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by Improving your facilitation game
Are you looking to up your facilitation game? Look no further than the Facilitation Studio! This podcast provides the foundations for good facilitation, as well as tools, techniques, and templates to help you elevate the collaborative experiences you lead. I’m John Sunart, an experienced facilitator, and I’m drawing on years of experience to bring you the best tips and tricks for facilitating with all sorts of people and all scales of organisation. Whether you're new to facilitation or a seasoned pro, join me in the studio and let's take your facilitation skills to the next level. facilitationstudio.substack.com
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- 2 weeks ago8 min
#25 Dialogue, Discussion and Debate
Dialogue, discussion, debateSome people don’t drift into the wrong conversation in a workshop. They walk in already having it.This one starts with Graham, a lead architect whose arms fold the moment someone questions the tech stack. I unpick the three modes a group can talk in (dialogue, discussion and debate) using a kitchen to tell them apart: rummaging in the fridge, tasting as you go, and the judges’ table. Then the practical bit: why experts push for debate too early, the “what would need to be true?” question that lets them contribute without putting their record on trial, why a horseshoe chamber didn’t stop the Scottish Parliament debating, and the line I use to tell a room which conversation we’re having. Plus the most tempting mistake I make, and how to hold the line when the loudest voice wants to skip straight to the verdict.Chapters00:00 Graham arrives with the cake already baked01:41 Three kinds of conversation03:15 Why experts push for debate too early04:16 Telling the room what we’re cooking07:00 Holding the line08:18 Who’s the Graham in your next room? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit facilitationstudio.substack.com
- May 14, 20265 min
#24 Before you say yes
Before you say yes A leader has made a decision and wants the team involved. You design a proper workshop. Then you ask the sponsor what will actually change based on what people say, and they pause — "we're fairly committed to the direction, we just want the team to feel heard." You've just been handed a brief to perform a workshop, not run one. This episode looks at the hidden cost of running workshops that shouldn't have been workshops — the slow draining of what I call collaborative capital, and how it shows up as consultation fatigue. I name three signals that a brief is already decided (a sponsor advocating for a specific outcome, a timeline that doesn't leave room for the workshop to matter, and the word validate). Then a way out: reframing the brief around the questions that are genuinely still open — what would need to be true for this to work, what's the impact on your team, where are the gaps only you would know about — so you can give the sponsor something more valuable than the workshop they originally asked for. Chapters - Opening — the brief that's already decided- Collaborative capital and consultation fatigue- Three signals: outcome advocates, impossible timelines, the word "validate"- Finding the real question- What you protect when you reframe This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit facilitationstudio.substack.com
- Apr 30, 202611 min
#23 Mapping: the engine your workshop runs on
Mapping is how you get all of your collaborators on the same page, speaking the same language and ready to work together productively. It's how you build the shared picture that the rest of the workshop runs on top of.This is the first of four deep-dives into the workshop activity types — Dream, Map, Distil, Prioritise — picking up from issue #7 (the four types) and issue #22 (the Butterfly that links them).I get into why mapping has to be an active thing the group does together rather than something presented at them, what the spectrum of mapping tools actually looks like (from immersive service safaris at one end to a quietly-handled empathy map template at the other), the three ways it most often goes sideways (rabbit-holing, treating an outlier as gospel, and pretending the gaps in the map don't exist), and how you know when you've done enough. There's a pre-mapping checklist at the end you can steal.We cover:[~00:00] Opening — what Map is actually for[~02:00] Why you do it together — cognition, memory, and the collective notebook[~04:30] What it looks like in practice — the spectrum from service safari to empathy map[~07:00] Three things to watch out for — rabbit-holing, mole-hills into mountains, missing gaps[~09:30] Doing just enough mapping — knowing when to stop, and the playback ritual[~11:30] A checklist to take into your next mapping phaseLinksService safari — https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/service-safari Empathy mapping (Nielsen Norman Group) — https://www.nngroup.com/articles/empathy-mapping/issue #7 — The four things you can do in a workshopissue #22 — The Butterfly Process [paste Substack URL at publish] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit facilitationstudio.substack.com
- Apr 16, 20265 min
#22 The Butterfly Process
The Butterfly is the mental model I use to understand how workshops actually move. Two wings, active work and reflective work, and a single point at the centre that every transition passes through without exception. In this episode I walk through what that centre point actually looks, sounds, and feels like in practice. I also explain why the Butterfly and the Double Diamond aren't competing frameworks, they're doing different jobs. One is your compass. One is your collaborators' map.Sections[~00:00] Opening — the blur vs. the purposeful workshop[~02:30] Introducing the Butterfly[~05:00] What a Reflect point actually looks like[~10:00] Where the Butterfly came from — the Double Diamond and its cousins[~13:30] Working with the Butterfly in practiceLinks mentionedThe Double Diamond — The Design Council's framework for design and innovationIssue #7: Dream, Map, Distil, Prioritise Issue #21: The whisk, the recipe, and knowing how to cook This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit facilitationstudio.substack.com
- Apr 2, 20268 min
#21 The whisk, the recipe and knowing how to cook
Ever watched someone run a Design Sprint on a three-year strategy question? Every step executed perfectly. Entirely wrong outcome. That's not a facilitation problem — that's a vocabulary problem.In this episode I'm unpacking a distinction that I think sits at the heart of getting better at this work: the difference between a tool, a method, and a process. They're not the same thing, they don't do the same jobs, and mixing them up is one of the most common reasons workshops fail to deliver.We use a kitchen analogy to work it out. A whisk is a tool. A Victoria sponge recipe is a method. Knowing how to cook is a process. And — crucially — no amount of perfect recipe-following will get you an omelette.In this episode:Why tools are only powerful in combination, and in the right momentWhat makes a method brilliant — and when it becomes a liabilityThe difference between following a process and understanding oneWhy two facilitators with identical tools and methods will still run completely different sessions (that's the seasoning)Whether you actually need to understand process at all — or whether mastering one good method is entirely the right ambitionResources mentioned:Hyper Island ToolboxInteraction Design FoundationFigJam Community TemplatesLiberating StructuresSprint by Jake KnappPractical Facilitation by Dr Christine HoganGamestorming by Dave GrayRead the full article at facilitationstudio.substack.comWhat's in your toolkit? And is there a method you swear by, or one you've seen spectacularly misapplied? I'd love to hear — drop me a message or leave a comment on the Substack. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit facilitationstudio.substack.com
- Mar 19, 202612 min
#20 Moving from intent to activities
Most people start planning a workshop by dropping activities onto a board. An icebreaker here, a brainstorm there, a How Might We and some dot-voting to tidy things up. Two hours, looks solid. The problem is, you've just picked the words before you know what you want to say.In this episode, I'm talking about the step that sits between your intent and your agenda — the one most facilitators skip entirely. Critical questions are the scaffolding that holds your activities in place, and without them, you're building on hope rather than structure. I'll walk you through the five steps I use to find, test, and sequence them so that by the time you're thinking about activities, every single one has a job to do.If you've ever stood in front of a room wondering whether the pieces are actually going to connect, this one's for you.In this episode:- Why choosing activities first gives you an agenda with very weak foundations- How to find the questions that only your collaborators can answer- Why not every question belongs in the room — and how to figure out which ones do- How to stress-test your questions against the people you've invited- Why the right sequence isn't always the tidy oneLinks and resources mentioned:Issue #9 — The road to a valuable workshopFind out more about facilitation coaching This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit facilitationstudio.substack.com
- Mar 6, 20269 min
#19 Do we live in a dotocracy?
Should we be living in a dotocracy?Everyone uses dot-voting. It's fast, it feels democratic, and it gives a room full of people a satisfying sense of progress. The problem is that most of the time, it's being asked to do something it was never designed for.In this episode I'm talking about the difference between narrowing a list and making a decision — and why confusing the two is one of the most common ways workshops quietly go wrong. I'll cover why dot-voting without criteria is just a popularity contest, why the dots are contagious, and why not everyone's vote is equal — and why that's absolutely fine.If you've ever watched a cluster form on a wall of post-its and wondered whether anything actually got decided, this one's for you.In this episode:• Why groups surface options but individuals make decisions• Yhree ways dot-voting goes wrong• How to set it up so it actually means something• When to put the dots away entirelyLinks and resources mentioned:Issue #8 — Drive good decision-making with criteriaRead the full articleFind out more about facilitation coaching This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit facilitationstudio.substack.com
- Jan 14, 202516 min
#18 Your in-person workshop checklist
In this episode, we dive into the essentials for running successful in-person workshops. From packing the ultimate kit—including agendas, print materials, Sharpies, and super sticky Post-its—to setting up the perfect environment and managing logistics, this issue has got you covered. Learn the tricks to handle tech failures, plan ahead, and keep your workshop running smoothly. Plus, get tips on efficient time management and prepping your space for an engaging, collaborative session. 00:00 Introduction and Recap 00:23 Preparing for In-Person Workshops 00:49 Essential Workshop Kit 06:45 Additional Important Items 11:25 The Process Checklist 13:51 Final Preparations and Execution 15:22 Post-Workshop Follow-Up 15:47 Conclusion and Final Thoughts This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit facilitationstudio.substack.com
About The Facilitation Studio
Are you looking to up your facilitation game? Look no further than the Facilitation Studio! This podcast provides the foundations for good facilitation, as well as tools, techniques, and templates to help you elevate the collaborative experiences you lead. I’m John Sunart, an experienced facilitator, and I’m drawing on years of experience to bring you the best tips and tricks for facilitating with all sorts of people and all scales of organisation. Whether you're new to facilitation or a seasoned pro, join me in the studio and let's take your facilitation skills to the next level. facilitationstudio.substack.com
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