Conference
Control the Room is now Facilitation Lab Summit
Control the Room
4th Annual Facilitator Summit
Deepen your knowledge on how to facilitate meetings that matter and connect with other facilitation and meeting practitioners.
We’re back in person at Capital Factory in Austin Texas, on Wednesday, February 2nd. We’ll have a full day of lightning talks, hardware lab, mini-workshops, and networking from expert facilitators sharing methods & activities. If you prefer to attend virtually, we’ll have both Zoom and VR options that will allow you to engage and participate in truly unique ways.
This year's theme is "Shifts"–how we as facilitators can help organizations and teams smoothly navigate through continuous growth, change, and transformation, in any capacity. From the tiny moment-to-moment shifts that are required of us to adapt to circumstances in a meeting or workshop, to large shifts like adjusting to hybridity, we must be equipped with dynamic techniques to stay on our toes and lead with eloquence.
Workshops
The two days prior to the summit will feature various workshops where you can get hands-on practice with in-demand facilitation techniques. While we offer a bundle ticket for the summit with two workshops, if you’d like to just attend one workshop, you can purchase tickets using the links below.
January 31, 2022
Liberating Structures: 9am – 5pm CST
Magical Meetings: 9am – 5pm CST
February 1, 2022
Workshop Design: 9am – 5pm CST
Difficult Dialogue: 9am – 5pm CST
Date
February 2, 2022
Time
9am - 5pm CT
Location
Austin, TX + VR + Zoom
Covid safety protocols will be enforced for in-person attendees, for the full list of requirements see below.
Available Ticket Types
VIP Ticket (limited)
In addition to three days of the Virtual Summit, access to virtual speaker round table on February 1, 2021 and receive mailed facilitator care package shipped to your door!
The speaker salon is a private intimate gathering for the speakers & a few VIP guests. Douglas, our founder, will facilitate and explore the meaning and importance of connection. We will reflect on the past and anticipate the future and will have a lot of fun in the process.
Live Ticket
Access to all three days of the Virtual Summit. 18 Speakers total, six Lightning Talks + six 90-min Workshops Per Day (attendees choose 1 workshop per day)
Summit Purpose
We are gathering to build and celebrate a community of practice for facilitators. It is paramount that we create a safe place to learn, grow, and advance as practitioners, and to engage in a dialogue that advances the practice of facilitation. We invite people who seek to lead better meetings and who seek to foster inclusivity across all voices. Our mission is share a global perspective of facilitators from different methodologies, backgrounds, races, genders, sexual orientations, cultures, and ages. If you know someone who would benefit from attending Control the Room and would bring valuable diversity to the event or is part of a traditionally underrepresented group, please nominate them here.
Covid Safety Protocol
- Proof of negative COVID test 48 hours prior to attendance. Grab a test while they are still in stock at Amazon.
- Proof of vaccine, we will accept this in physical or digital form.
- Masks required while indoors.
- Prepackaged lunches delivered to tables to minimize congregation.
- Hand sanitizer at each table.
- Sanitation stations will be accessible at multiple locations throughout the venue.
- Limited max attendees to allow for social distancing. The venue has a max capacity of 240 people and we will limit it to 100.
If these protocols are not sufficient to make you feel comfortable to attend or travel is just out of the question, we highly encourage you to consider our virtual options. We have some really cool stuff planned, involving live connections to those in the room and immersive virtual reality experiences!
In Loving Memory of Jenni Robertson
On October 17th, we lost Jenni Robertson, our Head of Operations, suddenly and tragically to domestic violence. She has been core to the identity and growth of our company and has led many important shifts in the ways we work, support our people, and create value for clients. She continues to deeply influence us. An imminent shift we hope to make in honor of her is to help eradicate domestic violence and the conditions that lead to it. To that end, we are dedicating this Control the Room Summit to Jenni and partnering with Safe, an organization who seeks a future with a just and safe community free from violence and abuse. Through this conference and beyond, we hope to facilitate necessary shifts in how people across our companies, communities, and families care for each other and find the support they need.
If you would like to support SAFE and help stop domestic violence, you are able to choose a donation amount when you purchase your ticket. Thank you for being a part of our community and a catalyst for positive change.
Speakers
Shannon Varcoe
Play with Your Work: Transform Your Facilitations Using Patterns of Play!
Hassan Ghiassi
Facilitating Difficult Dialogues, A Proven Format for Small Groups
Jennifer Houlihan
The Generation Trap: Moving Past Dated Labels
Matthew Reynolds
Moving Your Authentic Self Forward
Ghalia Aamer
How to Use Gamified Techniques to Engage Your Audience
Steven Tomlinson
Interventions to Combat Loneliness Through Inclusion
Nakia Winfield
Exploring Complexities of Power to Cultivate Authentic Inclusion
Ái Vuong
Metamorphosis: Slow Media + Shifting Systems
Samuel Diaz
Metamorphosis: Slow Media + Shifting Systems
Sandra Molinari
How to Lead Trauma-Informed Meetings and Workshops
Jessica Soukup
Stories are powerful
Nma Emeh
I Feel Good: It's All About Body Image Positivity
Hadassah Damien
The Show Must Go Wrong: Active Care and Agenda Interventions For Unruly Groups and Extemporaneous Moments
Skye Howell
Crafting a Land Acknowledgement
Annie Hodges
Crafting a Land Acknowledgement
Van Lai DuMone
Scaffolding Creativity Into Presentations to Generate Lasting Shifts
Mark Tippin
Mind Shifts
Virtual Sessions
Karen Vanderpool-Haerle
Teleporting Teams to New Virtual Worlds
Judy Tsuei
Mental Shifts — Why Caring for Your Health Leads to Sustainable Growth
Robbin Arcega
The Meta-Life of an LX Designer in Design Critique Facilitation
Shelley Paul
Let’s Not Talk: Harnessing Silence to Amplify Inclusion, Seed Insight & Spark Innovation
Rachel Economy
The Meeting Room as the Next World: Needs & Values-Based Facilitation & Design
Yvonne Alston
The Ultimate Connection: Head, Heart and Soul
Summit Schedule: February 2, 2022
Welcome
8:00 AM CST
Doors Open
8:50 AM CST
Douglas Ferguson | Introduction
Session One
9:00 AM CST
Matthew Reynolds | Moving Your Authentic Self Forward
9:20 AM CST
Shannon Varcoe | Play with Your Work
9:40 AM CST
Hassan Ghiassi | Facilitating Difficult Dialogues
10:00 AM CST
Mark Tippin & Hailey Temple | Mind Shifts
10:15 AM CST
Break & Networking
Session Two
10:35 AM CST
Skye Howell & Annie Hodges | Crafting a Land Acknowledgement
10:55 AM CST
Ghalia Aamer | How to Use Gamified Techniques to Engage Your Audience
11:15 AM CST
Steven Tomlinson | Interventions to Combat Loneliness Through Inclusion
11:35 AM CST
Mark Tippin & Hailey Temple | Mind Shifts
11:50 AM CST
Lunch
Session Three
12:50 PM CST
Van Lai-Dumone | Scaffolding Creativity Into Presentations To Generate Lasting Shifts
1:10 PM CST
Ái Vuong & Samuel Dias Fernández | Slow Media + Shifting Systems
1:30 PM CST
Jessica Soukup | Stories Are Powerful
1:50 PM CST
Mark Tippin & Hailey Temple | Mind Shifts
2:05 PM CST
Break & Networking
Session Four
2:25 PM CST
Nma Emeh | I Feel Good! It’s All About Body Image Positivity
2:45 PM CST
Hadassah Damien | The Show Must Go Wrong
3:05 PM CST
Jennifer Houlihan | The Generation Trap
3:25 PM CST
Mark Tippin & Hailey Temple | Mind Shifts
3:40 PM CST
Break & Networking
Session Five
3:55 PM CST
Nakia Winfield | Exploring Complexities of Power to Cultivate Authentic Inclusion
4:15 PM CST
Sandra Molinari | How to Lead Trauma-Informed Meetings & Workshops
4:35 PM CST
Mark Tippin & Hailey Temple | Mind Shifts
4:50 PM CST
Closing + Giveaways
5:00 PM CST
Happy Hour
Virtual Make-up Session Schedule: February 7–10, 2022
February 7
Feb 7, 10:00 AM CST
Judy Tsuei | Mental Shifts — Why Caring for Your Health Leads to Sustainable Growth
Feb 7, 1:00 PM CST
Rachel Economy | The Meeting Room as the Next World: Needs & Values-Based Facilitation & Design
February 8
Feb 8, 10:00 AM CST
Karen Vanderpool-Haerle | Teleporting Teams to New Virtual Worlds
FEB 8, 1:00 PM CST
Robbin Arcega | The Meta-Life of an LX Designer in Design Critique Facilitation
February 9
Feb 9, 10:00 AM CST
Yvonne Alston | The Ultimate Connection: Head, Heart and Soul
February 10
Feb 10, 10:00 AM CST
Shelley Paul | Let’s Not Talk: Harnessing Silence to Amplify Inclusion, Seed Insight & Spark Innovation
Wait, What's Facilitation?
Whether you know it or not, you are probably a facilitator. The act of facilitating is to make an operation or process easier. Facilitation skills are crucial to exercise when planning and running meetings to make them as participative and productive as possible. It’s imperative to company profit and culture to conduct successful meetings. Perfecting the art of facilitation is one of the most important and beneficial skill sets that make a successful leader.
A skilled facilitator can supercharge a team’s performance by functioning as a process guide for navigating complicated business challenges. Facilitators are experts at leading groups through key meetings and gatherings. Facilitators exist to enable better gatherings between teams, stakeholders, or collaborators of any kind.
Want to join us?
Interested in bringing a team? Click here to get a code for 20% off groups of 3-4, or 30% off groups of 5+
Apply for a Diversity Scholarship
A key part of our mission is to support diverse facilitators from different methodologies, backgrounds, races, genders, sexual orientations, cultures, and ages. If you are a part of, or serve, a traditionally underrepresented group and feel that this scholarship would allow you to amplify this mission, please apply now.
What People Are Saying
"I loved the conference. As a relatively novice facilitator, I returned energized and inspired. When I signed up for the conference - I mostly did so because of rave reviews from my colleagues. It was a little hard to tell what I was getting into from the event page. There's so much value here for folks in leadership roles etc."
Vishal
UX SUPERVISOR
"I realized my entire role is facilitation. I have to do a lot of lateral influencing. So I use these skills even if it is not a super-structured workshop. Our product team has micro meetings all the time, and these methods help us get the most of those moments. My team can lean on me to facilitate. You will redesign the way you have conversations. I can’t believe every college student doesn’t have to take a class like this. This is how you collaborate. It is the underpinning of the future of work."
Savannah
PRODUCT DESIGNER AT TAILWIND
Photo Disclaimer
Please note that photographs, video & audio recordings will be taken throughout this event. These will be used by Voltage Control for marketing and publicity in our publications, on our website and in social media, or in any third party publication. Please contact our event team if you have any concerns or if you wish to be exempted from this activity.
Refund Policy
All sales for workshops are final. The registered participant may invite another person to substitute their place at any time at no charge.
Code of Conduct
Voltage Control is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate for any conference venue, including talks. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference without a refund at the discretion of the conference organizers.
Any form of written, social media, or verbal communication that can be offensive or harassing to any attendee, speaker or staff is not allowed at Control the Room Summits. Please inform a Voltage Control volunteer or staff member if you feel a violation has taken place and the conference leadership team will address the situation.
Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion; sexual images in public spaces; deliberate intimidation; stalking; following; harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; inappropriate physical contact; and unwelcome sexual attention. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.
Partners are also subject to the anti-harassment policy. In particular, exhibitors should not use sexualized images, activities, or other material. Booth staff (including volunteers) should not use sexualized clothing/uniforms/costumes or otherwise create a sexualized environment.
If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the conference organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the conference with no refund. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of conference staff immediately. Conference staff can be identified by t-shirts or located at the registration desk.
Conference staff will be happy to help participants contact hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the conference. We value your attendance.
We expect participants to follow these rules at all conference venues and conference-related social events.
What to do when you witness a Code of Conduct violation?
All reports of incidents are confidential! We will not publish the name of the reporter in any way.
Speak up
Of course, we do not want you do get into a more uncomfortable position as you maybe already are. You do not need to interact with the person(s) who presumably violated the Code of Conduct.
Please let someone of the organizing team know
At all times, you will find someone at the registration desk or the conference host (the person introducing the speakers). All people who are working at a Control the Room Summit are very aware of the Code of Conduct. Approach them and let them know. In most cases they will bring you to one of the organizers, so we can write an incident report.
Important questions:
Who? Could you see the names of the people involved? Was it a speaker, attendee, service person, organizer, crew?
Where? In a session hall? In the foyer? At a partner booth? …
When? The approximate time of the behavior.
What?
- What were the circumstances that led to the incident?
- Verbal violation (“bad jokes”, discrediting, …)
- Visual violation (slide in the talk, T-Shirt with an inappropriate print…)
- Inappropriate physical interaction (violence of any kind)
Everyone working at a CTO Summit is informed on how to deal with an incident. If everyone involved is physically safe, we will only ask for security help or law enforcement at the victim’s request.
Report a Violation
Please reach out to Douglas Ferguson directly:
Email: douglas@voltagecontrol.com
Phone: 512.293.7279
The Purpose of the Code of Conduct
Our Code of Conduct does not exist because we expect to deal with any such problems.
