First Time Facilitator

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First Time Facilitator

Whether you’re a first-time facilitator or a seasoned pro, listen in for tips and tricks to make a bigger impact at the next workshop you deliver.
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11/06/2024

Okay, this is fun, and our pilot episode drops this Friday!

If there's one thing I've learnt from Alan Weiss since working with him, it's that YES, it's important to be a person of substance and walk the walk... But you also need to be able to talk the walk, too!

Hence, our fortnightly broadcast: Talk the Walk.

What is it?

Talk the Walk is hosted by Alan Weiss and Leanne Hughes, two global experts (from two different hemispheres, generations, and genders) who enjoy light humor and heavy satire while sharing their views on growth, contemporary events, and the likely impact of kale on personal performance.

Every second week, you're welcome to join them on the live stream for their latest views on puncturing myths as well as their practical advice over a coffee or martini, the latter choice depending on your hemisphere.

You can find out more at: https://www.leannehughes.com/talkthewalk/

Friday's episode premiers on YouTube at 6.30am Brisbane time.

Our next livestream is on LinkedIn and YouTube on 28 June.

See you there!

24/03/2024

🍋 Such a lovely Sunday arvy celebrating the book launch party for Jade Miller’s first, amazing, refreshing, pragmatic, real and inspiring book, “Making Lemonade: An antidote to the existential crisis”.

Find out more about the book over at: https://www.making-lemonade.com.au

22/03/2024

Michael Bungay Stanier is returning to Brisbane!

Quick one, I just jumped off a call with him, and we're scheming up a lovely, fun, awesome, valuable, almost disruptive afternoon on Tuesday 3 September... Diving into topics around change, purpose, leadership, constructive delusion, and more...

Put that date in your diary!

Michael is the Founder of Box of Crayons. He is the author of the best-selling book *The Coaching Habit* He was a Rhodes Scholar and in 2019 was named the #1 thought leader in coaching.

Curious?

Get on the invite list: https://forms.gle/FwvnAxvbPv1ANKdB7

24/07/2023

I'm inviting you to spend four weeks with me and a small group of other great people, going beyond the pages of The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint to make your workshop the best, thing ever, and something you’re incredibly proud to showcase, host, and share with the world.

This is the 4-Week Workshop Sprint:
✅ Live virtual round
✅ Limited to 16 people
✅ 7 August 2023 - 12 September 2023

Earlybird rate ends tomorrow.

For more details, send me a message or visit: https://2hourwork.shop

05/07/2023

Delighted to share that I received my first bulk purchase for The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint: These 50 books are now set aside for a client engagement in August!

While the book focuses on workshop design, there are some key themes that underpin all of it:
✅ Making a decision and moving; resisting the urge to overthink
✅ Responsiveness: Planning your session based on the requirements of your market
✅ Getting yourself "in state" before you go live, managing your emotions, and switching focus on the group
✅ Creating engagement, building connections, and instant trust from the start: Building that space, so that your group feels encouraged to respond, and act.

If you're keen to deep dive more into these topics, and would like an energetic keynote or workshop for your upcoming event, send me a message.

11/09/2022

📢 Announcing: Leanne on Demand

You're out for a walk and you've got a question you'd love someone to brainstorm with, or you want a different perspective before leaping in.

So, you grab your phone, open Whatsapp and send me a voice note, asking a question.

You get a voice note response sharing ideas, asking you a question to consider, throwing a new perspective to guide you along.

That's how Leanne on Demand works.

My first round in September SOLD OUT (I announced it on my email list last week), so jumping on here to let you know that 3 slots are available kicking off at the end of this month.

Timezones don't matter. You don't have to wait for a weekly coaching call, to get the prompts you need to take next steps.

Perhaps you’d like some tips or someone to help you:

📱Receive just-in-time guidance to address pressing challenges and opportunities
📱 Have a trusted partner to help you meet short-term and long-term goals
📱 Gain perspective and get accountable
📱 Have a sounding board to work through ideas, gain insights, and make fast decisions

I can give you practical guidance on anything related to creating a fun and profitable business (outside of tax law and proofreading your will), or even:
📱 Critique your workshop plan
📱Building and create momentum for your community
📱Gain clarity on an offer
📱Creatively name a new offer, webinar or workshop you’d like to launch
📱Help you with strategies for starting a podcast
📱 Recommend the best tech tool for something you’re trying to navigate

I’m your person! Let’s voice note.
Let's chat on Whatsapp.

Link is in my bio, or shoot me a DM

29/12/2021

Okaaaaay, I know I said I'd end the show at Episode 200...

HOWEVER I'm planning an off-site retreat and I thought you'd enjoy hearing what I'm considering and how I'm planning it in a special, behind the scenes episode!

After months of thinking and talking about it, I’ve decided to jump right in and host my first, ever off-site retreat!

Planning an event is, as I share in this episode, a decision-making factory on steroids. There are so many decisions, where do you start?

I share my process for designing this retreat across these topics:
- Mindset
- Intention/purpose
- Naming your event
- Validating your event: interest vs Interest
- Structure
- Food and drink
- Crafting an invitation letter
- X-factor
- The C Word

Also if you think this retreat sounds pretty cool, take a look at The Junket retreat invitation letter. There are only 7 spots remaining!

It's in February at the Gold Coast, Australia - I'll link to the invite in the comments, or send me an email [email protected].

I'd love to hang out with you at The Gold Coast.

Listen to Episode 202 of the First Time Facilitator podcast in your favourite podcasting app!

What are your key considerations when planning an off-site retreat?

17/11/2021

Top 2% of podcasts globally, what the?! Thank you for listening! 🎉🎉🎉

01/11/2021

Something I'm pondering right now is how often our ideas are cemented in reality ("How would this actually work?") which can limit our capacity to dream big.

My guest today inspires her guests to go against that inclination, and to start exploring possibilities. We often go through a live role-play on this call to see how we can bring this approach to exploration in our workshops.

My guest today is Shannon Hughes ( ). Yes, you can never have enough Hughes’ in your life!

Shannon is an experiential trainer with a calling to enliven the innate genius, creative resourcefulness and easeful collaboration in businesses of all shapes and sizes. In her practice, Enlivened Studios, she brings strategic business mentorship and experiential teaching practices to break down cross-team silos and embolden transformational leadership.

With 20+ years of corporate marketing and HR strategy experience, plus a lifetime of proven leadership, performance and creative devotion, her work combines skill + heart into every Enlivened Studios session. Through this work, she’s on a mission to help people live fully, lead consciously and impact the world with joy and collective aliveness.

In this conversation, Shannon shares how she incorporates improv techniques into her work to enliven creativity and collaboration - I like her ideas around making your partner look good. She shares some activities she’s delivered on virtual calls as well - listen in for the activity she delivers using SILENCE.

Listen to Episode 198 of the First Time Facilitator podcast in your favourite app, or visit https://www.firsttimefacilitator.com

25/10/2021

I'm feeling ALL OF THE FEELINGS as I release some big news in today's episode.

Back in episode 50, I gave the podcast microphone to my colleague and friend .co to interview on the show, to reflect on what i’d learnt both personally and professionally from the show.

It’s now 147 episodes (and weeks!) later. I think I’ve grown up a little... Definitely, my perspective has changed, so I thought it was a fitting moment to sit back into the guest seat and reflect on that journey, while also sharing a pretty massive update (from my perspective!) about the show.

This time, I invited a listener to jump into the host seat.

When I was planning this episode and releasing “the news”, I wanted to pull it back to my intention of starting the podcast in February 2018. Back then, I really was a first time facilitator, working in Organisational Development but pulled in to lead workshops with little experience - desperately wanting to get better at creating engaging experiences and group dialogue.

So, I handed the microphone to a listener who demonstrates the values of this show: An energy and willingness to reach out, a growth mindset, someone willing to say yes, accept opportunities..

I’m delighted to announce your host for today’s episode is Jan Szmanda. Jan is a facilitator, L&D geek, board gamer, new puppy parent, and long time FTF listener.
Based out of Madison WI in the US, he currently has the privilege of running workshops on leadership development and team effectiveness and is excited to continue growing in the field of organizational development.

Jan’s enthusiasm about this podcast shines through, he’s listened to the show since 2019 and taken great notes over the years. Most importantly, he’s taken ideas from this show, tried things out.

To share what First Time Facilitator has taught you, has inspired from you, or anything really - head on over to https://www.leannehughes.com/200 to share what the show has done for you!

Listen to the show in your favourite podcast app, or visit https://www.firsttimefacilitator.com/episode197

What are your thoughts when you tune in?

11/10/2021

We all know relationships require ongoing maintenance, you can’t just “set and forget”. And that’s the hard part, right? Continuing the conversation, staying present in each other’s lives, getting the space to reach out and reconnect with people you’ve met, and clients you’ve previously worked with.

There’s no one better at connecting and staying front of mind (from a place of service) than today’s guest, Sarah McVanel

That’s right folks, Sarah is back for the third time on the First Time Facilitator podcast! And guess what? A week after we spoke on the show, I received a birthday card in the mail from Sarah so rest assured, she role models EVERY STRATEGY that she shares in today’s episode.

Sarah focuses on recognition and using it in a variety of ways - for re-engaging your workforce, to re-engaging with clients, and ultimately as a retention strategy.

Over the last 18 months, Sarah’s business has rapidly evolved to meet her client demands and in this conversation, I ask how she helped recognise her healthcare clients (in particular, nurses) by hosting a virtual Nurse’s Week celebration.

Sarah McVanel helps individuals leverage the exponential power of recognition to retain top talent, fuel healthy teams and sustain healthy bottom lines. She speaks nationally on the topic, leads workshops, coaches leaders, and conducts organizational recognition program reviews.

Listen to Episode 195 of the First Time Facilitator podcast in your fav podcast app, or visit https://www.firsttimefacilitator.com/episode195

27/09/2021

When I dropped out of corporate life three years ago, I remember trying to write social media posts, emails, even website copy and I couldn’t break out of that “be professional” way of doing things.

As a result, my messages came across very vanilla and didn’t really attract anyone (let alone my dream clients!).

I’m honestly still trying to break that mindset, that balance between being myself, showing up authentically, and being confident that by doing that, I’ll attract the right people.

That’s the conversation I have with today’s guest, , author of The Self Employed Life.

Jeffrey shares wonderful perspectives on our facilitation business messaging (like “Don’t worry about repeating yourself!"), how he gets into state to deliver his sessions, and he also shares his perspective on why the work that we do as facilitators does take its toll on our energy levels.

Speaking of energy, Jeffrey shares a cool tip on how you can boost your productivity by setting different environments, for different tasks.

As a speaker and small business coach, Jeffrey Shaw helps self-employed and small business owners gain control of their business in what seems like otherwise uncontrollable circumstances.

In this episode your will learn:

- How Jeffrey designs his workshop experiences around 7 fundamental shifts he’d like to create for his participants
- How to consider your facilitation business messaging, using the analogy of stakes (big stake, little stake)
- How to think about writing your email broadcasts in a way, that doesn’t feel inauthentic
- Jeffrey’s productivity hack using different work environments around your house
- How Jeffrey gets into the right energy before he jumps onto stage / in the virtual workshop room
- The responsibility you have on your shoulders as the workshop facilitator
- A very cool activity called the “Up it” activity you can use to dream big!

Listen to Episode 193 of the First Time Facilitator podcast in your fav podcasting app!

20/09/2021

This week, we’re spinning our focus back onto the craft of facilitation with a guest who I so resonate with in terms of her enthusiasm for the work we do, her passion for trying different things and of course, I love to hear that she enjoys throwing away those powerpoint slides!

Tricia Conyers () from Island Inspirations is a change coach, learning experience designer, trainer, facilitator, meeting designer, remote work strategist and graphic recorder.

And she’s based on the island of Trinidad.

All of her ideas and ways of working really centre around the idea that we are not in the business of designing a workshop, we are in the business of designing experiences, and our goal is to create active experiences, not passive.

You'll get a range of terrific examples on how Tricia facilitates that in this conversation.

In this episode, you will learn
✅ Why it’s important to get your meetings right, given their impact on team and company culture
✅ What Tricia learnt when things didn’t work out in one of her sessions
✅ Some of the powerful questions Tricia asks to create new, impactful experiences with her groups (such as, “What can we gain from having virtual sessions?”)
✅ How Tricia weaves in various types of visuals into her facilitation work
✅ How to get your participants shifting from passive -> active participation

Listen to Episode 192 of the First Time Facilitator podcast in your favourite podcast app, or visit https://www.firsttimefacilitator.com/episode192

06/09/2021

This week I’m chatting to someone who has an extremely cool role in the university sector, in fact he works at my old university, The University of Queensland.

I so wish he was in this role when I was there!

is the Senior Program Officer for UQ Ventures, leading the Validate pre-accelerator program and running Design Sprints for research and industry clients.

As facilitators, we are in the business of experience design, and Marvin brings in an analogy I’ve never even thought about before, drawing parallels between gaming and workshops.

In this conversation, he also shares how he creates welcoming workshop experiences for his participants to drive word-of-mouth referrals (and boost participation levels). He also talks about the role of human centred design in teaching and learning.

Marvin has loads of cool catch phrases and ways of thinking about workshop delivery, design, engagement, which I’m sure will plant a seed in your brains to how you rethink your approach to sessions.

Throughout his career, Marvin has championed the importance of enterprise skills growth and development. With his background in International Business, he’s built a career in business and education in China and Japan.

He’s also developed a strong focus on social entrepreneurship, recently designing and delivering programs at QUT Creative Enterprise Australia and QUT Entrepreneurship, focusing on the quality of the learning experience for students, creatives and emerging leaders.

Not only that, he’s a cool bloke - funny, curious, self-deprecating, - you’ll hear that in this conversation.

Listen to Episode 190 of the First Time Facilitator podcast in your favourite podcast app, or visit https://www.firsttimefacilitator.com/episode190

23/08/2021

He's baaaaack... and contrarian, as ever!

About a year ago, I had a conversation on this podcast that completely changed the way that I viewed my facilitation business. That conversation was with today’s guest, Alan Weiss, the Rockstar of Consulting.

Not only did that interview resonate with me, it resonated with many of you, so I HAD to invite Alan back on the show for an encore performance.

Members of the Booked Out Facilitator program were my co-hosts, and jumped in to ask Alan questions about every aspect of building our facilitation businesses.

I enjoyed being a lazy facilitator on this call and letting the brilliance of the Booked Out Facilitators take over the microphone.

In this conversation (which is like a group coaching call!), we pick Alan’s brain on:
✅ How to 10 x your fee
✅ What to do with feedback - the answer may surprise you
✅ What we can do everyday to build our self worth
✅ Free or fee? Should we charge for our webinars and information sessions (or not)?
✅ How to reach true, economic buyers in organisations
✅ How much research you should do before contacting a buyer
…and much, much more.

Underpinning all of Alan’s responses is a philosophy of being fearless - of tooting your own horn, and of leaping into action.

If you’re curious about joining the next round of Booked Out Facilitator, check out bookedoutfaciliator.com

Alan Weiss is an inductee into the Professional Speaking Hall of Fame®. His prolific publishing includes over 500 articles and 60 books, including his best-seller, Million Dollar Consulting (from McGraw-Hill) which is one of my faves.

Listen to Episode 188 of the First Time Facilitator podcast in your favourite podcast app, or visit https://www.firsttimefacilitator.com/episode188

Share your thoughts on the show in the comments!

16/08/2021

I love the metaphor that my guest today shares, when she explores how she manages group dynamics - it’s like an antenna, that you need to tune into, though as we all know, there are quite a few frequencies around the room :)

This week, I’m talking to the delightful from Speaking Savvy, and host of the Business Chat podcast.

I’m particularly inspired by her story of a major career shift in her 40s. A great reminder that we control the narrative of our lives and careers, and it’s never too early, or too late, to start in a new direction!

In this conversation, we explore many areas related to our facilitation craft. Lisa shares her views of what can sometimes hold us back from stepping up and sharing our ideas with others (including the key role of leaders and facilitators in enabling that psychological safety), how she likes to view extroversion and introversion, and her perspective on why we feel so tired after leading an all-day workshop!

Oh, we also have a fun riff on conference rooms.

Lisa Evans is a certified executive speaker coach and a business storytelling consultant. She started off her career as a midwife and did that for over 20 years.

These days, Lisa helps leaders to mine, refine and deliver captivating ‘sticky’ stories for their business and brand.

She has empowered over 1,000 leaders to deliver stand out messages with engaging business stories. She is also a keynote speaker, trainer and the host of the Business Chat Podcast.

She lives in Perth with her family and a retired greyhound named Giraffe.
Listen to Episode 187 of the First Time Facilitator podcast in your favourite app, or visit https://www.firsttimefacilitator.com/episode187

# # . .

09/08/2021

I remember in those early days when you're called to run a workshop, or moderate a panel conversation, you feel like you need to do things "by the book".

As a result, I remember my panel interviews being very pedestrian! Now I think (I hope) I've developed more confidence, and I'm willing to create some banter between panellists, and let some personality shine through.

In today's episode, my guest and I also banter on presentation, panel and moderation tips.

Peter has lived in 7 countries (jealous), worked in 32 (even more jealous) and is currently based in Croatia, working worldwide on Zoom.

He is a communicator, confidence-booster & connector, travelling the world (virtually) to help professionals define, craft and deliver stronger stories and take control of their messages, storyline & speaking impact.

In this chat, Peter also shares how you can keep any repeat sessions you deliver, feeling fresh (even if you’ve delivered it a million times!), how you can communicate more strongly on virtual calls, and tips for moderating panel conversations.

Listen to Episode 186 of the First Time Facilitator podcast in your fav podcasting app, or visit https://www.firsttimefacilitator.com/episode186

02/08/2021

🙈 Ahhh, bloopers.

Note to self: Don’t record client videos on Monday morning!

Social media is often the space for the highlights reel. So today, I wanted to share behind the scenes bloopers of a video I created this morning for some upcoming workshops.

I’m not too sure if it’s lockdown brain, it was a foggy morning in Brisbane today, which may have impacted functions, too (yup, these are just excuses).

But, the video had to ship today, so I kept persevering.

This is a good video tip I learnt from - rather than hitting stop every time you make a mistake on video and re-starting, just keep the camera rolling.

Pause, to make it easier to edit between takes.

I got there, the video’s been sent to the client, and everything else I’m working on today now seems a easier!

02/08/2021

Pipelines, proposals and pricing... oh my!

Deb Zahn from the is back on your First Time Facilitator airwaves this week.

And even better? I’m joined by my fellow Booked Out Facilitators.

We share the microphone in this episode to create an incredibly informative, helpful and awesome group masterclass if you have your own facilitation business.

Collectively, we pick Deb’s brain on all manners of consulting:
✅ How you can pick up work as a facilitator
✅ What we can do to stand out
✅ How we can market ourselves
✅ How we identify our target audience
✅ Tips for writing proposals

Yup, it is jam packed with gold dust.

Deb was ON FIRE in this interview,

If you’re listening in real time, Deb is running a free, live masterclass on the Top 5 Things You Must Do to Get Consulting Clients (linked in show notes)

Deb is a sought-after consultant with 10 years of successful consulting under her belt.

As a go-to source in her market, she routinely brings in 6- and 7-figures a year and has built a steady, reliable pipeline of work. Her consulting methods turn her clients into her biggest fans and best marketers. They come back to her again and again and continually send her new clients.

As a consultant, Deb is especially known for her ability to cure “decision-making disorders” with individuals and groups.

She is also the host of the Craft of Consulting podcast

Shout-out to , .shah , , for asking Deb a question!

Listen to Episode 185 of the First Time Facilitator podcast in your fav app, or visit https://www.firsttimefacilitator.com/episode185

26/07/2021

The beauty of having a repeat client over many years is that you build a strong, trusting relationship.

The not-so-beautiful part is the pressure we put on ourselves to create new content, experiences, and activities to keep our workshops fresh!

Truett Black has worked as a trainer, speaker, and executive coach since 2005 and in this episode, he shares how he reinvigorates his approach, and where he gets new inspiration for new activities.

As you can tell from this conversation, Truett LOVES this work. He grew up in the United States and has lived in greater China since 2001. He is based in Taipei and frequently consults, coaches, and facilitates workshops in Shanghai,Hong Kong, Singapore, and other cities in Asia.

Having this background, I had to ask him how he gets wonderful conversations when he delivers sessions across Asia. True shares some excellent, practical strategies if you find work over there - stuff that I wish I heard a few years ago for sure.

He also shares his self-talk before starting a workshop, and how he got started in running his own facilitation business (even when some people advised him otherwise!)
True’s primary expertise is in leadership and team development, influence and communication, organizational development, and executive coaching.

He is bilingual in Mandarin and English, and also has five kids.

Listen to Episode 184 of the First Time Facilitator podcast in your favourite podcast player, or visit https://www.firsttimefacilitator.com/episode184

19/07/2021

This week, I’m excited to introduce you to a fellow facilitator in south-east Queensland, from Zenith Journey.

I’m fascinated in Kate's her experience using visuals in her work as a way to form connections, increase memory retention and even decrease anxiety (particularly when talking about a heated topic!).

The theme of unconscious incompetence is a common theme in this chat, as we realise that we’re always works in progress and we simply don’t know, what we don’t know.

We also discuss that failing art at high school is not an excuse for not using visuals in your work (that’s a note for Leanne!), how Kate uses visuals to boost the engagement in her sessions (and on herself to boost memory retention), and how to balance that line between having too much structure in your session v being more looser and in the moment.

A business professional and coach, Kate specialises in unleashing brilliance in people, teams and companies.

In her career, Kate worked to the executive role of People and Development Director at Wiley & Co, and is now in a unique position as both an internal and external catalyst.
Personally, in February 2018, Kate's life took an unexpected twist, and she shares that story in this episode - Kate has been rehabilitating and rewiring her neural-pathways, and life, using all her knowledge and experience in neuroscience, positive psychology, habit theory and performance coaching.

Listen to Episode 183 in your fav podcast player of choice, or visit https://www.firsttimefacilitator.com/episode183 and check out Kate's new online program, Rockstar Visuals as well (linked in the show notes)!

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🙈 Ahhh, bloopers. Note to self: Don’t record client videos on Monday morning! Social media is often the space for the highlights reel. So today, I wanted to share behind the scenes bloopers of a video I created this morning for some upcoming workshops. I’m not too sure if it’s lockdown brain, it was a foggy morning in Brisbane today, which may have impacted functions, too (yup, these are just excuses). But, the video had to ship today, so I kept persevering. This is a good video tip I learnt from @themagicsauce1 - rather than hitting stop every time you make a mistake on video and re-starting, just keep the camera rolling. Pause, to make it easier to edit between takes. I got there, the video’s been sent to the client, and everything else I’m working on today now seems a easier! #bloopers #solopreneur #facilitation #workshops #videobloopers #keepgoing #brisbane #cliftonstrengths #keeprolling

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