Here are comments received from participants of our virtual offering of Journey to Group Power…
I would never have believed that a virtual version of this type of course could be EVEN MORE effective than a live, in-person, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t. Using the virtual breakout rooms really eliminated a lot of the natural lags that cause real-life schedules to fall behind, and it somehow felt more intimate to be having these conversations from my home than it does in a hotel ballroom. Seriously, it’s brilliant. It’s the future (or should be).
While I was familiar with many of the techniques used in this training, the larger picture model of when and why to use these techniques was enormously beneficial. No matter what your current level of facilitation skills are, I truly believe you will walk away from this training a better facilitator.
Theresa Kim, Program Manager, Learning and Talent Development, UW-Madison
Since taking my first Journey course in October, 2019, I have expanded my roles to include Youth Coordinator for Community Alliance: Hales Corners/Greendale (a substance misuse prevention coalition) and Communications, Training, & Education Coordinator for Southeast Wisconsin Healthcare Emergency Readiness Coalition, Inc (HERC Region 7). In my role with HERC Region 7, I facilitate a weekly 60 minute call with anywhere between 80 and 120 attendees per week. I have become more confident with my skills, I focus on encouraging conversation- not controlling it, and I’ve become a good “wedger” (never thought that was possible)!
Ashley Haas BSN, RN Greendale Health Department Public Health Nurse/Emergency Preparedness Coordinator
Honestly one of the best workshops I’ve been to ever. Active engagement and practical tools the entire time. Thank you.
This course will change your sense of what is possible when it comes to building community and holding effective meetings on a virtual platform. I wish so much I could have taken this course a year ago. I plan to urge all of my colleagues to register for it at their first opportunity.
Shelly Fox, program manager, Wisconsin DHS
I want to personally thank you both for guiding us through a great two days of learning and sharing. I have always felt that I was a creative and effective meeting planner and facilitator. The past two days have made me realize that I’ve been “coasting” – thinking that I could “wing it” based on my experience. I’ve gotten sloppy, not spent enough time planning, and not kept up with expanded strategies and resources. The careful planning and skills that you brought to us was very evident and effective. Thanks for waking me up!
Mike George
The Journey to Group Power workshop provided me with concrete tools that I can integrate when facilitating future Council meetings. I have left this workshop with a better understanding of the importance of taking time in developing agendas and I will be more mindful of the interpersonal dynamics at play in group gatherings.
Stephanie Birmingham, Vice-Chair, Independent Living Council of Wisconsin
Even though I work in research and evaluation, facilitation is a bit part of my job. This workshop introduced tools and strategies for tackling the toughest challenges I have faced as a facilitator. The great thing is that we also practice using them in the course. Already, I have specific ideas about how I will use these in my work!
Rebecca Cors
This is a great course for both beginner and experienced facilitators. It very engaging and I left with a lot of practical skills that I can start using right away. Excellent training overall!
Julia Noordyk, Water Quality and Coastal Outreach Community Specialist
I consider this workshop of such high value that I would like to offer it as an incentive for our organization’s facilitator team. It would clearly enrich our organization and increase our desired outcomes.
Diana Canant, Founder/CEO
This course was extremely engaging, and I am walking away with very doable practices that I can begin to integrate into my facilitation practice tomorrow. I am an experienced facilitator, and I learned so much from this course – so there is something for every level of learner in this course. Thank you!
Christy Reveles, UW Madison, WIDA
It was very engaging and practical. Not a lot of passive listening, so time flew by!
I really appreciated how Steve and Darin built upon each piece and provided connections between all these concepts so that now I have a schema and framework to go back and utilize these tools in my daily work as an internal consultant/facilitator with my org (WIDA). I really like the pace – time went by very quickly! I also very much appreciated the variety of activities and group sizes. I’m excited to integrate these tools and frameworks now into my practice – thank you!
This workshop was rejuvenating. COVID-19 Response has altered my daily work activities, and this workshop gave me an opportunity to regroup on the skills I already had, as well as learn new skills, and gave me excitement to start shaping the future (with or without COVID-19 Response work duties in it).
If you are facing uncertainty about how to enhance your facilitation skills to be effective in a virtual environment, the workshop will provide you with a wide variety of techniques and tools to use right away to support you.
While I was familiar with many of the techniques used in this training, the larger picture model of when and why to use these techniques was enormously beneficial. No matter what your current level of facilitation skills are, I truly believe you will walk away from this training a better facilitator.
Theresa Kim, Program Manager, Learning and Talent Development, UW-Madison
Darin and Steve walk the talk. Every second of the two-day workshop is a living example of what they teach and a model of the tools they introduce.
Both Steve and Darin created a wonderful journey of facilitation skill development virtually. This was scheduled to be a face to face experience and they exceeded my expectations of the course.
It was well run. Facilitators created an inviting and welcoming space. Engaging activities and everything ran on time.
This workshop was facilitated in such a positive and graceful manner that it helped me get comfortable quick and then dive deep with very wise fellow participants.
~Melissa Kopplin, Omaha, NE-
This experience makes me excited to facilitate my next meeting. I have never before been excited to go to a meeting.
-Jake Moser, phone reception supervisor-
Everything you didn’t realize you needed to know about facilitating at work.
This has been an exploration of not only how to facilitate others during meetings and similar activities but how to regulate and internally improve to better the outcomes of the meetings.
Darin and Steve provide a relaxed and easy-going presentation making the learning
fun and retainable.
Darin and Steve were great- truly masters of the craft of facilitation
and modeling those techniques.
-Chris Snyder, Clinical Associate Professor-
This presentation/workshop really opens your mind to the power of openness, the power of listening, the power of empathy, and the power of the collective mind.
If you are in a supervisor role, it is a must-do workshop.
Everything you didn’t realize you needed to know about facilitating at work
-Sophie Aschenbroich, Veterinary Anatomic Pathologist, Assistant Professor-
Steve and Darin led the group through a masterful explicit and implicit journey of facilitation tools and techniques. Not only did they offer tangible tools and opportunities to practice, but they also modeled how to do it all in a virtual environment.
I facilitate groups of teachers, this workshop gave me the tools and insights to engage groups in different ways to enhance the power they have in order to co-construct ideas and connect with others.
-Maya Martinez-Hart, Professional Learning Specialist, UW-WIDA-
With the small group work and diads, it felt more personal than an on-the-ground workshop.
You will learn more than you realize, in a fun and engaging way!
This is a course that will help to not only introduce you to novel techniques and strategies for facilitation but will also help you to self-evaluate and identify behaviors and tendencies that you already practice, or to identify those that you might want to change or modify in order to become a more effective leader.
This is a course that will help to not only introduce you to novel techniques and strategies for facilitation but will also help you to self-evaluate and identify behaviors and tendencies that you already practice that can help you become a facilitator, or to identify those that you might want to change or modify in order to become a more effective leader.ppreciated the breakout connections with open and deep people and the positivity and grace of the facilitators.
The practice–interacting in different structures and also gaining the wisdom of this great group of people.
In two fast-paced days, we got a distillation of the best facilitation practices around.
An exceptional blend of learning from the content, process and technological perspective and a focus on how to create interactive and truly participatory group learning and working experiences.
The Group Power Workshop provides a plethora of extremely useful tools and techniques for anyone who facilitates groups of any type.
Darin & Steve are tremendous facilitators! They lead by example and share meaningful experiences to help participants grasp the concepts.
The information, resources, and experiences provided over the past two days have helped me figure out how to develop well-planned meetings and thoughtful facilitation.
