Unprofessionalism
Professional performance is exhausting. Maintaining the mask. Editing ourselves. Pretending we know when we don't.
This podcast is about people who dropped the performance. And what happened next.
Each episode features someone who broke professional conventions and found something better on the other side: the executive who disclosed grief in a corporate setting and found it opened new ways of relating; the coach who realised her authority came from integrity, not compliance; the designer who ignored the 'approved tools' and saved thousands of hours.
Conversations circle around three questions:
- What does it cost us to perform professionalism instead of showing up as ourselves?
- How do we create spaces where people can bring their full attention and humanity to work?
- When is the “unprofessional” move actually the most responsible one?
If you feel the tension between who you are and who you're expected to be at work, this podcast shows you what happens when people stop managing that tension and just stop performing.
Hosted by Dr Myriam Hadnes—behavioural economist and founder of workshops.work. New episode every week.
Unprofessionalism
027 - Beyond the spreadsheet-brain: How to invoke participants' brains, hearts and bellies? - with Tenneson Woolf
On episode 027, I talk to Tenneson Woolf, a facilitator, workshop leader, teacher, blogger, and coach. Tenneson is committed to improving the quality of collaboration and imagination for groups, teams, and organizations. And, you can hear that and learn from that on the podcast.
Tenneson and I speak about the art of facilitation in general and what it takes to help individuals to collectively imagine and collaborate. We also spend time clarifying semantics, such as the differences between being a facilitator and a host and the meaning of “honest meetings”.
I particularly enjoyed our conversation about different art forms and how to use them to stimulate creative brains. Throughout the show, you will learn how to help participants to turn off their spreadsheet-brain to invoke their hearts and bellies.
Don’t miss the part when Tenneson reads out a poem and guides us through the steps on how to use it as an insightful ice-breaker. His multiple examples that will inspire you to deliver workshops that work.
Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.
Questions and Answers
[2:27] When did you start calling yourself a "facilitator"?
[5:15] If you were a hashtag, what would you be?
[5:56] What makes a meeting "honest"?
[8:42] What would be a "dishonest" meeting?
[16:33] How does a facilitator help the group to fully explore a topic without derailing?
[20:37] How do you assure that everyone is aligned on the workshop purpose and topic?
[23:51] What does it take to help people to be "smarter together"?
[31:26] You use poems to start business meetings/ workshops - Can you share how you do that and why?
[40:35] What's your favourite exercise?
[46:44] What shall a listener remember from our conversation?
Related links for you to check out
- Tenneson's business page: www.tennesonwoolf.com
- Glimpses: 50 Poems by Jim Quigley (Amazon)
- Our sponsor SessionLab
Connect to Tenneson
on LinkedIn
follow on Twitter @tennesonwoolf
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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/
