How do meeting leaders and workshop facilitators make sure teams can collaborate and produce their best work without being bulldozed by someone loud and intimidating? A bit of effort before and during a session can keep things running well and reduce the likelihood that this type of behavior will emerge from participants. And when it does, I’ve got tips for that too.

If you’re new to leading workshops, this survival guide is for you. It also has a few good reminders and nontraditional suggestions for facilitators who have been at it for a while. I know it can feel like a high-stakes game, but there are specific actions you can take to manage the experience for yourself and your participants (whether you’re leading your first or fiftieth workshop). Here are my top nine tips for a better workshop.

Does growth create opportunity? Absolutely. But is it the best and only way to run a business? Absolutely not. Here’s why I intentionally choose solopreneurship year after year.

What kicks off a day of collaborative work on a good note? How do you create a sense of camaraderie amongst colleagues or perfect strangers? The truth is simple: icebreakers. I know there’s a perception that they’re old school, or fluffy, or even cheesy. But that’s only if you aren’t using them correctly. Here are three common scenarios in which icebreakers are particularly helpful, along with specific examples so you can copy and paste them into your next session.

Great facilitators can design their workshops to diffuse the thinking that only some people are creative, no matter their title. These are the five methods I bake into my workshops to ensure every team member is allowed to tap into their creative prowess.

I’m a big fan of balancing work and play, professional and personal. These “opposing” dimensions have quite a bit of overlap in the Venn diagram of life. The things we do to become more skilled in our careers usually blend into the ways we navigate life outside of work. And the curiosities we explore show up in unexpected ways within our professional interactions. These books cover that and more.

Defensive thinking stops new ideas in their tracks, or from ever even getting off the ground. It also requires a lot of intention and finesse to mitigate. However, doing so is critical to peeling away a rigid mindset that could be blocking your team members, workshop participants and meeting attendees from their greatest ideas. Here’s how.

What does a workshop need in order to shift from good to great? How do you ensure the team leaves with many fruitful outcomes rather than a few OK options? Leading impactful workshops starts with a strong facilitation skill set that plays to people’s strengths, manages against biases, and leads with humility. When you make a few adjustments to how you lead and prepare, the result is a more productive and aligned group. Here’s how.

The most fruitful teams know their purpose, what their responsibilities are, and have a sense of camaraderie with their colleagues. When these dimensions align, people perform better (which is good for both them and the company alike). But how do we get teams to get along? Cooperation doesn’t come at the snap of a finger — it’s cultivated with intention and is the precursor to everything else.

2020 required many of us to learn new tools, methods and techniques to fit the new digital/virtual/remote way of working. Attitude is quite possibly one of the strongest assets we have for navigating the unknown, but there are a handful of other adaptations facilitators should consider to help manage the (seemingly) unmanageable

When teams are stuck in the weeds it’s usually not because any one person failed to do their job, or because the group isn’t capable. It’s simply because the team doesn’t have the right tools to unlock the answers. This is why it’s so critical to bring in reinforcements when you’re having trouble accelerating a project or idea.

At the beginning of my facilitation career I felt vulnerable leading sessions because I thought I should know every answer, and I took it personally if things detoured from the original plan. Now I know that these are classic characteristics of a Performance Mindset and they often stand in the way of effective leadership and team success. Being able to unlock possibility requires a shift in your attitude across several dimensions.

How can we make meetings the productive, efficient, good-natured gatherings they were intended to be? My answer: never head into a meeting without an understanding of where we intend to go together. Here are some specific tactics to make this dream a reality for both meeting attendees and organizers.

Comfort is physical, mental and emotional. It’s applicable to introverts and extroverts. And it’s something that facilitators should prioritize cultivating. Why? Because a group of comfortable humans is more likely to produce / co-create / unlock their best work yet. Leverage these 6 methods at your next session and see if you observe a difference.

If you find yourself organizing meetings, planning workshops, and project kickoffs, and need a little support outlining who, what, when, where and why, this worksheet is your new best friend. Learn how I use it and download the template for free.

Many of us may already demonstrate facilitator tendencies naturally without even knowing it. Whether you’re looking for a career change, or simply feel curious about cultivating this skillset, these six behaviors might indicate that facilitation is in your DNA.

This reading list is for folks who want to forge deeper connections with the people in their lives, manage personal and professional time differently, and learn about tools that can expand our emotional vocabularies and redefine what it means to rest and relax. I’d be surprised if you don’t experience the positive impacts of these books and their tools across every sphere of your life, from personal to professional, and beyond.

Workshop methods that can be applied to meetings so we can be more intentional about how the diverse voices in the room are heard and represented.

If you lead workshops and Design Sprints, you’ll need to involve key decision makers in the process so that it’s constructive rather than disruptive. Having a formula to handle these situation is especially important when working with big orgs. Check out my approach to the process so that your experience feels constructive and controlled.

At what point do our beloved routines become creativity suckers? Doing the same thing day in and day out is great for managing risk, but it often comes at a cost to innovation, originality, and stimulation. Whether you’re seeking a personal or professional burst of creativity, these three tips offer accessible ways to refresh your outlook and attitude.