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.
The power of saying it once || 🎙️ Episode 320 on Facilitating with the Brain in Mind
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Dear Reader, Last week, I facilitated a two-day training in French which is not my native language. Most of my work happens in English, where I feel nimble - quick to rephrase, expand, adjust my words on the fly. While I am fluent in French, I don’t have that same agility. To prepare, I spent my evenings binge-watching Netflix in French - to prime my subconscious brain while sleeping. Still, by day, without my usual vocabulary at hand, I had to keep things simple. One explanation, not five. One way of saying it. Embracing the full-stop and subsequent silence. Surprisingly, it was that limitation of mine that made all the difference. When I left blanks, the group stepped in. They paraphrased, clarified, added their own thinking. The conversation became theirs — not because I designed it that way, but because the group felt the space to own it. In a strange way, my limited fluency gave the group more space to think and act. And now I wonder: how often do we over-explain not for their clarity, but for our own comfort? What happens when we let our words do just enough - and then stop? 🎙 Meanwhile, on the podcast…Helping people to do their best thinking, is Amanda Cookson. A coach, facilitator and all-round neuroscience whizz, she’s made it her mission to help leaders better understand what it means to be human. And it all starts with our own thinking-feeling, wildly brilliant, untamed brain! She guides us through its inner workings with effervescence and passion, showing us how to work with it – rather than against it – steer pulse-quickening conversations towards oxytocin, and design experiences that help rewire the brain for real, lasting change. An energising, thoughtful conversation, full of golden mind-training nuggets to try in both facilitation, and life! Find out about:
🎧 Click here to listen to the interview 📥 Check out my 1-page summary 👀 Watch the unedited interview on Youtube 📌 Find podcast episodes that match your needsDid you know? You can search all episodes by keyword on our Buzzsprout page to find exactly what you need. Click here to find the episodes by keyword. 🔖 Inspiration at Your Fingertips: Get the Podcast Summary eBooksAre you looking for inspiration for your next workshop or guidance on which podcast episode to explore next? Discover the eBooks compiling summaries of all 300 “Workshops Work” podcast episodes—a rich collection of facilitation insights and practical tips. These digital coffee table books are perfect for sparking new ideas or delving deeper into workshop best practices. Click here to get your copies. That’s it from my side! I hope you enjoy the content and find inspiration in the stories and the podcast. I wish you a week of saying less and listening more — even when you can say more. 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.
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