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Early in my facilitation career, I made a big mistake. Spent hours crafting engaging activities and perfecting every little detail… Thinking that amazing learning design is what would make my workshops stand out and get me rehired. Some went great. Some bombed. You know the ones, sessions where: - One participant dominated the conversation. - People quietly disengaged, barely participating. - half the group visibly frustrated but not saying anything. I would push through, hoping things would course-correct. But by the end, it was a bit… meh. I knew my learning design was great so... What was I missing? Why the inconsistency between sessions? 💡I relied too much on implicit agreements. I realised that I either skipped or rushed the 'working agreements'. Treating it like a 'tick' box exercise. And it's here I needed to invest more time Other names for this: Contract, Culture or Design Alliance, etc... Now, I never start a session without setting a working agreement. And the longer I'm with the group, the longer I spend on it. 25 years of doing this. Here are my go-to Qs: 🔹 What would make this session a valuable use of your time? → This sets the north star. It ensures participants express their needs, not just my agenda. 🔹 What atmosphere do we want to create? → This sets the mood. Do they want an energising space? A reflective one? Let them decide. 🔹 What behaviours will support this? → This makes things concrete. It turns abstract hopes into tangible agreements. 🔹 How do we want to handle disagreement? → This makes it practical. Conflict isn’t the problem—how we navigate it is. ... The result? - More engaged participants. - Smoother facilitation. - Ultimately, a reputation as the go-to person for high-impact sessions. You probably already know this. But if things don't go smoothly in your session. Might be worth investing a bit more time at the start to prevent problems later on. Great facilitation doesn't just happen, It's intentional, and it's designed. ~~ ♻️ Share if this is a useful reminder ✍️ Have you ever used a working agreement in your workshops? What’s one question you always ask? Drop it in the comments!

BEYOND MODERATION - THE HIDDEN POWER OF FACILITATION Facilitators matter more than most people realize. In every workshop, sprint, and strategic conversation, they quietly turn talk into traction—designing flow, building psychological safety, and steering diverse voices toward a shared outcome. Because great facilitation feels effortless, its impact is often underrated. Yet when stakes are high and complexity rises, a skilled facilitator is the multiplier that transforms ideas into decisions and momentum into results. 🎯 DESIGNER - Great facilitation starts with intentional design. Map the flow of the workshop or discussion with crystal-clear outcomes. When you know where you’re headed, you can confidently animate the session, guide transitions, and keep everyone aligned. ⚡ ENERGIZER - Read the room and manage energy in real time. Build trust and comfort with timely breaks, quick icebreakers, and inclusive prompts. When energy dips, reset; when momentum rises, harness it. Your presence sets the tone for participation. 🎻 CONDUCTOR - Facilitation is orchestration. Ensure everyone knows what to do, how to contribute, and where to focus. Guard against tangents, surface the core questions, and gently steer the group back to the intended outcome. ⏱️ TIMEKEEPER - Time is the constraint that sharpens thinking. Listen actively, paraphrase to clarify, and interrupt with care. Adapt on the fly in agile environments so discussions stay effective, efficient, and outcome-driven. ✨ CATALYST - Your energy is contagious . Show up positive, grounded, and healthy. If you bring light, the room brightens; if you bring clouds, the mood follows. Protect your mindset—it’s a strategic asset. 💡TIPS to be a great facilitator: Be positive and confident; Prepare deeply, then stay flexible; Design clear outcomes and guardrails; Listen actively and paraphrase often; Invite quieter voices and balance dominant ones; Use pauses, breaks, and icebreakers wisely; Keep discussions outcome-focused; Manage time with compassion and firmness; Read the room and adapt; Practice, practice, then practice again. 💪 #Facilitation #HR #Leadership #Workshops #EmployeeEngagement #Agile #Communication #SoftSkills #MeetingDesign #PeopleOps #Moderator #TeamDynamics #PsychologicalSafety #DecisionMaking

Sharing an approach I’ll be using to kick off the facilitation of an HSE Leaders Forum tomorrow that I hope others might find valuable. Instead of starting with the usual introductions (name, job role etc), I want to focus on the reason we are there: discussing innovative ways to solve the challenges participants are facing in their workplaces or industries. Each participant will introduce themselves by sharing a challenge framed as a "How Might We?" (HMW) statement. This simple method encourages participants to: 1️⃣ Clarify the Challenge: Turning a health and safety challenge into an opportunity helps focus the conversation on possibility. 2️⃣ Spark Collaboration: Open-ended, opportunity-focused challenges invite diverse perspectives and ideas. 3️⃣ Create Immediate Value: Sharing key challenges helps everyone see where they can contribute and connect meaningfully - on the things that matter. "How might we better communicate critical risk management expectations with subcontractors?" "How might we reduce working at height activities in our business?" "How might we assure critical risk controls in real-time?" I’ve found this approach aligns discussions with what really matters, and leaves participants with actionable insights. If you’re planning a collaborative session, this could be a great way to shift from introductions to impactful conversations right from the start. Feel free to adapt this for your own forums or workshops; I’d love to hear how it works for you and if you have any other facilitation tips. #SafetyTech #SafetyInnovation #Facilitation #Learning

We created 5 startups in 60 minutes in a FULLY-ONLINE class with ZERO slides! That's 5 startups with a pitch video AND a landing page in just an hour! I conducted my first-ever online-only Entrepreneurship Workshop. From a personalized AI-stylist to a contact lenses cleaner for the lazy folks out there, we saw it all! While Universities struggle to create in-person engagement, I managed to do this fully online. Here's how: 1. The Right Tools ↳ It’s not about comfort ↳ It's not about debating over Zoom vs. Teams ↳ It’s about engaging students, even if there's a learning curve :) 2. Engagement Techniques ↳ Techniques and timing are key ↳ They must involve interaction and not information-delivery ↳ Student Engagement is a skill, not a mere role :) 3. Feedback (not AI-generated) ↳ Feedback has to be constructive ↳ NO to AI-generated feedback templates ↳ I was a student too. I paid too much money to deserve GenAI feedback. Don't be that person :) 4. Time Management ↳ Online sessions are "always going wrong" ↳ Spend time driving learning, not setting up ↳ Use no slides. You're to be focused on. Not the slides. Look at your students, not slides :) 5. Growth Mindset ↳ Encourage students to fail fast & frequently ↳ Create a safe space for them to try new things ↳ This applies to you, me and everyone else. In every context :) I'm building What's On! Campus to help University Academics engage their students better. Need help engaging your students? Comment or DM me.

Designing learning that works for every mind. In preparation for our session at World of Learning in October, Emma Hutchins and I are asking neurodivergent learners to share the 'one thing' above all others that would improve their digital learning experience. Thanks so much to everyone who engaged with and contributed to our last LI post. The list below is what we have so far. But are we missing anything? We'd love to hear from you in the comments if your 'one thing' doesn't appear on our list. Content design and structure - Provide clear and consistent instructions throughout all learning materials. - Ensure a clear and logical content structure so information fits neatly into well-defined categories. - Avoid poor colour contrast and other design issues that contribute to sensory overload. - Avoid locked navigation controls (like 'Continue' buttons) unless it is obvious what needs to be completed to progress. Control over media and sensory input - If possible, avoid linking to external video sites (such as YouTube) unless the learner’s return path is clear and accessible. - Do not include moving or animated content unless learners can pause or stop it. - Allow learners to change the speed of video content (both slower and faster) to suit their processing needs. - Always provide transcripts for video and audio to offer choice in how content is accessed. - Give learners control over narration and audio - allow them to start, stop, or bypass it entirely. - Keep multimedia experiences manageable to avoid overstimulation from multi-sensory overload. Assessment and feedback design - Write unambiguous questions and instructions and test them for clarity. - Provide clear, direct feedback for knowledge checks - explicitly state the correct answer and explain why it is correct. - Avoid double negatives in both questions and feedback, as they slow comprehension and retention. #WOL25 #Neurodiversity #Inclusion #Accessibility  (Five outlined human profiles, each with different colourful brain representations, including connected nodes, flowers, gears, puzzle pieces, and hearts, symbolising diverse thinking styles.)

I used to keep session agendas vague on purpose. 🧠 I assumed surprise creates engagement. Keep people curious. Then I worked with Wouter van den Berg, PhD, a neuro-economist. Together we designed a training on brain-based facilitation. He taught me something simple: your brain works better when it knows what's coming. So the rule of thumb in good facilitation (and any meeting)? Send an agenda 48 hours in advance. I changed nothing else about my workshops. Just started sending detailed agendas two days before. The difference was immediate. People jumped into activities faster. Quiet people spoke up earlier. Not because I facilitated better, but because their brains had time to process what was coming. Here's what still surprises me: According to Zoom, 62% of people attend meetings where the goal wasn't even mentioned in the invite. Think about that. Most people show up with literally zero context about why they're there. That's not a meeting. That's a waste of time. I used to think clarity would spoil the magic. Now I know: clarity creates safety, and safety is what lets the magic happen. So my tip for any meeting or workshop? Send the agenda. Explain the why. Give people time to prepare. When did you last send a meeting invite with actual preparation information instead of just a time and title? #Facilitation #Meetings #Neuroscience #WorkshopDesign #Leadership

8 things the best facilitators do in the first 60 seconds of any activity. Not the opening of your workshop. The opening of each activity. This is the part most facilitators rush through. They say "ok, next we're going to do an exercise" and fumble through instructions while participants try to figure out what they're supposed to do. The first 60 seconds determine whether an activity flies or falls flat. Here's what the best do: 1. Name the purpose in one sentence. → Not: "We're going to do a group exercise now." → Instead: "This exercise will help you identify the one decision slowing your team down most." People engage differently when they know why. One sentence. No preamble. 2. State the output before the process. Tell them what they'll have at the end before you explain how to get there. → "By the end, you'll have three written commitments on the page in front of you." They know where they're heading. The instructions make sense because they have a destination. 3. Give the time limit immediately. → "You have 8 minutes." Say it early. Time pressure focuses the work. Without it, people pace themselves for an activity that might last 5 minutes or 50. 4. Explain in 3 steps maximum. If your instructions need more than 3 steps, the activity is too complicated. → "Step 1: Write individually. Step 2: Share with your partner. Step 3: Agree on your top answer." Three steps. Done. If they need more detail, they'll ask. 5. Show, don't just tell. → Hold up the template they'll fill in. → Point to the flipchart where they'll write. → Show a completed example. Visual instructions land faster than verbal ones. Especially after lunch. 6. Tell them what you'll do while they work. → "I'll be walking the room. If you get stuck, grab me." They know you're available but not hovering. The work is theirs, not yours. 7. Remove the ambiguity about who goes first. → "Person who travelled furthest starts." → "Person whose birthday is next goes first." Groups waste 2-3 minutes figuring out who speaks first. Remove that friction and they start immediately. 8. Start the timer visibly. Don't just say "go." Put a timer on screen or say "starting the clock now." A visible timer creates shared accountability. The group manages their own time. All 8 in under 60 seconds: "This exercise helps you identify the decision slowing your team down most. One answer written down at the end. 8 minutes. Write individually, share with your partner, agree on one. Here's the finished output. I'll be walking the room. Person who travelled furthest starts. Clock is on." That's a clean brief. No confusion. Everyone knows exactly what to do. The activity hasn't started yet and you've already set it up to succeed. ___ Save this for later (three dots, top right). Share with friends → ♻️ Repost. Get consultant-grade workshops every Sat → https://lnkd.in/eSfeUapJ

The Secret to Starting Your Workshops or Trainings Strong? RITUALS! Rituals create the culture you want before the learning even begins. Unfortunately, many of us assume people walk into a workshop or training ready to learn. But the reality is, they walk in as humans. Distracted. Thinking about work. Thinking about life. Thinking about whether the coffee is strong enough. So I started building a few simple Rituals that help people land in the room, and honestly, they’ve changed EVERYTHING! Here are the 5 Rituals I rely on (and why they matter so much): 1️⃣ ARE YOU PRESENT? (this one's inspired by Chad Littlefield 🙌) Every morning I ask myself the same question I eventually ask the group: “Am I actually here right now?” Usually… the answer is “Not really.” This tiny pause reminds people that the moment they’re in is special. They get a rare window to learn, grow, and connect with people. I use this question at the start of the day (and sometimes after lunch) to ground the room. 2️⃣ INTENTIONAL CONNECTIONS In every experience I design, I like to think of the people as the curriculum. In our facilitation trainings at AJ&Smart, we bring people together from all over the world. And every single person has something valuable the others can learn from. So I encourage people to: -Talk to the people you’re curious about. -Ask more questions. -Start conversations that could turn into collaborations (or friendships). The interesting stuff often happens in those side conversations anyway. 3️⃣ BUILD A REFLECTION HABIT Reflection is where the real learning happens. So from Day 1, it becomes a ritual: -Quick reflections after exercises -End-of-day check-ins -Simple prompts like, “What just happened? What did I learn? What surprised me?” This ritual helps people slow down, process, and internalize what they’re experiencing. 4️⃣ LEAN INTO YOUR STYLE When I train facilitators, I’m not trying to create clones. The world doesn’t need five more versions of me running around with Post-its and Sharpies (or does it? 🤔) I want people to lean into their own style - their energy, their quirks, the way they naturally communicate. Your authentic style is your unfair advantage. Use it! 5️⃣ GO ALL IN Workshops or trainings aren’t normal day-to-day work. They’re intentionally a bit...strange. -Some activities will feel weird. -Some will push people out of their comfort zone. So I always encourage people to go all in and let themselves be surprised by what they discover. These Rituals aren’t complicated. But they shape the culture from the moment people walk through the door, and that’s what sets up everything that follows. If you use Rituals in your trainings or team sessions, I’d love to hear which ones have stuck with you.

I’ve trained 2,000+ people using remote workshops in Miro. Here are my best practices to keep large, complex sessions organized (instead of chaotic): ✅ 𝐏𝐫𝐞-𝐨𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 I always send a short video + Talktrack before the session. Participants learn the basics of Miro so we don’t waste time troubleshooting. ✅ 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 Only show elements they need at the moment. Keeps the board clean and prevents accidental edits. ✅ 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 = 𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 We solve Miro logins, permissions, and “where do I click?” questions before we dive into strategy. ✅ 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 I structure boards so I can see all teams working in parallel — makes facilitation 10x easier. ✅ 𝐎𝐧-𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 An organizer in the room can handle tech hiccups without interrupting the flow. ✅ 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 “Bring everyone to me” and “Follow” buttons are lifesavers when people get lost. I recently used these steps in an 8-hour GTM Power Hour workshop with 15 companies. 👉 Want these frameworks to run your workshops? Get the Go-to-Market Blueprint I co-created with Miro: https://lnkd.in/ditgkh26 Curious: What are your go-to practices when running remote workshops in Miro? #miropartner #miro

I just finished an online neurodiversity training workshop with a small group of very cool, engaged people leaders from across the government sector. As the topic is neurodiversity, I aim to make my sessions as neuroinclusive as possible. I used to think that neurodiverse participants had a preference for online sessions, but I was wrong. After conducting some research on the topic, I learnt that mode preference is highly individual, and it doesn't matter whether the training is f2f or live online. What does matter is - a flexible approach, structure and providing a psychologically safe space for all attendees. Here are my tips on how to make your next meeting, workshop or training session neuroinclusive (which actually translates to inclusion for ALL attendees). 🟣provide clear expectations by sharing the agenda and details of all activities, before the session 🟣at the start of each session, reconfirm agenda and structure for day 🟣provide multiple ways to engage and provide feedback - hands up, post-it notes, surveys etc 🟣provide regular brain breaks, at least 5 mins every hour with longer breaks for longer sessions. 🟣encourage movement and provide fidget toys 🟣regularly change it up - use a mix of media , micro activities, individual and group activities 🟣enable inclusion with silent brainstorming 🟣tell attendees they can opt out and take a short break if and when they need to 🟣post session, share all materials, allowing attendees to replay and revisit the content. Most importantly - be curious! Regularly check-in on attendees, check your pace, check their energy levels. What would you add? All these tips are simple to use, and free! #PsychologicalSafety #Neurodiversity #NeurodiversityTraining #ADHDer #NeuroInclusion Image - a front on view of Amanda, the facilitators, desk. There are three active screens. Above the screens there is a ringlight. On the desktop, under the screens, there is a drink bottle, cup of tea, glass of water and Amanda's favourite fidget toy -a squishy ball.