Facilitation Skills Workshop [IN PERSON]

with Richard Brown

April 21st

Date details +
    Room: Main Meditation Hall
    1-4pm, Sunday April 21
     
     
    Delve into the intricate skills of facilitation, and expand your capacity to connect with students and participants in our programs.
     
    Have you ever been in awe of a great facilitator, wondering how they bring out the best in others? It's not magic, it's a set of skills anyone can cultivate, and there’s a path!
     
    We’ll focus on building muscles that make facilitation easier - less pressure and more fun! This workshop goes deep into the layers of "Level 2" listening,

    True Level 2 Listening is the foundational practice of facilitation and coaching; the ground everything else stems from. It’s also similar (but with a twist!) to what we learn in Shambhala as "Listening from Beyond One’s Cocoon." This way of listening opens a wonderful rabbit hole of Level 2 curiosity, awareness, and more!

    Once this seed is planted, it grows and develops on its own, spills over into other aspects of life - and opens the gate to a richer, more profound way of being with others.

    Our goal is to help you expand your ability to:
    1- connect with participants
    2- draw out what's unfolding in real-time for each person, fostering understanding and growth.

    We’ll also introduce a basket of supporting skills that build from this way of listening -  articulations, acknowledgments, forwarding questions, intuition, self-management, giving space, and expanding your range.

    Ongoing practice with these skills is a mechanism for continual growth, not just as a teacher or leader but as a human being, parent, friend, etc.
     

    Who is it for?
    This workshop is open to all, but it is designed for teachers, meditation instructors, and program leaders at the Boston Shambhala Center.

    These are skills which can decrease your anxiety and increase your capacity in any situation where you are listening and responding - individual meetings, leading group discussions, Q&A, and welcoming people to the center. 

    Building on our dharma practice
    Our approach is grounded in the study of dharma and personal meditation practice. Yet, the skills we hone overlap with various disciplines and professions. Sharpening these skills broadens our perspectives, helping us connect more directly with people and bring out the wisdom in every interaction.
     
    Part of our ongoing development for Teachers/Facilitators/Staff
    This year we are offering more workshops, on a variety of different topics and from a variety of different presenters and disciplines. Our previous workshops, including the Trauma Working Group's outstanding session on Creating Trauma Informed Spaces, have been instrumental in expanding our collective knowledge. 
     
     
    Q&A
    I already have some facilitation training, should I still come? I hope you will! There's always more to learn and I’m always surprised by what I glean from a different person and approach.
     
    For any of our teacher topics, we'll likely have people with have training in that area from multiple perspectives. It's wonderful to have these people attend and enrich the conversation to help us create the forms that are appropriate for the Boston Shambhala Center.
     
    Do I have to be a [insert role] to attend? No. If you're interested and inspired, please come. While it's geared toward certain roles, this program is not restricted to any particular role.
     
    I would really like to be there, but I can't attend this session. What can I do? Let me know. These training sessions are important, and we also know that no matter what there will be people who have to miss a program. We hope to be able to offer them (or versions of them) multiple times.
     
    Will it cost money? No. These are offered for free to support you in your role here. If we run a training which includes lunch or some other program expense, we may ask participants to chip in. 
     
    Thank you for your service and your generosity, and for making the practice and study of dharma possible for so many people!
     
     
    Richard Brown has been a meditator for over 30 years, with several traditions, before finding home with the Shambhala Community 19 years ago. He’s been a Meditation Guide for 10 years, and is an Executive and Life Coach, often helping people select and apply mindfulness-based tools in their professional and personal development. Richard also loves Behavioral and Neuroscience and is fascinated with the areas of confluence for all of these great fields of learning.
     
     

    This program is IN-PERSON at 646 Brookilne Avenue.

    Registration Required: Please register with an email you check regularly. We will send important information about the program to you via email and don’t want you to miss it.

    You will not receive an email right away. Participants will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours of registration, and a confirmation email with program details approximately 1 week before the program begins. Sometimes emails may end up in your promotions, spam or junk folder. It’s also possible that you’ve unsubscribed from emails from Shambhala, which prevents you from receiving the necessary emails. If you don't receive the confirmation email, please contact [email protected].

    Attendance: Please plan to arrive 15 minutes early to be ready to begin at the start of the session.

    In-person participation: Please note that masking is now optional. If you are not feeling well for any reason, please stay home and contact us about a refund. Additionally, we ask you to limit the use of scented products, as many people have chemical sensitivities. Note that our building is not wheelchair accessible.

    Parking & Transportation: Parking near the Shambhala Center can be limited. We strongly encourage using public transportation and/or carpooling.

    FAQ Common questions might be answered on our FAQ page.

     
    Register now