You know your content is solid. (You’re a deep thinker, and always have been.)
But if your sessions are overflowing with content…
You could be getting in the way of progress.
You’re concerned about the state of the world, and you know if your work lasted way beyond your workshop, that could make a huge difference for people.
And yet…
(Psst – if you wanna share your thoughts or ask a question at any point, click on the chat bubble at the bottom of the page that looks like this!)
Despite your
impeccable content...
- you get ‘crickets’ at points during your sessions
- people say “the workshop was great!” but don't come back
- workshop participants aren't signing on for your deeper offers
- you’re beginning to suspect that...
Information alone… isn’t enough.
During this live, virtual 2-day workshop...
You’ll diagnose how to make *your* next workshop a more engaging, inclusive, and memorable experience.
The next round is May 13th & 16th
Your presentations are well-researched & developed with care.
It’s dripping with substance.
'Braingasms' be happening. 🤯
But people don’t seem fully able to appreciate the brilliance.
They don't *do* anything with it.
Why is it that one person can run a workshop chock-full of useful information and get a polite “Thank you, this was helpful”’ at the end…
and someone else can run a session with hardly any information at all, and have clients leave saying “OMG you changed my life!!”?
When it comes to enchanting workshops, ‘Substance’ is only one component (there are four).
It may feel like you JUST need to get your audience to answer your questions
Most of what we've been exposed is either extreme Substance or extreme Engagement, so it would be an improvement to blend them together.
If we can make our content interesting, but not superficial, then we’re creating something that’s *already* a step above a lot of what’s out there.
At first glance, it seems like the work is to just balance Substance with more Engagement.
Substance
🤓 Share necessary things in a very matter-of-fact way.
🧠 Content-rich, super cerebral.
🌬 At the extreme: This is so dry, it’s dusty.
😵💫 Think: Professors giving monotonous lectures, or middle managers delivering Death by Powerpoint.
Engagement
🤹🏾♂️ Grab and hold attention to keep the dopamine flowing.
🤸🏽♀️ Fuuuun!
⚡️ At the extreme: All sizzle, and no steak.
🤡 ‘Put “Me!” in the chat if…’ you’re sick of pointless prompts, slick stunts, and meaningless games.
But Substance and Engagement are only two of the four components needed in a workshop.
The root of most workshop issues goes so many layers deeper than just needing to ‘add engagement’ to your content.
Lemme explain how I see it:
Engagement issues have layers… just like an onion:
Low Engagement
Most people can feel the effects of low engagement, and so, wanting more participation from folks, they add in elements to try to draw it out of them. Things like: one-click polls and quizzes, asking for definitions, or awarding prizes for favourite comments.
These things may have a place, but it’s like putting a bandaid on someone who really needs surgery. There are larger issues at play.
If we peel back a layer, we see that the low engagement usually comes from putting people into the energy-conserving Passive Consumption Mode.
PASSIVE CONSUMPTION MODE
Whenever possible, brains like to conserve energy. Therefore, if you’re constantly delivering brilliance and workshop attendees are only sitting and listening the majority of the time, their brains begin to power down.
They’re passively receiving what you’re saying. Their brains don’t need to work as hard.
In Passive Consumption Mode, it’s almost like they’re watching a movie. It is a veeery different state from Active Participation, and it can be really challenging (and jarring!) to switch abruptly.
Can you imagine while watching ‘Hidden Figures’, out of nowhere it’s paused and you’re suddenly asked to solve one of the equations? 😳 Even if it’s something you could usually do easily, you’re not ready.
(And sidenote: round of applause if you can answer those questions easily!)
Expert Dynamics
Why do we assume this hierarchical dynamic? Often it’s because we’re simply modelling the ‘experts’ we’ve seen over the years.
It comes from a good place.
🙏🏽We want our content to be valuable to people.
💸 We don’t want to waste their time or money.
🧠 We want them to know we’re well versed in this topic.
What we've seen over the years is likely some version of this dynamic:
if someone is an expert, they speak while others listen.
They give information, others receive it.
INTERNAL PRESSURE
We internalize that "how you help people is by talking at them".
Seeing others do this makes us feel like that's the only way to "be an expert" and therefore, the way we ought to do it.
And so we build up all sorts of pressure to perform to a certain standard, in a certain way.
And those standards are shaped largely by the society we live in.
SOCIAL PROGRAMMING
Our social programming (the patriarchy, capitalism, systemic oppression etc.) taught a lot of us to base our self-worth on our perceived intelligence. And now that pressure to prove how smart we really are comes from the inside too.
As a result, in order to develop an enchanting workshop, we really have to begin by unravelling some of this programming.
Tying it all together…
any engagement you add...
- is more valuable if it's rooted with a deeper meaning
- should serve a specific purpose tied to the group's larger goals
- can speak to our individual and collective social programming when done intentionally
And if you’re still here reading this…
then my guess is you’re the type of person who cares about these deeper issues, and staying aligned with your values.
You know the potential transformation from your message rippling outward is worth the effort it takes to share it well.
And you’re willing to explore how to create change without leaving your values behind.
No shady shortcuts, quick-fixes, or silver bullets.
Thank you for being that kind of person. ♥️
How we bridge the gap?
The Prism of ACES
In order to address these deeper issues, we certainly can’t stop at just blending Substance and Engagement. Truly transformative, Enchanting Workshops include the additional layers of Authenticity and Community, too.
These are all words that you probably understand. 😂
But what exactly do I mean by them, in this context?
To clarify…
Authenticity
is about you.
Living your values, being true to your heart, and letting your uniqueness come through.
Community
is about people.
Building a web of connections between them – including the wider world of people that aren’t present!
Engagement
is about involvement.
Giving opportunities for workshop guests to interact with the material, their thoughts, and each other.
Substance
is about content.
Digging deep into a topic, and setting it out in a well-considered, brain-friendly way.
Taken together, these four components form the acronym ‘ACES’. This framework is the core of our 2-part workshop.
In other words…
‘Surface’ engagement is just about Engagement.
‘Better’ engagement is about all four.
That means doing things like:
⚡An on-topic game that leads to valuable insights during the debrief.
⚡Voting activities that let everyone have a say in what happens next
⚡A lecturette and group discussion that helps people feel less alone in their struggle
⚡Dialogue in the chat that compiles valuable resources for everyone.
⚡Journaling that unlocks the next small step to take.
*Phew.* Does figuring this all out sound like a lot of work?
Yeah, it can be.
But can you see how this would make a HUGE difference?
People would be talking about your workshop weeks, months, maybe even years later!
It’s very doable – I’ve done it, and taught dozens of others to do the same.
And it’s so worth it. Even making one small tweak can have a noticeable effect on the experience you create.
There’s a richness and realness that gets lost when you stick exclusively to a top-down delivery method like a lecture, or series of monologues, even if you add surface engagement.
Facilitation is a tool that – when done well – incorporates all four components from the Prism of ACES. The full spectrum.
At its simplest, facilitation is democratizing a group conversation.
Everyone contributes.
Everyone gets a say.
Every voice matters.
It’s a communal experience.
Facilitation is a subtle form of everyday activism.
It’s a vote for the kind of world we want to live in.
A more equitable place.
A world focused on connection and belonging.
Real, true conversation (and facilitation) does some amazing things.
Yes, you get more engagement, knowledge retention and “buy-in” from participants,
but it’s so much deeper than that:
✨ You can raise awareness of all the beautiful diversity that exists in the world. Different life experiences. Value systems. Communication styles. Ways of thinking.
✨You model a more balanced power dynamic so people experience what it’s like to know that what they think, how they feel, and who they are matters, too.
✨You create inclusion. By removing the pressure to assimilate, you make it safer for people to be themselves. You foster an environment where people feel like they belong – as they are.
That’s some beautiful, magical, powerful stuff!
It’s possible for your workshop design to support your values.
You can share what you know, without supporting the same oppressive systems you’re working to unravel.
I’m a proud neurodivergent and biracial woman (Hi! I’m Amber 👋🏽), and let me tell you, these identities have influenced my values in some major ways.
I channel that energy into how I think about facilitating workshops.
I’m all about balance, nuance, and avoiding most extremes.
Here’s the deal: I’m super sensitive to inequity, highly tuned-in to the people around me, and I’ve got this burning desire to make people see the humanity in everyone. As I explained in the section above, facilitation can help with that.
But.. facilitating well can be like walking on a tightrope. So, I’m here to help you find your equilibrium.
The frameworks I’ve created are about opening up options, creating more balance, easily highlighting multiple perspectives.
How did I get here?
(Great Q, thanks for asking 😉)
Picture this: an elementary school-aged, very curious, and slightly rebellious Amber surrounded by old-fashioned teachers who had no clue how to handle her unstoppable curiosity.
Welcome!
I had many teachers that leaned heavily on “Because I said so!"
So, you can imagine what a breath of fresh air it was in 6th grade, when I finally had a teacher who was just as curious as us students, and gave us genuine choices in what we learned and how we learned it.
👏🏽 Did we want to rap some poetry, or paint a picture to go with it? 🙌🏽 What do y’all wanna debate today?
✊🏽 Should we take a class trip to see some rocks?
It opened up my mind to how education could be.
It was also a little worrying – was he allowed to do this?? Would this teacher whom *I absolutely adored* be fired?
That year, my confidence soared, I made lasting friendships, and I learned so much more.
🥰 It was the most fun I’d ever had in school. 🥰
I knew that if I ever had to teach anyone anything, I’d want to teach collaboratively, adaptively, and joyfully.
That I’d want to be – what I now know as – a facilitator.
And I have.
Educating became a full time thing for me in 2013, when I decided to take a break from the corporate shenanigans, and travel to Japan. Eating all of the things, training as a ninja (okay, not a real ninja, but a girl can dream), and exploring by train every weekend—teaching English allowed me to stay for two years!
Within my first year, the school board was so impressed by the results my students were having that they required me to do a professional development session for the highly-trained teachers I worked with.
Despite not having gone to teacher’s college, nor having any official credentials, they wanted to learn how I kept the students so engaged, and learning so much.
I realized that after ~15 years of helping others learn, I intuitively knew a few thangs about a few thangs. I also realized that by training the teachers, I wasn’t limited to influencing just the students I worked with personally. (#LowKeyEducationReform ?)
Since that presentation 10 years ago, I’ve:
👉🏽 Led communication workshops, courses, and train-the-trainer events at various school boards and adult education centres worldwide
👉🏽 Been recognised for my ability to make complex topics (like brain science, racism, and community safety) easy to digest for people from a variety of cultures
👉🏽 Developed frameworks that help socially-progressive activists and workshop leaders to add engaging, inclusive, and memorable facilitation to their toolkit.
👉🏽 Shored up my speech development skills through working as an Area Director at Toastmasters, and a regional-level debate judge.
👉🏽 Implemented game theory, the philosophy of games, and gamification for over a decade and
👉🏽 Became a member of the Association for Experiential Education
One big lesson I’ve learned is this:
Most presentations talked about years later include games, or an experiential element.
Over time, I’ve begun to see facilitation as a form of activism, and at times it feels like facilitation is my religion. So, catch me out here, spreading the gospel.
I’ve woven together my unique mix of experiences to help fellow change makers transform their workshops so they support their values and ACTUALLY spark change.
Let’s create some enchanting workshops your clients will rave about!
‘Beyond Expertise’ is a 2-part online workshop that gets to the heart of engagement issues.
It goes (like the name says)… Beyond Expertise.
We’ll have four hours spread over two sessions (2-hours each day) to explore the role of intentional workshop design in creating enchanting workshops where everyone has a place. With a limit of 16 participants, this is an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue and personal reflection.
This two-part workshop will include a mix of:
- game-based exploration of perspectives
- thoughtful mini-lectures
- solo journalling
- small and large group discussions, and
- lots of opportunity for Q&A
Participate at your comfort level, opting in (and out) when it feels right. 💛
It may be a relief to know our time together will not be recorded.
The aim is always to be adaptive and responsive to the people in the room, so this is planned, but *not* fully scripted.
There’s tons of wiggle room.
You get to shape the experience to be most useful to you!
how is it different?
If you're expecting to just sit back and listen while you wash dishes or walk your dog... I'm sorry to disappoint you. 😂
✨ There's no pre-set agenda. Each workshop experience is unique and evolves based on the needs and unique qualities of the participants.
✨ Time spent in lecture format (where I talk and you listen) will be minimal. Instead, we’ll be spending more time in discussion, playing games to get our creative juices flowing, and actively brainstorming how to create enchanting, engaging workshops.
✨ You’ll get to experience a different way of hosting workshops from the participants’ point of view, and see me model what I'm talking about.
✨ You’ll walk away with new ideas on how to be a more effective workshop facilitator and techniques for deeper engagement you can apply right away!
How do past participants describe the experience?
how it works
Step 1
REGISTER
Choose your price on the sliding scale and register for the upcoming session.
Step 2
PREPARE
You’ll receive immediate access to some (concise!) videos to dig into some ideas right away.
Step 3
IMPLEMENT
Show up live and engage to your level of comfort, having had time to process your thoughts.
we cover topics like:
Activism
Facilitation asActivism
Why facilitation (regardless of the topic) is activism and bolsters change
prism
Prism of ACES
How each of the ‘ACES’ contribute to an Enchanting Workshop
mixing board
Your Mixing Board
Strategies for letting your essence influence the experiential design of your workshop
metapattern
The MetaPattern
Structuring content for different learning preferences
mentors/muses
Mentors & Muses
Who can contribute to your multi-layered workshops, and how
Barriers
Barriers to Particpation
The four filters participation goes through before it can actually happen
the next live sessions:
- are on Monday May 13th & Thursday May 16th, 2024
- run from 1-3 pm Eastern (10am-2pm PT, 6-8PM BST)
- require registration by friday, May 10th at *Noon* Eastern
ready to join?
Access is provided on a sliding scale. Everyone’s financial situation is unique.
I believe in your ability to choose the tier that is most appropriate for your circumstances and don’t require any proof of income or financial need to select a particular tier.
I trust you.
If this feels like a fit, please feel welcome to join us at the price that is right for you!
What questions do you have?
Do you see a heart-shaped pink speech bubble at the bottom of the screen? If you click on that, you can send me a text!
I think it’s really important that people feel good about the decisions they make. I also want to make sure the people in the room are a good fit.
If I’m working, I’ll get back to you pretty quickly.
(I loathe email, but love text and voice messaging 🤷🏽♀️)
Your message is for my eyes only, and won’t be shared publicly
Ready to transform your workshop?
If you’d like to explore how to move away from conventional presentation styles, and experiment with giving more “power to the people” in your workshops, it’d be great to have you with us.