UFacilitate

?? We’re proud to continue our partnership with Engage for Good in #2025! ?? At UFacilitate, we believe that meaningful social impact work shouldn’t come at the cost of your #wellbeing.?? In a world where the pressure to solve complex problems and keep pushing forward can lead to burnout and stress,?? it’s essential to take a step back and find ways to reconnect, realign, and build resilience.??? We’re grateful to have partnered with Engage for Good since 2024, working together to foster healthy, sustainable environments for impactful work. ?? We’re excited to share this post highlighting the important work we do together #2025Partnership #SocialImpact #WellBeing #LeadershipDevelopment #Teamwork #Mediation #Facilitation #UFacilitate #EngageForGood

Nunca había visto que un proyecto de cooperación lograra un nivel tan profundo de apropiación e involucramiento de los beneficiarios y contrapartes estatales como en Salud Mesoamerica. ?Muchas felicidades por los éxitos obtenidos y por las nuevas oportunidades que emergieron en este evento!. Gracias UFacilitate por la invitación. ?? ??

Today, we want to share a gift with you. ??? As we come to the end of the year, ?? it is hard not to think about the great amount of chaos and uncertainty that #2024 continued to bring to our lives, and to the lives of millions of people around the world. ?? As we reflect on these constant #changes, we asked ourselves: ??What resources do we know of to support people in facilitating this change? ?? After all, as facilitators, we navigate change constantly. ??♂??? In fact, as humans, change is constantly in our lives. ?? In the words of Octavia Butler:????? Thinking about what resources can help us navigate this never-ending change, ?? one helpful and favorite #framework came to mind: Ecocycle Planning ?? (https://lnkd.in/da2VJkd) It is an amazing #methodology created by our friends from Liberating Structures. ?? It helps leaders and their teams catalyze agility, resilience, ?? and sustained performance by including all four phases of development in their planning processes: gestation, birth, maturity and creative destruction. ???? This last phase is very helpful in that it invites us to think about the renewal that can come from the intentional endings, or taking advantage of the movement of chaos. ?? ?? We love this framework so much, it’s the cornerstone of the event we will facilitate for the Inter-American Development Bank's Salud Mesoamérica Initiative in early 2025. About 5 years ago, we also introduced it as a change management tool for that same initiative which has impacted the lives of millions in Latin America. ?? ?? Here is a great explainer video by Jeremy Akers, a well-known LS practitioner in Europe who is also a friend of the community: ?? https://lnkd.in/eqHaNpiD I truly hope you and your team find this gift ?? useful for a 2025 filled with hope and renewal. ??If you feel you need support to imagine how you can apply the framework to your day to day, don’t hesitate to reply to this post, ?? send us a message or book a meeting with our Founder & CEO, Andres Marquez-Lara, for the beginning of next year: ?? https://lnkd.in/gUnJXXc5 ?? I hope you have a great end of the year ??? filled with joy, rest and inspiration. ?? #Gift #UFacilitate #Resilience #Agility #Facilitation #Support #EndofYear #ChangeManagement #IDB?#Coaching #Training #NewYear #LiberatingStructures

??UFacilitate's recent facilitation of Atlas Corps' Hilton Prize Leadership Summit went great!? The goal was to deepen learning ??, foster connections,??? and inspire collaborative action among delegates representing 27 countries and 25 Hilton Humanitarian Prize laureate organizations. ?? Shoutout to Diane Garza for her incredible work facilitating the event! Her expertise and guidance made the event a huge success. Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to a meaningful and impactful experience! ?? We're grateful to Atlas Corps & Cultural Vistas for entrusting us with this project. ?? Set up a 60-min consultation with us to design more meaningful Summits for your stakeholders! Also check out this video if you want to hear some testimonials on how our summits are different: ??https://lnkd.in/gFAkUvq2 If you want to explore ways to collaborate, ?? block a meeting with Andres Marquez-Lara through this link: ?? https://lnkd.in/gTkdJZaq Or email him at [email protected] ?? #UFacilitate #facilitation #collaboration #leadership #innovation #globalimpact?#AtlasCorps #HiltonPrize #CulturalVistas

I love conferences! Partly because I'm an extrovert but also because of the amazing #synchronicities that take place. However, there is a special type of conference that is designed to create tons of #synchronicities: #OpenSpace (also known as #Unconferences or #OpenSpaceTechnology) The #origin story of this approach came when #HarrisonOwen noticed that the place where people felt most energized in conferences was in the brief coffee break and unstructured spaces in between sessions. This was in part because people discovered new connections and talked about topics THEY cared about. So he asked himself what would a conference look like where the participants where the ones who created the agenda? What if they were to self-organize to ensure that the topics discussed were relevant to the participants and not what the organizers thought was most important? I LOVE this style of conferences for many reasons, but one in particular is because it has 4 rules (See image). These are 1. Whoever come are the right people 2. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have 3. Whenever it starts is the right time 4. When it’s over, it’s over In essence, these events design for and encourage #synchronicities Don't get me wrong, these events happen in even your most traditional conferences, but open space takes it to a whole new level. It invites EVERYONE to trust the process and lean into the #emergence. You could do a 3 day summit in this style or a session within a larger convening. It's a very flexible approach. If you are in charge of organizing a convening of any type in the near future, I highly encourage you to at least incorporate a small session (90 minutes) so that you can experience the magic. Tip: After lunch is a GREAT time since it'll get people moving and energized. If you want to learn how to #facilitate this #LiberatingStructure has a step by step how to guide: https://lnkd.in/ezi3-98P and of course, if you want more support or help, just reach out :) #Leadership #Convening #Gathering #Summits #PeopleMatter #CultureMatters #HR

UFacilitate is searching for a talented part-time Sales & Marketing Coordinator to join our growing team! ???? The Sales & Marketing Coordinator will play a vital role in supporting our global team ?? and driving our growth.? ?? The responsibilities will include managing our CRM, analyzing sales data, creating marketing materials, and implementing a basic social media plan. ?? ??Ideal Candidate: ?Ability to work with a global team in different time zones ?Ability to provide structure in a fast-growing and less structured environment ?Ability to analyze data and draw key insights for critical metrics? ?Ability to learn new tools quickly ?Ability to be detail-oriented, accurate, and efficient ?Based in Europe or Africa The Sales & Marketing Coordinator will work as per their schedule while overlapping with key team members, and we estimate it to be about 20-25 hours per week on average. Visit this link to view the full job description: https://lnkd.in/eNB2QTWy ? If you’re interested, send your CV, a cover letter explaining why you're a good fit, and your salary expectations to [email protected]. #ufacilitate #salesandmarketing #flexiblework #globalteam #careeropportunity

Welcoming two new UFacilitate team members! We are thrilled to welcome Lesley-Ann Welsh and Marianne Montalvo to our team!? Both share a #passion for helping people to connect and facilitating people-centered development. Their support will be essential to our community of 140+ facilitators based in 33 countries. ?? Lesley-Ann Welsh, our new #ProjectManager, our new Project Manager, brings a wealth of experience, with 15 years in sustainable development, and cultural and creative sectors??. As a storyteller, ?? educator, and seasoned project manager based out of Jamaica and Germany, she's adept at bringing bold ideas to life and driving positive change. Her arrival marks a significant step in our commitment to strengthening?? community engagement and project management. In her role, Lesley-Ann will manage various project tasks and oversee community onboarding processes. Her skills in coordinating, monitoring progress, and fostering collaboration will be invaluable assets to our team. ???? Marianne Montalvo, our U.S. Government Partnerships Lead,???brings 15 years of experience in the #USAID space, as an educator and curriculum developer, program designer ?? and manager, and as a business development director. Based out of South Africa, she has designed and managed USAID-funded programs?across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. ?? Her expertise across #facilitation, learning, and US government business development make her a perfect fit for leading our efforts to explore new opportunities with USAID and other government agencies. Join us in welcoming them! ? #NewTeamMembers #StrengtheningCommunities #GlobalCollaboration #LeadershipDevelopment #UFacilitate

Meet Julie Turney, (HRforHR): Your HR Superhero From Barbados ?? Ever felt burnt out in HR?? Julie Turney gets it! Hailing from the beautiful island of Barbados, Julie's your go-to guide for building rockstar resilience in the HR world. ?? She founded HR@Heart Consulting, ?? a company dedicated to helping fellow HR professionals build their resilience, sharpen their skills, and find their voice. ??? ??? The HR Sound Off: Busting Myths, Sharing Stories ?- Julie also hosts "The HR Sound Off Podcast," a fun and informative show.? She talks with HR professionals from around the world, ??demystifying HR work and showing its human side.? This way, everyone can see what a cool and rewarding career it can be! Disrupting HR in the Caribbean: Julie's a true leader in the HR community. She's the Lead Organizer of DisruptHR Caribbean, a group dedicated to shaping the future of work in the region.?? Building Tech Talent in Paradise: Julie believes the Caribbean is brimming with tech talent!? She works with The Source Code Developer Academy to create exciting tech careers for people in the region. Reach out to Julie through Aparna Bhat at [email protected] and embark on a journey of HR resilience and Caribbean tech empowerment. #HRprofessional #HRburnout #employeeengagement #leadershipdevelopment #CaribbeanTech #UFacilitate

Our monthly convening took us on a journey of fun and connection! We had a fantastic community convening last week, led by Alexandra Suchman (CEO & Co-Founder of Barometer XP)!? We played refreshing icebreaker games and fostered collaboration within our community. ? Alex led us through some games that involved drawing and sharing about personal information and likes. We used the piccles app: https://www.piccles.com/ Make sure to check it out! These games gave us a chance to get to know our fellow facilitators from around the world in a whole new light. It was a fantastic way to express ourselves differently, reflect on our thoughts and reactions, and connect with both new and familiar faces! ? **A HUGE shoutout to all our facilitators who participated and made the session so engaging! ** Marianne Montalvo, Jessi Bellama, Corinne Boulad, Kerriann Peart Ph.D., MPH, Kimberly Sescoe, Julian C. Johnson, nellie cabane ORSC, C-IQ, C-ROI, HC System Business Coach, Jake Wild Crea, Norah Bwaya (PhD), Carlos Gaviria, Mary Njenga Murimi. We can't wait to see you again at the next convening! ?? To those who couldn't join us this time, we missed you! and we hope you can join the fun at our next convening. ?? #CommunityConvening #FacilitatorFun #Connection #UFaciltiate

#Facilitation is hard to describe. In part, it's because a lot of our work is #unseen and behind the scenes. The participants rarely see the hours/days of interviews, document review, co-creation sessions, individual research, prototyping, powerpoint design (the hours it takes me to find the right image!), and countless of other activities that go into thinking and preparing for the overall flow of a session or a question that is asked in a retreat. Then once we are in the front of the room, a lot of our interventions are in response to what we sense and feel with the group with our #EmotionalRadar. I would say that our goal as facilitators is to "lead from the back". To be a #midwife to the process, as my dear friend and colleague Cari Caldwell (she/her) would say. That's why I was so delighted to see this great piece written by our good friends and collaborators at Voltage Control expanding on the unseen role of facilitators. https://lnkd.in/eurSmZhX As the article points out: "As facilitators, we want ?Our methods to be present and working without us standing out; ?Our team moved toward a more sustainable way of engaging with one another without the need of our constant help; ?A realm that our team feels is comfortable without them having to say it; ?To be a catalyst without getting the praise." It's not about us, the facilitator. It's about the group! This is why I believe that skilled #facilitation embodies the type of #leadership that we need in this #complex world. A type of leadership that is not about the person in front of the room telling people what to do. It's about creating the conditions/environment for others to come together and figure out what they want to do. In the words of another dear friend and colleague, Maggie Chumbley, "Their arm pits (the group) should be sweating, not yours (the facilitator)!" This subtle but important shift has also been described as "Going from the #ego to the #eco" in the world of #TheoryU, Otto Scharmer and Presencing Institute. There is a lot more to unpack here of course, but I hope this gives some food for thoughts as you enjoy this great article and resources. Feel free to let me know what resonates, what questions it raises, and more :) #LeadershipDevelopment #Change #CultureChange #SystemsChange. #PeopleMatter #HR