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.

How a Strategic Planning & Roadmapping Session helped an essential program adapt and evolve in a very short amount of time to support the growth of the business.

A lot of software is designed without consideration for the people who use it. (I know, it’s shocking.) Too often, we forget the power and potential impact we have on people’s daily lives when designing tools they’ll use every day. So, try some of these ideas out. Lead with the intention of doing meaningful work. Because a good design can mean a better day for someone at work and a better day can mean… everything.

When each of us thrive, we all thrive, and from this spirit my Sprint For Good program was born. The program is a way to bring deserving organizations and missions a chance to meaningfully move their business, product and/or service forward. That includes the opportunity to participate in full-blown Design Sprints, Strategic Planning Sessions, and more.

Struggling to make progress, launch a new idea or hit business objectives? There’s usually a solution, and it often takes a workshop or planning session to lead you and your team to it. To get started, take this quiz to find out which workshop option is right for your business.

What do purpose, adult friendships, languishing and Barack Obama have in common? My latest reading list, as a matter of fact. This installment explores themes across community and relationship building, as well as examining present-day problem solving.

I’ve curated a list of 3 principles that will help you nail the facilitation of customer interviews, manage different personalities, and extract the quality feedback you need to move your product or business idea forward. When we share insights with each other, we all benefit! And it all starts with a proven process.