
workshops work
Welcome to “workshops work,” the podcast that transforms how professionals engage, inspire, and lead groups. Ranked among the top 5% most popular podcasts globally, it is hosted by Dr Myriam Hadnes, a behavioural economist and facilitation expert. Each episode delves into the techniques and mindsets that make workshops truly impactful.
Join us every week as we sit down with world-renowned facilitators and uncover their secrets to creating psychological safety, fostering collaboration, and sparking innovation. Whether you’re a Facilitator, L&D professional, HR leader, manager, coach or trainer, you’ll find practical tips, inspiring stories, and actionable insights to elevate your group dynamics.
From navigating conflict to unlocking creativity, “workshops work” blends theory with practice, ensuring you walk away with tools you can immediately apply. Dr Myriam Hadnes doesn’t just interview; she facilitates enriching conversations that shift perspectives and deepen understanding.
Subscribe now to change the world, one workshop at a time.
workshops work
244 - Building Bridges with Basketball: Learnings about Facilitation with Tony McGaharan
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From the basketball courts of Northern Ireland to the C-suites of tech giants, Tony McGaharan just can’t stop coaching!
After a decade at Google, Tony set up his own training and people development company, People Playbook. Calling on experience from Sweden to Singapore, Tony’s honed his skills worldwide and with a huge range of groups.
In that time, he’s found some common truths and universal experiences. He shares them in this episode — dribbling between basketball and facilitation, coaching and learning design, and more.
Find out about:
- What Tony learned from a decade in Google’s People operations
- Why he set out to create People Playbook at the onset of the pandemic and how he grew the business
- How his qualification as a basketball coach has helped him grow as a facilitator and coach
- What facilitators can learn about sustainable performance and why financial incentives are never enough
- Why authenticity and humility are so important — for modelling to the group and as a principle of practice
- How to facilitate in the margins to help a successful, effective group continue developing
Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.
Links:
Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.
Connect to Tony:
On LinkedIn.
Support the show:
Make a one-off donation and contribute to the ongoing costs of running the podcast.
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Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a free 1-page summary of each upcoming episode directly to your inbox, or explore our eBooks featuring 50-episode compilations for even more facilitation insights. Find out more:
https://workshops.work/podcast
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