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Facilitation Lab Summit | March 26, 2026

At the 2026 Facilitation Lab Summit, Renita Joyce Smith delivered a session that flipped the script on facilitation: the most powerful tool in any room isn't your agenda or your activities—it's you. Drawing on years of experience in coaching and organizational work, Renita challenged facilitators to move beyond the performance of professionalism and into the practice of genuine presence. She explored what it truly means to show up unmasked, how to build a container that is both structured and deeply human, and why noticing, naming, and inviting are the three moves that separate good facilitation from transformative facilitation. A must-watch for any facilitator ready to stop hiding behind the toolkit and start trusting themselves as the instrument.

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Facilitation Lab Summit | March 19, 2026

At the 2025 Facilitation Lab Summit, Elena Farden led an immersive session titled "Consent as Ceremony: Learnings from Nurturing Safe Connections in Indigenous Play Parties." Elena, known for weaving cultural rituals and deep respect for consent into her facilitation practice, provided profound insights into how we can integrate these sacred traditions into our own work.

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Facilitation | March 5, 2026

Reflecting on the 8th Annual Facilitation Summit, this recap explores how facilitators navigate the “edges” where pressure, uncertainty, and possibility meet. Across two days, leaders like Douglas Ferguson, Dan Walker, Renita Smith, and others explored themes of presence, innovation, trauma-informed facilitation, and the evolving role of facilitators in the age of AI. From analog reflection exercises to embodied group dynamics, the summit highlighted how facilitators create conditions for insight, safety, and collaboration. Discover key lessons on reading the room, holding tension, unlocking collective brilliance, and why human presence—not just tools or agendas—remains the most powerful element of effective facilitation.

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Podcast | January 20, 2026

In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, host Douglas Ferguson interviews Erin Warner, founder of Head + Heart Coaching and Facilitation. Erin shares her journey from traditional leadership training to interactive facilitation, emphasizing the power of peer learning, rituals, and the “flow channel” for team engagement. She discusses authentic facilitation, embodied practices, and her holistic “3D wellness” approach. Erin also explores how words and self-talk shape reality, encouraging leaders to foster connection, courage, and creativity. The episode highlights facilitation as a transformative tool for personal and collective growth in organizations and beyond.

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Podcast | December 17, 2025

In this episode of the Facilitation Lab Podcast, host Douglas Ferguson interviews Renita Joyce Smith, CEO of Leap Forward Coaching and Consulting. Renita shares her journey into facilitation, emphasizing the importance of authenticity, humor, and humanity in meetings. She discusses how facilitation bridges structure and human connection, offers practical techniques for engagement, and highlights the transformative impact of skilled facilitation on organizational culture. Renita also explores the role of technology, the value of adaptability, and the need to prioritize human connection in the workplace, leaving listeners inspired to lead with empathy and authenticity.

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AI | December 16, 2025

Make AI a visible teammate in 2025—not a side tool. This article shows how to move AI from “nice-to-have” prompts to the operating core of your team: weaving it through meeting arcs (open, explore, decide, close), speeding decisions with AI-generated options and consent-based methods, and building trust through clear working agreements and verification habits. You’ll learn how to redesign whole workflows (not isolated tasks), create living memory that reduces churn, and prototype AI-centered rituals you can test in two weeks. Includes an AI-at-the-Center Bingo diagnostic to assess maturity and pick January experiments that boost clarity, alignment, and throughput.

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Podcast | December 8, 2025

In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, host Douglas Ferguson interviews Sophie Bujold of Cliqueworthy. Sophie shares how her early experiences in MIRC chat rooms shaped her approach to building human-centered, connected communities. They discuss the importance of trust, generosity, and adaptability in online spaces, as well as Sophie’s journey from digital explorer to expert facilitator. Sophie reflects on lessons learned, balancing structure with emergent conversations, and her impact on social causes, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The episode highlights the enduring power of technology and facilitation to foster authentic connection and belonging.

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Podcast | November 19, 2025

In this episode of the Facilitation Lab podcast, Douglas Ferguson interviews Marco Monterzino, a human-centered designer and innovation facilitator. Marco shares his journey from luxury product design to facilitation, emphasising the significance of ritual, adaptability, and purpose in both fields. They discuss how design thinking and frameworks like the hero’s journey inform facilitation, and how rituals shape user experiences. Marco also explores building organisational resilience, the evolving nature of purpose, and the importance of cultivating equanimity. The episode concludes with insights on blending facilitation and education to foster resilient, innovative teams and communities.

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Meeting Culture | November 17, 2025

Map Before You Move explores a systems-first approach to AI transformation so your tools don’t just speed up broken workflows. Learn how to see your organization as an ecosystem, map roles, rituals, rules, and boundaries, and use systems mapping in Miro to uncover bottlenecks before they appear. This 60–90 minute workshop guide helps digital transformation and AI teams convene cross-functional clarity, design safer experiments, align incentives and governance, and turn AI pilots into sustainable change that amplifies what your organization values most. Featuring Voltage Control’s Activity of the Month and insights from the Facilitation Lab Summit.

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Podcast | October 29, 2025

In this Facilitation Lab Podcast episode, host Douglas Ferguson interviews Grace Losada, Vice President of Learning and Development at Change Enthusiasm Global. Grace shares how her early experiences in peer counseling, athletics, and performance arts shaped her facilitation style. The conversation explores creating safe, engaging environments for learning, the importance of shared language, and the art of scaling intimacy in large groups. Grace offers insights on embracing mistakes, fostering connection, and designing impactful experiences, emphasizing playfulness and agency. The episode highlights facilitation as both an art and a science, rooted in intentionality, collaboration, and authentic human connection.