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Mid-Atlantic Facilitators Network

Events & Learning Opportunities

MAFN offers a wide range of learning opportunities to develop new skills and master new techniques and approaches. For almost 20 years, MAFN has been the leader in professional development opportunities in facilitation across the Mid-Atlantic region. Catering to all levels of facilitation experience, MAFN's workshops receive rave reviews from participants!

MAFN workshops feature a variety of topics related to deepening and broadening the skills of facilitators. Our workshops are designed to be interactive and provide experiential learning for all participants as they learn from the expertise of others. 

Each month MAFN hosts two workshops: a 90 minute workshop and a three hour workshop.

Our 90 minute workshops offer grounding and resources on the focus topic and are included in MAFN membership.  Our three hour workshops offer more time for discussion and practice during the session.

Both types of workshops will begin at 12:00pm Eastern and are being offered online through June of 2022. 

Occasionally MAFN will also host special events or speakers. See details below for upcoming events. 

Upcoming events

    • 12/08/2023
    • 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
    • Online using Zoom
    Register

    Duration: 3 Hour workshop

    About the workshop

    All around we’re experiencing major changes to every aspect of our environments - to our communities, how we work, the tools and technology we use, and so on. Yet, most people struggle with being open to, embracing, and adapting to change. This poses a challenge for us facilitators who lead change initiatives with clients.

    The goal of this combination workshop-mastermind session is to build our collective knowledge and confidence in encouraging reflection, so we can better prime our clients for growth and change. The workshop component will share some of Barometer XP’s activities and strategies to help people practice and get more comfortable with reflection. The mastermind piece will source best practices and lessons learned from the community.

    Learning Objectives 

    In this session, participants will:

    • Explore why reflection is so critical, and how to craft great reflective questions.
    • Practice applying self and situational awareness by playing a few games.
    • Collect best practices and lessons learned for how to encourage reflection in different change initiatives.

    NOTE: This workshop will be recorded for distribution to all who register (breakout rooms will not be recorded).

    This is a 3 hour workshop. It will take place from 12:00pm to 3:00pm EST.

    Speaker:

    Alex Suchman (she/her) is cofounder and CEO of Barometer XP, a company that drives real behavior and culture change through games and play.

    After a decade of experience working in operations and organizational development, Alex realized that building stronger emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills are key to organizational success. She noticed a gap in the industry for solutions that bridge the knowledge-to-action gap, and discovered game-based experiential learning for teams as an effective tool.

    Prior to Barometer XP, Alex founded AIS Collaborations, a consulting firm that helped small organizations through simple systems, stronger organizing techniques, and better planning.

    ONLINE WORKSHOP REMINDERS

    • No refunds or credits for registration cancellations.
    • Registration closes at midnight the day before the workshop.
    • Registered participants will receive instructions for joining the live session and any additional details 1 day in advance and the morning of the event. Please be sure to look for the link in your email.
    • Workshops begin promptly at 12:00PM Eastern.  Please log on at least 15 minutes in advance to ensure your internet connections, audio and other settings are functioning properly.MAFN Members have access to all online workshop recordings via the MAFN website.
    • For registration or membership questions contact info@mafn.org.
    • 01/08/2024
    • 03/04/2024
    • 5 sessions
    • Online using Zoom
    Register

    Duration: 5 part series - 90 minute sessions

    About the workshop:

    In this exploration of organizational culture change, attendees will play a significant role in determining the content and direction of the five sessions. While Carol and Peter will provide overall facilitation, members of the cohort may also make short presentations, offer their experience and knowledge to the conversation, bring examples from their work, and provide feedback to other members of the cohort.

    In order to create our own culture of dialogue, reflection and peer learning, attendees commit to attending all five sessions. A recording of each session will be available to attendees who must miss a session due to an emergency or scheduled work that they are unable to reschedule.

    Topics may include the following (but are not limited to these):

    • Culture assessments

    • Culture change and leadership

    •  Strategies that support culture change that “sticks”

    • Facilitator bias when supporting culture change

    Learning Objectives 

    By the end of the five sessions, participants will:

    • Deepen their awareness of tools and strategies related to supporting culture change

    • Engage with peers to give and receive feedback on culture change challenges they face

    • Develop a plan for strengthening their capacity to support culture change

    NOTE: This series will be recorded for distribution only to those who register (breakout rooms will not be recorded). 

    This is a 5-part series. 

    SERIES DATES:  Mondays - 1pm - 2:30pm EST

    Date 1  -  Monday, January 8, 2024

    Date 2  -  Monday, January 22, 2024

    Date 3  -  Monday, February 5, 2024

    Date 4  -  Monday, February 19, 2024

    Date 5  -  Monday, March 4, 2024

    Speakers:

    Carol Hamilton, Principal, Grace Social Sector Consulting, LLC, and host of Mission: Impact podcast, facilitates whole-brain strategic planning, impact mapping, service audits and organizational assessments for nonprofits and associations. She combines left-brain strategy and analysis with right-brain wisdom about human complexities for a proven, whole-brain, whole-organization process through which every stakeholder thrives. consultant collective focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion that has a particular focus on racial equity, All In Consulting.


    Peter Lane is an organizational consultant with more than 20 years of experience. He is also a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) trained at the Mayo Clinic. Peter works with individuals and teams that are committed to ongoing learning, reflection, and making positive change for themselves and their organizations. His steady and focused guidance results in improved performance, innovation, and the development of a shared culture of learning and commitment. Peter designs and facilitates retreats and workshops, provides coaching to teams and individuals, and facilitates planning processes.

    ONLINE WORKSHOP REMINDERS

    • No refunds or credits for registration cancellations.
    • Registration closes at midnight the day before the workshop.
    • Registered participants will receive instructions for joining the live session and any additional details 1 day in advance and the morning of the event. Please be sure to look for the link in your email.
    • These workshops begin promptly at 1:00PM Eastern.  Please log on at least 15 minutes in advance to ensure your internet connections, audio and other settings are functioning properly.
    • Recordings from this series will be sent to all who register for the series. The recordings will not be available on the MAFN website.
    • For registration or membership questions contact info@mafn.org.
    • 01/12/2024
    • 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
    • Online using Zoom
    Register

    Duration: 90-minute online workshop

    About the workshop

    An IR Digraph, from the quality management movement, helps you prioritize items from a systems approach. Based on Pareto's 80/20 rule, the tool helps you identify the 20% of the ideas or goals that will drive or influence the other 80%.

    With the goals or ideas you want to work with, ask two simple questions: is there a strong relationship between this item and the next? if so, which one drives the other? Work through the items to identify the drivers in the system.

    Learning Objectives 

    In this session, participants will:

    • Learn a way to prioritize items or goals by using a systems approach instead of voting on what's popular.

    • Learn that some goals or ideas may have greater impact than others.
    • Learn to listen to a minority voice that may hold more wisdom than 'the crowd.'

    NOTE: This workshop will be recorded for distribution to all who register (breakout rooms will not be recorded).

    This is a 90-minute workshop. It will take place starting at 12:00pm EST

    Speaker: 

    Since 1989, Anne Peyton has been consulting as Yellow Brick Road™ working with small- to medium-size nonprofits with a wide variety of missions.  She specializes in development and capital campaigns, strategic thinking and planning, and meeting/retreat planning and facilitation.  She has adapted tools from the business world to nonprofit management and using Peter Senge’s The Fifth Discipline for teaching workshops and working with nonprofit organizations. Her favorite tool from the quality management movement is the inter-relationship digraph or IR digraph, and it’s become her go-to tool for any cluster of goals or ideas that need to be prioritized from a systems point of view. The quality management gave us several data-based tools, such as scattergrams that are based on observed data.  The IR diagram is based on your knowledge and intuition of how things work in your organization, not based on data. 

    ONLINE WORKSHOP REMINDERS

    • No refunds or credits for registration cancellations.
    • Registration closes at midnight the day before the workshop.
    • Registered participants will receive instructions for joining the live session and any additional details 1 day in advance and the morning of the event. Please be sure to look for the link in your email.
    • Workshops begin promptly at 12:00PM Eastern.  Please log on at least 15 minutes in advance to ensure your internet connections, audio and other settings are functioning properly.
    • MAFN Members have access to all online workshop recordings via the MAFN website.
    • For registration or membership questions contact info@mafn.org.
    • 02/02/2024
    • 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
    • COPT Training Room, Suite 850 at 1753 Pinnacle Drive, McLean, VA
    Register

    Duration: 3-Hour In-Person Workshop

    About the workshop

    Double the thinking capacity of everyone in the room by putting pen to paper. You will experience four drawing exercises, three of which can be implemented immediately. Techniques for non-judgmental evaluation of participants’ drawings will be modeled and taught. Barb will also show and explain some of the brain science behind why drawing is an indispensable tool for the business environment. Even if you think you can’t draw, you can draw for thinking.

    COVID Protocols for in-person attendance:

    • We ask that each person attending in-person be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

    • Participants are asked to stay home if they have any COVID-19 symptoms, including runny nose, fever, cough, breathing issues, or gastrointestinal issues.

    • Please also stay home if you have been diagnosed with COVID-19, or any variant thereof, or if you have had direct contact with an individual diagnosed with or suspected to have COVID-19 in the past 7 days.

    Learning Objectives 

    • Drawing by participants is a valuable tool for communication and understanding

    • Everyone can draw and drawing in important meetings is a useful tool for everyone to gain insight into unspoken assumptions

    • Participants will learn two drawing techniques they can use for facilitation

    This is a 3-hour in-person workshop. It will take place starting at 10:00am EST.

    MAFN will provide a box lunch for participants.

    Speaker:

    Barb Siegel is an interdisciplinary professional, embodying the roles of artist, facilitator, and researcher of human capacity and experience in complex adaptive ecosystems. Barb possesses the unique ability to crystalize ideas and create immersive workshops that engage people on multiple levels and various perspectives – inside, outside, and evolving through time.
    • 02/09/2024
    • 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
    • Online using Zoom
    Register

    Duration: 90-minute workshop

    About the workshop

    Every facilitator offers a unique set of gifts for every group they meet. That uniqueness is personal, like a signature. It adds deeper meaning and purpose to the work they do.

    In this interactive session, you'll work with five personas to help you accelerate the discovery process, identify natural strengths, and uncover your signature style.

    Moe and Boyan’s high energy and interactive style will result in a buzz of energy in the room. Participants will be introspecting, engaging in activities, connecting, and conversing with their peers.

    Learning Objectives 

    At the end of the learning session, participants will be able to:

    • Explain the main attributes of the facilitator's five personas.

    • Identify a natural strength and an opportunity you have as a facilitator.

    • Define the impact they have on your participants.

    • Identify an action you will take to grow and develop as a facilitator.

    NOTE: This workshop will be recorded for distribution to all who register (breakout rooms will not be recorded).

    This is a 90-minute online workshop. It will take place starting at 12:00pm EST.

    Speakers:

    Name, Organization Name -- 

    Moe Poirier, Founding Partner at Shift Facilitation, has a gift for bringing learning to life, fostering collaboration, and motivating others to strive for more. For over 20 years, he has honed his craft as a training designer, facilitator, coach, and consultant. He’s an engineer, an entrepreneur and an educator. Moe’s on a mission to have individuals, leaders and teams reinvent themselves as value creators for the people and organizations they serve.


    Boyan Djefersky has been coined both a social butterfly and deeply introspective. His superpowers include his ability to connect with others in a heartbeat, create psychologically safe & highly engaging learning sessions and inspire his participants to bring the very best in themselves. For almost a decade now, he has developed his skills as a training designer, facilitator, coach, and consultant. He’s a musician, an athlete, and an educator. Boyan’s on a mission to guide his participants through transformative learning experiences resulting in powerful insights and committed action steps (in both official languages).

    ONLINE WORKSHOP REMINDERS

    • No refunds or credits for registration cancellations.
    • Registration closes at midnight the day before the workshop.
    • Registered participants will receive instructions for joining the live session and any additional details 1 day in advance and the morning of the event. Please be sure to look for the link in your email.
    • Workshops begin promptly at 12:00PM Eastern.  Please log on at least 15 minutes in advance to ensure your internet connections, audio and other settings are functioning properly.
    • MAFN Members have access to all online workshop recordings via the MAFN website.
    • For registration or membership questions contact info@mafn.org.
    • 03/19/2024
    • 2:00 PM
    • 03/20/2024
    • 4:00 PM
    • Online using Zoom
    Register

    Duration: 2-part series - 2-hour sessions

    About the workshop

    This masterclass will provide you with data, advice, and the opportunity to practice an opening statement or short strategy pitch. You will also learn facilitation strategies that get your audience engaged and techniques for encouraging critical thinking discussions that influence others and lead to buy-in for your ideas.  You’ll have the chance to receive valuable  feedback from yourself, and other participants in this class.

    This experience will help you develop greater confidence and competence, so that you can successfully communicate your ideas and strategies, lead discussion dialogue and debate, and engage with people eager to hear what you have to communicate. You will also learn how to lead engaging discussions that invite challenge, diverse perspectives and critical thinking to your topic.

    A Cohort of participants work in a learning community together. You will bring a topic that you want to work on, and through this interactive course, you will learn:

    Session 1: Learning, Building, Creating

    • Background and History of Presentation and Pitching Skills 

    • Learn how Pitching is different from Facilitating, and how to integrate both into your pitching discussions.

    • Strategies that help anticipate and manage emotions and anxieties

    • Communication effectiveness tips

    • Virtual best practices for making the most of the zoom environment

    • Know your audience identities, roles, and preferences as a path to influence

    • Pitch building strategies - 

      • Content (including basic use of AI to help you with language and wording)

      • Flow

      • Influence (know & read your audience)

      • Engagement

    Session 2: Practice and Feedback

    • Learn and commit to practices in listening, giving quality feedback, and strategies for dealing with disruptive behaviors 

    • Practice pitching with a cohort

    • Receive reactions and feedback from the lead facilitator and the cohort

    • Each person creates their improvement action plans

    • Feedback and acknowledgement shared from the cohort

    • Appreciation and sustainability plan shared as a final closing activity

    Learning Objectives 

    In this session, participants will:

    • Learn best practices from a seasoned facilitator who loves her work

    • Learn facilitation strategies that engage and influence others

    • Bring a real presentation topic and practice in a supportive group setting which includes valuable feedback discussions

    NOTE: This series will be recorded for distribution to all who register (breakout rooms will not be recorded).

    This is a 2-part series.

    SERIES DATES: 

    • Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 2-4pm EDT

    • Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 2-4pm EDT

    Speaker: 

    Tres Jiménez, CEO of Tres Jiménez Coaching & Consulting, is a seasoned presenter, public speaker and a certified innovation facilitator who supports people and teams in building and delivering successful innovation pitch concepts.  Tres brings energy and optimism to her workshops, and she combines her personal experiences (positive and horrific) along with decades of learned practices and results in pitching numerous “intrapenurial” and entrepreneurial concepts, with many successes (and almost as many failures along the way).  Tres is known for creating supportive and fun learning spaces where everyone is willing to take risks, make mistakes, and learn together.

    ONLINE WORKSHOP REMINDERS

    • No refunds or credits for registration cancellations.
    • Registration closes at midnight the day before the workshop.
    • Registered participants will receive instructions for joining the live session and any additional details 1 day in advance and the morning of the event. Please be sure to look for the link in your email.
    • These workshops begin promptly at 2:00PM Eastern.  Please log on at least 15 minutes in advance to ensure your internet connections, audio and other settings are functioning properly.
    • Recordings from this series will be sent to all who register for the series. The recordings will not be available on the MAFN website.
    • For registration or membership questions contact info@mafn.org.

CANCELLATION POLICY

For our online workshops, there are no refunds or credits for registration cancellations. Unless specified, the online workshops are recorded and the recording will be sent to those registered.

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