The Lazy Facilitator Blog

Conflict is something every group navigates — the real question is how people handle it when it arrives. This deceptively simple rope activity creates a structured, low-stakes experience that surfaces exactly how people form opinions, defend positions...

After almost 40 years of facilitating groups, there are very few activities that make me think: I genuinely wish I'd known about this from the start. This one does. It requires no props, no touching, and works for every ability,…

Most meetings start the same way - with a quick check-in, a glance at the agenda, and a room full of people who aren't quite present yet. It doesn't have to be that way. These two meeting openers require no…

There's a significant difference between an activity that's called an icebreaker and one that actually breaks the ice. After nearly 40 years of leading groups around the world, I've identified the five specific ingredients that distinguish the two - and…

Join me at one of the three MOVE Conferences - Leading Active Futures: Thriving Through Movement - AEA conferences bring educators together to explore practical strategies, fresh ideas & evidence-informed approaches that support student...

Every team leader, facilitator, teacher and parent wrestles with the same challenge: how do you genuinely motivate someone who doesn't want to do the thing? The instinctive approach is to ask why they're not more motivated - but the research…

Dominoes have been a household staple for centuries — but I'd be willing to bet you've never used them like this. A brand-new activity on playmeo's database turns a standard set of dominoes into a surprisingly effective connection tool for…

Facilitating a group of 20 to 30 people who are already well-acquainted presents a particular challenge — standard icebreakers feel unnecessary, but without a warm-up the session rarely flies. This activity was designed for exactly that situation...

The IAF Oceania Conference 2026 is coming to Geelong, Australia, 14-16 October - and it's the region's premier gathering for facilitators and collaboration professionals. Held only once every three years, this year's conference brings...

Most icebreaker questions land in one of two places — so safe they're forgettable, or so personal they make people uncomfortable. The best ones sit in a different category altogether: they're self-directed, genuinely surprising, and the whole room wants to…

Here's the latest from Sean Glaze, a leadership and workplace culture speaker. His new book is called The Sticky 11 Checklist. It's short and built around a simple research-based five-minute Friday ritual. Eleven questions a leader runs once a week…

After a break — whether it's summer holidays, a long weekend, or time apart for any reason — groups don't automatically pick up where they left off. Connection fades, comfort levels reset, and that familiar ease needs to be rebuilt…

When a group loses focus, most facilitators either push through or call a full break - and both feel like a defeat. These two brain breaks are different: they redirect restless energy in under a minute, without losing momentum or…

Here are two no-prop energisers that never - and I mean never - fail to trigger laughter and shrieks of joy from any group I play them with. But which one do your groups love most? Vote today...

There's a powerful difference between appreciation and affirmation - and it changes everything about how you connect with the people in your groups and beyond.

What if an icebreaker let every person in the room decide for themselves how much to share - with zero pressure and no way to "get it wrong"? In this Lazy Facilitator episode, we share a deceptively simple connection game…

In this sponsor spotlight podcast episode of the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) Road to Geelong podcast, Conference Director David Spark sits down with me to discuss how corporate trainers and group facilitators can help their groups...

Want to be more interesting? Stop trying. There's a simple shift in focus that instantly makes people more engaged, more rapport-building, and yes, more interesting - and it has nothing to do with talking about yourself.

We've added six brand-new activities to the database that I'm genuinely pleased to share with you. Four team-builders, a fantastic trust-building exercise, and a simple icebreaker - something for almost every group you're likely to lead...

Something significant is about to happen at playmeo. We're soon launching a brand-new platform with Flow AI, the Lazy Facilitator Playbook, a fresh mobile-first interface, and more. Here's the full picture + a one-off pre-launch offer if you're thinking about…

In this week's Lazy Facilitator video, I share one of my favourite go-to reflection strategies. It's simple, structured, requires zero props, and works particularly well with groups who find open-ended reflection uncomfortable...

There are people quietly shaping the way you facilitate, lead, and design experiences - whether you've realised it or not. In this episode of the Lazy Facilitator video series, I share two of my most influential facilitators, but I'm curious…

Learn two of my all-time favourite opening activities - both require zero preparation, work with virtually any group, and consistently deliver laughter and real human connection from the very first minute. One involves a marker and an index card, the…

In this week's Lazy Facilitator video, I unpack what makes a question truly magical, why most icebreakers fall well short of the mark, and how to craft a question so perfectly suited to your specific group that every single person…