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Hello Facilitators๐Ÿ‘‹ I'm really curious about where everyone is from. I'd love to make this a mega post where we can see how diverse the Facilitator Club community is. Who knows, you might find a lot more people in your area than you thought! Once I have lots of answers on this post, I want to make a nice graph!

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841

Rebecca Courtney
Jakub Michalski
Frederik Martens
Brendon Cappelletti
David Newman
New comment 38m ago

Hello factlitators, I've had the privilege of delivering numerous speeches in the past, and I'm currently seeking more advanced tips on how to remember my lines for an upcoming speaking engagement. While I typically prepare extensively, I still struggle with forgetting certain points during the delivery. Therefore, I'm seeking the guidance of this knowledgeable community for any tried and tested techniques to help me deliver an exceptional speech. Thank you in advance for your expertise and insights!

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Shannon Wagers
New comment 2h ago
  • 0 likes โ€ข 2h

    Use your slides as a guide. Each prompt on a slide gets addressed and its trigger for your content. No slides? Practice is the ultimate solution. Repetition is key! Need to still deliver - note cards on a lectern / podium. Great tips here - https://www.cityheadshots.com/blog/best-way-to-memorize-lines

This is one of the things I struggle to do well....when the group is engaged in conversation or generally chatting during a break, are there any more creative / effective ways of getting their attention, other than shouting 'OK, time to move on!'. I've seen some faciliators use airhorns but that seems a bit extreme ๐Ÿ˜. And it's great to be here to learn alongside all of you!

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Rebecca Courtney
Rob Stevens
LaYinka Sanni
Kerri Price
Shannon Wagers
New comment 5h ago
  • 0 likes โ€ข 14h

    @LaYinka Sanni I like to use weird times for break - like 16 vs. 15 to help people remember. Need a 16 minute countdown timer - that and many off numbered timers available on YouTube

Hey team, do you have any suggestions on articles or books that discuss effective communication between Supervisors and employees?

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Shannon Wagers
Jakub Michalski
New comment 7h ago

Hi everyone! As someone from an education background, I found observations incredibly useful to be able to see what I've learned in action, and it got me wondering whether observing a workshop or facilitation session is a thing. Is it a done thing? I know it's something I'd massively benefit from, and would love an opportunity to see a facilitator in action in order to tie things together visually. I'd love thoughts from experienced facilitators who pivoted into facilitation from another industry/career path.

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Shannon Wagers
Ivan Kobelev
Austin Govella
David Newman
LaYinka Sanni
New comment 9h ago
  • 2 likes โ€ข 5d

    Yes ! Observing is a thing! I was.a chemist in my company for a decade before I started facilitating. I observed but was quickly asked co- facilitate. (Which has observation elements) I know everyone learns differently - but firmly believe as you are engaging an audience - facilitation is learned more by โ€œdoingโ€. Find someone to partner with- observe and then look into co-facilitating. Iโ€™m a big believer in practicing this skill to learn and improve. You can do it!

  • 0 likes โ€ข 5d

    @LaYinka Sanni network and ask. If someone is able to "pay it forward" hopefully they will.

I think that I've heard AJ&S folks talk about a library of Miro templates we can use. I apologize if this has been asked before -- I have done a couple of searches here and in the Facilitation Fundamentals course, but I haven't found them. Would you point me in the right direction?

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4

Shannon Wagers
Dominica Glass
Joy Bennett
New comment 14h ago

I purchased these about a year ago. Anyone else use these to map out their workshops? If so, what do you think of them?

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LaYinka Sanni
Travis Justice
Austin Govella
David Newman
Shannon Wagers
New comment 14h ago
  • 1 like โ€ข 23h

    @Austin Govella YES - too many decks... not a good thing.

  • 1 like โ€ข 14h

    @David Newman Weird enough I use my books. I have select few that wonโ€™t lend out either

Hello facilitators! I'm looking for recommendations on improving speaking and communication skills, which I believe are essential to any job and especially to facilitation. In particular, I'm interested in learning: - How to make interventions concise and clear - How to engage the audience and make a lasting impression - How to discern the appropriate timing for interventions particularly in meeting/workshop settings. Any tips or resources you can share would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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David Newman
Shannon Wagers
Salah Bouchma
Scott Fry
Tomoo Okubo
New comment 16h ago
  • 1 like โ€ข 8d

    @David Newman excellent resources and advice .

  • 6 likes โ€ข 8d

    I like this guy who I recently found (video below). .... and PRACTICE. Some this comes naturally to some and even more with experience.

Hi everyone. I've just signed up for Workshopper and I'm really looking forward to being part of this community! I have a content marketing business [3.5 years in after being in the agency world for nearly 20 years] and I think Facilitation will help me develop a programme that helps employers create authentic and affordable content that helps them attract and retain talent.

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Shannon Wagers
Chris Le'cand-Harwood
David Newman
Austin Govella
New comment 20h ago

Recently I've been reflecting on how much time we spend setting the scene for a workshop. Most facilitators are very intentional about making sure everyone is on the same page about why they are there, and we work hard to ensure people feel safe and comfortable to engage. However, when it comes to the end of the workshop, it often wraps up in a hurry. There might be an action list created, perhaps a quick whip-around to see how people are feeling, but I'm not convinced that the wrap-up is always given the time (and energy) it really needs to be done well. (And for the record...I'm reflecting on my own practice here...maybe I should replace 'we' with 'me'.) I'm keen to hear how others wrap-up their sessions. Are there specific exercises you use to bring things to a close and encourage next steps are actually taken? I've got a few tried and true methods I use, but I'm keen to give it more focus.

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Hassanein Ismail
Kerri Price
Rob Stevens
Shannon Wagers
David Newman
New comment 22h ago
  • 2 likes โ€ข 2d

    I do a "newspaper" exercise for next steps What is the action to occur Who owns this What is their first step and by when will they do this. accountability is critical

When everyone is on the same page about a way forward, it's easy to think we've done our job as a facilitator. That's certainly the end result we're looking for, after all. The problem is, if we get there too quickly, there's every chance there's been things left unsaid--or unexplored. ๐Ÿ’ญ Group-think may make finding consensus easy, but it doesnโ€™t necessarily bring the best ideas or solutions. If youโ€™re working with a group that is ALWAYS in agreement, try posing this question: โ€œ๐—œ๐—ณ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ด๐˜‚๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ต, ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜€๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ธ๐—ฒ?โ€ ๐Ÿ’ฅ Forcing a different argument is a great way to unearth new possibilities.

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Isabella Ballestas-florez
David Finnegan
Shannon Wagers
Kerri Price
David Newman
New comment 23h ago
  • 2 likes โ€ข 2d

    optional spin on this - do "what I like about the idea is XYZ ... and follow that with my wish for this idea is ABC"... Promotes the positives about the idea and opens space to provide constructive feedback.

Hi everyone! Just thought to see if there are any coaches in this group - I think it'd be nice to feel connected! As someone who's passionate in both coaching and facilitation, I see a lot of link between the two skills - especially listening, partnering, asking questions and reflecting back. Does anyone else find the two skills linked? A bit about me: I did my coach training with Damian Goldvarg and I'm on my way to get accredited as Associate Certified Coach by ICF this year. Would love to connect with other coaches here!

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David Newman
Tomoo Okubo
Shannon Wagers
Rob Stevens
Renko P.
New comment 24h ago
  • 1 like โ€ข 14d

    when you're coaching - you're facilitating! You are helping make things easier for coachee. While there are some distinctions between these "skills" - these both start from a place of empathy to bring better performance and resolution.

Hey guys, "may the force be with you ๐Ÿ––" As AI is embedded or in progress in all areas today, can you suggest if there are any AI tools that can be leveraged for effective workshop facilitation? Not looking for an AI takeover ๐Ÿ˜€ but more like an assistant. I know there are a few tools in the market for quick prototyping like https://uizard.io/design-assistant/. Adobe is doing major updates with Firefly etc. Thoughts?

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Shannon Wagers
New comment 1d ago
  • 1 like โ€ข 1d

    noted here earlier - good leverage if you can ... but be careful of intellectual property - you may be exposing a concept to the public.

Sometimes when people hear the word 'icebreaker' they cringe or might feel super anxious about taking part in one. Yes, icebreakers can make you feel a bit awkward initially, but they are proven to help enhance relationships and encourage creativity. 'Icebreakers can help increase team bonds, boost performance and creativity'โ€”Harvard Business School study Integrating icebreakers into your workshops or meetings is a great way to get everyone relaxed and ready to participate. But how do you choose the right ones so that you avoid those dreaded awkward silences? Here are my Top 2 Icebreakers that are easy to implement (in-person or online): 1. My First Job Ask everyone in the group to write down their name, their first job, and what they learned from that job. Then go round the group and have everybody read theirs out. 2. Pointless Questions Prepare a few fun questions ahead of the workshop, then go round the room and have everybody take turns answering the questions. Itโ€™s as simple as thatโ€”you donโ€™t even need to write anything down! Here are some question suggestions to get you started: - If you could invite a celebrity over for dinner, who would it be and why? - What is your most prized possession and why? - You can have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life. What do you choose? Here are some more icebreakers for you to explore! What's another great icebreaker that I can add to my list?

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Piotr Nowicki
James Nash
Kerri Price
Lorretta Holloway
Renko P.
New comment 1d ago
  • 1 like โ€ข 6d

    @Kerri Price

  • 1 like โ€ข 3d

    @Jackie Das I was in a workshop yesterday where I was literally asked this question by the facilitator. By no means do I say that this is a universally accepted icebreaker- but I do feel that too often we get locked into one way of doing things and need to expand our horizons for options. As Bruce Lee said, take what is useful discard what is not. If we were to compare notes, Iโ€™m sure I could find many things that would not be acceptable in my native culture that are in yours. I have international facilitation experience within the fortune 50 company that I work for and believe me Iโ€™m well aware lo be culturally sensitive

What are some of the best certification courses (internationally accredited) for Facilitators ? I see there are lot of International Coaching related, but specifically to be recognised as facilitator what do you recommend? Also, mention the benefits if you really feel it's mandatory to take it up for persuing full time career or bring you great credibility.

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Hassanein Ismail
Mansi Patel
Shannon Wagers
Javier von Westphalen
Rob Stevens
New comment 1d ago
  • 2 likes โ€ข 2d

    the course that made me as a Facilitator was Basadur's Level 2 https://www.basadur.com/products-services/training-certification/ highly recommend the d.school boot camp(you have to apply) https://dschool.stanford.edu/programs/executive-education my friend Susannah is a joy to learn from https://experienceahha.com/capabilities/ learn anything and everything you can from David Sibbet. https://www.thegrove.com/courses/overview

  • 0 likes โ€ข 2d

    ATD is solid !

Hi All, I am going through the material and I'm wondering if there are any opportunities to shadow or sit in on a real workshop so I can observe and learn first hand? I find that that is the best way for me to learn and contextualize all of the information. Thanks!

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Shannon Wagers
Rebecca Courtney
Kerri Price
New comment 2d ago
  • 1 like โ€ข 4d

    re-sharing a response on a similar topic from before ... _____ Yes ! Observing is a thing! I was.a chemist in my company for a decade before I started facilitating. I observed but was quickly asked co- facilitate. (Which has observation elements) I know everyone learns differently - but firmly believe as you are engaging an audience - facilitation is learned more by โ€œdoingโ€. Find someone to partner with- observe and then look into co-facilitating. Iโ€™m a big believer in practicing this skill to learn and improve. You can do it!

Hi everyone ๐Ÿค ๐Ÿ‘‹! My name is Donatella, I have transitioned from a previous expat career as a Public Relations director in multinational companies to full time certified facilitator on the topic of community design, helping teams in organisations and citizens transform into communities that face change together. I am super excited to be there, AJ&Smart training and school when I first started were essential for getting a new profession out in the world, and do it with confidence and fun ๐Ÿ”ฅ. When this community was born it was like they read my mind! I am really excited to exchange practices, connect and collaborate together with you. I am convinced facilitating is what the world needs right now, and I am determined to not make it a solitary pursuit anymore. Looking forward !

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Shannon Wagers
David Newman
Rebecca Courtney
New comment 2d ago
  • 0 likes โ€ข 3d

    Ciao Donatella! I can sense your excitement - glad you are here!

Hello Folks! Wonder if you have an suggesttions. 50 teens. Approx 20 mins. Exercise to illustrate our resistance to change! Any suggestions? I look forward to hearing from you......

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Shannon Wagers
John Enyame
Kerri Price
David Newman
Dannyella Glasgow
New comment 2d ago
  • 5 likes โ€ข 3d

    Classic one here that I do variations on. https://youtu.be/4DDZBlRNdjk

Hey all! Very excited to be here in the Facilitators Club. Makes me happy to see already so many people from the Workshopper Master Community but also a lot of new faces who are interested in facilitation! I have a background in architecture and am located in Belgium. Interested in anything that has to do with facilitation, architecture, our behavior in buildings, workplaces and how that affects our mental health, productivity, collaboration and so on. Currently doing more research about it so if you know any podcasts, articles, books, people, ANYTHING ๐Ÿ˜‚ please let me know! PS: I'm also a beauty and the beast fan and I can sing every word to 'Be Our Guest', but only in Dutch (with facial expressions). Working on the English version at the moment. Take care and I'll see you around!

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Jakub Michalski
David Finnegan
David Newman
Shannon Wagers
Katrien Schepers
New comment 2d ago
  • 1 like โ€ข 4d

    Katrien - welcome! I often use the word "architecture" to describe a framework of a workshop. I 'd love to hear more about how you blending facilitation into your daily work!

  • 1 like โ€ข 2d

    @Katrien Schepers you are serving human needs - great opportunity for using a human centric process like a workshop!

I have started the Design Sprint Master Class. So far so good. However, the company I facilitate for and will NEVER go for a 4 or 5 day Sprint. What is your approach for putting together a one day workshop, say that is 7 or 8 hours long?

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4

Shannon Wagers
Bruce Stanley
David Newman
New comment 2d ago
  • 1 like โ€ข 3d

    i shared the following in a previous thread. 1. clearly defining the problem or challenge you want to tackle. It's important to ensure that everyone involved in the sprint understands the problem and its scope. 2. Ideate: Generate as many ideas as possible in a short amount of time. Encourage everyone to contribute and build on each other's ideas. Use brainstorming techniques such as "Crazy 8s" or "Mind mapping" to generate a wide range of ideas. 3. Narrow down: Review all the ideas generated in the ideation phase and select the most promising ones. Decide which ideas to pursue based on criteria such as feasibility, impact, and alignment with the problem statement. 4. Sketch: In this phase, the team should create quick sketches or diagrams to visualize how the chosen ideas could work in practice. This can help refine the ideas and identify potential issues. 5. Prototype: Build a simple prototype or mockup of the solution that was selected during the sketching phase. This doesn't need to be a fully functioning product but should be enough to test and validate the concept. 6. Test: Test the prototype with potential users to gain feedback and insights. This step should focus on gathering feedback on what worked well and what could be improved. 7. Iterate: Based on the feedback gathered in the testing phase, refine the prototype and continue to iterate until you have a solution that meets the needs of users and solves the problem effectively. Overall, the one-day design sprint is a fast-paced and intense process that requires a clear problem statement, a diverse team, and a willingness to experiment and iterate quickly. Best way to do this - multiple groups working different solutions to the problem. I have done two cycles in one day (1-7) with success. People will not feel they have enough time.

  • 2 likes โ€ข 2d

    @David Newman excellent perspective. To be clear when I have done the above itโ€™s due to business need and itโ€™s but one thing to be considered. When designing the workshop

Hello everyone! My name is Jason and I am an expat ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ living and working in Beijing, China. I work in a private school, but also 'moonlight' as a workshop facilitator ๐Ÿ•. I have organized and run a few 'design sprints' ๐Ÿƒโ€โ™‚๏ธ within the context of senior leadership in schools. Most of the time our topics are about 'community optics' or 'curriculum'. However, as a 'design' educator I use sprints with students as well. Cannot wait to connect and collaborate! ๐Ÿค I also created and host a podcast all about the 'design' of education if anyone is interested then please give me a shout! And happy year of the rabbit!

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15

Katrien Schepers
Jakub Michalski
Shannon Wagers
Jason Reagin
David Newman
New comment 2d ago
  • 1 like โ€ข 4d

    Nihau Jason - as an American living in China - what do you miss the most from the states"

I have recently started facilitating "Project Charter" sessions for our project teams. This group consists of internal and external members of the team. We provide that team with a finished "document" about a week after the session to show them what we have captured and agreed on. Is anyone else doing this? Also, would anyone be interested in a peer review of this document and offer feedback?

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5

Shannon Wagers
Austin Govella
New comment 3d ago
  • 1 like โ€ข 4d

    I often put this on the team to create. As a facilitator I 'm believer about owning the process and not the content. In this way the team is activated to create a charter (or other document) as the first step in create momentum. Slightly different POV - but yes - get a team moving forward. Don't leave things behind at the workshop.

  • 0 likes โ€ข 3d

    @Austin Govella I make sure there is an owner for this. Mistakes will happen no matter who owns this. People here things differently - however the team IMHO owns the output and next steps nor the facilitator.

Hi everyone, I saw that a lot of you are not only Facilitators but also Trainers and was looking for an exercise recommendation. I am looking for workshop exercises for a hands-on practice session for a (sales) team to practice asking a set of pre-defined questions. For context: - We ran a workshop on "what are the right questions to ask" during a qualification (similar to BANT in case someone is familiar) - We compiled a list of questions (not a word-by-word script) based on that workshop (with dot voting) - We would now like to practice asking these suggested questions (no strict order, no fixed script) , so the team feels more comfortable with them - We are looking for exercises that go beyond the usual roleplay or analyzing a call recording. It can be experimental and out of the box - ย 4-8 participants per group around 45 mins I understand this is not a pure facilitation question. But I feel a creative facilitator mindset could help with coming up with something fun and engaging. What would you suggest to do?

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Shannon Wagers
Renko P.
David Newman
New comment 3d ago
  • 3 likes โ€ข 4d

    @David Newman I like to say - Training build skills, Facilitation builds discovery. Faciliation comes in many forms - I 'm sure you've done it more than your realize.

  • 2 likes โ€ข 4d

    @David Newman thats amazing - some people learn better by doing and I love seeing this versus "death by powerpoint"

Hi everybody, it is a great pleasure to be part of this community. I have no much practical experience in workshopping. Yesterday, I had a chat with customer of mine that shared he has a lot of ideas in his head but lack of structure and needs help with that issue. How would you recommend me to start and what kind of workshop to propose to him, what exercises would be best to include?

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11

Rebecca Courtney
Shannon Wagers
LaYinka Sanni
David Prorok
Dave Gregurke
New comment 3d ago
  • 6 likes โ€ข 9d

    Start with the problem to be solved - otherwise youโ€™re just entertaining people with exercises and activities. (Yea we get to pay with cool digital tools and markers !) Ask why is this a problem - what would be gained by solving to drive perspective. โ€ฆ basically have a mini- workshop with the client to determine what to go after. Diverge on ideas and do a final convergence on the workshop problem.

  • 1 like โ€ข 8d

    @Dave Gregurke

Hello! I am excited to be a part of the community of Facilitators. Just joined today!

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5

David Newman
Rebecca Courtney
LaYinka Sanni
Shannon Wagers
New comment 4d ago
  • 1 like โ€ข 4d

    Welcome! I like to bake too. I once won a chocolate chip cookie contest at work - defeating 5 hard working moms.

Love this! I'm based in Amsterdam and would love to connect and collaborate with other facilitators interested in cultural impact and societal development. Looking forward ๐Ÿš€

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4

Jeff Panning
Wesley Geesink
Jakub Michalski
Shannon Wagers
New comment 4d ago
  • 0 likes โ€ข 4d

    Welcome Luma - by coincidence of your name alone you should check out the Luma Institute! https://www.luma-institute.com/

Hi everybody, Stephan here from The Netherlands!๐ŸŽˆ Short introduction: I'am Stephan and as a CCO responsible for introducing Splandid (www.splandid.nl) on the Dutch market. Splandid is a new Field Service Management tool for SME companies. It is unique through the combination of ERP, CRM and planning software.

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3

Jeff Panning
Jakub Michalski
Shannon Wagers
New comment 4d ago
  • 0 likes โ€ข 4d

    Welcome Stephan - your work sounds intriguing! What is SME the abbreviation for ?

Hey guys I wanted to ask you : whatโ€™s your key(s)to growth personally or professionally ? Canโ€™t wait for your answers ๐Ÿ˜

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Daniel Ferdinandusz
Salah Bouchma
Jakub Michalski
Gordana Rauski
Shannon Wagers
New comment 4d ago
  • 3 likes โ€ข 14d

    practice. you can't improve without actually trying things and learning from it.

  • 2 likes โ€ข 4d

    @Gordana Rauski Thanks for sharing your goals - I love seeing people write these to activate them - very important! Here's some inspiration on how to finish from my friend Jon Acuff.

Just wanted to say hello and say that I am grateful to be a part of this community!

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8

Rebecca Courtney
Shannon Wagers
Pernell Horton
David Newman
LaYinka Sanni
New comment 4d ago
  • 1 like โ€ข 4d

    @Pernell Horton I 'm a life long Cincinnati native !

  • 1 like โ€ข 4d

    @David Newman OU ? I 'm a Miami grad. (with many many friends that went to OU).

Hi all! My name is Caterina a.k.a. Cat (pronouns: she/her) and really excited to connect with fellow facilitators! I just joined AJ&Smart's Workshopper Master program and am already blown away by how this is going to amplify my skills and offerings. And I'm excited to continue sharing with and learning from you all in this community as well. In my full-time role, I'm a national program director and facilitator for anti-bias and DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) education programs across the US. I'll soon be shifting roles to lead change management. In my side hustle that I'm launching this year, I'm a DEI facilitator, consultant & speaker that focuses on shifting org culture through systems work, strategic planning & mapping, and change management. I've been facilitating for a few years now and absolutely love it, so I'm excited to have found this community. I'm originally from Dominican Republic and currently based out of Orlando, FL in USA with my partner and two Golden Retrievers. Big foodie and cook over here, so I'm always happy to talk food and recipes. Excited to get to know folks here, and happy to connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caterinamrodriguez/

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Jeff Panning
Caterina Rodriguez
Shannon Wagers
David Newman
New comment 4d ago
  • 0 likes โ€ข 4d

    Welcome Cat - I 'm jealous that you get to live in Orlando. Its one of my favorite places!

1-30 of 119

Facilitator Club
Shannon Wagers
5
258points left to go

Master Facilitator of Ideation and Training at Procter and Gamble.

Member since Mar 9, 2023

Active 2h ago

76% complete of 4 courses

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