FACILITATION
what needs to be true for a group of people to get somewhere?
︎︎︎
facilitation is often what decides whether a room of humans gets somewhere, or whether they just meet.
i plan the parts that can be planned, hold the room, and steer conversations and dynamics as they happen. a lot of it comes down to creating trust, to naming the unnamed that most people notice is there, and to enabling an environment where people show up bold, kind, creative, and accountable. not every room can be safe, as what's safe for one person threatens another, but every room can choose to be brave.
︎︎︎HOW?
the shape changes with the need and the goal. most start with a client laying out the 'what for' and its context: the ambition or friction, the history and narratives, and the system it all sits within.
some teams come because something's stuck; others want to grow closer, think better together, or mark a moment well.
usually i listen, then design, the client responds, and we shape the concept together before it meets the room.
sometimes i facilitate alone, sometimes i co-facilitate. some are on-site, others on-line, from a few hours to several months.
︎︎︎WHO?
i learned early in my career how power influences rooms and how to navigate groups through friction, keep things human, and bring people back to cohesion.
i started this line of work eleven years ago, in month-long fellowships on structural discrimination, with deeply pluralistic cohorts of emerging and established leaders.
i've since facilitated corporate leadership offsites, strategy kickoffs, teaming journeys, foundation summits, directors' meetings, and multi-day gatherings for journalists, filmmakers, and academics, and have delivered over 450 hours of emotional-intelligence leadership training.
i'm certified in systemic transformational org design, as an executive resilience practitioner, and as a search inside yourself facilitator. i completed sounds true's inner mba program, and i bring coaching into this work too. i facilitate in english, german and spanish.
i started this line of work eleven years ago, in month-long fellowships on structural discrimination, with deeply pluralistic cohorts of emerging and established leaders.
i've since facilitated corporate leadership offsites, strategy kickoffs, teaming journeys, foundation summits, directors' meetings, and multi-day gatherings for journalists, filmmakers, and academics, and have delivered over 450 hours of emotional-intelligence leadership training.
i'm certified in systemic transformational org design, as an executive resilience practitioner, and as a search inside yourself facilitator. i completed sounds true's inner mba program, and i bring coaching into this work too. i facilitate in english, german and spanish.
︎︎︎OFFERING
offsites, retreats, summits & fellowships
interactive gatherings, designed and facilitated, alone or alongside a client's own people.
teaming journeys
a team's harder questions worked through over time, not in a single day. several sessions over weeks or months, built for what the group is carrying. usually, this is friction to untangle, trust to rebuild, or just the need to perform better together.
meetings & events
a strategy session, a board with two camps, the conversations that have grown too costly to be put off any longer.
adaptive resilience
facilitation-based training to work more skilfully with hard emotions, uncertainty, and change.
search inside yourself
the google-born, neuroscience-backed emotional-intelligence leadership program↗. i'm one of around 200 active certified facilitators worldwide. offered as a keynote, half-day, full-day or two-day. find our impact report here↗.
intergenerational dynamics
a focused practice on the multigenerational workplace, as keynote, training, or facilitation, run through generational.network↗. dr. linn friedrichs and i have spoken on it at re:publica.
every group has people focused on the work. too few have someone whose work is the room itself.
︎︎︎WORKING TOGETHER
“ALLOWS PEOPLE TO FULLY LEAN IN AND SHOW UP”
“We hired Johannes to lead our European leadership team through Search Inside Yourself. He brings the kind of down-to-earthness, humor, and intelligence to the tables that allows people to fully lean in and show up.”
Adrianna Serocka[People & Culture Director, The Coca-Cola Company]
“AN INVALUABLE PARTNER FOR ANY ORGANIZATION.”
“Johannes brings a rare combination of relational intelligence, facilitation skills, and a sharp understanding of internal and external communications. He played a key role in designing the fellowship experience for high-profile journalists, fostering an environment of trust and openness that continues to influence our programming. Johannes consistently elevates both the individuals he works with and the projects he touches. He is a pleasure to collaborate with and an invaluable partner for any organization.”
Awista Ayub[Senior Director, New America Inc.]