Bubbles burst

If workshops were like school, I think the bell would go off at 3.30.

That’s because not much thinking work gets done after then, especially if a group has been together since nine.

New ideas? Thin on the ground, no matter how strong the coffee.

Wrangling agreement? Unlikely.

Late afternoon is better spent working out where you’ve landed, what’s next, and giving people space to reflect.

It can also be when the bubbles burst.

If people haven’t had a chance to speak freely tension builds and can suddenly burst like a bubble. Or more painfully, like a blister. Or a pimple.

Cue facilitation stuff-up, as promised.

This one still makes me cringe. A workshop I thought was going so smoothly. Until it wasn’t. It was years ago, but it still feels fresh.

Facilitators read the room like sailors read the wind. We change tack when the conditions shift.

Except I didn’t.

I misread discomfort as unfamiliarity.

I misread questions as power plays.

I misread reluctance as shyness.

A few useful ideas floated up, but not the gold my client expected.

Then, in the last hour – bang! The bubble burst.

Energy spiked. Tempers flared. Bottled-up feelings finally got airtime.

It was messy. It was honest. And people didn’t want to leave.

Real connections happened.

Trust flickered in a group that didn’t think it was possible.

That moment sparked a long-lasting partnership agreed a few months later.

It’s easy to see what I could’ve done differently. But that’s not the point today.

The point is I stuffed up. And telling you about it might help you share your own. Even if it’s just with yourself.

Sharing our stuff-ups helps us learn, connect and grow.

We just need the right conditions to share them, like that bubble needed to burst.

More on that next time. And yes, probably another (fl)awesome fail from my portfolio.

Thanks for reading this far.

Stay (fl)awesome!