been just over a year now since I stepped out as a solopreneur and I feel like I’m still trying to find that ultra niche topic for me to really double down on. I run workshops on so many things: leadership, team dynamics, negotiation, communication, Strengths - I’m still a generalist and everyday, I try to think about what is it I want to focus on and become an expert in.

So it was really amazing getting on today’s guest and talking about things like career pivots, how to find our passion and more - this is from a guy who has not only pivoted but has done 180 degree turns into different careers.

His name is Scott Armstrong, he’s Canadian and he started his career as a corporate banker who was deeply frustrated and knew there had to be more for than pushing paper. He went on to work at Canada’s largest rehabilitation centre for abandoned exotic animals. Swimming with jaguars, running with wolves, playing in the snow with tigers, helping an owl take flight again. 

After that he started helping people create their own Limitless adventure. Over the last 20 years he worked with over 2000 businesses and individuals to help them create and grow. His company Limitless is now a group of passionate people with enough life perspective and skill sets to help you dream, create and live a life that satisfies like nothing else.

In this episode, we talk about what left him to pivot and his fascination with getting others to lead limitless lives - and when he says limitless he means it, one of the images on the front page of his website, scottarmstronglimitless.com is an image jumping out of an aircraft. 

If you are soul searching, driving to work, feeling like you’re stuck in the rat race, wondering what on earth how to find your purpose, you’ll find this interview and Scott’s work very appealing.

As a business owner, he also leads by example and shares a pretty vulnerable point about saying no to a job that he would have leapt to deliver recently. It’s part of staying strong and connected to his decision on his area of focus. He also talks through some very helpful Sales tactics if you are leading your own facilitation business at the back end of this conversation.

About today's guest: Scott Armstrong

Scott started as a corporate banker who was deeply frustrated and knew there had to be more for than pushing paper. He went on to work at Canada’s largest rehabilitation centre for abandoned exotic animals. Swimming with jaguars, running with wolves, playing in the snow with tigers, helping an owl take flight again. 

After that he started helping people create their own Limitless adventure. Over the last 20 years he worked with over 2000 businesses and individuals to help them create and grow. His company, Limitless is now a group of passionate people with enough life perspective and skill sets to help you dream, create and live a life that satisfies like nothing else.

He also helps companies get the most efficient, effective and affordable productivity habits training for business leaders. Access your purest potential, creating a deeply fulfilling life of adventure and accomplishment, unearth personal passions and skills scarcely known to you.

In this episode you will learn:

  • Being brave enough to follow your passion and live your full potential

  • How to be open to learning and vulnerability during career transition

  • Finding your niche and stamping your expert as an authority

  • How to to get more sales as facilitator

Resources mentioned:

Episode sponsor: The First Time Facilitator Bootcamp

This episode is also sponsored by my first online program for facilitators called The First TIme Facilitator bootcamp!

It’s 5 masterclasses, a community and all the tools, checklists and resources I use to deliver workshops.

Doors close on Friday 13 March, I’d love to have you in the first group. You can join over at leannehughes.com/bootcamp.

Like this show?

Quotes from my conversation with Scott Armstrong

  • “The vast majority of people, when it comes to finding their passion, either have a vague idea or they have no idea at all.”

  • “If you are thinking about transitioning, you have to be open - not just to learning but also being vulnerable.”

  • “Selling is a long term relationship, you should keep the conversation open.”

  • “Always look to provide value.”

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Episode 108: Effective virtual facilitation using Zoom Webinars with Leanne Hughes

This is a surprise, pop-up show! I had so many of you asking questions about how to facilitate virtual meetings and webinars, so I've created a practical episode, on this very topic this week. It seems like there is more of a demand to do this well, particularly given world events like coronavirus, we’re seeing a lot of people’s travel stalling, recommendations to stop large conferences + gigs, so we need to find ways to recreate these connections virtually.

Listen to this episode from First Time Facilitator on Spotify. This is a surprise, pop-up show! I had so many of you asking questions about how to facilitate virtual meetings and webinars, so I've created a practical episode, on this very topic this week.

This is a surprise, pop-up show! I had so many of you asking questions about how to facilitate virtual meetings and webinars, so I've created a practical episode, on this very topic this week.

It seems like there is more of a demand to do this well, particularly given world events like coronavirus, we’re seeing a lot of people’s travel stalling, recommendations to stop large conferences + gigs, so we need to find ways to recreate these connections virtually.

I’m by no means a virtual facilitator whiz kid (face to face workshops are my bread and butter) but I've connected with some great people and picked their brain to give you some tips today.

Thanks for your in/direct contribution to this episode:

Enlist in the First Time Facilitator Bootcamp!

Enrolments are open now and close Friday 13 March, 2020. Find out more about the First Time Facilitator Bootcamp.

Resources mentioned in this episode

Join The Flipchart

An incredible group of facilitators from all over the world, The Flipchart is a free group on Facebook. See you there!

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Episode 107: Get going (and then get good) with Kate Norris

Charisma: An important topic that we haven’t explored enough on this show. How do you know when someone is charismatic? What clues do you pick up? That’s a question I ask today’s guest, to get her thoughts on what it takes to be charismatic.

Listen to this episode from First Time Facilitator on Spotify. Charisma: An important topic that we haven't explored enough on this show. How do you know when someone is charismatic? What clues do you pick up? That's a question I ask today's guest, to get her thoughts on what it takes to be charismatic.

Charisma: An important topic that we haven’t explored enough on this show. How do you know when someone is charismatic?  What clues do you pick up? That’s a question I ask today’s guest, to get her thoughts on what it takes to be charismatic.

And spoiler alert? 
The good news is, we can all get a little more charismatic - listen in to hear how.

Today’s guest is Kate Norris.  She’s a Presentation Coach, Speaker, Podcast Host and Co-founder of Presentation Boss.

Kate is a former data-analyst with a passion for presenting technical information, Her specialty is turning potentially dry information (especially numbers!) into energetic and engaging presentations.

When she's not at work helping experts communicate better, you can find her wiping baby spit-up off her shirt or answering the question "why?" for the eleventy-billionth time.

Her co-founder, Thomas Krafft appeared on Episode 51 of the First Time Facilitator podcast, sharing practical tips to make PowerPoint presentations more engaging.  

Facilitation is all about communication. Kate believes that speaking is based on acquired skills that can be improved by a theoretical understanding, constructive feedback and practise. She believes that gifted speakers may be born, but effective communicators are made.

In this episode Kate talks about the importance of being engaging and charismatic as a facilitator to keep the energy going. 

About our Guest: Kate Norris

Kate has a background in data analytics and finance, she is no stranger to finding an engaging way to present lifeless data in an actionable way.

Kate together with Thomas Krafft at Presentation Boss help organisation analyze every aspect of presentation skills, and passionate about empowering others to enhance their communication skills.

Presentation Boss runs workshops for those looking to improve their communication, presentation and data visualisation skills. They have a range of workshops available or can tailor a course to suit your business needs.

Resources mentioned:

Boost your facilitation skills

In this show, Kate Norris and I also throw down a challenge!

If you’re out and about in the morning this is a challenge for you. 

Kate and I talk about saying hello to fellow morning walkers + joggers. We’d like to challenge you to get as many ‘hellos’ as possible when you’re out exercising this week. This challenge is all about getting out of our comfort zone.

Share your results with us - you can do that by tagging us on Instagram @leannehughes or @presentationboss, or simply post about it on LinkedIn, tag Kate and Leanne Hughes, or send us a message and let us know how you went. We’re all in this together!

Like this show?

Quotes:

  • “The problem you are solving and the people you are helping are the core aspects of marketing.”

  • “Charisma is magnetism towards someone.”

  • “Get going, then get good.”

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Episode 106: Why being “barely adequate” is a smart strategy for First Time Facilitators with Michael Bungay-Stanier

Michael Bungay Stanier is at the forefront of shaping how organizations around the world make being coach-like an essential leadership competency. His book, The Coaching Habit was an instant classic and one of the books that most impacted how I think and lead. I am eagerly anticipating the follow-up, deep-dive he’s written, coming out on February 29th. The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious, and Change the Way You Lead Forever is sure to be transformative.

Listen to this episode from First Time Facilitator on Spotify. Leanne Hughes interviews #1 coaching thought leader and author, Michael Bungay-Stanier on the First Time Facilitator podcast. The post Why being "barely adequate" is a smart strategy for First Time Facilitators with Michael Bungay-Stanier (Episode 106) appeared first on First Time Facilitator.

I was lucky enough to interview Michael Bungay Stanier in Brisbane (Nov 2019). Watch the interview, instead!

I'm re-releasing an interview with one of the world's legends today!

It’s to celebrate the pre-order launch of Michael Bungay Stanier's (MBS) newest book, "How to Begin: Start Doing Something that Matters" is now available for pre-order.

Grab the book.

It’s legendary!

Gosh I’ve been so excited to bring this episode to you! If you listened to my interview with Mark Bowden, you would have heard us talk about today’s guest, one of my all-time favourite thoughts leaders + author's, Michael Bungay-Stanier.

Michael Bungay Stanier is at the forefront of shaping how organizations around the world make being coach-like an essential leadership competency.  His book, The Coaching Habit was an instant classic and one of the books that most impacted how I think and lead. I am eagerly anticipating the follow-up, deep-dive he’s written, coming out on February 29th. The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious, and Change the Way You Lead Forever is sure to be transformative. 

In 2019, Michael was named the #1 thought leader in coaching by Thinkers50, the so-called Oscars of management. Michael was also the first Canadian coach of the year and has been named a Global Coaching Guru since 2014. 

I was lucky enough to record this conversation with Michael when he was in Brisbane. In this conversation, we cover a ton of topics ranging from finding your purpose, to how a room should be setup, to how we can be more coach-like in our interactions, how we can give less advice as well (when it’s so tempting to give advice).

You can also watch this video on YouTube. In the video, you’ll see Michael share his facilitation toolkit (yup, he brought it along to the interview!) :World’s #1 thought leader on coaching, Michael Bungay-Stanier talks facilitation with Leanne Hughes

Michael also shares specifics on how to deliver activity instructions, including how to sequence question time in pairs and how to assess who speaks first in a pairing exercise, using humour.

Speaking of humour, one of the reasons I think Michael is one of my favourite authors, is because he is that funny. You see that in the way that he writes, the way he chooses his words - highly intelligent while keeping it real.  It’s also why you’ll hear me laughing over the top of much of what he says #sorrynotsorry.

About my guest: Michael Bungay-Stanier

Michael’s the founder of Box of Crayons, a company that champions coaching skills as a force for manager excellence and leader capability. He’s a compelling keynote speaker, combining practicality, humour, and an unprecedented degree of engagement with the audience. He’s spoken around the world in front of crowds ranging from ten to ten thousand. 

Michael has written and also been featured in numerous publications including Business Insider, Fast Company, Forbes, The Globe & Mail and The Huffington Post.

The world desperately needs more humble, curious leaders. His latest book, The Advice Trap takes us deep into the whys and then shows us exactly how to get there. Available February 29th wherever books are sold. 

Resources mentioned in the interview:

Free webinar 26 February 2020: 5 unpredictable ways to start a workshop (that predictably work)

Want some new ideas on how to begin a workshop? I’m running a free, live webinar on the 5 unpredictable ways to start a workshop (that predictably work) on Wednesday 26 February, 10am AEST. You can find out more and sign up here (and don’t worry, if you can’t make it live but you register, you’ll also get the recording).

Like this show?

Quotes:

  • “Great work has more impact and greater meaning.”

  • “Coaching is an essential skill and behavior of a leader.”

  • “Coaching is about you leading in a different way that will allow your people to feel more engaged, empowered and more focused on what matters.”

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Episode 105: Legendary learning + the facilitation percentage game with Juan Daniel Sobrado

Legendary Learning is a resource managed by Juan Daniel Sobrado, helping to share ideas and tips to design and carry out more effective, participatory and fun training courses. In this episode I chat with Juanda about how we can deliver the x-factor during training sessions and presentations.

Listen to this episode from First Time Facilitator on Spotify. Here's a question for you. Think about the last workshop you delivered. If you had to use a ratio, how much time did you spend speaking, explaining, emphasising vs the group speaking, sharing, contributing? That's a great reflection question, isn't it?

Here’s a question for you. Think about the last workshop you delivered. If you had to use a ratio, how much time did you spend speaking, explaining, emphasising vs the group speaking, sharing, contributing?

That’s a great reflection question, isn’t it?

I can’t claim it. It’s question that led today’s guest into becoming more curious about how to create interactive, engaging workshop experiences.

His name is Juan Daniel Sobrado (otherwise known as Juanda) and he's based in Madrid, Spain. If you’re in the Flipchart, you might recognise his name - he’s such a wonderful contributor to the group, providing helpful and innovative responses to questions from other facilitators in the group.

Legendary Learning is a resource managed by Juan Daniel Sobrado, helping to share ideas and tips to design and carry out more effective, participatory and fun training courses.

In this episode I chat with Juanda about how we can deliver the x-factor during training sessions and presentations.

You can also view watch us chat on Youtube: Legendary learning + the facilitation percentage game w/ Juan Daniel Sobrado on Leanne Hughes' show

About today's guest: Juan Daniel Sobrado

Juanda started working as a bioengineer at Medtronic, one of the largest implantable medical device companies worldwide.

He was growing professionally and he knew the world of sales and marketing. Juanda liked it so much that he trained in ESIC about marketing applied to the medical industry. He began to manage the marketing and sales of neuronavigators, intraoperative imaging systems (CT and resonances that are installed in the operating room) and surgical robots. This is what Juan does during the day.

At night, he hosts the Learning Legandario podcast (Spanish) and creates wonderful resources for learning and development on his website of the same name.

When he started working years ago, he mistakenly associated training with presenting. For a long time. he trained on how to design better presentations, how to choose words to connect audience and how to perform memorably on stage.

It was in 2012 when he discovered new ways to train and deliver workshops and realised he had to improve. He realised that there was life beyond PowerPoint. He learned to design participatory courses, and how he could get more effective training by making participants learn while having fun. That was when he promised not to deliver any more boring training sessions again.

Resources mentioned in this show

Like this show?

  • Please leave me a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so I can thank you personally.

  • Tweet Leanne your number one takeaway from this episode!

  • Click here to send your thanks to Juan

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Episode 104: When do you stop calling yourself a First Time Facilitator? with Leanne Hughes

When do you stop calling yourself a First Time Facilitator? How do you know when you've graduated to just being a "Facilitator"? I’ve given a bit of consideration to this and put together my thoughts in this episode.

Listen to this episode from First Time Facilitator on Spotify. When do you stop calling yourself a First Time Facilitator? How do you know when you've graduated to just being a "Facilitator"? I've given a bit of consideration to this and put together my thoughts in this episode.

When do you stop calling yourself a First Time Facilitator? How do you know when you've graduated to just being a "Facilitator"?

I’ve given a bit of consideration to this and put together my thoughts in this episode.

I talk about some key things to stop, start (and continue) doing, for example:

  • Stop apologising when you start a workshop (even if you've only been given a day's notice / an hour's notice to lead a workshop, yes - even when the tech is failing!)

  • Stop impersonating other people (draw inspiration - but try not to copy)

  • Think about your audience before you even consider looking at your content

  • Start developing a method to deliver your instructions clearly, succinctly and simply, in the best way for your participants

  • Find your own way to grab everyone's attention

  • Continue getting feedback and remember you can't control anyone's perception of you: You can only control how you show up

About the 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 and Singapore and believes in a strengths-centred approach to learning and development.  She has over 13 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.

Like this episode?

  • Join the conversation when the show is over: Connect with over 550 facilitators from around the world, on our free Facebook group: The Flipchart

  • Please leave me a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so I can thank you personally.

  • Tweet Leanne your number one takeaway from this episode!

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Episode 103: Learning to adapt, adopt and love change with Lydia Moussa

Academic, change facilitator & tech startup founder, Lydia Moussa, combines knowledge and evidence from her PhD in change implementation research, with years of change facilitation experience helps organisations deal with the process of change.

Listen to this episode from First Time Facilitator on Spotify. With the inevitable changes happening all around us, teams need to build their capabilities so that they can successfully adopt new change projects and confidently adapt to their ever-changing environments.

With the inevitable changes happening all around us, teams need to build their capabilities so that they can successfully adopt new change projects and confidently adapt to their ever-changing environments. 

Academic, change facilitator & tech startup founder, Lydia Moussa, combines knowledge and evidence from her PhD in change implementation research, with years of change facilitation experience helps organisations deal with the process of change.

In this episode, Lydia and I talk about a clever metaphor she uses to describe change, which throws out the old, linear approaches used by organisations at the moment. She also shares a really neat tool she uses with her clients to understand their change priorities, a tool which I believe, as facilitators, we could also use to understand our client’s pain points. The other thing I love are three strategies that we can use, when we’re delivering workshops to academics or health professionals specifically.

Lydia and I also recorded this conversation on video: Leanne Hughes interviews Lydia Moussa (YouTube).

Lydia aims to shake up the change industry, by changing the way we look at change - from a simplistic linear process, to a more dynamic, human-centered puzzle. Follow Lydia on LinkedIn as she shares the top 20 evidence-based factors that affect the change puzzle.

In this episode you will learn:

  • How organizations can change the approach around change

  • How to have the growth mindset

  • Factors that affect change that can act as barriers or enablers for change

  • How organizations can become adaptable and resilient with change

About our guest: Lydia Moussa

As a former healthcare professional (pharmacist) and academic, Lydia specialises in facilitating change in both the Health Care industry and Tertiary Education.

She has worked with over 300 organisations including, The University of Technology Sydney, The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), NSW Department of Education, Australian Digital Health Agency, Roche Pharmaceuticals among others.

Her expertise in change has led her to publish her work in the Journal of Change Management, speak at national and international conferences & lecture at university.

Resources mentioned:

Like this episode?

  • Join the conversation when the show is over: Connect with over 530 facilitators from around the world, on our free Facebook group: The Flipchart

  • Please leave me a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so I can thank you personally.

  • Tweet Leanne your number one takeaway from this episode!

  • Click here to send your thanks to Lydia

Quotes of the episode:

  • “We never shy away from trying something new that sometimes leads to failure but other times it just opens a whole world of opportunities.”
    “When it aligns with something you are truly passionate about and it feels right, you just say yes to change.”

  • “Everyone needs to be able to navigate change, not just those in leadership role.”

  • “To be authentic, you have to be what you say.”

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Episode 102: Using body language to create a powerful workshop experience with Mark Bowden

You know when you run a workshop, every now and then you peer around the room to see who’s paying attention, who looks interested (and, who doesn’t!) and you make judgments based on what you’re seeing from up the front of the room? I thought that was a key part of being a facilitator - being observant of your participant's body language.

Listen to this episode from First Time Facilitator on Spotify. You know when you run a workshop, every now and then you peer around the room to see who's paying attention, who looks interested (and, who doesn't!) and you make judgments based on what you're seeing from up the front of the room?

You know when you run a workshop, every now and then you peer around the room to see who’s paying attention, who looks interested (and, who doesn’t!) and you make judgments based on what you’re seeing from up the front of the room? I thought that was a key part of being a facilitator - being observant of your participant's body language.

Well today’s guest has completely blown my mind on all of that. I wish I had spoken to this guy at the beginning of my career, this interview had a profound impact on me. I don’t want to give too much away before I share the episode, but I’ve got to say, it’s one of the most important conversations I’ve ever had - and not just because he played the Orc General in the Lord of the Rings movies, either!

My guest today is Mark Bowden, a global authority on nonverbal communication, voted #1 Body Language Professional in the world for two years running. He's a sought after keynote speaker internationally and president of the National Communication Coach Association of Canada, while also training groups and individuals on how to use their body language to stand out, win trust and gain credibility every time they communicate. 

Mark is passionate about giving people the most influential and persuasive communication techniques to stand out, win trust, and build credibility every time they speak.

In this episode, you’ll learn about how you can project the brand image you want when you deliver a workshop, how to be a more 'lazy facilitator' and when to have/relinquish control.

If you'd like to watch Leanne Hughes' interview with Mark Bowden, you can watch it over on YouTube.

About our guest: Mark Bowden

Mark is the founder of communication training company TRUTHPLANE® his clients include leading business people, teams, and politicians, presidents and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and Prime Ministers of G7 powers. 

He is a bestselling author of 3 books on the subject of body language and human behaviour, with his first book Winning Body Language now translated into five different languages. Presentation trainer for The Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA, ranked #1 in the world by The Economist, Mark is also a member of the TED community having spoken at TEDx Toronto. Mark can be seen regularly on Canadian network CTV’s daily talk show The Social as the resident Body Language expert.

Resources mentioned:

Like this show?

  • Please leave me a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so I can thank you personally.

  • Tweet Leanne your number one takeaway from this episode!

Quotes:

  • “Non-verbal communication can trigger other human beings into feeling like they have a very accurate assessment of what’s going on in somebody’s mind.”

  • “Stars are guiding light in the sky that in the darkness you can still navigate and get to where you want to be. Actors are like stars, we’re taking the journey with them to an emotional place.”

  • “Branding is the experience we want our audience to feel about us.“

  • “I avoid the idea that I need to be aggressive with the audience, what I need them to do, is to know that it’s fun and it’s safe around me.”

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Episode 101: 10 facilitation lessons from the last 100 weeks with Leanne Hughes + a bonus interview with Murray Guest

This week on the show sharing my Top 10 facilitation lessons learnt over the last 100 episodes. I’m going to compare the facilitator I was 100 weeks ago, with the facilitator I am now (or who I aspire to be), based on the information I’ve been able to extract from previous guests and experiences.

Listen to this episode from First Time Facilitator on Spotify. This week on the show sharing my Top 10 facilitation lessons learnt over the last 100 episodes. I'm going to compare the facilitator I was 100 weeks ago, with the facilitator I am now (or who I aspire to be), based on the information I've been able to extract from previous guests and experiences.

This week on the show sharing my Top 10 facilitation lessons learnt over the last 100 episodes. I’m going to compare the facilitator I was 100 weeks ago, with the facilitator I am now (or who I aspire to be), based on the information I’ve been able to extract from previous guests and experiences.

I also had a few listeners record audio and share what they have picked up from the podcast, which we’ll play during this special episode - thank you so much for those of you who took the time out to record! So amazing hearing your voices - thank you Suzanne, Juanda, Maryanne and Murray.

At the end of my lessons learnt, I’m also including an interview I did with Murray Guest on his podcast called the Inspired Energy podcast. I’ve decided to add this interview to this episode as Murray asks some awesome questions, we have a really fun conversation + I think it’s a nice way of introducing myself to you, especially if you are new to listening to this show.

About the 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 and Singapore and believes in a strengths-centred approach to learning and development.  She has over 13 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.

Resources mentioned on this show

Like this show?

  • Join the conversation when the show is over: Connect with over 500 facilitators from around the world, on our free Facebook group: The Flipchart

  • Please leave me a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so I can thank you personally.

  • Tweet Leanne your number one takeaway from this episode!

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Episode 100: Facilitating conversations with the world's best performers with Jordan Harbinger

PISODE 100 IS HERE! This causes for a celebration, so I thought I’d get my favourite podcaster on the show. A guy that I’ve talked about many times on this podcast and shared his philosophy about building your network and relationships, and that guy is Jordan Harbinger from The Jordan Harbinger Show.

EPISODE 100 IS HERE! This causes for a celebration, so I thought I’d get my favourite podcaster on the show. A guy that I’ve talked about many times on this podcast and shared his philosophy about building your network and relationships, and that guy is Jordan Harbinger from The Jordan Harbinger Show.

Jordan Harbinger is a Wall Street lawyer turned interview talk show host, and a communications and social dynamics expert.

He interviews the world’s top performers — from legendary musicians to intelligence operatives, iconoclastic writers to visionary change-makers at The Jordan Harbinger Show, consistently holding in the iTunes top 100 after just a few weeks.

In this episode I wanted to focus on what it takes to facilitate conversations with some of the world’s most amazing people, he’s had Malcolm Gladwell, John Maxwell, Simon Sinek, Lisa Lampenelli, Kobe Bryant on his show.

This week's sponsor: Rapid Mentoring

This weeks episode is brought to you by Rapid Mentoring.

What is Rapid mentoring? It’s an amazing subscription program designed to help people make more of their life and career, in less time

The mix of online learning modules and twice weekly bite sized emails over the 12 month subscription is terrific value at just $250 per year.

Thank you for supporting the show! Connect with the founder of Rapid Mentoring, Warren James on LinkedIn.

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In this episode you will learn:

  • How to build trust with people by developing an ongoing relationship with them ("Digging the well before you get thirsty")

  • How to direct unique conversations and interviews by putting the effort in beforehand

  • How to connect with and book incredible guests on your podcast

About our guest: Jordan Harbinger

Jordan has hosted a top 50 iTunes podcast for over 12 years and receives over six million downloads per month, making The Jordan Harbinger Show one of the most popular podcasts in the world. The show was awarded Apple’s “Best of 2018” and is one of the most downloaded shows of the year. On The Jordan Harbinger Show, Jordan deconstructs the playbooks of the most successful people on earth and shares their strategies, perspectives, and practical insights with the rest of us. 

Jordan spent several years abroad in Europe and the developing world, including South America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and he speaks five languages. He has also worked for various governments and NGOs overseas, traveled through war zones, and been kidnapped — twice. He’ll tell you the only reason he’s still alive and kicking is because of his ability to talk his way into (and out of) just about any type of situation.

Jordan Harbinger is a member of the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotes of the show

  • “Charisma is a key component of being liked.”

  • “You can outwork other podcasters when you are willing to do what others are not.”

  • “The next level for me is finding not the well-known person but people with really unique and interesting stories.”

Like this show?

  • Join the conversation when the show is over: Connect with over 430 facilitators from around the world, on our free Facebook group: The Flipchart

  • Please leave me a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so I can thank you personally.

  • Tweet Leanne your number one takeaway from this episode!

  • Tweet Jordan your thanks for appearing on the show!

About the 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 and Singapore and believes in a strengths-centred approach to learning and development.  She has over 13 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 99: 16 Facilitators share their 2020 planning strategy

How do your fellow facilitators plan their new year? Be inspired and get some new ideas on how to plan your 2020 by hearing 16 previous guests of the First Time Facilitator podcast share how they they form their plan of attack

Listen to this episode from First Time Facilitator on Spotify. How do your fellow facilitators plan their new year? Be inspired and get some new ideas on how to plan your 2020 by hearing 16 previous guests of the First Time Facilitator podcast share how they they form their plan of attack Special thanks to the following facilitators for contributing to this week's episode: Sue [...]

How do your fellow facilitators plan their new year?  Be inspired and get some new ideas on how to plan your 2020 by hearing 16 previous guests of the First Time Facilitator podcast share how they they form their plan of attack 

Special thanks to the following facilitators for contributing to this week’s episode: 

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Episode 98: "That which you can plan is too small for you to live": 2019 reflections + 2020 planning with Leanne Hughes

We’re closing in to the end of not only a year, but a decade as well. I wanted to take some time out on today’s episode to reflect on the year, and ask some questions to help you reflect, as well as focus in on creating a delightful 2020.

Listen to this episode from First Time Facilitator on Spotify. We're closing in to the end of not only a year, but a decade as well. I wanted to take some time out on today's episode to reflect on the year, and ask some questions to help you reflect, as well as focus in on creating a delightful 2020.

We’re closing in to the end of not only a year, but a decade as well. I wanted to take some time out on today’s episode to reflect on the year, and ask some questions to help you reflect, as well as focus in on creating a delightful 2020. 

In this episode, I share some planning tips for 2020, as well as talk through specifics reflecting and planning in these three key areas:

  1. Facilitation

  2. Career + business lessons

  3. Life lessons (relationships, physical + mental health, finance)

Resources mentioned in this show

About the 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 and Singapore and believes in a strengths-centred approach to learning and development.  She has over 13 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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Podcast Episodes First Time Facilitator Podcast Episodes First Time Facilitator

Episode 97: Facilitating like a fighter pilot (with the pace of a poet) with Chris Huet

My guest this week, Chris Huet from Understood is based in Canberra, Australia but travels around this great country and beyond, helping leaders to communicate better. His business focuses on three areas - speaking in front of others so he can share his ideas; coaching others and helping them improve their ability to communicate, and delivering group workshops . Chris' goal is to help people speak with the precision of a fighter pilot and the passion of a poet.

Listen to this episode from First Time Facilitator on Spotify. Communication is an integral part of any work or life situation. Regardless of how compelling the speaker is, all audiences have limited attention spans. To become a more effective communicator, it is important to learn how to connect with your audience and make more meaningful conversations with them.

Communication is an integral part of any work or life situation. Regardless of how compelling the speaker is, all audiences have limited attention spans.

To become a more effective communicator,  it is important to learn how to connect with your audience and make more meaningful conversations with them. 

My guest this week, Chris Huet from Understood is based in Canberra, Australia but travels around this great country and beyond, helping leaders to communicate better.

His business focuses on three areas - speaking in front of others so he can share his ideas; coaching others and helping them improve their ability to communicate, and delivering group workshops . Chris' goal is to help people speak with the precision of a fighter pilot and the passion of a poet. 

In this episode I chat with Chris about his passion for communication and delivering engaging workshop experiences.

About our guest: Chris Huet

Chris is a communications coach with over thirty years' experience in public and private sector leadership and technical and creative communication. He draws on practical knowledge and the latest research to help leaders speak more effectively.

He believes that everyone can be confident speaking in front of an audience and everyone can improve the way we connect with other people and get our messages heard. Holding a passionate belief that every single person can improve the way we connect through the spoken word, Chris’ work has shifted to sharing the skills and expertise built throughout a diverse career to elevate the ability of the people surrounding him to connect deeply – and with precision – every time they speak.

He led a fighter jet squadron, negotiated billion-dollar contracts and performed poetry on stages around the world. As well as being a fighter pilot, successful consultant and business development manager, he is an award-winning spoken word artist and two-time TEDx presenter.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Like this show?

  • Please leave me a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so I can thank you personally.

  • Tweet Leanne your number one takeaway from this episode!

  • Click here to send your thanks to Chris.

Quotes of the show:

  • “How are you going to use poetry to change the world?”

  • “You don’t need to do something hugely significant to make it engaging.”

  • “Being more visible and open about my skill set and unique experience and why I want to use those things to help other people.”

  • “We take for granted our experience and the things we’ve done but those things are really what makes us unique.”

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