Episode 188: Be a fearless facilitator (and ignore your feedback forms) with Alan Weiss
Alan Weiss returns to the First Time Facilitator podcast and reminds us all to be more of a fearless facilitator: Empty your head. Forget the smiley sheets. Don’t be afraid to say, “I can help you”.
About a year ago, I had a conversation that completely changed the way that I viewed my facilitation business. That conversation was with today’s guest, Alan Weiss, the Rockstar of Consulting (by the way, here’s the link to listen to Episode 128: Stop being so afraid: Nobody wants a humble consultant (and other truth bombs).
Not only did that interview resonate with me, it resonated with many of you, so I had to invite Alan back on the show for an encore performance.
Last year’s interview was a real watershed moment for me. Since then, I’ve been really adjusting, rehsapring, rethinking the way I work, and also focusing on my mindset… trying to be more fearless!
I’ve also been working with Alan 1:1 and in a group mastermind.
In this conversation, members of the Booked Out Facilitator program were my co-hosts, and jumped in to ask Alan questions about every aspect of building our facilitation businesses. I enjoyed being a lazy faciltator on this call and letting the brilliance of the Booked Out Faciliators take over the microphone.
In this conversation (which is like a group coaching call!), we pick Alan’s brain on:
How to 10 x your fee
What to do with feedback - the answer may surprise you
What we can do everyday to build our self worth
Free or fee? Should we charge for our webinars and information sessions (or not)?
How to reach true, economic buyers in organisations
How much research you should do before contacting a buyer
…and much, much more.
Underpinning all of Alan’s responses is a philosophy of being fearless - of tooting your own horn, and of leaping into action.
I’d like to thank my co-presenters:
Prina Shah
Jade Goulding
Melanie Loy
Yoke Van Dam
Tricia Conyers
Joshua Soon
Joel Birch
Gwenael Mouthay
Lena Nasaikou
Gosia Syta
This program has come to an informal close, we had the “not a closing ceremony call” last week, and I’m excited to start sharing more info on the next upcoming program. If you’re curious, check out bookedoutfaciliator.com
About our guest: Alan Weiss
Alan Weiss is the rockstar of consulting. Marshall Goldsmith once called him “The finest entrepreneurial coach in the world.”
His consulting firm, Summit Consulting Group, Inc., has attracted clients such as Merck, Hewlett-Packard, GE, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and over 500 other leading organizations.
His Ph.D. is in psychology.
He is an inductee into the Professional Speaking Hall of Fame® and the concurrent recipient of the National Speakers Association Council of Peers Award of Excellence, representing the top 1% of professional speakers in the world.
His prolific publishing includes over 500 articles and 60 books, including his best-seller, Million Dollar Consulting (from McGraw-Hill) which is one of my faves.
I also love Million Dollar Maverick and his ebook, The Martial Arts of language.
Contact with Alan on all of the platforms
Reach out to Alan - he LOVES hearing from you. Join him on social media - Twitter, LinkedIn - thats the reason he came back, he got some tremendous feedback from his last show.
Alan Weiss’ website
Million Dollar Consulting Growth Access
Watch the interview with Alan Weiss
About your host: Leanne Hughes
Leanne Hughes is a trusted advisor, 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 14 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.
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Episode 187: Tuning your “facilitation antenna” in to manage group dynamics with Lisa Evans
I love the metaphor that my guest today shares, when she explores how she manages group dynamics - it’s like an antenna, that you need to tune into!
This week, I’m talking to the delightful Lisa Evans from Speaking Savvy, and host of the Business Chat podcast.
I was using some of Lisa’s story activities before I even met her (through reading about them in The Story Cookbook).
I’m particularly inspired by her story of a major career shift in her 40s. A great reminder that we control the narrative of our lives and careers, and it’s never too early, or too late, to start in a new direction!
In this conversation, we explore many areas related to our facilitation craft. Lisa shares her views of what can sometimes hold us back from stepping up and sharing our ideas with others (including the key role of leaders and facilitators in enabling that psychological safety), how she likes to view extroversion and introversion, and her perspective on why we feel so tired after leading an all-day workshop!
Oh, we also have a fun rant on conference locations.
About our guest: Lisa Evans
Lisa Evans is a certified executive speaker coach and a business storytelling consultant. She started off her career as a midwife and did that for over 20 years,
These days, Lisa helps leaders to mine, refine and deliver captivating ‘sticky’ stories for their business and brand.
She has empowered over 1,000 leaders to deliver stand out messages with engaging business stories. She is also a keynote speaker, trainer and the host of the Business Chat Podcast.
She lives in Perth with her family and a retired greyhound named Giraffe.
Contact Lisa on all of the platforms
Lisa Evans’ website Speaking Savvy
Connect with Lisa on Facebook
Follow Lisa on Instagram
Listen to the Business Chat Podcast
Here’s some questions I asked Lisa during the Interview:
What holds people back from stepping up and sharing their ideas?
What’s the introvert advantage when it comes to facilitation?
What’s your advice for first time facilitators?
How do you like to manage your energy during a workshop?
Do you have a favourite activity to start a session?
Resources mentioned in the show:
Listen to my interview with Lisa on her Business Chat podcast
Support the show (https://buymeacoffee.com/leannehughes)
About your 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 14 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.
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Keeping panel conversations, workshops and presentations fresh with Peter Hopwood (Episode 186)
I remember in those early days when you're called to run a workshop, or moderate a panel conversation, you feel like you need to do things "by the book". I remember my panel interviews being very pedestrian! Now I think (I hope) I've developed more confidence, and I'm willing to create some banter between panellists, and let some personality shine through.
In today's episode, my guest Peter Hopwood and I also banter on presentation, panel and moderation tips.
He has lived in 7 countries (jealous), worked in 32 (even more jealous) and is currently based in Croatia, working worldwide on Zoom.
He is a communicator, confidence-booster & connector, travelling the world (virtually) to help professionals define, craft and deliver stronger stories and take control of their messages, storyline & speaking impact.
In this chat, Peter also shares how you can keep any repeat sessions you deliver, feeling fresh (even if you’ve delivered it a million times!), how you can communicate more strongly on virtual calls, and tips for moderating panel conversations.
About our Guest: Peter Hopwood
Peter is a British Global Speaker Coach, Virtual Speaking Specialist & TEDx Coach, Media Skills Trainer, Worldwide Events MC & Speaker.
Here are 6 popular ways Peter can help you out:
1/ EXECUTIVE SPEAKER COACHING
Helping leaders, managers and teams to speak with impact, become confident speakers and deliver fabulous, strong presentations. One-to-one coaching, group training, virtual or hybrid coaching.
2/ VIRTUAL SPEAKING & PRESENCE WEBINARS
Building team's virtual skillset to boost engagement, connection and stronger presence online. Getting great at using the virtual world to your advantage. Showing-up and standing out online through persuasive speech, voice and body awareness, storytelling and delivery techniques.
3/ TEDx SPEAKER COACHING
Taking global independent TEDx speakers on the process of defining, crafting and delivering their stories and ensure their moment makes the right impact. Ultimately helping speakers to share their value and gloriously own the stage.
4/ STARTUP PITCH COACHING
Working alongside accelerators, incubators and founders to define and develop startup stories, boost pitching presence and deliver powerful messages to persuade, evoke curiosity and gain investment. Workshops, seminars or individual sessions.
5/ INTERNATIONAL EVENTS MC / PRESENTER / VIRTUAL MODERATOR
Shaping the (virtual) stage for global events - more than 300 events in 20 countries for some of the strongest tech events in the world including the Middle East, Europe, Asia and North America.
6/ MEDIA SKILLS TRAINING
Specifically training professionals to be media-ready and shine in the spotlight. Media interview techniques, how to predict questions, focus on delivering key messages and ultimately create the right impact on your or your company’s reputation
Here’s some sample questions I asked Peter during the Interview:
When you are presenting the same presentation over and over again, how do you make it fun and fresh for yourself?
What skills/attributes make a Moderator great?
When you’re in the role of MC introducing various speakers, do you feel that you are part of the event?
How do you prepare in terms of your energy before a workshop?
Resources mentioned in the show:
Send Peter an email: hello(at)peter-hopwood.com
Support the show (https://buymeacoffee.com/leannehughes)
About your 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 14 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.
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Episode 185: Pipelines, proposals and pricing your facilitation services with Deborah Zahn
Deb Zahn from the Craft of Consulting is back on your First Time Facilitator airwaves this week. And even better? I’m joined by my fellow Booked Out Facilitators. We share the microphone in this episode to create an incredibly informative, helpful and awesome group masterclass if you have your own facilitation business.
Collectively, we pick Deb’s brain on all manners of consulting - how you can pick work up as a facilitator, what we can do to stand out, how we can market ourselves, identify our target audience, build our pipeline, write proposals, and how on earth do we decide what we charge.
Yup, it is jam packed with gold dust.
Deb was ON FIRE in this interview, I’ve listened to it back ac couple of times. You’ll be enthralled from her first story of winning a Request for Proposal , and her confidence in sharing her stories and experiences so openly with all of you.
If you’re listening in real time, Deb is running a free, live masterclass on the Top 5 Things You Must Do to Get Consulting Clients. Here’s the link to register: https://www.craftofconsulting.com/masterclass . It’s on August 20, 2021, 11 am PDT (2 pm EDT and 7 pm BST).
About today’s guest: Deborah Zahn
Deb Zahn is a sought-after consultant with 10 years of successful consulting under her belt. As a go-to source in her market, she routinely brings in 6- and 7-figures a year and has built a steady, reliable pipeline of work. Her consulting methods turn her clients into her biggest fans and best marketers. They come back to her again and again and continually send her new clients.
As a consultant, Deb is especially known for her ability to cure “decision-making disorders” with individuals and groups. She also has earned a reputation as “The Closer,” the consultant who can get high-value contracts with hard-to-get clients. Over the last decade, she has coached countless new consultants and helped them fast track their success. Recently, Deb helped a new consultant get their first contract—worth over $100,000—only three weeks after Deb started coaching them.
She is the host of the Craft of Consulting podcast, which features other successful consultants who share their strategies and insights about building their consulting businesses and delighting their clients as well as consulting clients who share what makes some consultants rise to the top of their hire list.
Here are some questions we asked Deb during the group interview
Yoke van Dam: What are your guidelines for determining your target audience?
Prina Shah: How did you prepare your pain points for your RFP?
Deanne Gagnon: I am early in my journey. I am just wondering if you have any quick tips for someone who is brand new to business?
Yoke van Dam: What is crucial to include in you proposal? How do you make your proposal stand out?
Rose Allett: My work is more preventing something from happening, preventing something unthinkable from happening. So I guess my question to you is, have you ever done any sort of preventive consultancy work where you’ve been asked to come in, to stop something from happening, that’s not already happening now? And if so, even if you haven’t how your proposal would be shifted, how would you shift that?
Resources mentioned in the show:
Deb is running a free, live masterclass on the Top 5 Things You Must Do to Get Consulting Clients. Here’s the link to register: https://www.craftofconsulting.com/masterclass . It’s on August 20, 2021, 11 am PDT (2 pm EDT and 7 pm BST).
Find out more about Deb’s program: Get more consulting programs (and used the code BOOKED to get a discount!)
Deb has some incredible free templates to help you start over here
Video: Watch our group interview with Deb Zahn
About your 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 14 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.