Thinking Cultures’ Post

📢Continuing our facilitation blog series by Rachel Scott! 📢 Let's talk #facilitation tools and protocols! What are your favorite protocols? Have you used an importance VS difficulty matrix before? Let us know in the comments! #evaluation #evaluationstrategies #facilitationskills https://lnkd.in/gnBtpdZj

🌟 Week 3: A Key Learning from the Facilitation Cert: The Power of Generous Authority in Action 🌟 In this week's learning in my facilitation certification, I explored Priya Parker’s Pop-Up Rules and the idea of Generous Authority. I had the opportunity to put these into practice during a workshop I facilitated, and the results were incredible! 🎉 To ensure my participants felt protected, equalized, and connected, I introduced five simple yet powerful rules: 1. Be present here & now – In today's world of distractions, I reminded everyone to mute their notifications 📴 , so they could focus on the moment and engage fully. 2. Be curious and ask questions – It’s easy to dismiss an idea if we don’t understand it fully or if it doesn’t make sense at first. Encouraging participants to adopt a curious mindset 🤔 and ask clarifying questions ❓, opened up dialogue. 3. Speak up and let others speak 🗣️ – This was to level the playing field, encouraging all voices to be heard, not just the loudest ones. 4. Time-bound exercises ⏲️ – Time is a crucial aspect when it comes to meaningful collaboration. By keeping tasks time-sensitive, the participants remained focused and prevented discussions from derailing into endless debates. This helped in consistent progress and maintained momentum. 5. Progress over perfection 🧠 – This freed participants from the pressure of getting it perfect, and feel safe to share their creative, bold ideas. These Pop-Up Rules or Guidelines as I'd like to simply call them, helped to create an environment where participants felt safe to express themselves, while still ensuring structure and flow. It helped me understand how Generous Authority can guide a group towards meaningful collaboration without stifling creativity. I'd like to know - As a facilitator, what’s one of your favorite Pop-Up Rules to ensure you protect, equalize, and/or connect your guests? #FacilitationCertification #DesignThinking #PopUpRules #Collaboration #PriyaParker #ProfessionalDevelopment #ArtOfGathering

The definition of #facilitation is: To make an action or process easy or easier.  Making something look or feel easy is in fact, quite challenging. This is the art of facilitation. Facilitation is a large component of successful strategic planning. Strategic planning, when done well, is about choices. What will we do going forward? What is the profit or impact case for that? Trained facilitators design meetings with care, to ensure that a group reaches alignment around major decisions. This requires us to draw on several key skills - and at the top of that list is our ability to build trust. Positioning a group of people to make decisions together requires building trust amongst the group so everyone feels safe enough to surface even the craziest (sometimes best) sounding ideas. Trust is what allows groups to lean into learning about those ideas, and to reach alignment around the best ones without pride of ownership. #trust #strategicplanning So the next time you convene a meeting where you need to make important decisions, consider hiring a professional facilitator to help.  It will free you up to participate while ensuring the meeting is productive and engaging. Contact PENN Creative Strategy: https://lnkd.in/eBWSRdAf Read the full post here:  https://lnkd.in/eAjzNsyB

Not sure which facilitation method to choose? For group discussions you can try these: 1. Fishbowl ↳ A structured discussion where a small group talks in the centre (“the fishbowl”) while others observe. When to use: ↳For deep, focused discussions or as an alternative to a panel. Drawbacks: ↳Can feel intimidating for participants; limited speaking opportunities for larger groups. 2.World Café ↳Participants rotate between tables, discussing different topics and sharing perspectives. When to use: ↳Ideal for generating multiple perspectives and fostering knowledge sharing. Drawbacks ↳Requires careful time management; idea development can feel rushed. 3. The 1-2-4-All Method ↳A process where individuals reflect, pair up, form groups of four, and then discuss as a whole group. When to use: ↳Great for collaborative brainstorming and building engagement from all participants. Drawbacks: ↳Time-intensive and may require strong facilitation to maintain focus. ------------- Curious to learn more about the tools and their application? Then join the interactive workshop on facilitation. 🔥 This is a small workshop so only 10 spots are available. FULL IS FULL! https://lnkd.in/e4VsxKHn #Facilitation #FacilitationSkills

🎉 Exciting News! 🎉 I'm thrilled to announce that I've successfully completed the Conscious Facilitation Masterclass (CFM) immersion training, where I learned how to design & facilitate transformational gatherings, both online and in-person! With what I’ve learned, I’m already reimagining the way I design and lead meetings & gatherings to be more interactive, engaging, and human-centered experiences. CFM has equipped me with: ✅ A set of proven and repeatable models and frameworks that enable deep connection, meaningful conversations, and a true sense of belonging, all of which support growth and learning ✅ A clear step-by-step process to effectively lead groups into and out of conversations focused on what matters most ✅ A new superpower that deepens my fulfillment and delivers on a critical human need in today’s fast-paced and complex environment I’m beyond excited about how this approach will impact my work and the clients I serve. 🙌 #xchangeApproach #Facilitation #TransformationalLearning

From Australia to Argentina, Canada to the USA - all focused on one project goal ✨ Here are my 4 takeaways from facilitating 5 days project alignment workshop last week: 1️⃣ Trust the Process Designing a workshop isn't just about agendas and activities—it's about understanding what each team member from different region wants and needs. Trust your process and don’t be shy to adjust so that every moment counts. 2️⃣ Trust the People Some people had delayed flights and others unexpected illnesses. Trust that every participant brings unique insights and potential solutions. It's not just about inviting the right people; it's about believing that the people in the room have the capabilities required, even when they may not believe it themselves. 3️⃣ Trust the Struggle Trust that each struggle during the workshop (or beyond) is just a perfect match to what the team wants to achieve. The bigger the goal the bigger the challenge will be. Overcoming the challenge is the quickest path to success. 4️⃣ Trust Yourself How do you champion a team's success as a facilitator? Trust in your ability to bridge gaps and inspire collaboration in time you have —it's key to creating a trusting environment for conversations that matter. 👥 Meet two faces from my Aussie days. It was absolute pleasure working with you again Neil Maxfield Edwin (Ted) (Perth) Fletcher and (not on a picture) Brad Weir. The entire team and the sponsor were just such a delight to work for. This will be a week to remember for long. Their dedication and collaboration are remarkable. #projectalignment #facilitation #workshops

There is still time to register for our next virtual workshop ... March 15: Synergy in Action: Unlocking the Power of Impactful Co-facilitation Come join us! 12:00 - 1:30 pm EST About the Workshop: The high-level considerations that come with facilitation design often stop with client goals, outcomes and logistics. And when you have the company of another facilitator for the event, there is the addition of a thought partner and collaborator. So, what would make this process even sweeter? Consider a shared awareness of one another’s wants, needs, even dreams of how you can experience each other to deliver an incredible event. Learn how to co-create working agreements, experiential goals and needs so you can experience a collaboration that will serve more than your participants. Learning Objectives:   1) Understanding and building relationship  2) Establishing working agreements 3) Bringing facilitator relational and content needs into facilitation design Gina D'Andrea WeatherupLaura GramlingKaren Mack, MSOD, CPCC, PCCTed KnikerSusan LevinDouglas Black, CPF #learninganddevelopment #facilitation #facilitating #atd #SHRM #CBODN #organizationaldevelopment #leardership #collaboration #synergy The link to register is in the first comment below.

IT'S HERE: Eleview's 2024 annual report on emerging communication trends is now LIVE! Each year we analyze 5,000+ data points collected from our workshop participants to understand what's *really* going on at work. A few highlights: 💡40% of our workshop participants don't have a trusted mentor 💡People rate the breadth and depth of their workplace relationships at an average of 3.1 / 5 💡The top reason people hesitate to delegate is "it feels easier and faster to do it myself" Type REPORT in the comments and I'll send you a copy! #professionaldevelopment #annualreport #mentorship #managementtechniques

Is poor communication or siloed teams holding your org back? These are the hidden barriers that can make or break success. 🚧 We’re excited to share two BRAND NEW classes designed to tackle these challenges head-on! 🎉 💬 Uplevel Your Interpersonal Communication 💬 Mastering communication is no longer optional — it’s essential for thriving in today's workplace. From brain science to hands-on practice, this class will elevate your ability to adapt your communication style and drive results. Save your seat ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gVUYj3kx 🔗 Disrupt Silos with Cross-Functional Collaboration 🔗 Silos are productivity killers, and breaking them down is critical for success in any organization. In this course, you’ll discover the root causes of silos and learn how to apply the A.C.R.O.S.S framework to foster seamless cross-team collaboration. Save your seat ➡️ https://lnkd.in/g36v-TEE These brand new courses are designed to help professionals like you lead the charge in communication and collaboration. Ready to make a real impact? Register now! ✨

🎉 Exciting News! 🎉 Thrilled to share the successful completion of the Conscious Facilitation Masterclass (CFM) immersion training! This transformative experience has opened up new horizons in designing and facilitating powerful gatherings, both online and in-person. The CFM journey has revolutionized approaches to meetings and gatherings, turning them into interactive, engaging, and human-centered experiences. Here's what this masterclass brings to the table: ✅ Proven and repeatable models and frameworks that foster: Deep connections Meaningful conversations A true sense of belonging All supporting growth and learning ✅ A clear, step-by-step process for effectively guiding groups through conversations that truly matter ✅ A new superpower that enhances professional fulfillment while addressing a critical need in today's fast-paced, complex environment The impact of this approach on future work and client experiences is boundless. Get ready for transformative gatherings that truly make a difference!  🙌🏾 Curious about how this can elevate your team's interactions? Let's connect and explore the possibilities! #ConsciousFacilitation #xchangeApproach #TransformationalLearning #ProfessionalDevelopment #TeamEngagement