For New Facilitators 

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7 Attributes of Superhero Facilitators

I also wrote an article about the 7 Attributes of Superhero Facilitators: How to rescue a workshop or meeting from a fate worse than death. This speech was turned into a workshop that Adam Mustoe and I delivered at the Gallup CliftonStrengths conference in Omaha Nebraska, June 2019!

Practical, skill-based episodes to boost your facilitation game

Every episode has a ton of value in it but I’ve picked out the top skill development podcasts which niche down on a particular area. 

Powerpoint tips for facilitators: Listen to my interview with Thomas Krafft A wizard of PowerPoint design and presentation physicality, Thomas comes with a deep understanding built from dedicating years to the art of presenting. Fun is his primary weapon and he uses it to break down all walls of nervousness and doubt.

Creating rewarding workshop experiences: How to apply the SCARF model into your facilitation work: I thought the application of SCARF could be tremendously beneficial in our role as facilitations.  In this episode, I share my thoughts on what we can do, in our role as a facilitators to reduce the threat response for participants in our workshops, and optimise their rewards response.

How to start a workshop when you’re waiting for people to show up: You want to start your meeting or workshop but there are a few people who are late. What do you do, do you start the meeting, or do you delay?  In this episode, I share some strategies you can use to start meetings or workshops on time, but not leave people out, or have to repeat yourself, while you do it.

How to use stories to create engaging workshop experiences: I chat with internationally bestselling author Matthew Dicks shares why storytelling so important, and how telling stories is not simply sharing a series of events; it’s the manipulation of emotions.  It’s a skill that can be taught and he shares some of the techniques he uses to engage his audience, whether they’re 10 year old kids, or politicians.

How to use humour to deliver x-factor presentations (and laughs): Humour engineer, Andrew Tarvin shares how he crafts and embeds comedy into his presentations and work life. Andrew provides simple, actionable tips on how to do this; and why it’s important to bring laughter into the workplace.

There’s so many more amazing tips and interviews, you can scroll through the First Time Facilitator archives for more. 

Start your own facilitation business

In Crafting your (remarkable) facilitator brand, I chat with Jane Anderson on her experience delivering workshops and content to over 50,000 people.  She shares why personal branding is so important, how you can craft your own (remarkable) facilitator brand and how she developed the courage to share her brand with the world.

Not sure what topics to focus on? Listen to my conversation with Sarah McVanel where we talk about how to discover your facilitator zone of genius. Sarah is a recognition expert who helps intrapreneurs to shake off the golden handcuffs, like she did, and launch successful six to seven figure businesses they love.  I loved our conversation so much, I brought Sarah back so we could we dive deeper into the Business of Facilitation: Getting more clients, building your client pipeline and pricing your workshops.

Part of growing your business, is having a strong personal brand. It’s not about selling the plane, it’s about selling the holiday.  I chatted to Petra Zink about building your credibility as a facilitator when you’re first starting out, and how to market yourself without feeling like you’re bragging about yourself. 

Look after yourself (self-care)

Luckily, I get to travel overseas to deliver workshops and I’ve learnt some important lessons on the road (and on the tarmac) that I share in this solo episode.  Why? Prevention is better than cure! 

Losing your voice when delivering a workshop? You’re doing it wrong. After running full-day workshops, voice coach Emmanuella Grace shares her ideas on preventing voice loss, and the fundamental things you can do to look after your voice. We explore longer-term approaches to creating stronger voice presence, which involves exploring your mindset.

Preparation is key! And it’s all down to how you pack. Listen to this solo episode, where I share my packing method for workshops. Listen to the ultimate facilitator packing checklist (and how the MOST method saves you energy)

Next steps:

If you’d love more tips straight to your inbox, you can sign up to my newsletter called ‘The Flipchart’ where I share all the best workshop activities, games, websites, tools around.

Join a global community of like-minded facilitators

You can also join a community with hundreds of facilitators sharing their lessons learnt on the free Facebook group called, ‘The Flipchart’.

If you’d like to know more about your host, jump on over to my website @ Leanne Hughes where you can find out what type of workshops I deliver and how I can help you! 

You can also find out what I’m up to ‘behind the podcast microphone’ by:

• Connecting with Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn

• Following Leanne Hughes on Instagram

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE

I’m here for you as both a guide and as a friend.
I want to hear your stories. I want to know how else I can help you. I want the First Time Facilitator experience to be our experience, together. That’s how we all learn and grow together, including me.