Facilitation Lab
Facilitation Lab Denver
Gamestorming 2.0
With Mark FelcanSmith, Josh Hugo, Catherine McGowin, Lori Wilson, and Angie Flanagan
September 25, 2025
6pm - 8pm MDT
Bring your real challenges. Leave with new insights, confidence, and skills.
Whether you’re a seasoned facilitator or just getting started, Facilitation Lab is your sandbox for solving real problems with facilitation. This isn’t theory—it’s live, collaborative practice.
Each session follows Practice Playground, a dynamic format where participants take turns facilitating and role-playing through real-world challenges. It’s a low-stakes, high-support space designed to help you grow fast.
Got a workshop you’re designing? A team dynamic you’re navigating? A tricky moment you want to handle better next time? Use the structured activity to explore those challenges, get feedback, and discover what works.
Here’s how to make the most of your session:
The best part? You’ll be learning with others who are passionate about creating better collaboration, just like you.
Whether you’re a seasoned facilitator or just getting started, Facilitation Lab is your sandbox for solving real problems with facilitation. This isn’t theory—it’s live, collaborative practice.
Each session follows Practice Playground, a dynamic format where participants take turns facilitating and role-playing through real-world challenges. It’s a low-stakes, high-support space designed to help you grow fast.
Got a workshop you’re designing? A team dynamic you’re navigating? A tricky moment you want to handle better next time? Use the structured activity to explore those challenges, get feedback, and discover what works.
Here’s how to make the most of your session:
- Come with a real facilitation challenge you’re working through.
- Step into the facilitator role, or play along and offer thoughtful feedback.
- Leave with not just ideas—but actual progress on something that matters.
The best part? You’ll be learning with others who are passionate about creating better collaboration, just like you.
September 25, 2025
6pm - 8pm MDT
Interested in a private cohort for your team?
Let us know
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Featured In The Lab
This month, we’re coming together to celebrate the release of Gamestorming 2.0, the long-awaited update to the best-selling book on creative collaboration. With three new chapters and 95 powerful techniques, Gamestorming 2.0 shows us how to design enlivening group experiences that spark creativity, deepen connection, and make work more engaging—whether in-person or online. During our celebration, you’ll have the chance to play some of the new games featured in the book—Event Horizon, Hidden Variables, Squiggle Birds, Coffee Question, and Altitude. We’ll explore how these playful techniques can elevate collaboration and give away a copy of the book. Join us, play a few games, and win a copy while we honor this exciting milestone for the facilitation and innovation community.
About Facilitation Lab Denver
Facilitation Lab Denver is a monthly in-person meetup for changemakers, collaborative leaders, and facilitators across Denver. Our purpose is to foster learning by doing in a psychologically safe environment, building a strong and supportive community of peers across the region.
As Regional Leads, Mark, Josh, Lori and Catherine cultivate a space for experimentation and collaborative leadership development, with a focus on people-powered organizational change.
Facilitation Lab Denver is a global network of regions, including other virtual meetups organized by continent and in-person meetups organized by cities. See the region list for a full list of all active meetups.
You can also join us in the Facilitation Lab Community Hub to stay connected with the facilitation community and get reminders of all upcoming events.
Agenda
Opener
An attendee will lead us through an engaging opener
Practice & Role Play
Attendees take turns role-playing as facilitators and participants as we practices different methods
Debrief
After some quiet reflection we’ll debrief the role-play and key learnings
Closer
An attendee will lead us through a purposeful closer
Who Should Attend
Experienced & New Facilitators
Who want to level up their facilitation skills and enhance their ability to effectively engage participants
Chiefs of Staff
Who want to align initiatives across departments and ensure strategic projects are implemented successfully
Product & Project Managers
Who want to steer stakeholders to the best outcomes and learn best practices in stakeholder management
Teachers & Trainers
Who want to design the most impactful learning and create engaging learning experiences
Key Takeaways
Gain hands-on experience with a spectrum of facilitation techniques, from classic to cutting-edge.
Receive immediate, constructive feedback in a nurturing environment to refine your facilitation skills.
Explore the depths of your existing facilitation knowledge and boost your confidence through low-stakes practice sessions.
Realize the potential to learn from anyone, appreciating the value of diverse experiences and perspectives.
Featured Facilitators
Mark FelcanSmith
For over 25 years Mark has partnered with organizations through human-centered design, systems thinking, and product strategy to modernize, transform, and improve products, experiences, and outcomes. As a facilitator he helps clients raise awareness, identify gaps, and reframe opportunities with focused, intentional thinking & doing. Navigating purposeful change, guiding people and their ideas to clarity from uncertainty, helping organizations thrive; finding and solving the right problems for the right reasons. When not at a whiteboard, physically or virtually, he loves being outside; skiing, biking, hiking. The indoor exception is making music, he’s an accomplished drummer and percussionist.
Josh Hugo
Josh has been leading and facilitating teams across the educational landscape for the better part of the past twenty years. Originally a teacher, then a long-serving school leader at DSST Public Schools here in Denver, and most recently working as a product manager for Pearson, Josh is passionate about people development and learning and growing his facilitation practices to bring out the best in others. Outside of work, Josh enjoys following his alma mater’s football team from Notre Dame, skiing, hiking, biking – anything outside – with his two kids and spouse.
Catherine McGowin
Catherine McGowin is a business leader with over 20 years of experience building and leading product and service solutions across tech, advertising, travel, and the future of work. At smith & beta, she partners with forward-thinking companies to design and deliver custom workplace learning experiences. Previously, she launched a thriving industry community and led bespoke consulting engagements to advance the adoption of freelance talent platforms. Catherine has also served as a product manager in the mapping and travel industries. She finds year-round adventure in the mountains with her family, friends, and husky dog.
Lori Wilson
Lori Wilson facilitates gatherings that help leaders and their people blaze new trails together. Through Flint & Flow, she serves NGOs and mission-driven organizations worldwide. Lori holds a BA in Spanish Literature from Colorado College and an MA in theology from King’s College London. She enjoys long dinner conversations with friends, sunny hikes in the foothills, and travel with her husband and their grown-and-gone offspring.
Angie Flanagan
I’m a design and customer experience strategist & facilitator with 10+ years of experience driving human-centered innovation, digital transformation, and large-scale organizational change. From Pfizer to Mural and Accenture, I’ve helped global teams reimagine how they connect with customers—scaling AI frameworks, building design capabilities, and embedding customer-first strategies into complex systems.
What People are Saying
"The community’s warmth and generosity in tending to me and the issue made me feel cared for and supported. Beyond the suggestions, which were immediately useful, the culture of the community makes leaning into that growth edge easier, and more delightful."
Katrina Mitchell
Senior Technical Advisor, JHPiego
“I just wanted to say thanks for the great session last night. Your feedback and suggestions were fantastic. I left very energized!"
Dan Corbin
Instructor at Pragmatic Institute
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 events manager if you have any concerns or if you wish to be exempted from this activity.
