Workshops
Meetings like a company-wide All-Hands or a sexual harassment prevention training are rarely tapped for their potential. Instead of just ticking a box, they can be transformative gatherings that amplify the integrity and ideals of your organization.
From conflict mediation to interactive feedback training, we design workshops that are unique, engaging and tailored to your community. Informed by years of research and real-life experience, here is our current roster of workshop topics:
We currently offer...
First Aid for Feedback
Feedback can be a choking hazard! Whether it’s stuck in your throat because you haven’t expressed it, or because you can’t digest it, this workshop will walk you through the steps required to break that feedback down. Over the course of two hours, participants will learn research-backed strategies that will unlock the mystery around giving, receiving and inviting feedback.
In addition to getting a chance to practice delivering real-life feedback using a practical worksheet, you will get a new perspective on the topic and learn an original framework that makes the whole thing feel more digestible. This session provides a comprehensive and engaging introduction to effective feedback practices which creates the foundation of a healthy diet of open communication – a crucial requirement for all successful teams.
Building a Restorative Culture in the Workplace
Harmful things happen in every workplace. Employing restorative practices (such as Circle meetings) can transform potential damage into an opportunity for growth – and can actually leave an organization stronger and more connected than it was before the hard thing happened.
In this session we introduce powerful facilitation techniques and discuss how the principles of Restorative Justice can be instilled into your organization's operations in order to create space for genuine connection and valuable learning and between colleagues, teams, and partners.
Navigating Conflict
Conflict is an inevitable part of life and work, and yet it makes us squirm. Gaining familiarity with the underlying mechanics of conflict, the early warning signs and user-friendly tools for addressing it can reduce anxiety and help us move closer to one another, rather than run for the hills when we see a conflict looming on the horizon. This session provides an overview of Nonviolent Communication and other conversational frameworks for creating momentum when dealing with heated interactions.
The Power of Facilitation
Facilitation can be a superpower if you know how to use it. This session explains precisely how a facilitator can turn a simple meeting into something transformative. We will dissect the anatomy of an agenda and participants will learn skills for facilitating processes that encourage deep participation and interrupt oppressive group dynamics. By being intentional about meeting design and setting clear expectations for participation, you can facilitate energizing gatherings that get important work done and help people feel connected in the process.
Sexual Harassment Prevention Training (with a Restorative Lens)
Although sexual harassment prevention training requirements vary from state to state, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission states that "prevention is the best tool to eliminate harassment in the workplace." What does that really mean? A compliance-inspired training can simply tick a box, or it can be a powerful opportunity to learn about your rights and have meaningful conversations that generate real-life support systems for your staff.
De-Escalation Training
This workshop covers fundamental conflict de-escalation techniques, bystander intervention, frameworks for navigating conflict (from prep to aftercare) and is focused on real-life practice scenarios. We collaborate closely during the design phase to ensure that the scenarios are realistic and relevant to your team’s experience at work. The session is grounded in the practice of understanding our own knee-jerk reactions and past experiences around conflict as crucial to navigating it in the world around us. We will cover frameworks for checking in with yourself, providing appropriate (and welcome) support to others and a variety of tools and protocols that can be used in heated situations.
Facilitating Group Learning from Mistakes
By examining the "failures" that are an inevitable part of work in fast-paced, innovative companies and focusing on gathering lessons from mistakes, rather than seeking blame or retribution, we can build better working relationships and more exceptional end-products. This workshop will cover specific facilitation methods for running group debrief discussions. Participants will learn ways to design questions that help people discuss difficult and important topics respectfully and thoroughly.
Annual Retrospective
During this session, your team will look back at all the work that got done over the course of the last 12 months in order to gather insights that can be applied to future work together. First, we will take some time together to collectively reflect on the past year. Then, we'll identify moments or actions that worked particularly well to help the work gain momentum or contributed positively to the team, in addition to moments or actions that obstructed the work or had a negative effect on the team. Once we've articulated the above, we'll talk about lessons learned and generate suggestions for how things could be improved in the future. The goal of this session is to listen, share and reflect together. It's a chance to examine different narratives, unearth sticky issues and gain insight so we can explore how things might work better moving forward.
Custom Workshop!
If you are looking for a workshop that is not listed here (or that combines components of our current curriculum outlined on this page) we'd love to work with you to design a session tailored to your organizations needs. Just get in touch using the Contact form or send us a note at hello@thisisbusinesscasual.com.
Upcoming Events
We also regularly run workshops that are open to the public. Check out our schedule of events and sign up for an upcoming session!
First Aid for Feedback
Feedback can be a choking hazard! Whether it’s stuck in your throat because you haven’t expressed it, or because you can’t digest it, this workshop will walk you through the steps required to break that feedback down. Over the course of two hours, participants will learn research-backed strategies that will unlock the mystery around giving, receiving and inviting feedback.
In addition to getting a chance to practice delivering real-life feedback using a practical worksheet, you will get a new perspective on the topic and learn an original framework that makes the whole thing feel more digestible. This session provides a comprehensive and engaging introduction to effective feedback practices which creates the foundation of a healthy diet of open communication – a crucial requirement for all successful teams.
Navigating Conflict
Conflict is an inevitable part of life and work, and yet it makes us squirm. Gaining familiarity with the underlying mechanics of conflict, the early warning signs and user-friendly tools for addressing it can reduce anxiety and help us move closer to one another, rather than run for the hills when we see a conflict looming on the horizon. This session provides an overview of Nonviolent Communication and other conversational frameworks for creating momentum when dealing with heated interactions.
Sexual Harassment Prevention Training (with a Restorative Lens)
Although sexual harassment prevention training requirements vary from state to state, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission states that "prevention is the best tool to eliminate harassment in the workplace." What does that really mean? A compliance-inspired training can simply tick a box, or it can be a powerful opportunity to learn about your rights and have meaningful conversations that generate real-life support systems for your staff.
Facilitating Group Learning from Mistakes
By examining the "failures" that are an inevitable part of work in fast-paced, innovative companies and focusing on gathering lessons from mistakes, rather than seeking blame or retribution, we can build better working relationships and more exceptional end-products. This workshop will cover specific facilitation methods for running group debrief discussions. Participants will learn ways to design questions that help people discuss difficult and important topics respectfully and thoroughly.
Custom Workshop!
If you are looking for a workshop that is not listed here (or that combines components of our current curriculum outlined on this page) we'd love to work with you to design a session tailored to your organizations needs. Just get in touch using the Contact form or send us a note at hello@thisisbusinesscasual.com.
Building a Restorative Culture in the Workplace
Harmful things happen in every workplace. Employing restorative practices (such as Circle meetings) can transform potential damage into an opportunity for growth – and can actually leave an organization stronger and more connected than it was before the hard thing happened.
In this session we introduce powerful facilitation techniques and discuss how the principles of Restorative Justice can be instilled into your organization's operations in order to create space for genuine connection and valuable learning and between colleagues, teams, and partners.
The Power of Facilitation
Facilitation can be a superpower if you know how to use it. This session explains precisely how a facilitator can turn a simple meeting into something transformative. We will dissect the anatomy of an agenda and participants will learn skills for facilitating processes that encourage deep participation and interrupt oppressive group dynamics. By being intentional about meeting design and setting clear expectations for participation, you can facilitate energizing gatherings that get important work done and help people feel connected in the process.
De-Escalation Training
This workshop covers fundamental conflict de-escalation techniques, bystander intervention, frameworks for navigating conflict (from prep to aftercare) and is focused on real-life practice scenarios. We collaborate closely during the design phase to ensure that the scenarios are realistic and relevant to your team’s experience at work. The session is grounded in the practice of understanding our own knee-jerk reactions and past experiences around conflict as crucial to navigating it in the world around us. We will cover frameworks for checking in with yourself, providing appropriate (and welcome) support to others and a variety of tools and protocols that can be used in heated situations.
Annual Retrospective
During this session, your team will look back at all the work that got done over the course of the last 12 months in order to gather insights that can be applied to future work together. First, we will take some time together to collectively reflect on the past year. Then, we'll identify moments or actions that worked particularly well to help the work gain momentum or contributed positively to the team, in addition to moments or actions that obstructed the work or had a negative effect on the team. Once we've articulated the above, we'll talk about lessons learned and generate suggestions for how things could be improved in the future. The goal of this session is to listen, share and reflect together. It's a chance to examine different narratives, unearth sticky issues and gain insight so we can explore how things might work better moving forward.
Upcoming Events
We also regularly run workshops that are open to the public. Check out our schedule of events and sign up for an upcoming session!