Delivery Matters

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Tag: Guides - page 2

How to Create an Unforgettable Training Session in 8 Simple Steps

How does learning work? A clever 9-year-old once told me: “I know I am learning something new when I am surprised.” The science of adult learning tells us that, in order to learn new skills (which, unsurprisingly, is harder for adults to do than kids) grown-ups need to first get into a specific headspace. In a business, this approach is often employed in a training session where employees learn new skills or work on professional development. But how do you ensure your training is effective? In this guide, we'll explore how to create an effective training session plan and run engaging training sessions. As team leader, project manager, or consultant,…

Agenda management best practices

A well-structured agenda is the foundation of an effective meeting. Whether you’re running a standup meeting or a team workshop, good agenda management will help you achieve your goals, stay on time and facilitate with confidence. But how should you go about creating an agenda? What are the best practices for using the agenda during a meeting and what do you do with your agendas afterwards? In this guide we'll explain how you can take control of your agenda so that you can make the most out of your meetings and drive efficiency and collaboration within your organization. Picture the worst meeting you've ever been in. Got it? Chances are,…

14 Best Virtual Meeting Tools (that we actually use!)

Virtual meetings have become the lifeblood of modern work and collaboration. Whether you're hosting a team meeting, conducting a client presentation, or facilitating a workshop, the right virtual meeting tools can make all the difference in productivity, engagement, and overall success. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the 14 best virtual meeting tools for 2024, each offering unique features to enhance your online interactions and run more productive online meetings. In a remotely distributed, always-online world, virtual meetings are the norm. On a typical week, more than 50% of employees spend between one and three hours in virtual meetings. That’s a lot of time spent looking at cameras and screens! …

How to use room setup styles to maximize engagement

Engagement and participation are two key words that every facilitator, event organizer and meeting professional sets as a goal when designing meetings, training sessions or conferences. Room setup plays a big role in making engagement happen. Room setup is the seating arrangement of participants: the placement by which they receive content and interact with one another. It is a critical aspect of every event because the atmosphere the physical space creates will impact the experience in obvious, and subtle, ways. As an event begins, there’s always an invisible barrier between a speaker and their audience. In fact, there is also a psychological barrier among participants, especially when they do not…

How to become a great workshop facilitator

Facilitation skills can be applied in a variety of contexts, such as meetings, events, or in the classroom. Arguably, the setting in which facilitation skills shine the most is the design and running of workshops. Workshops are dedicated spaces for interaction and learning. They are generally very hands-on, including activities such as simulations or games designed to practice specific skills. Leading workshops is an exciting, rewarding experience! In this piece we will go through some of the essential elements of workshop facilitation: What are workshops? Workshops are a time set aside for a group of people to learn new skills, come up with the best ideas, and solve problems together.…

Workshop design 101: how to craft a successful agenda design

So, you’ve decided to convene a workshop, a special time set aside to work with a team on a certain topic or project. You are looking for brilliant ideas, new solutions and, of course, great participation. To begin the process that will get you to workshop success, you’ll need three ingredients: participants willing to join, someone to facilitate and guide them through the process (aka, you) and a detailed agenda or schedule of the activities you’ve planned. In this article we will focus on that last point: what makes a good agenda design? Having a good agenda is essential to ensure your workshops are well prepared and you can lead…

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12 leadership roles for effective, dynamic leaders

While leaders might appear to occupy a single position, the reality is that leaders often need to be fluid and shift leadership roles in order to effectively manage and empower their team. Sometimes, leaders take the role of a coach and help team members find opportunities to grow. On other occasions, they need to be a decision maker on an important matter or sometimes hold space for the rest of the team in the role of a facilitator. Understanding these roles, when to deploy them and how they can impact your team can help you be a more engaging and effective team leader. In this guide, we’ll explore the different leadership…

What is facilitation? Definition and principles

Facilitation is a powerful skillset that helps improve collaboration, generates results and improves group dynamics. But what does it truly mean to facilitate and approach situations like a skilled facilitator? How can managers, leaders and anyone running meetings and workshops learn to bring a facilitative approach to their work? In this post, we'll share a definition of facilitation before exploring the key principles of facilitation you can use to embody the approach successfully, whether you're looking to have more effective meetings, handle conflict and do more productive group work. Answering the question "what is facilitation?" is something most facilitators are called on to do on a regular basis. While there…

Teacher as facilitator: how to improve your lessons with facilitation

There is a lot of overlap between education practices such as the “flipped classroom”, direct education, participatory learning, and facilitation. Building relationships, exploring topics creatively, and, of course, asking questions together you are probably doing something akin to facilitation in the classroom already.In this article we will explore what educators can learn from facilitators: insights, best practices and activities you can run in your classroom to boost engagement and collaboration! Facilitation might just be the source of insights, frameworks and ideas you are missing in your quest to make your lessons the best they can be. In the following paragraphs, we will look at: What is facilitation in education An…

What is a workshop and why should you run one?

Workshops are more than just interactive meetings. They're a space for groups to come together around a shared goal, collaborate effectively and solve complex problems. If you're wondering what a workshop is, how they differ from training or meetings, or just want to start running them, you're in the right place! A great workshop can create innovation, connection and transformation for both companies and individuals. In this article, we'll explore what workshops are, what benefits you can expect, and also show you some workshop examples that you can use for inspiration when working with your team. What is a workshop? A workshop is a structured and interactive session designed to…

How to run an effective group decision making process

Group decision making is how teams get stuff done. We join forces in order to achieve our goals, creating groups, teams, and whole organizations in order to advance toward a vision. Making decisions on how to move forward is an important part of making this work, but when it comes to group decision making, the process can become messy or ineffective. Why is it so common to argue over whether a group decision was taken or not? When should we decide together, and when is it ok for a group leader to go ahead with a final decision? What are the different ways of taking decisions? Which will work for…

What is a facilitator and what do they do?

As a professional facilitator, there are certain questions I find it really hard to answer. Such basic, chit-chat-at-the-dinner-party questions, in fact, that it’s almost embarrassing. Questions like: What is a "facilitator"? Why do people hire you? What is it that you actually do? To get to the bottom of these matters I’ll be using my own experience, that of colleagues from my networks and, in particular, data drawn from the State of Facilitation in 2023 report, which is based on over 1100 responses to a global survey. If you are considering starting a career as a facilitator, read on to be prepared for all these questions that will soon be…

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