110 - Facilitation as a Service - with Aleksandra Potrykus-Majewska

Aleksandra (Ola) Potrykus-Majewska knows the struggle of finding a great external facilitator when stuck in a corporate procurement system. But she also knows what it’s like to set out and find work as a solo facilitator.

That’s why she cofounded WeWent, a kind of matchmaking service for facilitators and companies.

Combining her deep knowledge in both sides of the collaboration, and now with several years of experience with WeWent, Ola is perfectly-placed to help facilitators understand how they can better appeal to their clients and vice versa.

This episode is not to be missed if you are serious about offering facilitation as a service.

Find out about:

•  What 10 years in corporate HR taught Ola and how it led to her co-founding WeWent
• Why procurement processes can limit the quality of workshops
• Why cultural fit is as important as professional expertise when hiring a facilitator
• The skills and certifications that are most in demand with Ola’s clients
• Ola’s thoughts on the different ways to promote yourself as a solo facilitator
• Why being rigid with methodologies and language can alienate potential clients
• Ola’s thoughts on pricing, based on her own experience and the facilitators she works with

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Questions and Answers

[01:06] Do you call yourself a facilitator? If so, when did you start?

[03:14] What’s the difference between your work now and your work in corporate HR?

[07:53] Can you explain what WeWent is? Why is it so important? What problem are you solving?

[12:55] How do you categorise and filter facilitators on WeWent?

[15:20] Are the most successful matches down to expertise or personality and chemistry?

[18:42] How do you assess the quality of a facilitator?

[21:57] What would be a red flag from a facilitator?

[25:35] Do you expect certifications from facilitators?

[29:08] How do you measure the quality and validity of certifications – can you?

[30:20] How can facilitators promote themselves?

[35:10] Have you ever had a facilitator turn down a potential client on your platform?

[36:54] What makes a workshop fail?

[41:51] Do you have guidelines for facilitators in preparing for a session?

[43:23] What determines the price that a corporate is willing to pay for a workshop?

[49:52] Have you seen more requests for tech hosts/co-facilitators in the last year?

[52:58] Do you have a favourite exercise?

[55:33] What is the one thing you would like listeners to take away from this episode?

Links

WeWent website

Connect to Ola:

LinkedIn 

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

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👉 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/  👈