I'm a recovering academic who uses her insights from behavioural economics to develop methods that facilitate collaboration. In my weekly newsletter, I share the summary of my latest interview on the "workshops work" podcast along with an application of facilitation as a life and leadership skill.
The Comfort Zone: Doing or Being? | 🎙️ Episode 282 on Embodiment with Mark Walsh
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Hi Reader, As I prepare for my upcoming vacation (and you are reading this while I am under the Greek sun), I find myself contemplating the nature of comfort zones. While previously I spoke about what I am packing and what I will leave behind today, I reflect on the opportunity for introspection, which is also related to the question I am inviting on my trip. I’ve come to realise that my comfort zone lies predominantly in doing—taking action, staying busy, and ensuring things get done. This active approach gives me a sense of control and accomplishment. For others, however, comfort is found in being—embracing stillness, presence, and the control found in serenity and reflection. Vacations are a perfect metaphor for examining these comfort zones. When we step away from our daily routines and professional responsibilities, we are often confronted with the challenge of shifting from doing to being. For the Doers: A vacation can feel unsettling. The lack of structure and the absence of tasks might create discomfort. The urge to fill the day with activities and checklists can be overwhelming. But what if we reframed this period as an opportunity to practice being? Embrace moments of stillness, observe without the need to act, and relish the beauty of simply existing. For the Be-ers: The shift to vacation mode might come naturally. The ease of letting go and immersing oneself in the present moment can be a sanctuary. Yet, even in this state of being, there can be value in incorporating elements of doing. Engaging in purposeful activities can enhance the sense of presence and enrich the experience of being. As facilitators, we often navigate the spectrum between doing and being. Our role requires us to balance action with presence, guiding participants through processes while also holding space for reflection and dialogue. This duality can be seen as a microcosm of the broader comfort zone debate. Embracing Doing: Effective facilitation involves structured activities, clear objectives, and dynamic interactions. These elements keep participants engaged and ensure the session’s goals are met. Embracing Being: Equally important is our ability to create a safe space, fostering an environment where participants feel safe enough to share, reflect, and simply be present. This requires a calm, grounded presence that invites trust and openness. Here are some questions that shall help me balance both approaches as I transition into vacation mode:
In the end, the balance between doing and being is not just a personal exploration but a professional asset. But this exploration will wait until I am back in Amsterdam.... 🎙 Meanwhile, on the podcast… We are all bodily beings. You do not have a body, you are your wise, sense-making, intuitive, feeling body! And yet, modernity has found itself in a disembodied state; we live in the mind and merely exist in a body. Mark Walsh, the embodiment anti-guru, is here to reconnect the mind-body divide and bring us back home. He’s trained local NGOs in conflict zones, taught meditation to soldiers, and even has a black belt in aikido, helping organisations and coaches to work with the body to rediscover its intelligence. It’s a delight to share Mark’s beautiful and vital work with you all - join us for an hour of embodied wisdom, neuroscience and powerful facilitation tips - free from woo-woo. Find out about:
🔖 Click here to download my 1-page summary of the show. 🎧 Click here to listen to the interview Or watch it on Youtube: Live Learning OpportunitiesLeadership through FacilitationIf you want to sharpen your facilitation skills, embrace your leadership potential, and create captivating workshops like never before, the Leadership through Facilitation online course could be for you. It's a 7-weeks course, delivered by a diverse group of master facilitators - each bringing in their unique experience and expertise so that you can find inspiration to grow your own unique way of leveraging your facilitation skills for effective leadership. The 2024 NDB FestivalAre you ready for a one-of-its-kind facilitation community experience? Chose among - or all of our - 22 unique 'never done before' workshops hosted by workshops work podcast guests, stay for networking opportunities with facilitators from around the globe! For the first time in the history of the NDB Festival, there will be NO parallel workshop tracks (and hence no fear of missing out). Instead, the Festival will run over 48 hours... Early Believer tickets will be on sale for only 99 EUR in September. In the meantime, save the date with this link. And if you would like to get a behind-the-scenes experience, join our team of volunteers! Reply to this email to learn more! workshops work eBooksIf you enjoy the one-page summaries I have been sending out weekly for over 280 weeks, you might also enjoy the eBooks! Each eBook contains a compilation of 50 summaries for you to find easy access to inspiration and best practices from the workshops work podcast guests. Click here to get your digital copy. That's it for this week. I hope I could spark some new thoughts and ideas with my newsletter and the conversation with Mark. Myriam
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How can we facilitate collaboration?
I'm a recovering academic who uses her insights from behavioural economics to develop methods that facilitate collaboration. In my weekly newsletter, I share the summary of my latest interview on the "workshops work" podcast along with an application of facilitation as a life and leadership skill.
Happy Friday Reader It’s happening! The last-ever NeverDoneBefore Festival is just around the corner, and I wanted to share a little more about what makes this one truly special. Will it be huge? You might be thinking – with all the buzz around it being the final edition – that we’re hosting hundreds of people. But here’s the beauty of NDB: it’s not a massive, impersonal event. We keep it intimate. Think of it more like a close-knit gathering where everyone gets to know each other, connect,...
Dear Reader, We often hear the phrase in self-help books: What gets our attention will grow. In fact, I have it stuck on a note right next to my screen. But what about the things we don’t focus on—the ones we brush aside, believing that sweeping them under the rug will somehow preserve our fragile sense of harmony? The truth is, these unnoticed moments can quietly swell until they become unreasonably large, disrupting our lives far more than we anticipate. Today, I want to write about the...
Dear Reader, As facilitators, we often talk about the importance of creating space. But how do we balance sharing our own voice with making room for others? And how can we tell when our contributions invite or unintentionally silence those around us? This is where the concepts of “crowding in” and “crowding out” come into play. Inspired by economic theory, these terms initially describe how public spending can either attract private investment or decrease it. Thomas Lahnthaler recently...