In this episode of the Apple Cart, I’m joined by Alice Blackwell to talk about what’s actually involved in being an event facilitator and producer, and how it works online and offline.

Alice Blackwell is a group and event facilitator, online producer and workshop designer. She support individuals and groups to reach their full potential through the design, production and facilitation of tailored participatory workshops, both online and in person.

She has a passion for crafting unforgettable experiences, and specialises in designing and producing online events that empower group facilitators to shine. Her expertise spans the realms of design, technical production, facilitation and event organisation, ensuring that every event is seamless and impactful.

Listen to the Interview

What Alice Enjoys About Being an Event Facilitator

Although Alice is just into her third year of self-employment, she’s found so far that she likes community groups, particularly LGBT. “But I think the thing that I enjoy about facilitation is the fact that it acknowledges that everybody’s got the wisdom within them, and a different perspective, nobody’s right or wrong.

“I want to give people the space to be able to bring their insights out in front of the group and share. Everyone listens to each other on an equal footing, takes stock of all the information, experience and wisdom the group has. And then they talk about how to weave it all into a plan.

“That’s what I really like. You find that people are at different stages and everybody’s got their value. I’m good at the vision part, so I help them think about where they want to be in 20 years’ time, and work out where there are going to be barriers. Bringing people together is a big part of facilitation.”

Why Business Owners Should Attend Virtual Summits

Alice and I met virtually at Susanna Reay’s think tank summit, where there were several speakers each day, with sessions throughout a week. There were lots of learning opportunities.

However, Alice says: “I think the value of these events is connection with different business owners. Because it can be quite lonely being self-employed if you don’t get out there and chat to people. And you need to make that time because you’re not going into an office and chatting with colleagues.

“For me, it’s a real benefit to my mental health to find a community of like-minded people and to go and chat to and learn from them. And it’s that thing where a seed of an idea might appear in one person. Then you take it a bit further and things develop and you get the chance to reflect.”

Why it’s Better Just to go With the Flow

With so many sessions spread over five days (as at the think tank Alice and I met at), there’s a lot of noise and moving parts. So while you want to make the most of the event, there are benefits to just going with the flow and not worry too much about missing out.

“Things that you need to go to will attract you and you’ll join in. You will naturally feel more excited to participate in the things that you want to. Don’t force it. Just go and enjoy it and fit it in with your life as you can. Participate as much as you can.

“For me personally, I have to let it wash over me. I’m dyslexic, so I can’t listen and take notes at the same time. Just because everything’s moving quickly doesn’t mean that you have to move along with it. You can just take it slowly. And that’s totally fine.”

Why we Should Talk About our Values More

Alice’s website very clearly states her values and what matters to her, which I think is really powerful. “My goal this year is just to be unapologetically me and if people like it, great. I found my people. And if they don’t, that’s okay.

“So I put all my interests and hobbies on my website so people can get a flavour of me. And it helps us to connect more. Because facilitation is so varied, I can go into any organisation. I bring the process, not the content. It’s a transferable skill.

“By putting those things out there, I make it clear what I’m interested in, and then organisations in those areas can see that I’m the best choice of facilitator for them. I can help anyone, but those are what I’m really interested in. Plus it gives my website a bit of personality as well.”

How to be More Creative

“I wouldn’t describe myself as a creative person, and I think we can put ourselves into a box, saying I’m creative or not creative. You stifle yourself a bit. But, having said that, how can you be more creative?

“One thing I like to use in my workshops is individual brainstorming before we do any group work. I get people to write a list of all their ideas in relation to a question.

“And there’ll always be this moment where everybody, after about two or three minutes, stops writing and they’ll look around. Because all of the natural, easy ideas have come out, and then they pause, and then they go again.

“And that’s when they’re more creative as the ideas come. Another thing I do it Lego Serious Play. You put Lego sets out in the middle of a room and give them a prompt relating to their challenge. They start to see things in a different way and begin building.”

Timestamps

• 02:00 – 08:35: How Alice got to where she is today
• 08:55 – 10:55: How Alice put a positive spin on redundancy
• 15:05 – 17:39: What Alice enjoys about being an event facilitator
• 18:27 –  22:47: Supporting LGBT groups in challenging times
• 24:23 – 26:04: Why business owners should attend virtual summits
• 27:23 – 30:38: Why it’s better just to go with the flow
• 32:11 – 34:20: Coin collecting as a hobby
• 38:56 – 40:30: Why we should talk about our values more
• 41:39 – 43:43: How to be more creative

Useful Links

• Visit Alice’s website
• Connect with Alice on LinkedIn
• Coin collector YouTube channel: Christopher Collects