Creativity is the string that weaves through most (if not all) facets of life. As a facilitator, you design workshops that bring people together around a specific theme. If you think about it, workshops are a lot like parties, and every party needs good music. In many ways, facilitators are similar to DJs because they both create an experience for a group of people in hopes that it moves them from the mental place they were before to the new and refreshed place they are now.I wanted to explore the analogy of designing workshops like a mixtape further, so I invited Howard Gray onto workshops work. Howard’s work focuses on “amplifying creative people and businesses to increase discovery, access, connection, and opportunity.” Howard and I talked about what facilitators can learn from DJs about workshop design to create even better workshops that participants will remember for a lifetime.Find out about:What you can learn about workshop design and facilitation from a DJHow to design a workshop like a mixtapeWhy you should pre-plan your workshops but be open to adjusting quickly when necessaryWhy you need to focus on the experience you create for participantsWhat makes a great mixtape and how you can translate that to a fantastic workshop designHow the movie storyboarding exercise worksHow to get better at “reading the room”Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.Questions and Answers[01:26] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?[03:26] If you had to put a hashtag on your own forehead, what would it be?[04:32] What did you learn from your DJ career about workshop design or facilitation?[08:56] To what extent does a DJ adjust their set to fit the room?[11:10] What would make a workshop fail?[13:28] What is your strategy to prepare for this diversity that you will face?[15:36] Do you research the groups you’re facing?[18:12] What do you think is more important, the facilitation, or the design aspect?[24:31] What makes a good mixtape and how can you translate that to a good workshop design?[29:46] With the shift from offline meetings to online meetings, did you adjust the design of the sequence with more contrast or less contrast?[32:52] How can we expect someone to make the mental shift just by putting a different URL in the browser?[35:55] What is your favourite exercise?[40:35] How would the world of facilitation look if more facilitators would master the craft of a DJ?[44:28] When you say, “reading the room,” do you think it’s based on intuition or is it something facilitators can learn to do?[50:03] What do you hope listeners will take away from our conversation?Links:How to DJ properly by Bill Brewster and Frank BroughtonConnect to Howard:Share your thoughts about our conversation!Support the show✨✨✨Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more:https://workshops.work/podcast✨✨✨Did you know? You can search all episodes by keyword to find exactly what you need via our Buzzsprout page!

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