WISDOM WORKSHOP IN FACILITATING FLOURISHING

For leaders, teachers, coaches, and facilitators who want to deepen and build their facilitation skills

🧭 In this three-month workshop, we will learn:

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How to create gatherings that improve productivity, presence, well-being, and growth  

How to develop the Six Core Competencies of the International Association of Facilitators (IAF)

How an emergent learning toolkit can support safe experimentation, feedback, and reflection

How the values, assumptions, and norms of a mutual learning approach can yield higher productiving and individual well-being

How an Ethics of Care can help us sustain a participatory environment that values human differences

How Eastern wisdom traditions and Western psychological sciences can enrich our approach to facilitating flourishing‍

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🧰 COMMITMENTS AND  PRACTICES:

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As we identify areas of strength and improvement in our process facilitation,
we will apply Taoist Mysticism, Buddhist Psychology, and Modern Ethics of Care towards our  
13 Commitments For Facilitating Flourishing:

Personal Responsibility : maintaining a fundamental response of looking inward

Unified Purpose : creating cohesion, affinity, and hope within ourselves and others

Psychological Safety : establishing a basis of vulnerability, insight, and engagement

Mindful Presence : cultivating non-judgmental awareness, equanimity, and deep listening

Deep Humility : honoring each person’s wisdom ; leveling the playing field

Genuine Curiosity : inquiring appreciatively; the science of asking beautiful questions

Deep Love : diagnosing and intervening boundary threats to healthy interaction

Emotional Intelligence : embodying respect, compassion, and healthy receptivity

Courageous Generosity : demonstrating unconditional positive regard; notes of mutual support

Agile Improvisation : developing situational fluency ; reading the room ; supporting others

Cultural Sensitivity : committing to equity, inclusion, and diversity : avoiding categorizations

Considerate Honesty : gaining trust over time; giving and receiving feedback

Negative Capability : extending open-minded design thinking for innovation and growth

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🎓 CERTIFICATION:

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‍Participants will finish the course with a wide spectrum of evidence-based approaches, tools, and resources for facilitating practical wisdom and agility for teams and individuals. ‍ You'll get an Emergent Learning Facilitator (ELF) Certification and become eligible to join our team of facilitators for future wisdom workshops. You will also finish the program with the start of the one year required experience to apply to become an IAF Endorsed Facilitator.

As a certified Emergent Learning Facilitator, you'll have the confidence to facilitate mutual learning and targeted professional development for organizations that care about increasing productivity, improving working relationships, and promoting individual well-being.

👋 LEAD FACILITATOR INFORMATION

Sean Waters has facilitated discussion based learning in over 85 college classes, and has facilitated hundreds of workshops and gatherings in professional and creative contexts. He holds Master of Arts degrees in Philosophy (2008) and English Education (2014). He founded the Wisdom Workshop in 2021 to re-imagine the future of adult education. Sean is also a songwriter, performer, and artist. He shares a serious but joyful approach to flourishing and lifelong learning. He’s committed to creating supportive-yet-challenging learning environments inclusive of all learners.

📚 Our Source Texts / Course Schedule

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🤼 PART I: CREATE: How can the art of gathering help us promote flourishing?  (Weeks 1-5)

📖 Priya Parker. The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters. Riverhead, 2020.

📖 Warren Berger. A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas. Bloomsbury, 2016.

📖 Lao Tsu. Tao Te Ching. Trans Gia-fu Feng and Jane English. Vintage, 2011.

🤼‍♂️ PART II: LEAD: How can world wisdom traditions help us Facilitate Processes More Skillfully? (Weeks 6-11)

📖 Roger Shwarz. The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource for Consultants, Facilitators, Coaches, and Trainers. 3rd Edition. Jossey-Bass, 2016.

📖 Thich Naht Hanh. The Art of Communicating. HarperCollins, 2014. Free audiobook here.

📖 Kate Murphy. You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters. Celadon, 2021.

👓 PART III: LEARN: How can we use our practice to encourage, inspire, and transcend ? (Weeks 12-Beyond)

📖 Scott Barry Kaufman. Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization. TarcherPerigee, 2020.

📖 Lao Tsu. Tao Te Ching. Trans Gia-fu Feng and Jane English. Vintage, 2011.

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This program is by application interview and invite-only.

To apply,‍ schedule a 15-30 minute call with the course lead learner, Sean Waters.

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