Personal standup for Monday 20 April 2026 youtube.com/shorts/Eb6UD... (YouTube short) featuring @iafenglandwales.bsky.social's #Facilitate2026 conference and @tprgovuk.bsky.social's Pensions Data and Digital Industry Working Group. #WorkInPublic #Pensions #Innovation #PensionsInnovation
Two #AI themed posts from Sunday due to attending #Facilitate2026 on Saturday.
1) on the future of facilitation acuity.design/ai-and-facil... with AI and Cognitive Surrender
1/2
A new post acuity.design/ai-and-facil... based upon one session at #Facilitate2026 yesterday about #AI and the future of #facilitation.
What I’m trying to present is a more positive view on the value of human facilitation and where there are gaps that AI cannot and should not be deployed.
• People delegate thinking → lose critical inquiry • People avoid friction → lose dialogue capacity • Al mediates communication → humans stop engaging directly
Another bit of interview with AI participant at #Facilitate2026
The negative pathway for #facilitation is an abandonment of human dialogue.
AI asks - “Are humans willing to remain uncomfortable enough to facilitate?”
Thank you again to everyone who helps to make this IAF England & Wales conference #facilitate2026 and this #facilitation community so special - see you again soon at an #IAFmeetup, and then again next year, same time, same place, for #facilitate2027! @iafenglandwales.bsky.social
A photograph taken at the Facilitate 2026 conference in Birmingham shows an end of session wrap-up slide on a projection screen. A list of three items is titled A.C.T.: 1 Action and by when, 1 Commitment (ongoing), 1 Take away. In the bottom left is the circular blue, green and white logo for the International Association of Facilitators (IAF).
In the #Facilitate2026 wrap up, facilitator Paul V Kelly asks us to A.C.T. by writing down:
🔴 1 Action and by when,
🟢 1 Commitment (ongoing),
🔵 1 Take away.
Mine are:
🔴 a blog post by 20 April,
🟢 attend IAF #Manchester,
🔵 #facilitation = change 🙂
FACILITATORS AS GUARDIANS OF REAL HUMAN DIALOGUE Four areas that Al cannot or should not be trying to facilitate • Conflict • Emotion • Doubt • Silence Let Al facilitate process and let humans be more truthfully connected
Session on #AI at #Facilitate2026 - asked the ChatGPT participant about what humans can do better
Tools and process are all more efficiently managed by AI. Yet it cannot do four big things.
#facilitation
Personal standup for Saturday 18 April 2026 youtube.com/shorts/UYQng... (YouTube Short) featuring @iafenglandwales.bsky.social's #Facilitate2026 conference, #Birmingham, Damascena and @janethughes.bsky.social ♥️
A first-person perspective shot of a wooden cafe table at Damascena, set with a Middle Eastern meal and an open journal. The scene conveys a quiet moment of professional reflection and decompression. Foreground (The Journal & Tools). The Journal: A green-edged notebook lies open in the center. The handwriting reflects on "first principles of facilitation" for a conference called #Facilitate2026 in Birmingham. It lists three core points: 1. Convening space, time & people (SET), 2. Initiating collaboration, and 3) Holding & closing SET. Stationery: A black Uni-ball Eye rollerball pen rests on the right. On the left, a black glasses case features a white label that humorously reads "PHOTON CLARIFICATION DEVICE." Midground (The Meal). Food: A black bowl filled with Tabbouleh (parsley salad) topped with bright red pomegranate seeds and a lemon slice sits in the center. To the right, a black plate holds a toasted flatbread sandwich alongside green olives and pink pickled turnips. Drink: A large, matte black teapot sits to the left, paired with a small, empty purple-tinted glass. Table Setting: A wooden napkin holder and a table number stand (Number 10) with the "Damascena" logo are visible behind the food. Background: The interior of the cafe features warm orange walls, a dark wooden floor, and contemporary orange and black seating. The lighting is soft, suggesting a relaxed, indoor environment.
Post #Facilitate2026 day 1 reflection and food in Moseley, #Birmingham at the awesome Damascena www.damascena.co.uk
Thanks to @iafenglandwales.bsky.social for filling me with ideas.
Reconvening for a closing plenary to end a full and rich first day of peer-led #facilitation sessions - thank you to all our volunteer session leaders and helpers, and to all who participated and shared their experience and insight so generously!
@iafacilitators.bsky.social #facilitate2026
A top-down, slightly angled shot of a wooden coffee table cluttered with various items, set against a backdrop of bean bags. In the foreground, a notebook lies flat, featuring a hand-written white label that reads "International Association of Facilitators (IAF)." Resting on the notebook is a clear plastic **food container** filled with mixed nuts. The center of the table is dominated by a tangled web of **black fairy lights** with small, warm white bulbs glowing. Scattered around the lights are various **fidget toys**, including two "pop-it" balls, a small puzzle cube, and rubber strings. A patterned lanyard and a black pen are also visible near the notebook. The background shows soft, casual seating with bean bags in vibrant patterns, suggesting a creative or relaxed workshop environment.
Hoped to make Olayinka Lagunju's #Facilitate2026 session, "For those who hold the room" padlet.com/IAFFacilitat...
...but I'm almost completely done
Been a busy week of interesting, but very intense stuff.
Will try the quiet room. Wake me up if I snore please @iafenglandwales.bsky.social 😴
A woman with shoulder-length dark hair is standing in front of a large digital screen. She is wearing a green, purple, and black patterned blouse and a purple lanyard with a name tag that reads "Natalie Savery." She holds a small black remote in her right hand and is gesturing toward the screen. The screen displays a presentation slide for "Leaderful ACTION." The title of the presentation is "It’s Not About You… Overcoming self-doubt as a facilitator." Below the title, the slide lists: * **Natalie Savery** * **FACILITATE2026** * **17th April 2026** The background of the slide features a large graphic of a tangled purple line inside a yellow circle, suggesting a "scribble" or a complex thought process. At the bottom of the screen, the text "DEVELOPING PASSION" is partially visible. The monitor is a Sharp brand.
My 1st #Facilitate2026 session.
"It's not about you... Overcoming self-doubt as a facilitator" by Natalie Savery.
Welcome to our stall at #facilitate2026 with @iafenglandwales.bsky.social in Birmingham, we look forward to meeting you! #facilitation
Welcome to the thestudio Birmingham for #facilitate2026, a fabulous festival of #facilitation starting soon!
You okay with YouTube Shorts, please? youtube.com/@jacattell/s...
#Facilitate #Facilitation #Facilitate2026
Right 🙂
I'm away to #Birmingham for the 2 day #Facilitate2026 event run by @iafenglandwales.bsky.social.
See the agenda and a whole lot more at padlet.com/IAFFacilitat...
#car #drive #driving
Looking forward to #Facilitate2026 in #Birmingham tomorrow and Saturday 18 April 2026 🙂
It's my first in-person @iafenglandwales.bsky.social event, so I've opted to volunteer (I'm #Autistic, have #ADHD + other challenges, so structure at new things helps, e.g. volunteering).
#accessibility #a11y
All set for this week's #facilitation in London today & tomorrow, and then straight to Birmingham for #facilitate2026 with @iafenglandwales.bsky.social on Friday & Saturday!
Nature. Curiosity. Accessible design. Future thinking.
#Facilitate2026 is something else entirely.
From forest bathing to inclusive design.
Five days.
One carefully designed space.
👉 Explore the programme: lnkd.in/eMMWCqpJ
🎟️ Get your ticket: lnkd.in/e-DuA82T
We are proud to sponsor #facilitate2026, join us!
We welcome ICA:UK as a sponsor for the #Facilitate2026 Conference!
With ICA:UK’s long-standing commitment to participatory practice, inclusive decision‑making, and facilitation for social good couldn’t be a better fit.
🎟️ Grab your tickets: www.tickettailor.com/events/iafen...
#Facilitate2026
How do you describe what you do as a facilitator?
Join us to share how you describe your work, explore what lands well and generate fresh ideas for communicating the power of #facilitation it clearly.
👉 Explore the programme: lnkd.in/eMMWCqpJ
🎟️ Get your ticket: lnkd.in/e-DuA82T
#Facilitate2026
We are proud to sponsor the fabulous #Facilitate2026 conference of our friends at @iafenglandwales.bsky.social this year!
Join IAF & ICA facilitators and friends next month in Birmingham to connect, share and learn together on all things #facilitation
5 weeks to go.
👉 Explore the programme: padlet.com/IAFFacilitat...
🎟️ Get your ticket: www.tickettailor.com/events/iafen...
Join us for the #facilitation learning event of the year - all welcome!
#Facilitate2026 #FacilitatorCommunity #DesigningSpace
Feeling the #Facilitate2026 energy?
This conference is a place to slow down, breathe, learn in your own rhythm, and reconnect with yourself and with others who truly care about #facilitation and meaningful change.
Join us, April 17-18 in Birmingham!
www.tickettailor.com/events/iafen...
Feeling the #Facilitate2026 energy already?
If you’re a facilitator, coach, trainer, or leader who wants to learn with peers who truly get it — this is your room.
Join us and grab your ticket here, for the UK's premier #facilitation learning opportunity
www.tickettailor.com/events/iafen...
#Facilitate2026: Designing Space, Time and Collaboration - Shaping Impact
Fri 17 Apr - Sat 18 Apr 2026 in Birmingham
Tickets for our annual 2 day #facilitation conference are now available!
buytickets.at/iafenglandan...
#IAF #Facilitate2026
#Facilitation #Learning #Development #TheStudio
