Hi everyone, I notice a lot of people are from the UK here. Does anyone have any recommendations for UK based design thinking or facilitation focused consultancies? I am excited at the prospect of learning to be a facilitator but I don't know if I want to be just another solo freelancer. Are there any agencies or communities I should look at? Thanks!

I understand the reasons behind using music in workshops. But as a person who is easily overstimulated by background noise, I am curious to know how this plays out in the workshop world for other sensitive people. It's a brain thing for me: In person, I have a hard time holding my part in a conversation when there is background music (or, worse, talk radio or TV or another conversation happening nearby). I can't listen to music while I work or I get too distracted. It's like my brain can't prioritize what it's hearing. For what it's worth, I don't have ADHD. I find myself zoning out when there is background music, or struggling to focus on what a speaker is saying (and yes, this is true for me with some of the AJ&Smart YouTube videos as well). I wonder if others have run into this, either as facilitators or with your workshop participants. I am open to using very low-level music during workshops, or specific parts of workshops, if I can find some that I can tolerate. I would love to hear your thoughts -- and your playlists, if you have curated anything specifically with this in mind.

Hi there! Do you have some facilitation style assessment to recommend? :) Or any cool article or book to understand possible styles. Thanks!

Hi Everyone. I am not sure how I got here but it seems I have stumbled upon the right Mario pipe! I have been a long follower and enthusiast around design thinking and workshop facilitation. I actually have facilitated a few workshops accidentally without realising it. I was part of a community that was handed a step by step guide on conducting a workshop and I just ran with it. It was successful and even sometimes really fun. After a few times I found myself able to add flavour to some of the techniques like when an amateur cook gets comfortable ammending a cooking recipe. Unfortunately I stopped working with that organisation and then there was no need to facilitate anything. However when I think of career change there is a lingering feeling that I would be good at that. I got lost trying to do IDEO design courses but in the end I know I am not a Pen and paper designer of products or codes or marketing strategies. I care about the process more than the outcome. I recently found AJ Smart, or perhaps I was targeted to find them and seeing some of the videos and am now lead to this community. It does feel like my people but I am still at the edge of the pool testing the waters. So is this it? Am I meant to be a career facilitator ? How do I start? Do I try these expensive courses or are they just instagram targeting traps. I would love any thoughts or feedback from anyone who started and is further along the journey than I am. Thank You !

Hello Facilitators👋 I'm really curious about where everyone is from. I'd love to make this a mega post where we can see how diverse the Facilitator Club community is. Who knows, you might find a lot more people in your area than you thought! Once I have lots of answers on this post, I want to make a nice graph!