I'm a recovering academic who uses her insights from behavioural economics to develop methods that facilitate collaboration. In my weekly newsletter, I share the summary of my latest interview on the "workshops work" podcast along with an application of facilitation as a life and leadership skill.
Finding Clarity in Silence || 🎙️ Episode 293 on The Surprising Art of Facilitation as Sales
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Hello dear Reader, When was the last time you gave yourself permission to truly disconnect and recharge? As I prepare to head off for a 10-day silent meditation retreat, I wanted to share some reflections with you. And don’t worry, the newsletter and 1-page summaries will continue as usual—I’ve scheduled everything in advance, so you won’t miss a thing. 😊 I'll be gone for 10 days of silence, 10 hours of meditation each day, without speaking, reading, or writing. I signed up for this in the summer, right after feeling the effects of burnout and committing to Slow Productivity to support my mental and physical health. Now, as we head into the busy season—with the NeverDoneBefore Festival approaching, the closing of my community, and the usual year-end demands—I need to ensure I’m recharged and grounded. Each retreat helps me quiet the noise inside and out, allowing me to find clarity within instead of seeking it externally. I learn to trust my inner wisdom and act from a place of confidence and abundance rather than reacting to external pressures. As Sunni Brown beautifully puts it: “Confidence is a practice for remembering who we are.” As facilitators, this process of regaining focus feels deeply relevant to our work. In every session, we face physical, mental, and emotional distractions—whether it’s an uncomfortable room, unclear instructions, a participant’s unexpected reaction or very usual group dynamics. Distractions are inevitable, but our ability to remain present in the moment is what shapes the space we create for others. During my last retreat, I realised that "focus" in meditation is a lot like facilitation. It’s not about forcing things to go perfectly, but rather about observing, accepting, and adjusting. Just as in facilitation, we don’t eliminate distractions—we learn to manage them. Whether it’s physical discomfort, mental uncertainty, or emotional overthinking, the skills I’ve developed through Vipassana translate directly into how I approach my role as a facilitator. If you’d like to dive deeper into what I’ve learned from Vipassana, I invite you to read this article I wrote in 2017. And if 10 days of silence sounds like a big leap, maybe starting with a digital detox could be a great first step—here’s an article I wrote about that too. While I’m away, I hope you find a moment to slow down, reflect, and recharge in your own way. I’ll return with renewed energy, ready to dive into the festival and wrap up the year with purpose and intention. And speaking of energy—I’d love for you to join me at the NeverDoneBefore Festival in November. You’ll get to experience firsthand the Zen focus I’m coming back with! 😉 🎙 Meanwhile, on the podcast… Are facilitators just salespeople in disguise? We’re not on commission, we’re not driven by a desired outcome, we don’t have a product, and nor are we in a numbers game… and yet, the longer I spoke to Alan Versteeg this week, the more I realised just how much we have in common. And if you still don’t believe me, Alan is here to change your mind - after all, this is where he shines! Alan has been selling perspectives to people for many, many years, inviting them in to realise new ideas - rather like that of a facilitator. Learn how Alan masters the influence of persuasion, how he’s perfected the art of authenticity to build trust, and why he believes the buy-in of a group is actually your secret sales pitch. Find out about:
🔖 Click here for Alan's 6 P Cheat Sheet 🔖 Click here to download my 1-page summary of the show. 🎧 Click here to listen to the interview Or, watch the unedited interview on Youtube: 🎡 Join the NDB Festival A Global Online Event to Refuel Your Creativity Join us for the final edition of the NDB Festival! Over 48 hours, facilitators worldwide will come together to explore bold, new approaches. 22 workshops and 6 dedicated networking opportunities. Don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn, connect, and push the boundaries of facilitation—because after this, there won’t be another NDB Festival! That's all from my side. Wishing you moments of peace and presence in the weeks ahead. Myriam
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How can we facilitate collaboration?
I'm a recovering academic who uses her insights from behavioural economics to develop methods that facilitate collaboration. In my weekly newsletter, I share the summary of my latest interview on the "workshops work" podcast along with an application of facilitation as a life and leadership skill.
Dear Reader, Five weeks, 18 workshops, hundreds of participants. When I first began delivering my Psychological Safety workshop to groups of varying sizes, nationalities, and cultures, I thought I had it down. I knew the content inside out—or so I believed. But here’s what surprised me: mastery isn’t just about knowing. It’s about refining. Repetition is the path to get there. At the start, I struggled to fit everything into two hours—the content, my anecdotes, and the participants’...
Dear Reader, Sometimes, what we've been searching for is right under our nose ... As I approached the milestone of 300 episodes of "workshops work", I took a step back to reflect on how you and other listeners access the knowledge hidden in all these conversations. For 300 weeks, I’ve been creating maps and summaries, trying to make the body of work easier to navigate. But recently, I stumbled upon something beautifully simple: the Buzzsprout search function. With just a keyword, you can find...
Dear Reader, When was the last time you asked for help? It’s a question that often hits closer to home than we’d like to admit. Many of us avoid reaching out—not because help isn’t available, but because it feels vulnerable. I know this feeling all too well. In early 2021, fresh off the first NeverDoneBefore festival, I found myself in a whirlwind of emotions. The event had been an extraordinary success—so much so that participants were buzzing with ideas for what could come next. They...