Hello friends,
If you teach or lead live sessions you’ll immediately recognize this feeling.
It’s the immense satisfaction of seeing your group members experiencing an aha! moment. The “this-is-what-it’s-all-about” feeling when you see things click.
Aha! moments can be life-changing.
They deepen learning and retention. They spark innovation and lead to groundbreaking ideas. And they can help people find new solutions to stubborn problems.
That’s why you don’t want to leave them to chance.
Most people believe aha! moments happen randomly. So they wait for them to happen. But when you leave them to chance, you risk losing valuable insights and ideas.
You can design for aha! moments.
Here’s the thing. Aha! moments are not just serendipitous occurrences. ✨They can be intentionally designed.✨ That was a big aha! I had a few years ago that forever changed the way I approached session design.
You can’t forceanaha! moment.
Aha’s have to come naturally from your participants. But you can create the conditions where they are more likely to happen.
And when you do, the impact is profound. You’ll empower your participants to see things in a whole new light.
How exactly do you design for aha! moments? That’s our Quest for this week. 🔎
👉Oprah Winfrey’s Insights on Aha! Moments
👉6 Ways You Can Design for Aha! Moments
👉Plus this week’s top picks in Facilitator Finds
Let’s jump right in!
🤔Oprah Winfrey’s Insights on Aha! Moments
Did you know that Oprah Winfrey is the reason that Aha! moment is in the Miriam Webster dictionary?
An aha! moment is defined as:
“A moment of sudden inspiration, insight, recognition or comprehension.”
I don’t know anyone who has helped more people have aha! moments than Oprah.
And here’s her insight about aha’s:
“You think that you’ve never thought of it before. But you can’t have an “aha” unless you already knew it”.
This means that insights are already there. So when it comes to leading live sessions, your role is to guide participants in uncovering them.
Let’s take a closer look at how you do that.
💡6 Ways to Design for Aha! Moments
If you lead live online sessions don’t leave aha! moments to chance. Instead, design for them.
Once you start to focus on helping your group surface insights you’ll see more aha! moments happen in your sessions.
Here are 6 ways you can design for them to happen:
1/ ✨ Define the Transformation
Well-designed experiences change your audience in some way.
Start by getting clear on how your live session will take your group from where they are now to where they want to be.
Use this transformation to design prompts and activities that will spark insights and aha’s for your group members.
2/ 😊 Create a Positive Tone
Research shows that aha! moments are more likely to happen when we are in a positive state of mind than when we are anxious.
Help your participants get into a positive state by playing music, using names, and connecting.
This sets the stage for risk-taking and breakthrough thinking.
3/ 🔎 Start with an Aha!
Instead of starting your session with a lot of talking, take advantage to deliver a first aha! to your group.
Expose them to a tool, technique, or insight that will give them new ideas for their own work.
It’s like turning on a discovery switch that will prime participants to uncover more aha’s throughout the session.
4/ 🤔 Build in Reflection Time
Insights are often lurking just under the surface looking for an opportunity to bubble up.
Build in time for individual reflection with free writing, journaling, and visualization. Share insights in small groups.
This provides the raw material that participants can use to connect the dots in new ways.
5/ ⚖️ Balance Structure & Flexibility
Unplanned discussions can lead to significant insights.
Plan your session well while staying adaptable to the group’s dynamics.
This balance leaves room for unexpected, valuable discoveries.
6/ ⚡End with an Aha!
As your session ends, participants will be overflowing with new ideas and knowledge.
Ask your group to share one aha! moment from the session in the chat or out loud.
This helps your group members zero in on important insights. It can also spark more aha’s for the rest of the group.
Here’s the summary👇
1/ ✨ Define the Transformation
2/ 😊 Create a Positive Tone
3/ 🔎 Start with an Aha!
4/ 🤔 Build in Reflection Time
5/ ⚖️ Balance Structure & Flexibility
6/ ⚡End with an Aha!
What’s your secret to creating ‘aha!’ moments in your live sessions? I’d love to hear your ideas. Hit reply to this message.
💪Facilitator Finds
1/ 🗺️Marie Dubost’s Interactive Map. Facilitation wizz Marie Dubost has created an interactive map with 20 facilitation toolboxes and methods and neatly organised them by theme. H/T Rachel Davis for sharing the link.
2/ 🧈Butter’s Facilitation Sandbox. Music and dance with Irene Maweu (Jan 16 – free). I have attended a few Butter Sandbox sessions and I’m always glad I did!
3/ 🤝International Association of Facilitators. If you are keen to connect with passionate facilitators from around the globe you can join your local IAF chapter for a very reasonable fee. I’m a proud member of the Spain chapter.
Got your own facilitation finds? Hit reply to this email. I’d love to feature them (and YOU) in this section.
💌 Thanks for reading The Quest
I always love hearing your feedback and suggestions. Just hit reply to share your thoughts and ideas.
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Creatively yours,
Whenever you are ready there are 2 more ways I can help you:
👉Custom coaching & team training. Book a free 15-minute zero-commitment call with me to see how I can support you and your team.
👉5-week Live Online Course. The Breakthrough Facilitation course gives you tools, personalized feedback, and a proven framework for designing and leading high-engagement live sessions. Join the interest list and be the first to get the next cohort dates and discounts.
