079 - The mindset and toolset to get your creativity rolling with Melissa Dinwiddie

Whether you’re hosting a physical or virtual meeting, the last thing you want to do is put the audience to sleep! If you want to keep people engaged during meetings, you’ve got to unleash your inner creative genius.

Melissa Dinwiddie is a Creativity Instigator who teaches people how to turn their creative taps on so they can live a life full of colour and intrigue. I couldn’t wait to talk to Melissa about all things creative.

In this episode, I take full advantage of having such a creative guest on and ask her all the questions I know you want to hear the answers to. We cover everything from how to lead non-boring virtual meetings to defeating the comparison gremlin! I hope you enjoy this colourful interview as much as I did!

Find out about:

• Why online meetings can be boring and what to do about it!
• How to be a good leader
• How to avoid falling into the “comparison trap”
• A useful mirroring exercise for leadership and listening
• How to keep people engaged
• The ‘golden formula’ to everything good

Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners!

Questions and Answers

[01:23] Will you share when you started to call yourself a facilitator?

[04:16] How do you define creativity and what does it mean to be stuck on the creativity path?

[12:27] Do you think it’s a matter of age and maturity, or is it a matter of the craft?

[16:11] What do you tell your clients when they fall into the comparison trap and self-sabotage their creativity?

[23:14] Do you think there are more gremlins when working online in this working from home environment?

[26:34] Why do most of online meetings suck?

[29:05] What is your favourite exercise?

[32:13] Who determines whether it is right or wrong?

[34:18] What makes a bad workshop?

[34:43] How can you keep people engaged without making it stressful?

[35:47] Can you give an example of a time when you de-brief with the group about what they have learned?

[39:54] with the upcoming Zoom option of building circles, is it really about the circle or it the magic that happens when you’re sitting in a circle?

[41:51] What does a full day online workshop look like?

[44:15] To what extent have you received feedback that it’s awkward to see each other working on a virtual meeting?

[47:22] What is the definition of a creative facilitator?

[48:14] If you could give one piece of advice for getting unstuck and start having non-boring online meetings, what would it be?

[51:06] What is the key takeaway from our conversation?

Links

• Melissa’s website
• The Creative Sandbox Way by Melissa Dinwiddie
• The Creative Sandbox Way Podcast
• Playing Big by Tara Mohr

Connect to Melissa

• Facebook
• @a_creative_life
• Instagram

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

Support the show

👉 What happens when being “professional” gets in the way of being human? My new podcast Unprofessionalism explores the rules we’re taught to follow at work, and what happens when we break them. Listen here: https://unprofessionalism.buzzsprout.com/  👈