Facilitation Lab

Facilitation Lab Grand Rapids

Open Connections

In Partnership With Thornapple Brewing

June 18, 2024
5pm - 7:30pm ET​

Grand Rapids, MI

6262 28th St SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
Foster a vibrant community where facilitators can connect, pose questions, and share stories; all about facilitation. Open Connections brings together facilitators from diverse backgrounds and levels of experience. This space is dedicated to nurturing meaningful exchanges and fostering deep connections among community members and new visitors alike. Whether you are a seasoned expert or just beginning your facilitation journey, Open Connections offers an inclusive environment to engage with peers, exchange ideas, and build professional networks.


June 18, 2024
5pm - 7:30pm ET​

Grand Rapids, MI

6262 28th St SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
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About Facilitation Lab Grand Rapids

Facilitation Lab Grand Rapids is a monthly in-person meetup focused on helping facilitators & collaborative leaders connect with peers in a supportive and inspiring facilitation playground. We gather to experience and explore all aspects of facilitation, including Liberating Structures, Game Storming, Thinking Wrong, MG Taylor, Improv, and much more. At each meeting, we rotate topics and approaches, from highlighting practitioners sharing tips and tricks to open facilitation practice where you get hands-on with new tools and concepts. In addition to Facilitation Lab Grand Rapids hosted by Monica and Jori. Voltage Control hosts Facilitation Lab HQ, and there are other meetups around the globe hosted by Facilitation Lab regional leads. See the region list for a full list of all active meetups. Join the Facilitation Lab Community Hub to connect asynchronously with the facilitation community and get reminders of all upcoming events.

Agenda

Impromptu Networking
Engage with everyone in the community during a quick round of introductions to network and begin our time together
Topic Exploration & Voting
Everyone shares their topics for discussion and we vote on the top ones.
Topic 1 Discussion or Experience
Participants take turns facilitating a discussion or experience based on the top voted topic
Topic 2 Discussion or Experience
Participants take turns facilitating a discussion or experience based on the top voted topic

Who Should Attend

Experienced & New Facilitators
Who want to level up their facilitation skills and enhance their ability to effectively engage participants
Product, Marketing, Design or Creative Professionals
Who want to learn and experience new ways to effectively problem solve and develop impactful solutions
Chiefs of Staff
Who want to align initiatives across departments and ensure strategic projects are implemented successfully
Teachers & Trainers
Who want to design the most impactful learning and create engaging learning experiences

Key Takeaways

Connect with others in the community who are interested in learning and growing in facilitation skills and experience
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.
Practice a facilitation skill to have a room of crickets speak up

Featured Facilitators

Monica Joy Krol
Monica Joy Krol is a director of product and facilitation artist. She is passionate about fostering connections for community growth and learning.
Jori MacNaught
Jori MacNaught is a human-centered design educator, facilitator, researcher, and consultant. She loves to inspire the imaginative, playful, and creative magic in others and to help people embrace sketching to communicate.

In Partnership With

Thornapple Brewing
Thornapple has ensured we have a great space to connect and learn!

What People are Saying

"In a world where we tend to connect digitally, it's so important to still come together, especially in a shared community where we're learning from each other and we're also affirming each other. So, coming here is worth the travel. It's worth being in the presence of others. You can't replicate that in a digital forum."

Susan Wilson-Golab
Bloomfield Hills Schools

“The best part of the Facilitation Lab is the opportunity to network with other facilitators. This community provides a unique opportunity to learn and grow from the insights and experiences of the other attendees.”

J Schuh
Workshop Facilitator
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.