workshops work
Welcome to “workshops work,” the podcast that transforms how professionals engage, inspire, and lead groups. Hosted by Dr Myriam Hadnes, a behavioural economist and facilitation evangelist, each episode dives into facilitation techniques and mindsets that make workshops successful.
Join us every week as we sit down with world-renowned facilitators and uncover their secrets to creating psychological safety, fostering collaboration, and sparking innovation. Whether you’re a Facilitator, L&D professional, HR leader, manager, coach or trainer, you’ll find practical tips, inspiring stories, and actionable insights to elevate your group dynamics.
From navigating conflict to unlocking creativity, “workshops work” blends theory with practice, ensuring you walk away with tools you can immediately apply. Dr Myriam Hadnes doesn’t just interview; she facilitates enriching conversations that shift perspectives and deepen understanding.
Let’s democratise facilitation, one workshop at a time.
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Visit https://workshops.work/podcast for a free 1-page summary of each episode.
workshops work
028 - How to supercharge your workshops and teams with Pam Hamilton
In this episode, I talk to Pam Hamilton, the author of “The Workshop Book”, facilitator and managing director of Paraffin. Pam is passionate about collective intelligence and how to unleash collective intelligence in groups so make great things happen.
On the show, Pam and I speak about the various roles and skills facilitators need to make workshops work. Using the analogy of hosting a dinner, Pam explained the different steps facilitators need to keep in mind when planning a workshop. In one of my favourite parts, Pam shares how we can disturb hierarchy in the working space and why it is important.
Don’t miss the part when Pam speaks about her recent passion project, the “Project Bridge” and invites you to get engaged and create a positive impact in your community.
You will find inspiration from her stories on how to replace competition by collaboration through a visioning technique.
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Feeling inspired by the conversation in this episode? We can have our own - take a seat at my virtual table as part of a Mastermind Group.
Questions and Answers
[1:44] What's your story? When did your fascination for workshops start?
[4:44] What does it take for a facilitator to unleash a group's potential?
[8:50] How do you include the prep-work in your meeting?
[11:14] What are the capabilities that a facilitator needs?
[15:49] How do you deal with people who cannot commit to attend the full duration of the workshop?
[19:15] Would you consider workshops as hierarchy-free spaces?
[23:25] To what extent would you consider personality types of the participants and adjust your workshop design accordingly?
[30:50] Can you tell us more about the Project Bridge that you are currently working on?
[36:00] How do you facilitate these 'aha'-moments in a visioning exercise?
[38:43] How do you prepare participants of different power-positions for this hierarchy-free setting?
[41:21] Where do you draw the line for facilitators to be responsible for the follow-up?
[44:26] What did you learn from Project Bridge about teamwork?
[47:36] What makes a team? What's the difference between a team and a group of people working together?
[52:33] Has this exercise ever derailed where teams could not agree on one vision?
[53:11] If you were a hashtag, what would it be?
[54:13] What shall a listener remember from our conversation?
Related links for you to check out
- Pam's Business page: https://paraffin.ltd/
- Project Bridge Case study https://paraffin.ltd/casestudies/404/
- Free templates and exercises to download, including the visioning templ
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