Stop Using Fun Facts as Icebreakers (Do This Instead) ft. Ruben Gazki | #ADAW Ep. 27

How to run a strategy session that delivers results | #ADAW Ep. 28

Most strategy workshops end with a nice slide deck and goals you’ll never reach. That’s not a people problem. It’s a design problem. In this episode, I share the Strategy Arc — the 6-question framework I use with Volvo, Toyota and Novartis to run strategy sessions that actually get implemented. We cover: → Why bold vision statements are killing your strategy → How to do a proper diagnosis before defining goals → The obstacle brainstorm most facilitators skip → How to prioritize actions without overwhelming your team → How to create ownership so the strategy actually gets implemented This one is based on one of the best books on strategy I’ve ever read: Richard Rumelt’s Good Strategy Bad Strategy. Two questions in the framework are ones most teams never ask. Those two are the ones that change everything. 🛠️ Resources & Links 🃏 The Workshop Deck — 52 cards to design better sessions: https://facilitators-corner.com/workshopdeck 📱 The Workshop Deck App — design your session step by step: https://theworkshopdeck.com/ 💻 Connect with me on LinkedIn for daily ideas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehdi-en-naizi-75b533116/

Stop Using Fun Facts as Icebreakers (Do This Instead) ft. Ruben Gazki | #ADAW Ep. 27

Most icebreakers stress people out.Fun facts make people anxious. Creative prompts create pressure.And everyone's wondering: is my answer good enough?In this episode of Another Day, Another Workshop, keynote speaker andfacilitator Ruben Gazki shares his go-to opening activity — the Time Traveler —and why it creates real connection without making anyone uncomfortable.Plus: Ruben spent 20 years as an entertainer (yes, including riding a motorbikeon a tightrope 40 meters above the ground). We dig into the psychology trickshe learned on stage and how he uses them to run better workshops today.In this episode, you'll learn:✅ How the Time Traveler activity works and why it lands every single time✅ Why deciding for people what to share makes it easier (not harder)✅ The psychology of nostalgia and why good feelings = better workshops✅ How to sell any activity with confidence — even the ones you're unsure about✅ The "go first" principle and why your energy sets the room✅ How to introduce activities step by step so people don't overthink it✅ Why fake confidence becomes real confidence (and how to use it)✅ The magnet experiment — and what it reveals about the power of imagination🛠️ Resources & Links🃏 The Time Traveler is now inside the Workshop Deck appGet it here → https://theworkshopdeck.com/Use code FC15 for 15% off📥 Download the free Time Traveler template → https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVHY9Sidg=/?share_link_id=708169364228🔗 Connect with Ruben Gazki on LinkedIn → [Ruben's LinkedIn URL]🎓 Mee

How To Make Everyone Contribute In Your Workshop | #ADAW Ep. 26

Workshop Deck Anniversary: Get 30% off with the code FC  👉https://theworkshopdeck.com/ Ever finished a workshop and realized only 2 or 3 people actually spoke? That's not a people problem. It's a design problem.In this episode I share the framework I use to make sure everyone in the room contributes,not just the loudest voices.We cover: → The real reason most participants stay silent → Why good intentions are not enough to design for everyone → The one thing you should always do before any group activity → How to close a workshop so people actually leave with clarity → The trade-off every facilitator needs to make in real client conditions This one starts with a mistake I made during a team retreat. Someone checked out emotionally because of an activity I designed without thinking. That moment changed how I facilitate. 🛠️ Resources & Links 🃏 Grab the Inclusive Facilitation Deck for Free: https://facilitators-corner.com/inclusivefacilitation Connect with me on LinkedIn for daily ideas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehdi-en-naizi-75b533116/📌 Chapters: 00:00 — You lost the room 00:35 — Why intention alone is not enough 02:00 — The CCI Framework explained 03:30 — Conditions: the What-Why-How formula 06:00 — Conditions: absorbing complexity 08:00 — Contributions: individual thinking first 10:30 — Contributions: anonymous input 13:00 — Contributions: multiple ways to participate 16:00 — Impact: making decisions with clarity 20:00 — Impact: the power of reflection 23:00 — Impact: closing with clarity and next steps 27:00 — The trade-off every facilitator has to make 30:00 — One thing to change in your next workshop

How to Close a Workshop Perfectly ft. Rebecca Courtney | #ADAW Ep. 25

Most facilitators design the perfect workshop… then ruin the ending.They spend hours on the content, the activities, the flow,and then wrap up with "any final thoughts?" and wonder why clients don't come back.In this bonus episode of Another Day, Another Workshop, world-class facilitator Rebecca Courtney shares one of her signature closing activities:the Highlight, Lowlight & Headlight method.Simple. Versatile. And probably the most valuable 15 minutes of any workshop you'll run.In this episode, you'll learn:✅ Why the closing shapes everything your participants remember✅ Rebecca's golden rule: always protect the last 15 minutes✅ How the Highlight, Lowlight & Headlight method works step by step✅ The think / pair / share structure that makes it land with any group✅ Why letting people draw their answers changes everything✅ When NOT to use a reflective close (and what to do instead)✅ How to use this activity to level up your own practice as a facilitator🛠️ Resources & Links🃏 This activity is now inside the Workshop Deck appGet it here → https://theworkshopdeck.com/Use code FC30 for 30% off📥 Download the free Highlight, Lowlight & Headlight template → https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVGj1H5cM=/?share_link_id=406353638895🔗 Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn →https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-courtney-928347241/🌐 Free 7-day activity series → rebeccacourtney.com📩 Want more like this?https://facilitatorscorner.substack.com/Or find me on LinkedIn for daily facilitation ideas:linkedin.com/in/mehdi-en-naizi-75b533116📌 Chapters:00:00 — Introduction01:29 — Meet Rebecca Courtney03:45 — Why the closing is the most impactful moment06:25 — Rebecca's golden rule: protect the last 15 minutes07:20 — What happens when you skip a proper close09:29 — The Highlight, Lowlight & Headlight method explained12:19 — Think, pair, share — how to run it with a group14:48 — When and where to use this activity16:15 — Template vs sticky notes (and why drawing works too)📥 Free template → https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVGj1H5cM=/?share_link_id=33379474142418:46 — Using it to reflect on your own sessions as a facilitator21:10 — Why reflection feels "fluffy" (and why that's wrong)23:07 — When NOT to use this closing activity25:24 — Where to find Rebecca

10 Facilitation Mistakes That Cost You Clients (And How to Fix Them) | #ADAW Ep. 24

The hardest part of facilitation isn’t designing the workshop.It’s convincing the client to try it in the first place. And once you’ve done that… you have one job: don’t screw it up. In this episode of Another Day, Another Workshop, I’m sharing the 10 expensive mistakes I’ve made that cost me clients and what to do instead so your clients keep coming back. I split them across the workshop journey:👉 5 mistakes during preparation👉 5 mistakes in the roomIn this episode, you’ll learn:✅ How to say “no” and manage expectations so the scope is actually feasible ✅ Why too many activities kills depth (and burns participant energy) ✅ Why simplifying your activities is part of your job as a facilitator ✅ How to choose the right people (and keep the group size manageable) ✅ Why rehearsing your intro is non-negotiable (confidence comes from prep) ✅ How to set the stage so people trust you quickly (goal + purpose + agenda) ✅ Why it’s not about you (and how to avoid “TED Talk mode”) ✅ Why skipping breaks destroys outcomes (and what a real break looks like) ✅ How to read the room and adapt instead of blindly following the plan ✅ Why you can’t show doubt if you chose the activity — you need to sell it ✅ Bonus: how to close with commitment + clarity so action happens after 🛠️ Resources & Links📩 Want to design and run better workshops?https://facilitatorscorner.substack.com/Or connect with me on LinkedIn for daily ideas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehdi-en-naizi-75b533116/ 📌 Chapters:00:00 — The hardest part: convincing the client00:35 — 10 mistakes that cost clients (and how to avoid them)01:30 — Prep mistake 1: not daring to saying no 04:23 — Prep mistake 2: too many activities (surface thinking) 06:02 — Prep mistake 3: overcomplicating activities 08:31 — Prep mistake 4: wrong people in the room (and too many people) 12:03 — Prep mistake 5: not preparing your performance (rehearse intro) 15:03 — In-room mistake 1: not setting the stage properly 19:03 — In-room mistake 2: making it about you 20:42 — In-room mistake 3: skipping breaks 23:30 — In-room mistake 4: not adapting to what’s happening in the room 25:27 — In-room mistake 5: showing doubt / not “selling” the activity 29:39 — Bonus: how to close properly (commitment + clarity) 33:00 — One thing to change next workshop + outro