Give me a call or send me a mail when you want to:
- inspire your business or organization, and your partners in finding novel ways to enhance your positive impact on society
- identify signposts for the road ahead for the next policy term, decade or the legacy of your enterprise
- work towards meaningful interdisciplinary and intercultural transactions
- improve the cooperation within your teams and/or with partners
- address challenging ethical and moral questions within your work, team, or company
Based on 20+ years’ experience I facilitate gatherings based on a combination of knowledge and experience. Facilitation is more an art than a science although insights from philosophy, ethics, psychology, and group dynamics are invaluable. As is an extended experience with conference curation and event management. Facilitation happens in the moment based on thorough preparation and many, many, MANY hours of practice in the essential skills: listening, observing, keeping distance, and daring to step outside the content whilst not losing the connection, understanding human behavior and group dynamics.
In the end every gathering is unique and hence every facilitation is unique. Thus, the preparations and methods deployed are tailored to the needs of the people gathering, using an agreed set of building blocks.
Drawing on 20+ years’ experience my main points of reference for inspiration to design brave gatherings are:
Philosophy
the power of working with Aristotle’s Golden Mean, the proven clarifying and empowering conversations using the moral deliberation methodology and the profound change a Socratic conversation are happily leveraged.
Movement
physical movement in a shape, form and level that meets the participants comfortably in their capabilities helps to change perspectives, move convictions, and shift opinions.
Courageous conversations
inspired by the work of Brené Brown: transformative gatherings ask for vulnerability, compassionate connection and open, inviting language.
Design thinking
finding the courage to arrive at truly creative, daring ideas and to start developing the road towards materialization of those ideas calls for unconventional approaches for which design thinking offers useful perspectives and tools.
Collective intelligence
transformative gatherings and courageous conversations are needed to take on grand challenges and require all at the gathering to be engaged, a goal towards which tools from the collective intelligence toolbox are geared.
Conflict resolution
navigating vastly different perspectives including (com)passionate opposition are part and parcel of transformative gatherings and hence conflict resolution skills are essential.
Arts
the confronting, aesthetic, clarifying and provoking qualities of arts offer valuable perspectives to invite and support brave gatherings, meaningful exchanges and shifting perspectives.
My style of engaging and facilitating brave gatherings is inspired by everyday life, a vast experience with different people, organisations, companies, and networks in different roles as well as intensive travels on foot and by bicycle through various cultures and countries. A way of travelling that thrives on boundless curiosity and a hunger for adventure and that invites continuous adaptation, self-reflection and too not take yourself too seriously. My rules of engagement for brave gatherings are:
- This gathering is a safe space: whatever happens in this gathering, stays in this gathering.
- We all disconnect from mobile devices, unless there is a dire emergency: let’s focus on here and now and really be with the participants of this gathering.
- Listen with the same passion as you want to be heard.
- Engage with the best you have to offer today.
- Appreciate that vast differences in convictions, perspectives and ideas may occur.
- Respect the platinum rule: “Do unto others as they want to be done to them”.
- I am at the service of your purpose.
- Support me in supporting you to fulfill the purpose of this gathering: share your knowledge and insights generously and kindly correct me when I misunderstand.
My commitment is to:
- Listen
- Be honest (and that starts with advising you based on our first conversation whether I am the right facilitator for you or whether your needs would be better met by another facilitator)
- Create and hold space that is safe, open and allows for depth in the exchanges
- Engage as facilitator in the gathering with positivity, compassion, kindness and clarity of mind and being
- Embrace the difficulties and the chances, the tensions and the opportunities
- Remain independent
- Be discrete
- Be generous with my time, attention, energy, knowledge in facilitating your gathering
- Be with you in the moment and disengage when the gathering has come to a close
- Leave my ego and judgements at home
I am academically trained in applied ethics (M.A., Utrecht University, 2008) and social studies of science and technology (M.A., Maastricht University, 1996) and formed by everyday life and many travels on foot and bicycle. A way of travelling that thrives on boundless curiosity and a hunger for adventure, that forces intercultural connections and that invites continuous adaptation and self-reflection. Above all it is a joyful reminder not take yourself and your cultural lens too seriously.
I love to work with organizations, businesses, teams and networks that dare themselves to take on grand challenges and are truly committed to putting their strengths and efforts towards creating a friendlier world for all living beings in a tangible way. Over the past 20+ years, I supported leaders and visionaries in Europe, Asia and the Pacific working in some way towards a friendlier world for all. Amongst others I helped NGO’s in enabling access to information & education and worked with international organizations and networks through intercultural differences towards finding joint purpose in their actions for a more equitable society. I consulted on ethical and moral issues in organizations and facilitated vision gatherings to (re)define organizational purpose in view of grand challenges and developments. I created and supported networks of organizations in search for a joint vision, mission and coherent actions to further understanding of conflict and peace. I publish regularly on a variety of platforms and share my learnings and insights in occasional Linkedin articles. Contact me if you want a referral to a previous client.
Margo de Groot Coenen thank you for your skilful, kind and expert facilitation. A great week focusing on how we ensure that #arts and #culture fulfil the leading role they need to play in building a #diverse #healing #regenerative future in partnership with #indigenousknowledge #science and #technology
What could have well been an awkward situation was elegantly solved and a productive conversation arose!
You mobilized our knowledge and enabled true connection between us, gave us confidence and wings to fly!
(Participants in series of gatherings with the purpose of formulating a joint educational vision and mission for the collaborating defense museums)
It’s been a good and insightful gathering. Simultaneously from your report it is clear that much work needs to be done and we are looking forward to taking that on!
(Board of Association of Netherlands Science Centers following a visioning and strategy meeting)
Your gathering is valuable. Let’s make the most of it together.
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