| “I thought it was going to be boring” |
| That was the first thing a participant told me at the end of a training I was running for a client. Silence in the room. You could hear a pin drop. Then he added: "Do you really want to know what I thought of the session? Honestly, it was great. I’m leaving motivated and ready to step into my role as a manager." "You even got me to ask myself the right questions about my leadership style." Now that’s better. |
Why facilitation is (almost) everything
Let’s face it: most participants didn’t choose to be in the room. They show up with their heads full of unresolved problems, unread emails, and missed deadlines. They don’t want their time wasted..
And that’s exactly where the role of the facilitator becomes essential.
Even the best-designed training program can fall flat if the facilitation doesn’t create the right conditions for learning.
So, I bring everything I’ve got:
- My heart,because yes - I genuinely care about the people I train.
- My head,because the content isn’t improvised - it’s been tested, refined, and validated.
- My body,because presence, energy, and connection make all the difference.
To train is also to coach
My approach? Facilitation as coaching coaching.
That means taking the time - really taking the time - for people to feel included and connected..
To themselves. To others. To what they’re here to learn
And it starts with three deceptively simple questions.
Three questions to kick off a training session
1. What “flower” do you want to offer the group?
A positive intention. A mindset, quality, or energy they want to contribute to the collective.
2. What are you leaving outside the room?
The distractions, worries, and to-do lists that clutter their minds. We “drop the baggage” so they can be fully present.
3. What do you want to leave with?
What they want to learn, shift, or take action on.
We build the rules together
From the very beginning, we create a safe space :
We set the tone: listening without judgment, asking open questions, challenging each other - with kindness.
And yes, phones go on silent. Then comes the pact: What happens in the room, stays in the room.Just like in Vegas.
Because without confidentiality,there can’t be vulnerability. And without vulnerability, no real transformation.
Take the time… to save time
My facilitator notes usually say: “Intro - 30 min.”
In reality? We often spend 90. And that’s totally fine.
It’s part of my job to manage the pace, adapt in the moment, and still deliver on the learning goals.
Ending with intention
At the end of each session, we always take time to anchor the learnings..
Participants leave with full baskets: ideas, tools, clarity, fresh perspectives.
And sometimes, something even deeper: A shift in posture. A breakthrough moment.
The trainer as a catalyst for potential
I’m not here to give you scientific papers. Maybe the real secret is learning to trust your gut.. To read the room, as we say.
My goal?
That people leave with something they can:
- try
- fail at
- try again
- grow from
That they’ve learned how to put their own oxygen mask on when things get hard. That they dare to become the kind of manager they would love to have..
My role? To walk beside them as they grow their wings. Because honestly? They’ve had them all along.