Facilitation

  • Maybe you have a stakeholder workshop coming up.

    A team session or Away Day.

    Or a panel discussion and brand-building event.

  • It can be tempting to get an in-house person to run your event. But there are challenges if you go down that route.

    • First off, it can be hard for internals to get the time and headspace they need to properly plan the session. You risk wasting people’s time, en masse.

    • Second, you might want all of your internals to participate in your gathering, rather than hosting and participating.

    • Third, facilitation is a bit of an art. Sometimes you need to dial up connection or energy levels. Sometimes you want quiet reflection and focus. Sometimes you need to adapt in the moment, because the context has changed, and it’s worth exploring a new topic together. Experienced facilitators can read the room and deliver what’s needed, so you get real value out of your event.  

    I’m an experienced and personable facilitator, and I love a good gathering! It’s a joy to see people connect to each other and to a shared purpose, and to figure out how to move forward. 

  • Let’s talk through your event, so I can understand why you’re gathering and what good looks like from your perspective. Then I can propose a structure and a price, and we'll go from there.

    As a guide, I can facilitate sessions from 1-hour to multi-day in length, and my prices are typically in the $1k - $5k range, plus GST.

Previous work

  • I have facilitated one-off or repeat sessions for these clients:

    • A boutique law firm

    • AsureQuality

    • Auckland Council

    • Auckland Policy Office

    • AUT

    • Dress for Success

    • Frucor Suntory

    • Institute of Chemical Engineers

    • Ministry of Justice

    • Nimbl Consulting

    • Polis Consulting

    • Presbyterian Support Northern / Lifeline

    • Prostate Cancer New Zealand

    • Vector

    • Women for Climate

  • In internal team sessions, I help teams to lift their performance and their wellbeing. I can facilitate one-off sessions, Away Days, or multiple sessions over time.

    The sessions are crafted to the client’s needs. Previous sessions include:

    • Improving Mental Wellbeing at Work - diagnostic sessions, ideation, evaluation

    • Designing a World-Class People Experience

    • Values in Action

    • Understanding & Leveraging Strengths

    • Coaching for Efficient and Effective Decision Making

    • Facilitation of a 2-day team event including: Uncovering Your Purpose; Aligning on Our Purpose; Mapping our Impact

  • In Thriving at Work sessions, I typically outline the key building blocks of thriving at work, which are purpose, people, potential, play, and permission, praise and progress.

    Then we ‘hone in’ on a relevant topic for the audience. For instance:

    • Job crafting

    • Building professional networks

    • Stress management / Preventing burnout / Restorative downtime

    • Staying motivated during tough times

  • In behaviour change sessions, I give teams an introduction to the science of behaviour change, and help them apply these tools to their day-to-day work.

  • I have facilitated personal development workshops for women, including one-off events and 6-week programmes.

    (I even facilitated a ‘birthday workshop’ for a friend’s 40th! Love it.)

    These sessions are always joyful and powerful.

  • I also have some experience as an MC and panel moderator, and as a guest speaker. This includes:

    • Speaking at HRNZ’s Virtual Summit on Mental Health and Wellbeing (watch here)

    • Hosting an event to launch the EMA and nib’s latest findings from their workplace wellbeing survey, including running the panel discussion

    • Engaging as a panellist for Transform HR’s launch event in Auckland, about Leading through Change

    I love to share insights that matter, and my content is always well received.

Testimonials

  • “Renee did a fantastic job taking the reins in facilitating the key sessions in our recent off-site. She was able to rapidly take our objectives and design engaging sessions to help us reflect on our strategy and reset our priorities and the way forward with clear actions – invaluable!”

    (Jayesh Rama, Management Consultant, Nimbl Consulting)

  • “Thanks for the sessions – they were very helpful and I thought they were better than all of the other sessions we’ve had before. You encouraged us to get stuff done - long may that last.”

    (Partner, professional services firm)

  • "We were delighted to have Renee speak at our recent Mental Health and Wellbeing summit. She provided an in-depth exploration of the macro trends influencing how people feel and perform in the workplace, backed by solid evidence and data.  Renee also highlighted the most promising interventions and approaches, to help people shift from surviving to thriving. Renee's engaging presentation style and sound expertise made her session a standout. She adeptly tailored her content to our brief, delivering exactly what we sought in terms of valuable insights and actionable takeaways.”

    (Tina Berry, HRNZ National Events Manager)

  • “Renee ran a full-team values workshop with us, exploring what it means in practice to enhance mana and to empower each other. She first created a safe environment for sharing, and then led an ideation process that helped us identify the shifts we’d like to make. The session was thought-provoking, practical and a valuable contribution to our development as a new team.”

    (Peter Dickens, Chief Executive, Prostate Cancer NZ)

  • “It was great to have Renee take us through a bespoke session for the 2023 Auckland Women4Climate steering group, mentees and mentors. I’d definitely recommend Renee and Thrive Lab for ‘think and connection’ sessions - so many great resources to take away too.”

    (Amanda Pearson, Senior Consultant, Sustainability and Resilience, Aurecon)

  • “Thank you so much for today Renee – we loved looking into the science behind behaviour.”

    (Alisha Iyer, Senior Manager, Student Communications and Engagement, AUT)

  • “Thank you for an amazing course. Rewilding left me feeling energised and was just what I needed to end the year on a positive note. I loved the deep conversations and connecting with other likeminded women. The course gave me the opportunity to delve into topics I often think about but don't usually get the chance to explore or discuss in my day-to-day life. Renee is a skilled facilitator and uses the right mix of evidence and storytelling to connect people and ideas.”

    (Julia, Communications and Engagement Specialist)

  • "Renee’s easy going and empathetic nature made it really easy to connect and put everyone at ease, and the mix of group work and breakout sessions worked well. The course helped me to reconnect with myself, and gave me ideas and tools to boost my confidence and sense of self, rediscover the fun in my work - and I added some amazing women to my personal network.”

    (Stefanie, Urban Planner)

  • Renee’s expertly guided sessions were a great mix of theory and practice, and she created a safe space for open discussion between attendees.

    (Jo, Lawyer)

  • "Renee is an incredible educator, coach and leader in the field of behavioural science, positive psychology, goal setting, self awareness and developing helpful habits and practices. She is well-researched, warm and wise - a comfortable and natural facilitator! Renee’s sessions have given me encouragement, insight and tools to create a more enriching and purposeful life.”

    (Hannah, Author)

  • “Renee’s session was full of insightful content of great value for individuals, teams, and organisations. Highly engaging and highly recommended!”

    (Rob Graham, Chief Advisor – Auckland, Kāinga Ora)

  • “Renee ran a ‘Thriving at Work’ workshop for our cross-agency policy team and I highly recommend it. She hit a great balance between interactive/informative activities and practical/research examples. The framework Renee has developed and the take-home messages she left us with really resonated and are practical tools that managers and team members will use at work and beyond.”

    (Andy Hill, Director Auckland, MBIE)

  • “Renee hosted two wonderful events for our Ministry’s young professionals. She was an excellent, organised and responsive facilitator. She delivered interactive and fun sessions where she took our teams through her Thriving at Work framework, and then guided discussions on what was working well, and what opportunities we had for improvement.”

    (Team Leader, Ministry of Justice)

  • “Renee hosted a Wellbeing workshop covering a range of topics and tools on how to navigate our busy lives and careers. We focused on stress and techniques for managing it, which was very valuable for the team. I loved how she described the key pillars for thriving at work. She fully engaged with everyone making it an interactive experience!”

    (Vlad, Institute of Chemical Engineers)