Videos

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How Do You Make A Conference Unique

How Do You Make A Conference Unique

This week, I have five ridiculously innovative and practical ideas to weave into your events to make them more engaging and memorable: Start with the Unexpected: Encourage immediate engagement by doing something unexpected at the beginning. For example, use name...

New Series – Playmeo & We and Me

New Series – Playmeo & We and Me

One of my favorite collaborators - Mark Collard of playmeo.com and I have teamed up to bring you this really exciting series of videos. All of them are full of great advice for getting your group connected, energized, and feeling like they're really a part of the...

Activity to Increase Intelligence: Question Quest

Activity to Increase Intelligence: Question Quest

I started this session I was leading by engaging the audience in an activity designed to illustrate resistance to change - just the simple act of crossing your arms. Try it now. Cross your arms. Now, take a look at your arms, and whichever one is on top, switch them....

3 No-Prep icebreaker Activities For Meetings And Events

3 No-Prep icebreaker Activities For Meetings And Events

Welcome back to our channel! If you're familiar with our approach, you know we prefer the term "connection before content" over "icebreakers." This distinction is key as these activities are designed to align with the purpose of your gathering, fostering meaningful...

How Do You Be a Great Mentor?

How Do You Be a Great Mentor?

Mentoring is about more than just offering advice; it's about sharing your current best thinking. The phrase "my current best thinking is..." allows mentors to share their insights without claiming to have all the answers. This approach is like a cheat code to life....

What Is Your Story?

What Is Your Story?

Recently, I had dinner with some old friends and my brother, who was somewhat an outsider to the group. Striking up a conversation, my brother asked my friend Brenton about his life story. Surprisingly, Brenton delved into his fascinating journey, revealing aspects of...

How Do You Connect With Someone You Don’t Like?

How Do You Connect With Someone You Don’t Like?

In the realm of workplace and mentoring relationships, a common challenge emerges: how do we connect with someone we don't know, or maybe don't even like? This question is vital, as often our professional paths require us to build bridges with a wide variety of...

This SIMPLE TRICK Changed Everything For Me

This SIMPLE TRICK Changed Everything For Me

I'm excited to share a very simple yet profound idea: the magic of a second question. As adults, we ask about 95% fewer questions than we did as children, leading to a significant decline in our curiosity. However, considering that most of us know less than 1% of all...

4 Smart Ways to Measure Events

4 Smart Ways to Measure Events

Hey there, fellow event planners and facilitators! Today, let's dive into something that often gets overlooked but is crucial for the success of any large group event: measuring the impact of our facilitation efforts. When we invest time, resources, and energy into...

How To Engage Diverse Perspectives In Small Group Facilitation

How To Engage Diverse Perspectives In Small Group Facilitation

Today I'm sharing four quick-hit ways for you to encourage diverse perspectives in your small group. 1. Playing the Traffic Cop in Small Group Facilitation As a facilitator, think of yourself as a traffic cop at a construction site, directing the flow of conversation....

How To Gently Eradicate Small Talk

How To Gently Eradicate Small Talk

This is the first video in a series I'm going to be sharing with you showcasing a recent conversation I had with Lisa Fain, the CEO of The Center for Mentoring Excellence. I'm so excited to share all of this with you over the coming weeks!   Lisa Fain: So, let's...

Brain-Based Tips To Increase Learning Retention

Brain-Based Tips To Increase Learning Retention

As educators, trainers, or facilitators, our goal is always to make information memorable. While it's unrealistic to expect people to remember everything, there are strategies to increase retention. I recently led a workshop series, "Engaged to Educate," where we...

Best Conversation Starter Cards

Best Conversation Starter Cards

Whether seeking suggestions from an artificial intelligence like ChatGPT or interacting with fellow humans, the power of prompts cannot be understated. The questions we ask and the way we frame them directly impact the responses we receive. This holds true for human...

How to Raise Kids With Technology

How to Raise Kids With Technology

As we wade through the digital era, the age-old question of how to raise children has morphed into a more nuanced discussion: How do we raise kids with technology? This question, brimming with complexities, reflects our collective journey as parents, educators, and...

Clever Small Group Team Building Activity: 60 Removal

Clever Small Group Team Building Activity: 60 Removal

Small group team building and community exercises often revolve around activities that foster collaboration and camaraderie. However, today, I'm introducing a unique concept for you to take away and ponder. During a keynote session I once hosted, I presented 800...

Engaging Closing Activity: Group Anthem

Engaging Closing Activity: Group Anthem

One of my favorite closing exercises that I've learned is called the "Group Anthem." I first learned this from a facilitator named Nate Follin in New Hampshire. Let me explain what it's about. What is the Group Anthem? Despite its name, there's no singing involved....

How to Improve The School To Parent Relationship?

How to Improve The School To Parent Relationship?

Parent involvement in schools, especially at the high school level, often poses challenges for educators. Many educators have observed increased parental engagement in elementary schools, but by the time students reach high school, parental involvement wanes...

How To Be A Great Facilitator: 5 Clever Strategies

How To Be A Great Facilitator: 5 Clever Strategies

Facilitation is an essential skill in various professional roles, but not everyone has formal training in it. In this article, I'm going to share valuable insights on becoming a better facilitator using five clever strategies during a discussion and offering practical...