Episode 111: Never let a good crisis go to waste with Murray Guest and Steph Clarke
*BONUS EPISODE* During these unprecedented Covid-19 times, I thought it would be helpful for listeners to lean into a conversation between their facilitation peers.
With less than 24 hours notice, I invited Murray Guest and Steph Clarke onto a Zoom call, to have an open conversation on how we're feeling, how we're responding, and how our clients are also adapting to the ever-evolving situation.
*BONUS EPISODE* During these unprecedented Covid-19 times, I thought it would be helpful for listeners to lean into a conversation between their facilitation peers.
With less than 24 hours notice, I invited Murray Guest and Steph Clarke onto a Zoom call, to have an open conversation on how we're feeling, how we're responding, and how our clients are also adapting to the ever-evolving situation.
Hope you enjoy this impromptu, imperfect episode!
About Steph Clarke
Steph is a Team Coach and was a guest on Episodes 33 and 53. She hosts the Steph's Business Bookshelf podcast, and
Steph is an accountant turned facilitator and team coach and pommy (that’s a Brit living in Australia for the uninitiated) based in Melbourne.
She loves finding tools, techniques and concepts that are proven and work so she can apply them and share with you and your teams. You’ll find that most of her workshops and facilitation combines the best of leadership theory, team coaching, the actionable science of behaviour change and habit building; along with the real life stories of her and her clients, to set your team up for success in effectively applying the lessons.
When she’s not transforming teams you’ll find her in the pilates studio, in the kitchen, on a plane or hiding somewhere with a podcast, book or a great Spotify playlist.
Listen to her podcast, Steph's Business Bookshelf - where she does the reading, so you don't have to!
About Murray Guest
Murray Guest is one of Australia’s leading Strengths coaches, helping over 1,000 people unlock and apply their strengths to achieve their professional and personal goals. As a Gallup certified Strengths coach he partners with organisations to build strengths-based cultures and realise the benefits a strengths-based approach brings.
The founding director of Inspire My Business, he combines his diverse experience in HR, QA and Business Development to inspire leaders and their teams along the pathway of change and continuous improvement.
His recognition includes one of only two coaches to speak at all three of the Gallup Strengths Summits in Omaha and receiving the HMA Excellence in Training Award for leading significant improvements as the Learning and Development Manager of Tomago Aluminum.
He's also the host of the Inspired Energy podcast and appeared on Episode 30 of the First Time Facilitator podcast.
About the host: Leanne Hughes
Leanne Hughes is an international facilitator, speaker and coach who loves creating unpredictable workshop experiences, that predictably work.
She combines her experience in Marketing, with her education in Human Resources and Psychology, to help leaders create engaging everyday experiences – that are so contagious they scale across teams, functions and regions.
Leanne has facilitated leadership, onboarding and team-development workshops across Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea and Singapore and believes in a strengths-centred approach to learning and development. She has over 13 years’ of experience across a range of industries including mining, government and tourism sectors.
She’s the host of the First Time Facilitator podcast and was a finalist in the 2018 Australian Learning Impact awards for Learning Professional of the Year.
Like this show?
Continue the conversation when the podcast is over, and join over 650 facilitators in my free Facebook Group called, The Flipchart
Like this show? Please leave me a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so I can thank you personally!
Click here to let Leanne know about your number one takeaway from this episode!
Episode 30: A hostage, a hard-worker and a holiday maker walk into a workshop… with Murray Guest
Murray Guest is a coach, consultant, facilitator and speaker based out of Newcastle, Australia. His consultancy is called ‘Inspire my business’ which is apt, because as you will be able to tell from the conversation, he’s an inspirational bloke.
Murray Guest is a coach, consultant, facilitator and speaker based out of Newcastle, Australia. His consultancy is called ‘Inspire my business’ which is apt, because as you will be able to tell from the conversation, he’s an inspirational bloke.
After over 20 years in corporate roles which included roles as a QA Manager, L&D Manager, BD Manager and Facilitator, Murray followed his heart and started his own business as a business coach, facilitator and consultant.
We cover a range of topics in this conversation, ranging from the importance of professionalism as a facilitator; to the questions he uses to get people to start talking to each other at the beginning of a workshop; through to behaviour management.
Listen in when we also talk about teams in organisations and reasons why they may not be performing as effectively as they could/should.
In this episode you’ll learn:
How Murray got his break into the world of facilitation
His philosophy around TGIF
The importance of professionalism and what that means for facilitators
What you can do when you have participants who demonstrate resistance in your workshops
The three types of audience members in your workshop
How he uses the Gallup Strengths Finder tool everyday; in both his personal and professional life
Why it’s important to create foundations in a workshop (and how long Murray spends doing this)
How to survive (and keep your energy and sanity) during consecutive days of facilitation and
Ideas on when you should start reflecting on a workshop you’ve just run (hint: Don’t reflect immediately!)
His advice for First Time Facilitators
About our guest
Murray Guest is one of Australia’s leading Strengths coaches, helping over 1,000 people unlock and apply their strengths to achieve their professional and personal goals. As a Gallup certified Strengths coach he partners with organisations to build strengths-based cultures and realise the benefits a strengths-based approach brings.
The founding director of Inspire My Business, he combines his diverse experience in HR, QA and Business Development to inspire leaders and their teams along the pathway of change and continuous improvement.
His recognition includes one of only two coaches to speak at all three of the Gallup Strengths Summits in Omaha and receiving the HMA Excellence in Training Award for leading significant improvements as the Learning and Development Manager of Tomago Aluminum.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Like this show?
Like this show? Please leave me a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so I can thank you personally!
Click here to let Leanne know about your number one takeaway from this episode!
Episode transcript
View the First Time Facilitator episode transcript with Murray Guest.