Podcast Summary: Designing and Facilitating Workshops with Intentionality

Podcast: New Books Network
Host: Dr. Christina Gessler
Guest: Dr. Tolu Noah
Episode Date: September 11, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode centers around Dr. Tolu Noah’s new book, Designing and Facilitating Workshops with Intentionality, which serves as a comprehensive guide for creating engaging, relevant, and effective professional learning experiences in higher education. Through a rich conversation, Dr. Noah discusses her professional journey, key theoretical frameworks, practical tools, and reflective exercises for facilitators who wish to enhance their workshops. The discussion delves into topics such as active listening, empathy, inclusivity, active learning, and the importance of authenticity in teaching and facilitation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Dr. Tolu Noah’s Academic & Professional Journey ([02:14]–[06:02])

• Longstanding Passion for Teaching: From childhood, Dr. Noah was drawn to teaching, nurturing her passion through activities like volunteering in classrooms and playing "school" at home.

  "I've known since fourth grade that I wanted to be a teacher." – Dr. Tolu Noah [02:47]

• Diverse Experience: Her path took her from K–12 classrooms and Teach for America, through doctoral studies, to faculty development and a stint at Apple Inc., always remaining rooted in a love for facilitating educator growth.

• Career Motivation: The transition from classroom teaching to higher ed and professional development was fueled by a desire to support teachers more broadly, not limited to a specific grade or context.

Book Inspiration and Description ([07:50]–[09:45])

• Gap in Existing Literature: Dr. Noah identified a lack of resources specifically targeted at higher education workshop facilitation.

  "Workshops are one of the most common formats we use for professional learning in higher ed… but I wasn't really seeing any in-depth resources about this topic that were geared towards us." – Dr. Tolu Noah [08:07]

• The Workshop Wheel Model: The book introduces a 10-principle model to guide intentional workshop design.

• Community and Interactivity: Emphasis is placed on facilitating multidirectional learning and supporting continued professional growth after the workshop through tools like the Facilitators’ Lounge and chapter toolkits.

Building Community & Interactivity ([10:16]–[13:44])

• Facilitators’ Lounge: Each chapter concludes with a link or QR code to an online space for reader discussion, emphasizing peer learning as a form of professional development.

• Sticky Note Reflections: The book invites practical reflection, leveraging tools like sticky notes for participants to synthesize, question, and plan their learning trajectories.

• Chapter Recaps: Dr. Noah purposefully embeds chapter summaries and reflection points "to model what active learning looks like."

• Living Toolkits: Experiencing the joy of curation, Dr. Noah extends each chapter with a dynamic, regularly updated Google Doc filled with templates, videos, articles, and more.

Theoretical Frameworks ([15:19]–[17:07])

Dr. Noah’s facilitation approach draws on three primary frameworks:

1. Universal Design for Learning (UDL):
   Focus on accommodating variability in learners, minimizing barriers, and increasing accessibility.

2. Josh Eyler’s Themes from How Humans Learn:
   Key learning themes: curiosity, sociality (belonging and collaboration), emotion, authenticity, and failure.

3. The New Learning Compact:
   Eight principles (from a set of sixteen) guide what effective professional learning looks like in higher ed.

Key Principles in Workshop Design

1. Active Listening ([18:42]–[20:33])

• Definition: Engaging directly with learners to ascertain their needs, interests, and challenges, rather than making assumptions.
• Methods: Surveys, interviews, listening tours, and informal conversations.
• Importance: "If you're not listening to them, you may end up designing something that is way out in left field." – Dr. Tolu Noah [20:14]

2. Empathy ([21:05]–[22:30])

• Drawn from Design Thinking: "Empathizing" is the first step—understanding who the workshop is for, their context, and their needs.
• Iterative Improvement: Continually seeking and incorporating participant feedback.
• Quote: "It's not just something that we do at the beginning… but also taking that feedback and using it to continuously improve." – Dr. Tolu Noah [22:17]

3. Purposeful Planning & Focal Statements ([22:55]–[23:41])

• Focal Statements: Creating a concise guiding sentence synthesizing participant needs and session objectives.
• Critical Question: "Should this be a workshop?"—caution against defaulting to workshops when another format (e.g., email, podcast, blog) might work.

4. Inclusive Mindset ([25:36]–[26:42])

• Why Inclusion Matters: Diversity of backgrounds and needs necessitates an inclusive approach; lack of intentionality risks exclusion.

• Opening Statements: Sharing examples such as Karen Costa’s inclusive invitation for ways to participate (camera on/off, productivity, expertise).

  "Such a beautiful way to open a session and let people know that… they were welcome." – Dr. Tolu Noah [27:43]

• Welcoming Disturbance: Prepare for and embrace the "difficult dynamics" that can arise in diverse groups.

  • Strategy: Use frameworks like OTFD ("Open the Front Door": Observation, Thought, Feeling, Desire) for managing challenging moments.

5. Cultivating Connections ([31:11]–[35:35])

• Building Rapport: Facilitators should share their stories authentically, in a mindful and time-limited way, to foster trust and connection.

  "You don't have to be high energy in order to be enthusiastic about your subject… showing your passion in a way that feels genuine." – Dr. Tolu Noah [34:18]

• Presence & Approachability: Key traits include enthusiasm, approachability, and affirmation, creating a space of belonging and psychological safety.

6. Authenticity & Facilitator Style ([36:11]–[37:45], [45:30])

• Defying convention (like delivering a keynote as a workshop if that's your authentic approach) can yield powerful engagement and connection.

  "When we actually show up as our authentic selves… that actually is going to help people connect with us better." – Dr. Tolu Noah [37:41]

Exemplary Workshop Strategies

• Card Sort Matching Activity: ([38:17])
  Mix topic and example cards; small groups sort and match, revealing their existing knowledge and organizational thinking.

• Stop, Jot, Share: ([39:52])
  A retrieval practice technique—after learning, pause to jot down what’s remembered, then share with a peer to reinforce memory and address gaps.

• Discussion Diamond:
  A tool fostering equitable participation and consensus-building in group discussions.

Responsiveness Before, During, and After ([42:08]–[44:11])

• Pre-workshop: Provide clear, timely communication and be attentive to incoming questions.

• During: Regularly check in, offer varied opportunities for questions, and adjust on the fly to learner needs.

• After: Solicit feedback, review chat logs, and look for opportunities to iterate.

  "It’s this constant process of just kind of checking in with participants and making sure that they're getting what they need and that we are adjusting accordingly." – Dr. Tolu Noah [43:49]

• Embracing Uncertainty:
  Normalize the "I don’t know" and failures as crucial elements in the learning environment.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Community:

  “Workshops should be spaces of multidirectional learning where everyone can learn from each other.” – Dr. Tolu Noah [10:20]

• On Inclusion:

  “If we don’t take the time to pause and think about the diversity of needs and interests and whatnot… we could potentially exclude people, even if that's not our intention.” – Dr. Tolu Noah [26:14]

• On Authenticity:

  "Show up as your authentic self, whatever that might be; that actually is going to help people connect with us even better." – Dr. Tolu Noah [37:41]

• Advice for Facilitators:

  “There’s lots of different ways to do everything I’m explaining here… choose what’s going to work best for you.” – Dr. Tolu Noah [31:58]

• On Knowing Your Own Style:

  “There’s no one way and no wrong way. There’s the way that’s going to work.” – Dr. Christina Gessler [45:33]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:14] Dr. Noah’s teaching journey and professional background
• [07:50] Inspiration and mission of the book
• [10:16] Facilitators’ Lounge and support resources
• [13:44] The toolkit: Curation and ongoing resource sharing
• [15:19] Summary of integrated theoretical frameworks
• [18:42] The importance and practice of active listening
• [21:05] Empathy and design thinking in workshop planning
• [22:55] Crafting a focal statement
• [24:15] Deciding if a workshop is the right format
• [25:36] Adopting an inclusive mindset
• [27:31] Sharing a model inclusive opening statement (Karen Costa)
• [28:44] Preparing for and managing difficult group dynamics
• [31:11] Facilitator presence and cultivating connections
• [36:11] Showing up with authenticity—even when it breaks the mold
• [38:17] Card sorting and active learning techniques
• [42:08] Responsiveness before, during, and after the workshop
• [46:16] Final thoughts and Dr. Noah’s hopes for listeners

Final Takeaway & Call to Action

• Dr. Noah’s hope:

  “I hope that this episode encourages people to learn more about the art and science of facilitation, because there are so many ways that we can create meaningful learning experiences and so many great resources out there… And I hope that this episode will encourage people to check out my book. I would love to engage with readers further and hear about the new ideas that it’s sparking for them.” [46:16]

Further Resources

• Designing and Facilitating Workshops with Intentionality by Dr. Tolu Noah (available at major bookstores)
• Dr. Noah’s Facilitators’ Lounge and toolkits (accessible via QR code/links in the book)
• Josh Eyler’s How Humans Learn
• Universal Design for Learning (UDL) resources
• Karen Costa’s work on inclusive pedagogy
• Norman Eng’s Presenting

For more engaging discussions on academic practice, tune in to future episodes of Academic Life on the New Books Network.