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.
Subscribe now and make your workshops work, every time.
Visit https://workshops.work/podcast for a free 1-page summary of each episode.
workshops work
045 - How to create unpredictable workshop experiences (that predictably work) - with Leanne Hughes
On episode 045 I speak with Leanne Hughes, my "(nearly) facilitation twin", public speaker, trainer and, fellow podcast host.
We cover a lot of ground and speak about the habits of facilitators and our mindsets, we speak about the meaning of showing up (as opposed to showing off). Leanne shares what she has learned from instructional design and now applies to her workshop design.
Click here to download the free 1-page summary
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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.
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Questions and Answers
[1:53] How did you get into facilitation and podcasting?
[4:20] Do you recall the moment when you called yourself a facilitator for the first time?
[6:16] If you were a hashtag, what would you be?
[6:32] What does it mean to you to show up?
[9:33] What have you learned from 100 episodes on the First Time Facilitator podcast?
[12:38] What’s your advice to a first-time facilitator?
[15:20] What would you consider your own uniqueness as a facilitator?
[17:27] Who did you get feedback to improve your facilitation skills?
[19:11] What do you mean by “contrast”?
[22:33] Would you design for contrast or use the contrast that exists already in the room?
[23:38] What is your strategy to bring the spark of energy back into the room?
[25:43] How do you prepare for contrast in a workshop that you facilitate abroad?
[29:55] How would you prepare for a workshop where a large hierarchical difference will be present?
[32:57] How much “training" would you allow a facilitator during a workshop?
[34:57] What’s your silver bullet exercise?
[43:14] What is it that your clients hire you for?
[48:14] What makes a workshop fail?
[50:47] How would you deal with such a situation today?
[52:03] Would you facilitate workshops that were designed by someone else?
Links to check
- Leanne's business page: Leannehughes.com
- Leanne's podcast "First Time Facilitator" and our episode 89
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Clifton Strength Assessment
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If you're keen to master the art of facilitation, discover our expert-led live, online Facilitation Courses at the NDB Academy.
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