Mehdi En-Naizi’s Post

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀? 𝗜𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱? 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝘂𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲? 🤓 I’ve put together a list of 5 books that really boosted my facilitation skills. They might do the same for you. Don’t worry, it’s not the usual list with “Sprint” and “The Art of Gathering” (though I love those books 😅). These books played a big role in my facilitation journey and helped me find my own style. I’m curious, which non-classical books would you add to the list? PS: The first book is the biggest one and might take up some space in your luggage. In case of extra kilos, I can not be held responsible for any additional luggage fees! ___ Thanks for reading! I'm Mehdi En-Naizi and I regularly write about workshop facilitation and how it helps groups work better together. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹: ↪ Share it with your network 💬 Comment with a book recommendation. Click my name + follow + 🔔 for more insights on facilitation. #Facilitation #Workshop #Creativity #WorkshopExperience

𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝘅 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀, 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝟭,𝟵𝟬𝟬 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼! 😅 Facilitation skills aren’t just for facilitators, designers, or leaders. They’re valuable for anyone who works with others. That’s why I believe every consultant should learn workshop facilitation. It’s important for leading teams, solving problems, setting priorities, and planning projects. Teaching our consultants these skills not only helps our clients but also makes our team better at driving positive change. I’m sure that making these skills more accessible will make our workplace more effective and enjoyable. I’m excited about the upcoming sessions and can’t wait to see the impact of our consultants’ new facilitation skills. A big shout-out to the amazing team from this week’s training 💪: Jannick Tierens Bruno Bonte Karim E. Adolorata B. Sebastiaan De Smet Gert Schuurmans Chiranjeevi Reddy Vippala P.S. Capgemini Belgium has 2000 people. Training the entire company isn’t planned (yet), but it’s definitely one of my hidden goals (well, not so hidden anymore 😂). #Workshop #Facilitation #Team #Collaboration

𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂 ! 🤖 Last week, we hosted a full-day workshop on AI, exploring how it can improve specific processes. We frequently receive requests to identify opportunities where AI can enhance employees’ lives or provide more value to customers. The real challenge is ensuring the group understands the full spectrum of AI’s capabilities, not just the popular aspects like ChatGPT and other generative AI solutions. These are just a fraction of its potential. Before brainstorming, it’s crucial to explain the fundamentals of AI. Assuming everyone is already familiar with these basics is a mistake. 𝗦𝗼, 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼: 👉 Start with a brief theoretical introduction to AI, including definitions and examples. 👉 Cover the different types of AI applications. 👉 Share real-life examples. Concrete use cases for each AI capability make the concepts clearer and more relatable. As I’ve said many times, the key to a successful ideation session is the inspiration that comes beforehand. The AI intro serves as an inspiring session, which stimulate participants' creativity. By understanding the broad range of AI capabilities and seeing concrete examples, they can better connect the dots to their own realities and identify relevant opportunities. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 ☝️: Always start from the problem perspective and not from the technogy angle.. Technology is just a capability, and might not always be the right solution for the problem identified. Big up to the workshop team 💪 : Philippe Depierreux Baudouin Callewaert Anne-Charlotte Mauroy Tessa Van den Brande Jimmy De Bontridder Virginie De Haeck Joseph Carr Stiene Bras Bart Dewandeleer Niels Van Vliet Bram Curias Janne Caron And thanks to my co-facilitator : Michiel Laane #Workshop #Facilitation #AI #Creativity #39

🎉 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲: 𝟯𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🎉 It’s been 2 years since I started writing more consistently on LinkedIn. My main goal has been something within my control: writing at least one post per week. This milestone makes me happy because it shows that the content I produce brings value to you and that we share the same passion for workshop facilitation. Thank you all for the support, great interactions, and questions. I have plenty of exciting content coming soon, including some new formats. Let’s continue building a healthier and more efficient way of working together! 💪 #Facilitation #Workshop #NetworkPower

𝗡𝗼, 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟮 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽! I used to think my mother was the only one who didn't understand what I do for a living, but it turns out there are more out there. 😅 The term "workshop" gets thrown around in so many ways, often for things that aren't workshops at all. The problem with any business concept or method is that misuse leads to confusion and gives people the wrong idea about what it really is. That's why when customers tell me they've done workshops in the past and it didn't work, I like to ask them what exactly they did. Usually, it wasn't a true workshop. I’ve put together a short carousel to simply explain what workshop facilitation truly means. You might even want to give it a try. 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 ☝️: ❌ A workshop is not a long meeting ❌ A workshop is not a presentation ❌ A workshop is not a training ❌ A workshop is not a seminar or conference ❌ A workshop is not a Pokemon 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗶𝗻𝘁: there's "work" in workshop. So, if you're wondering if you're in a workshop, the first question to ask yourself is, "Am I working right now?" 😂 #Facilitation #Workshop #Collaboration

𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 🚀 One of the key lessons I've learned from stand-up is to always try something new on stage. Even if you’re doing the same set, a small twist can help you improve. My latest experiment was using a remote session warm-up in an in-person setup at a facilitation and design sprints meetup. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺-𝘂𝗽? 🤔 With over 30 participants, we needed a way to connect without taking up too much time. Here are the four questions I asked, where participants placed dots to answer: 1️⃣ 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆/𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘅 🔋 How do you feel about the event right now? Participants place a dot to show how they feel. If they’re excited, they go to the right—the more excited they are, the further right they go on the X axis. To share their energy level, they use the Y axis—the higher they go, the more energy they have. 2️⃣ 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 💼 What do you do for work? (e.g., Design, Tech, PM/PO, etc.) 3️⃣ 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲 🧙♂️ How experienced are you with facilitation? 4️⃣ 𝗬𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗼 ✅❌ ? Have you ever run a Design Sprint before? 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: This experiment worked well. It helped me quickly understand the audience and get the right info to adjust my talk. The other minor experiment was to use colorful tapes to make the setup more creative, inspired by ⭕️🪄 Matthias Lenssen 💡 It made the setup nicer with minimal effort—nothing compared to Matthias' magic, of course. 😅 I have a full-day workshop next week and plan to experiment with these tapes further. hashtag #Facilitation #Workshops #Creativity #Innovation ___ Thanks for reading! I'm Mehdi En-Naizi and I regularly write about workshop facilitation and how it helps groups work better together. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹: Click my name + follow + 🔔 for more insights on facilitation.

Bring the Right People Together, and Magic Will Happen ! ⭐️ Last week, we had the privilege of hosting a facilitation meet-up with a special guest, Steph Cruchon. I gave a brief talk on the power of facilitation, sharing my journey and explaining why it succeeds where traditional methods often fall short. Then, we explored Design Sprints and AI. Steph gave a practical talk about Design Sprints and shared his findings from experimenting with AI over the past two years. He provided valuable tips on where to leverage AI and where to avoid it, and introduced amazing tools like Krea.ai to elevate your prototypes. Thanks to everyone who attended, asked great questions, and contributed to the fantastic atmosphere of the meet-up. 💪 Special thanks to Pamela Gerbino and Le Techspace for the warm welcome and providing us with such a wonderful venue. Looking forward to the next edition! #Facilitation #Workshops #Capgemini #Creativity #AI

𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗜 ? 𝗦𝗼 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗲! 🤓 Meet us tonight in 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝟲 𝗽𝗺 for an engaging facilitation meet-up with Steph Cruchon 🟨🤩 If you haven't secured your spot yet, hurry—there are still a few seats left! 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮: 18:00: Welcome ☕️ 18:30: Introduction: The Power of Facilitation 🚀 19:00: How to Integrate AI in the Creative Process 🤖 19:45: Q&A ❓ 20:00: Networking with Snacks and Drinks 🍔 See you later today at: 📍 BeCentral - Cantersteen 12, 1000 Brussels 🕕 6 PM #Facilitation #DesignSprints #MeetUp #Innovation

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗼 𝗜 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 ? 🤓 The best performers always take time to prepare, even if they've done it a hundred times before. I used to think I didn’t need to rehearse before a workshop because I knew my stuff. But I’ve learned that 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. Whenever I skipped preparation, it showed in my delivery. That's why I never skip it now. Even if I only practice 15% of the workshop, I do much better when I’ve prepared. This video illustrates that point perfectly. Nadal keeps preparing until he steps onto the court, which gives him the confidence to win. On the other side, you can see his opponent looking nervous and feeling the pressure. Like Alex Hormozi says "𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘹𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘺𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩." I’m not saying Nadal isn’t stressed. He probably is, but preparation helps him manage it. That’s what makes him one of the best. So, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲? Don’t worry, I’m not training to distribute sticky notes faster or set my timer more quickly. 😅 𝗗-𝟭: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 📚 I go over my workshop plan, review my notes from interviews and meetings, and finish my slides if I have any (though I sometimes prefer no computers in my workshops). I pack my workshop trolley, ensuring I have everything I need, aand write down the main points I want to cover. 𝗗-𝗗𝗮𝘆: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 🟨 🧙 I wake up extra early (hard, but necessary 😅). Over breakfast, I review my workshop plan and practice my introduction. If I have extra time, I also practice giving instructions for any tricky exercises. I also do that while driving to the workshop location (though not the entire way, I need some good vibe music to get energized and in the mood. 😂) I always arrive at least an hour early. This gives me time to set up the room, which usually takes about half an hour. Then, I have 30 minutes to relax and get into the facilitator zone. If I’m co-facilitating, I use some of this extra time to align on the workshop plan and discuss practical details. So, if you want to do great in your workshop and give your participants the best experience, make sure to prepare and rehearse. PS: I didn’t cover the steps I take to actually design and prepare the workshop. If you're interested, let me know in the comments, and I'll share with you my process right away. ___ Thanks for reading! I'm Mehdi En-Naizi, and I regularly write about workshop facilitation and how it helps groups work better together. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹: ↪ Share it with your network 💬 Comment with your biggest takeaway Click my name + follow + 🔔 for more insights on facilitation. #Preparation #Workshop #Facilitation

If you found this post on 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, check out my newsletter for a more in-depth article with the solution. I share 𝟳 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀 for facilitating effective brainstorming sessions. When implemented well, these tips will help any team generate the right ideas to tackle any challenge. You will find the link in the comments to learn how to transform poor brainstorming sessions into ones that deliver the results your team expects 👉 #Facilitation #Ideation #Brainstorming #Creativity