Never Done Before is my favourite facilitation conference and this year was sadly it’s last. I joined a few sessions and share insights from five of my favourites below.
The Reversal with Thomas Lahnthaler
Thomas asked us to design a workshop backwards, by first paying attention to the feelings we wanted to evoke and then the processes required to get there.
It was an interesting experiment to take a workshop that maybe feels routine and consider: How do you want people to feel at the end? How will they need to feel in the middle to get there? At the start? And then what processes will create these feelings?
🤔 My takeaway: I’m unsure if we can know what others need to feel, we need to tread carefully here. That being said, it was a useful experiment in becoming more aware of how people feel during a workshop, how different feelings support different outcomes, and how with a little creativity we can create more powerful experiences. It was also a joy watching a facilitator as skilled as Thomas create space.
Trance-working: Co-creating useful states with your audience with Else Kramer
This was a highly experiential workshop. Else masterfully took us through various guided meditations to evoke different mental states. It was a powerful example of how a facilitator’s presence and energy impacts what the group becomes capable of.
💡 My takeaway: “If you want to make participants feel a certain way, you have to go there yourself first.” ~ Else
Discover Relics of Future Collaboration with Jules Gilleland
This was a really fun session where Jules asked us to find three physical objects: one red thing, one thing that’s a circle, and one that is shiny.
We got placed in breakout rooms and had to describe one object and a creative use for it in 2044. Not only was this a creative way to get to know others, but it evoked playfulness and a highly creative state in the group.
🧸 My takeaway: Using physical objects allows us to bring more of ourselves into a virtual space and creates the potential for play and genuine connection.
Unforgettable Introductions: Sculpt your own story with Margreet Jacobs
This was a heartsore and heartwarming session where Margeet coruageously led the way. She invited us to look beyond traditional introductions (name, location, etc.) to what really facilitates connection. In different breakouts, we tried a few different exercises:
- What scares me is… OR Something that has had a great impact on my life is…
- Look at each other in silence for a minute, noticing similarities and then share these with one another.
We long for connection yet when we’re introducing ourselves through standard intro questions, we’re often focused on coming across a certain way. When in reality, what facilitates connection is a lot more simple – authenticity and vulnerability.
💙 Takeaways: “Nobody in the room will be more transparent than the facilitator is.” ~ Margeet. What is it we want to accomplish in a session and how much vulnerability will be helpful? How can we rethink introductions?
What is it We’re Really Doing as Facilitators? with Kirsten Clacey and Akshay Kapur
I always love co-facilitating with @akshaykapur and this session explored something we both care deeply about. We used the FigJam board below and through silent reflection and pair discussions looked at facilitation from different perspectives.
🌍️ Takeaways: I entered with the question: “What is it I’m doing as a facilitator?” and left with the question: “What does the world need of facilitators in this moment?” It was clear that the answer to this question is personal and ever evolving. Some perspectives that stayed with me: healing, authenticity, joy, connection, reuniting, hope, awareness, “Creating the conditions for hope, healing, transformation,” and “Times are urgent, it is time to slow down.” ~ Bayo Akomolafe
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