workshops work Podcast
This is a podcast about facilitation: the practice of creating conditions for people to think better together.
Whether you’re leading strategy, navigating change or developing leaders, the quality of your conversations shapes the quality of your decisions.
Hosted by Dr Myriam Hadnes, behavioural economist, facilitator and founder of workshops.work, each episode explores the human dynamics of working together: how psychological safety is built, why some conversations lead to action while others stall, how leaders foster genuine participation, and what behavioural science can teach us about collaboration. Alongside these conversations, Dr Hadnes shares reflections from her own client work, offering practical insights from the realities of designing and facilitating workshops in organisations.
Recognised as the facilitation community’s most-recommended podcast in SessionLab’s State of Facilitation reports from 2024 to 2026, the show has grown into an archive of more than 350 conversations spanning the craft, the inner work, and the unexpected edges of facilitation. Whether you’re a facilitator, leader, consultant or L&D professional, you'll come away with sharper questions and a few ideas worth borrowing.
workshops work Podcast
336 - Facilitating from the Middle: Holding Space Without Taking Over with Julia Slay
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How do you teach facilitators to hold a group, master that crucial first 15-minutes of a workshop, and show them that they already have all the answers, without giving any away?
As a researcher by nature, and a facilitator – at first by accident – Julia Slay learnt everything she knows about the craft by teaching it. She now helps bright, budding facilitators to build confidence, find their voice, and discover their learning edges in Facilitation 101.
We unravel the layers of holding just the right amount of space, as part facilitator, part coach, part trainer and part consultant, all rolled happily into one: from managing difficult characters with curiosity, to trusting yourself to stay present – even when the plan falls apart!
Julia shares lots of practical strategies, tips and anecdotes from her 15-year facilitation journey, from the Mayor of London’s office, to her work today. Enjoy!
Find out about:
- The art of asking a powerful, open question at the right time
- How to navigate power dynamics of seniority in groups
- Why ‘advice is theft’ – and the detriment of offering a solution to the group too soon
- How to approach dominant characters without creating collective tension
- The intersection of facilitation and coaching – and what it means to facilitate like a coach
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 Julia Slay:
Use code TASTER10 to receive 10% off Facilitation 101: Fundamentals, Masterclass, Intensive, and Self-Paced course when you sign up on Julia’s website.
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👉 Are you looking for the Unprofessionalism podcast? https://unprofessionalism.buzzsprout.com/ 👈
