FTF217: Call the Game: Ben Crothers Shares His Tips on Being Bold in Your Next Workshop or Meeting

Written By Leanne Hughes

In this episode, we delve into the world of design and facilitation with our guest, Ben Crothers, who brings over 20 years of experience in the field. Ben shares his journey from being a designer to becoming a facilitator, driven by his desire to improve the often lackluster experience of design critique sessions. 

We explore the importance of intentional facilitation, the need for questioning the status quo, and the role of visuals in creating better moments and driving productive meetings. Join us as we uncover the power of design in shaping not just how we work, but also how we collaborate and build a better world.

Watch Leanne and Ben’s conversation below

What You Will Learn:

  • The spirit of design: How design seeks to create a better world and improve collaboration.

  • The evolution of Ben's role: How he stumbled into facilitation through redesigning design critique sessions.

  • The impact of intentional facilitation: How being intentional in meeting design can transform the way teams collaborate and achieve outcomes.

  • Overcoming resistance to change: Encouraging individuals to question established meeting norms and create new approaches that drive productivity.

  • The importance of visuals: How incorporating visuals, such as graphic recording and facilitation, can enhance understanding, spark creativity, and facilitate group decision-making.

  • Empowering individuals with simple drawing skills: Exploring the benefits of drawing to communicate ideas effectively and solve problems collaboratively.

Guest Bio - Ben Crothers

Ben has been a facilitator for over 15 years, and a designer for longer than that. He's helped teams from a broad range of organisations and domains - from Leukaemia Foundation to Parliament of Australia, from Atlassian to Westpac - to solve problems, formulate strategy, and work better together.

A big part of how Ben works has to do with incorporating visuals and visualisation. He regularly does graphic recording (or scribing) at events and meetings, and likes to map conversations on the whiteboard or in online collaboration spaces. This helps to bring ideas to life, and to help everyone listen better, and make better connections throughout complex discussions.

He is currently Principal Facilitator at Bright Pilots (his own facilitation consultancy), and the author of three books, including Presto Sketching: Simple Drawing for Brilliant Product Thinking and Design.

Ben's books:

Where to find Ben online:

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FTF216: How to create productive struggle in your workshops: Zaretta Hammond shares her insights on first pancake facilitation