117 - How to use systems thinking in facilitation with Johanna Tysk

It’s not uncommon for guests on workshops work to introduce new and unique angles to the practice of facilitation, but I should have known things would jump to another level when I invited transdisciplinary, systems-thinking, complexity-loving Johanna Tysk to the show!

Our conversation was intriguing, challenging, daring, and endlessly enjoyable.

Join us in this week’s episode for an exploration of systems thinking, object constellations, modern physics, and many more beautifully intertwined topics.

Find out about:

• Johanna’s background and belief in transdisciplinary design
• What it looks like to disentangle different types of culture
• What happens when we use our bodies to help us understand, perceive, and solve problems
• Why letting go of our desire for control and embracing emergence will make us better facilitators
• How Johanna creates safe spaces in workshops for creative self-exploration and -identification
• Why the study of complexity needs communities to really make progress

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And if the idea of NeverDoneBefore 2021, the community of facilitators, caught your attention; click here to explore it in more detail!

Questions and Answers

[01:31] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator - do you call yourself a facilitator?

[02:24] What is the difference between facilitating and carrying the identity of ‘a facilitator’?

[04:17] Can you talk a little about transdisciplinary design and how it influences your work today?

[05:38] How would you define systems thinking?

[07:52] How do you approach the different systems within a group and work with them as a whole?

[11:51] Why do you think object constellations can be so impactful?

[17:31] Are there disciplines that combine particularly well together? How do you find that out?

[19:03] How does Chaos Theory come into your work?

[23:25] How do you bring people’s deeply personal object constellations together into group work?

[31:20] What’s your approach to gently introducing object constellations to a group?

[32:54] What do you mean by “bringing your body into the space”?

[37:45] What is your process for designing a facilitated session?

[41:24] How do you equip people to step out of the safe space you create in your workshops?

[45:45] What makes a workshop fail?

[49:22] When would you choose constellations instead of another creative medium?

[52:37] Are there any red flags you would encourage people to look out for if trying object constellations for the first time?

[55:35] Is there anything else you wanted to bring to this conversation that hasn’t come up yet?

Connect to Johanna:

On 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/  👈