Facilitation Lab
Facilitation Lab Australia
Practice Playground
With Allan Ryan and Andrew Pope
July 25, 2025
1pm - 2pm AEST
Live Online
Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, this is your safe playground to push boundaries, explore new methods, and level up your facilitation skills!
At Facilitation Lab Australia, facilitators and collaborative leaders come together to experiment, refine, and grow through real-time practice and role-play—because we believe that learning by doing is the best way to develop our facilitation muscle.
This special Innovation Month session focuses on how digital professionals can better collaborate, innovate, and build thriving teams using Microsoft 365 tools. You’ll learn practical techniques to address some of today’s most pressing challenges, including:
We’ll be using a tried and tested role play format called Practice Playground, a dynamic,hands-on process to help you sharpen your skills in a low-stakes and interactive way.
Agenda:
Objective:
For every participant to take away one practical idea that will make a positive difference totheir online team working.
This is a rare chance to practice in a truly safe and supportive environment, where you canexperiment, take risks, and get valuable, constructive feedback from peers.
Make the most of your session:
Come prepared to role-play, ask questions, and explore new ways to engage your teams online. Attendees who step up benefit the most because they receive tailored feedback and leave with real growth and confidence.
At Facilitation Lab Australia, facilitators and collaborative leaders come together to experiment, refine, and grow through real-time practice and role-play—because we believe that learning by doing is the best way to develop our facilitation muscle.
This special Innovation Month session focuses on how digital professionals can better collaborate, innovate, and build thriving teams using Microsoft 365 tools. You’ll learn practical techniques to address some of today’s most pressing challenges, including:
- How to start with goals rather than tools to solve workplace problems and innovate
- Techniques for better online collaboration and smarter work
- Ways to design more innovative, connected, and confident digital teams
We’ll be using a tried and tested role play format called Practice Playground, a dynamic,hands-on process to help you sharpen your skills in a low-stakes and interactive way.
Agenda:
- Icebreaker
- Content, demonstration and practice
- Insight and feedback
Objective:
For every participant to take away one practical idea that will make a positive difference totheir online team working.
This is a rare chance to practice in a truly safe and supportive environment, where you canexperiment, take risks, and get valuable, constructive feedback from peers.
Make the most of your session:
Come prepared to role-play, ask questions, and explore new ways to engage your teams online. Attendees who step up benefit the most because they receive tailored feedback and leave with real growth and confidence.
July 25, 2025
1pm - 2pm AEST
Live Online
Interested in a private cohort for your team?
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About Facilitation Lab Australia
Facilitation Lab Australia is a monthly virtual meetup for changemakers, collaborative leaders, and facilitators across Australia. 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 Lead, Allan cultivates a space for experimentation and collaborative leadership development, with a focus on people-powered organisational change.
Facilitation Lab Australia 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
Allan Ryan
With an engineer’s fascination for how things work, Allan Ryan has always been curious about the impact of innovation on organisations. Since completing his research at the Australian Graduate School of Management some 25 years ago, Allan has dedicated his career to helping leaders, teams, and organisations unlock their full potential and achieve a competitive edge through innovation. Once an executive and CEO, Allan is now a highly respected expert and thought leader. His comprehensive understanding of innovation strategy, collaboration, culture, and mindset spans diverse sectors. These include private, public, and not-for-profit, where he works with local and global organisations of all sizes.
Andrew Pope
Andrew looks at workplace technology through the eyes of the workforce, as owner of Designing Collaboration and co-founder of Designing AI Heroes. He helps his clients to develop ways of work that ensure workplace tools work for them: solving their problems, bringing people together and adopting more effective and productive practices, such as improving meetings, leveraging AI and aligning distributed teams.
Andrew has advised and coached UK and Australian government departments as well as large multinationals on how to better leverage tools like Microsoft 365 and to develop today’s digital leaders, although he likes to balance his time with enjoying coffee, going trail running and doing silly stuff with the kids (though not at all the same time).
Andrew has advised and coached UK and Australian government departments as well as large multinationals on how to better leverage tools like Microsoft 365 and to develop today’s digital leaders, although he likes to balance his time with enjoying coffee, going trail running and doing silly stuff with the kids (though not at all the same time).
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.
