Hi Reader,

What are the essentials you pack for a vacation? And what are the 'intangibles' you take with you?

As I am putting aside items for my vacation, I was looking at the empty notebook that will come along and had the idea to bring soem questions along that I in my daily busyness don't necessarily take time to think about.

As facilitators, we’re adept at crafting questions that drive insight and transformation within our groups. Yet, how often do we turn this skill inward and pose the truly profound questions to ourselves?

While we have instant access to answers for almost any actionable question through a Google or AI prompt, the questions that truly matter—the ones that stir our souls and ignite our creativity—are those without immediate or generic answers.

Quanita Roberson told me on the podcast (listen to episode 123) that she has a question that will accompany her throughout the year. When we spoke, it was: What if I was a spiritual being with a human experience (instead of a human being with a spiritual experience)?

The best questions linger in the back of our minds while we engage in other activities. Our unconscious mind, a powerful yet often overlooked ally, will ponder and marinate these questions. Then, when we least expect it—perhaps during a leisurely walk on the beach or while gazing at a sunset — an insight will emerge.

When I embarked on my first silent meditation retreat, I carried a simple question: “What would I do if I wasn't afraid?” It was not a question I could answer immediately. Instead, it followed me as I sat in silence for 10 days. After my return, I quit my day job, moved to Amsterdam and embarked on a journey that led me to where I am today.

And, while I am thinking about the question I want to invite, I invite you to think of a question that would bring you fresh insights and sparks of joy:

Perhaps it’s a question about your professional journey, your personal growth, or your relationships. It could be as broad as “What does success mean to me (and how will I know that I am successful)?” or as specific as “What can I remove from my life to find more space for creativity?”

Whatever it is, let's sit with it as we relax and rejuvenate. Let's allow our unconscious minds do the magic.

Practical Tips for Crafting Your Question

1. Make it Open-Ended: Ensure your question invites exploration rather than a yes/no answer.
2. Keep it Personal: Tailor it to something that genuinely matters to you.
3. Allow Time: Give yourself the space to ponder without looking for an answer.
4. Embrace the Process: Trust that the answer will come. If you feel tempted to think of answers, rather think of more questions that are related.

​

🎙 Meanwhile, on the podcast…

As my guest this week will tell you: to avoid a difficult conversation, is to choose the path of least resistance. But when leaders choose the easy way out? Nothing good ever comes from it; only rising frustrations, anxieties, and eventually, resignations.

Luckily for us, Paul Falcone has had every difficult conversation in the book - and he’s written 17 of them! A three-decade career in HR, a stint as a Universal Studios tour guide grappling with grumpy guests, and now a workplace leadership consultant, Paul has learnt to master workplace friction with grace, empathy and a helping of storytelling. The secret? Facilitation, of course!

Find out how to become a more vulnerable, self-aware manager, why we must reframe resistance, and the art of leading with an iron fist and a velvet glove.

Find out about:

• How to approach confrontation with empathy, encouragement and motivation
• Why mindset, skillset and self-care are vital for effective leadership
• How to handle difficult managers through considered, non-violent communication
• The importance of building your front-line leadership muscle
• The ROI of raising your team’s awareness

🔖 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 Opportunities

Leadership through Facilitation

If 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.

​Click here to find out more.

​

The 2024 NDB Festival

Are 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.

​

workshops work eBooks

If 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 t​o get your digital copy.

​

That's it for this week. I hope you enjoy the question generating process and pondering.

Myriam

​