Episode 090
December 9, 2020
090: Facilitation is like Gardening with Lee Kim
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Intro
Facilitators want to inspire, motivate, and cultivate change and growth. However, facilitators cannot see into the future. No matter how hard we try, we cannot predict what will happen to the seed we planted. Whether the seed blossoms into a beautiful plant or withers away depends on so much more than the facilitator.
While facilitators cannot guarantee a good crop, we can provide intention, care, and thoughtful leadership. A facilitator who understands how to do all three things (and so much more) is Lee Kim, the Co-Founder of Design Dream Lab and Design Thinking Facilitator at Cornell University.
Lee is driven and passionate about human-centred problem-solving. Through the Design Dream Lab, Lee helps others foster empathy, overcome challenges, explore new opportunities, and fulfil their wildest dreams. I was so happy to have Lee join me as a guest on this episode of workshops work, where we talked about why facilitation is like gardening – if you don’t nurture the garden and the outcomes of a workshop, the results will wither and fade.
Find out about
- How facilitation is like gardening
- Why facilitators must be both humble and confident at the right times
- How conversations foster human connection
- A fun exercise to help participants connect and explore their inner desires
- Why facilitators should never be arrogant
- The importance of being intentional when pursuing success from a workshop
- Why successful workshops always lead to a transformation
- Why facilitators must be great leaders
- How to encourage a team to get to know each other
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Questions and Answers
00:15When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?
01:56What is the difference between a coach and a facilitator?
03:48What makes a successful experience or journey?
05:35How can we measure the success if we’re not part of the aftermath of a workshop?
21:33What are the shortcomings of design thinking?
23:39Some clients have a solution already, and they are just looking for confirmation. Isn’t this the red flag for a facilitator?
29:53What is the role of soil in the ‘facilitation is like gardening’ metaphor?
36:30What have you learned from facilitation about gardening?
39:09Do you build stories into the design of your workshop?
50:45What makes a workshop fail?
51:38What is the main take away from our conversation?