There are many occasions when you will want to bring in an expert to share wisdom, best practices, and expertise. As planner and facilitator of the event, you are still responsible for the learning that occurs around the new knowledge shared by the guest speaker. Focus on creating a learning-centered design versus a teaching-centered one.
If you facilitate events, training or meetings, chances are you have had to navigate conflict or tough conversations. These are normal and unavoidable. And, they are not easy.
So, how do know when to shut them down and when to invite them in? How do we know how to ensure enough safety and respect for all present?
I felt so fortunate to have taken a Global Learning Partners Dialogue Education training many years ago, and equally as lucky to have joined a team that has adopted Dialogue Education (DE) as a guiding philosophy and methodology for all our learning events and...
As learning event designers and facilitators, we wield an array of tools to understand our audiences. A pre-event meeting with a participant, the 6 core principles of adult learning, and collaborative guideline-setting before each session are a few of these tools,...
Have you ever gotten the sense that people are distracted or multi-tasking when asked to read or listen to content, no matter how fascinating that content is? Have you ever struggled to keep people on task when discussing something they’ve heard or read?
Welcome to a tool called framing questions! Framing questions are presented to learners to help focus their attention and listen with purpose.
In a recent blog Making Room for Magic, author Annie O’Shaughnessy says that the key to “making room for magic” is to create learning conditions where participants make their own magic. When this magic happens, she explains, participants find personal and powerful connections with the learning: they become agents in their own learning; they are deeply engaged.
Have you ever been asked to breathe at the beginning of a meeting or at a moment when you feel stressed or anxious? You have thought, “I AM breathing!” While breathing is automatic function of the body, mindful breathing is an amazing tool to help calm your nervous system and/or to center or ground yourself in stressful or excited moments. People have been using
As students, we do our best to learn and know that you as professors, do your best to teach. However, things need to change. Here are a few requests that will help students learn more easily and more deeply. Thanks for caring enough to read these nine tips!
Take a moment to think about a time when you attended a workshop and entered a room full of unfamiliar faces. What feelings did you experience? Anticipation, fear, maybe excitement. Rogers and Hammerstein’s famous song lyrics come to mind “Getting to know you, getting to feel free and easy. When I am with you, getting to know what to say.”
If you’ve ever wondered, “can I apply my design or facilitation skills to my spouse’s graduation party?” Priya Parker’s The Art of Gathering will help you confidently say, YES!
Transformative gatherings can happen anywhere – this book is not just about dinner parties. Whether learning is the primary goal or not, The Art of Gathering shares bold strategies for making any get-together – from a routine meeting to a funeral – into a space for meaningful connection.
Sometimes the best way to offer content is on-demand and asynchronous. Personally, I most enjoy designing in-person learning experience. However, sometimes it is actually best to design for an online learning experience, either synchronous or asynchronous.
Many of us feel overwhelmed by the thought of needing to learn new technology. Many of us struggle to learn these tools, especially when it is online. However, from time to time a new e-tool or system will increase efficiency and effectiveness and is needed.
How much is enough? How do we teach a new e-system or tool when staff is busy and technology-averse? How do we maximize learning of new technology?