161 - Workshops are the Conflict Playground for Real Life with Ez Bridgman (Part 2)

04/20/22 • 26 min

Your perspective matters! Click to send me a message.

Intersectionality is a fundamental part of facilitation - and a common topic on this podcast - but, usually, we discuss it in relation to other professional disciplines.

It’s high time we looked at how facilitation can influence our personal lives, in our deepest and dearest relationships.

Ez Bridgman, creative experience designer and playful vitality proponent, joins this episode to discuss playfulness, vulnerability, and conflict. And, of course, how facilitation can be a guiding light through all those complexities in our relationships.

Find out about:

How Ez has curated a “garden of life” and how it’s helped him and those around him
Why play isn’t always laughing, exuberance, and high energy
Why sticking with your plan and ignoring the energy in the room can be disastrous
How to use conflict to strengthen your relationships, not harm them
What it means to make an agreement and why it’s critical to prove you’ll stick to it
How to use ‘Theoretical Speed Dating’ to prepare a group for collaboration

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.

And if the idea of NeverDoneBefore 2021, the community of facilitators, caught your attention; click here to explore it in more detail!

Thanks to our sponsor Deckhive. Click here to find out more about the new platform for using card decks in online facilitation. Use the code workshopswork to get the first month for free.

Questions and Answers

Part two
[02:05] The value of practicing conflict 'out loud', just as much as we practice agreement. [04:02] What's your advice for remembering our facilitative powers when in moments of conflict?
[06:55] So how can we create a sense of safety for ourselves, so that we can tap into our empathy?
[08:55] Is it safe or sensible to use play to resolve conflict?
[11:38] Can you share an example of an exercise?
[15:08] What impact does it have to focus on a point of distinct disagreement and opposition? [18:13] How do you structure the 'closing circle'?
[21:23] Was there anything you wanted to share that we haven't discussed yet?
[22:43] How would you handle someone who doesn't play by the rules?

Links

Connect to Ez:

On LinkedIn

Support the Show.

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Your perspective matters! Click to send me a message.

Intersectionality is a fundamental part of facilitation - and a common topic on this podcast - but, usually, we discuss it in relation to other professional disciplines.

It’s high time we looked at how facilitation can influence our personal lives, in our deepest and dearest relationships.

Find out about:

How Ez has curated a “garden of life” and how it’s helped him and those around him
Why play isn’t always laughing, exuberance, and high energy
Why sticking with your plan and ignoring the energy in the room can be disastrous
How to use conflict to strengthen your relationships, not harm them
What it means to make an agreement and why it’s critical to prove you’ll stick to it
How to use ‘Theoretical Speed Dating’ to prepare a group for collaboration

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.

And if the idea of NeverDoneBefore 2021, the community of facilitators, caught your attention; click here to explore it in more detail!

Thanks to our sponsor Deckhive. Click here to find out more about the new platform for using card decks in online facilitation. Use the code workshopswork to get the first month for free.

Questions and Answers

Links

Connect to Ez:

On LinkedIn

Support the Show.

Previous Episode

161 - Workshops are the Conflict Playground for Real Life with Ez Bridgman

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

Intersectionality is a fundamental part of facilitation - and a common topic on this podcast - but, usually, we discuss it in relation to other professional disciplines.

It’s high time we looked at how facilitation can influence our personal lives, in our deepest and dearest relationships.

Find out about:

How Ez has curated a “garden of life” and how it’s helped him and those around him
Why play isn’t always laughing, exuberance, and high energy
Why sticking with your plan and ignoring the energy in the room can be disastrous
How to use conflict to strengthen your relationships, not harm them
What it means to make an agreement and why it’s critical to prove you’ll stick to it
How to use ‘Theoretical Speed Dating’ to prepare a group for collaboration

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.

And if the idea of NeverDoneBefore 2021, the community of facilitators, caught your attention; click here to explore it in more detail!

Thanks to our sponsor Deckhive. Click here to find out more about the new platform for using card decks in online facilitation. Use the code workshopswork to get the first month for free.

Questions and Answers

Part one

[01:19]When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?
[03:53] What was your measure of success, that allowed you to feel comfortable with the label of facilitator?
[04:57] What would make a workshop fail?
[07:10] In corporate settings, does following energy, rather than a plan, feel like freedom? [10:08] How do you use play as a tool or method in facilitation?
[13:51] How do you create an environment in which people feel comfortable coming out of their shells?
[15:57] How do you encourage people in a corporate setting to open up when they fear being judged?
[22:47] How does clowning incorporate in your facilitation?
[24:16] Can you share your journey of 'interior expansion'?
[26:50] After your own journey of breaking out of your shell, do you find you have more empathy for hesitant or uncomfortable participants?
[30:01] How do you hold space to act in a facilitative way with your family? Is there a tension between facilitation and participation?
[35:09] What would be your advice to anyone who wants to try a 'family roasting', but wants to avoid it spiralling or becoming hurtful?
Links

Connect to Ez:

On LinkedIn

Support the show

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Next Episode

162 - Facilitating Self Development at Work with Prototype You with Kristiaan Hartmann and Wouter Smeets

Share your thoughts about our conversation!

Supporting employee self-development isn’t a sacrifice for organisations. In fact, it is often a precursor to the organisation’s own growth and progress.

In Kristiaan Hartman and Wouter Smeets, we have two of the best people possible to discuss self-development in the workplace - and its impacts throughout organisations.

As the founders of Prototype You, Kristiaan and Wouter have been facilitating self-development programmes within organisations since 2018. Safe to say, they have plenty of insights to share about how facilitation can help us design better (perfect?) roles, workspaces, and even careers!

Find out about:

Why employees’ personal growth so often generates organisational growth
How to create a culture of shared development, based on inner values
The story of Kristiaan and Wouter’s business - Prototype You - and why they started it
Why skillset and mindset are equally important in personal development
How the duo recruit facilitators to deliver the programme - and what they’ve learned through the process

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

And download the free 1-page summary, so you can always have the key points of this episode to hand.

A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners!

Exclusive offer from Facilitator Cards for workshops.work listeners! You can get 15% off your entire purchase at shop.facilitator.cards by using code workshopswork.

Questions and Answers

Part one
[01:43] When did you start calling yourselves facilitators?
[02:46] What's the difference between a coach and a facilitator?
[07:52] Why did you call your company Prototype You? And why not Perfect You?
[11:41] Is prototyping a skill to learn or a mindset to adopt?
[14:42] What is Prototype You, then? What is the process behind it?
[17:05] This sounds reminiscent of a retrospective in Scrum?
[23:57] Do you focus on our self-responsibility for our work experience?
[29:07] Could the next step be to develop a version of Prototype You for families?
[31:01] Discussing failure and different perspectives on it.
[34:55] What role do managers play in the Prototype You process?
[41:51] How would you deal with a manager realising that they've overpromised something as part of an employee's prototyping?
[45:10] Do you have a checklist or a process to vet companies? How do you spot red flags?

Links

Connect to Kristiaan and Wouter:

Wouter on LinkedIn

Kristiaan on LinkedIn

Support the show