In this article, I would like to make the point that good conversations come from being in sync. Literally, “being in sync” means a situation in which two or more people or things move or happen together at the same time and speed. It means you share the moment completely.

TNT tactics are what turn a good workshop narrative into a great one. Let us give you some examples of some TNT tactics we have used in the past. These tactics come from our little cheeky playbook. Some have a proven track record; others have only been tried out once or twice. Whenever we experiment with a tactic, we pay close attention, learn and refine it.

The last thing you want to do as a facilitator is to end the workshop with an open end or a very high-level conclusion, leaving people clueless about what should happen next. Participants shouldn’t wait for anyone to tell them the next steps; it should be part of the co-creative process.

Imagine you are facilitating a gathering or workshop. Introductions have just finished, and the conversation is about to open up; some attendees have concerns, some are elsewhere, some are out of their comfort zones, and some just want to get things done… How do you prevent this conversation from going sideways?

A great time experience will make the participants feel satisfied at the end of the co-creation. They will feel as if a lot has been achieved in little time -a highly productive session that made a lot of progress with the right amount of effort. A good time experience will engrain the most important outcomes in their memory and motivate them to continue collaborating…

A leader shouldn’t need to control behavior. They should spend most of their effort making sure their team’s work counts by connecting it in the right way in the organizational system.

My wife and I participated in a weekend-long Plant Medicine ceremony led by an experienced shaman called the “Laughing Shaman”. We had no idea what to expect from such a deep dive into ourselves. Most surprisingly we got to experience a lesson in true facilitation…

Whenever I hear a recitation of ground rules by a facilitator, my inner child turns into a rebel looking to reinstate the lost fun. He wants to break the rules.

I have been working with large organizations in the area of innovation for many years now. Every day, I am still surprised by how much effort is invested in implementing and shaping Design Thinking, Agile and Lean. As if applying these methodologies alone will radically change our way of working.

Whenever I explain a little bit of theory, as a teacher probably should do, I end up triggering a way too extensive dialogue, growing completely intrigued by all the perspectives. Once that safe space is in place, I can’t wait to learn about everyone’s take on the theory I am teaching…

To become a better competitor in the prioritization game when it comes to getting participants to do workshop pre-work, I developed a little model myself, inspired by the Fogg Behavior Model. It is called ‘ARE U IN?’. Every letter stands for an approach to influence workshop participants’ motivation, their perception of their ability and/or to prompt them for action. Want to know more?

I learned the hard way that overwhelm is the enemy of trust. A sense of purpose combined with the prospect of progress usually gets everyone ready to embark on a workshop journey together. This provides the “structure” to establish a feeling of certainty. It also brings them on the same page, inducing some feeling of belonging.

In the beginning, I didn’t notice that facilitating workshops wore me out, but after a few years, I recognized a pattern. Especially after full-day, intense workshops, I would feel hung over. So I started investigating the potential causes of this feeling of exhaustion and discovered several things.

At first, I struggled with getting my head around the science and techniques of breathwork, but after a while, I realized it all came down to this simple idea.

if people can sense my state, and I can influence their states, then building on this could be a wonderful way to help people open. This could also be powerful in creating safe spaces in our workshops.

A moment you share with others in co-creation is never just a moment. It really is what you make of it. But should every shared moment be a facilitated shared moment?

If there is a clear purpose and a strong intention to build on whatever comes out of the gathering, there should be some level of facilitation.

Empathy is most often explained as the ability to understand and share the thoughts or feelings of another. It’s an attempt to step out of your own shoes and better understand the other person from their point of view.

Is it a muscle we can train? Is it a form of emotional intelligence? Is it an ability you’re born with?