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Delivery Matters

Stories behind workshop plans,
sticky notes and markers.

Author: James Smart - page 6

Asking better questions: an interview with Michael Ambjorn and Martin Gilbraith

Good facilitation can so often come down to asking the right questions at the right time. Great questions and strong communication are part of what enables a group to truly explore a problem, go deeper, and make progress. By asking the right questions and empowering others to do the same, you can help a group find the right answers. But how can we create an environment where it is safe to ask tough questions? How do we know the questions we're asking are the right ones? What are some of the methods and approaches we can use as facilitators to create a better culture of communication? To celebrate the launch…

Creating profound change: an interview with Malin Morén and Trevor Durnford

No team wants to create meaningless change. We want the changes we make to our teams and organizations to be radical and impactful. What's more, we want to collaborate effectively and ensure everyone in the group can contribute to making changes they believe in. But how can we best motivate teams who might be resistant to change? How can we help leaders and their teams come together to self-organize change and how might co-facilitation bring something special to the table? To celebrate the launch of The Power of Facilitation - a new book about how groups can use facilitation to create great results - we're speaking to the contributors to…

Courageous conversations & visual facilitation: an interview with Rosanna von Sacken

Helping a group have deeper, more meaningful conversations is a cornerstone of great facilitation. Whether working with a team to solve problems or build relationships, creating a safe space for discussion and engagement is the foundation of progress. But how might we create those spaces and conversations in practice? What might we learn from the field of visual facilitation and how could we apply it when we facilitate meetings and workshops? To celebrate the launch of The Power of Facilitation - a new book about how groups can use facilitation to create great results - we're speaking to the contributors to the book about their approaches and ideas. In this…

22 great improv games for better collaboration (and fun!)

When it comes to collaboration, there’s a lot we can learn from the world of improv comedy and drama. Working closely with others to create a scene, think creatively, and build something from nothing while also having fun: these are all great skills we should try and develop with the use of improv games! Whether you’re looking to improve team collaboration, energize a group or just build your improv skills, the techniques in this post will give you the tools to run great improv sessions. We’ll also explore some of the core rules of improv you can use to enjoy and benefit from all that these games and activities have…

How to improve your collaboration skills and be a better collaborator

Achieving effective collaboration with your colleagues at the workplace can improve the efficiency, happiness, and productivity of your team. However, real collaboration is easier said than done. How many times have you found it tough to work with others or been frustrated by working processes? These are symptoms of poor collaboration skills and it might be time to reconsider how you and your team collaborate and work towards your shared goals. It’s important to note that collaboration has fundamentally changed over time, and it is not as simple as it sounds. You can't make collaboration in the workplace happen overnight. It is a process that often requires open discussions, building…

29 conflict management techniques (that actually resolve issues!)

Bringing a group of passionate, talented individuals together to work on a common goal is the goal of every leader. But even the best teams in the world can disagree! While different perspectives are vital to the success of any business, without effective conflict management, those differences of opinion can fester and breed resentment. Left unresolved, conflict in the workplace can result in a toxic working environment and unhappy staff. As such, conflict management is one of the most necessary skills in a leader’s toolbox. Managing, growing, and developing a productive team is extremely difficult without it! In this post, we’ll explore how your team can approach conflict management productively…

How to design and run engaging virtual training

Virtual training has been the way of the future for a long time — until the coronavirus pandemic hit, and it very much became the way of the present. Suddenly, people from all around the world had to adapt their in-person training sessions to the virtual space — and the transition has been anything but smooth. Remote workers believe training is important to their career development. So how can traditional trainers help? Luckily, there are plenty of ways to make sure your online training gives value to your clients, even in a virtual environment. Facilitators and trainers are a creative bunch, and adapting to the new normal has been productive and…

8 things I learned facilitating socially distanced workshops

For many workshop participants, returning to a live environment after such a long time away can be stressful, tense or just plain odd! For some, the prospect of a socially distanced workshop is scary enough to be a barrier to entry and can seriously affect the efficacy of your session. To define the term, a socially distanced workshop is a live workshop where measures designed to limit close contact are in effect. This might mean limiting participant numbers, using large rooms with carefully distributed seating, the wearing of masks, the limiting of movement around the room, or other factors based on local or organizational guidelines. I ran a series of…

Creative games and exercises to spur creativity in the workplace

Think that only traditionally creative roles like artist, designer, and writer benefit from using creativity in the workplace? Think again! Innovation, growth, and change are powered by creative thinkers throughout an organization, whatever their role. Using creative games, creativity exercises, and brainstorming can help you shift perspectives, try new things, become more open-minded, and free any creative blocks too! If you’re feeling a lack of creativity in the workplace or want to find new ways of thinking creatively as a team, the creative activities and group exercises below are a great way to jumpstart your creative process while also having fun and building better team connections. It’s so easy to…

19 Creative Thinking Skills (and How to Use Them!)

In a fast-moving world, being able to find new perspectives and create innovation is an increasingly valuable skill. Creative thinkers are often at the forefront of driving change, solving problems, and developing new ideas. Not only that, but those who bring creative thinking to how they work are often happier, more productive, and resilient too! So you might be asking yourself, how can I develop my creative thinking skills and think more creatively at work? Whether you want to supercharge your interpersonal skills, advance your career or be happier and more satisfied in the work you do, it pays to learn to think more creatively. For many people, creative thinking is…

How to use the 5 stages of team development (and build better teams!)

All groups are composed of individuals with different needs, communication styles, and working practices. When bringing those individuals together and engaging in team development, leaders will need to find ways to help everyone work together effectively and grow as individuals and as a group. Helping a set of people progress from being strangers to becoming a cohesive, well-oiled team can be a tricky process but thankfully there are team development frameworks, activities, and exercises that can help! In this post, we’ll explore Bruce Tuckman's theory of team development while also offering practical advice, actions, and team building activities you can take to help your group grow and work together more…

Using Asynchronous Learning to Engage Online Learners (Case Study)

For many facilitators, trainers, coaches, and teachers, transitioning existing content from live workshops to a remote setting has become a massive and necessary undertaking. As the facilitation landscape has shifted to online formats, asynchronous learning, or blended learning environments, those leading courses and workshops have needed to adapt. While redesigning for online learning is a challenge, it's also an opportunity. With the right approach, design, and process you can make your remote workshops as vital, engaging, and productive as their live equivalents. This might mean switching to a blended learning approach where students or participants work primarily in an online teaching environment with some control over the pace or direction…

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