A Winding Road to Facilitation

I took a winding path to land in my facilitation practice. The thread that has carried through all my professional work is curiosity and a deep care for people.

As a young girl, I wanted to be a biologist and exploring outside fueled my curiosity. My parents encouraged me to follow my interest in science. Often young girls are discouraged from entering SETT (science, engineering, trades and technology) fields. I’m grateful to have had their foundational support. After graduating university with my science degree, I worked on a variety of wildlife and ecology projects. I benefited from many women mentors – guiding me and helping me gain real world skills. In part of this work, I was a member of a national recovery team for a species at risk. I’d attend our sessions and would find myself saying things like “I just want to check in with everyone to see if the agenda reflects our ideas” or “I’m hearing a consensus, here’s what I jotted down, what do you think?”.

I shifted into project management (I was tired of having wet feet!) and was drawn to exploring more engaging ways to work together. How can we make sure everyone is heard? Can we make our meetings more effective and engaging?

My Lightbulb Moment

I was promoted to a manager role and offered leadership training. Within the first hour of the session, I remember thinking “what is happening here?”. We weren’t simply listening to the session facilitator, going through the workbook page by page. Instead, the facilitator had us engaging with one another and sharing our perspectives. I’d never experienced anything like it.

Turns out, it was a master class in facilitation. I felt like I’d just discovered this “magic job” that was exactly what I wanted to do. The session facilitator, Derek White, became my mentor. Beyond mentorship, Derek also became my career sponsor. Career sponsors can be exceptionally important – particularly for women – as they leverage their own power and influence to recommend and endorse the skills of the person they are sponsoring.

As I mapped out my path to move fully to my facilitation work, Derek recommended and advocated for me for my first facilitation contract. Through that work, it cemented with me that facilitation was my path. I loved every moment of it.

Generous Community of Facilitators

No one succeeds alone. I’ve benefited from the generosity and wisdom of many facilitators. These people have lifted me up, helped me grow and have encouraged me.

Rebecca Sutherns

Rebecca is a powerhouse of energy and skill. She enthusiastically welcomed me as the joined the IAF. She met with me and shared her expertise and insights. I have gained so much knowledge from joining the webinars and sessions she conducts.

Robin Parsons

Through the IAF’s Mentorship program, Robin became my mentor. She was exceptionally generous and open, willing to share her extensive knowledge and expertise with me. She was, and continues to be, a source of encouragement and support.

Julian Griggs

Julian has also been an important mentor to me. He shared so much of his knowledge, I still refer to the pages and pages of notes I took every time I met with him. It was facilitation gold!

Beth Cougler Blom

I took a course on Liberating Structures and Beth was one of the facilitators, along with Susana Guardado. It was fantastic and reaffirmed that I was moving to the right work. I continue to enjoy her podcast “Facilitating on Purpose”.

I’ve had the good fortune to meet many other amazing woman facilitators through ICA Associates and the IAF, who’s passion, expertise and kindness are universal traits:
• Stephanie Ashley, Sharon Tewksbury-Bloom, Beth Branning, Tricia Dehaney, Lisa Gordon, Kelly Griffin, Susana Guardado, Shalaka Gundi, Susan Hayman, Leah Hopton, Lindsay McDonald, Hope McNish, Robin Muretisch, Christine Pinto, Diane Reynolds, Manal Sayid, Mara Svenne and Helen Wythe.
I am inspired by their boundless energy and enthusiasm for finding new ways to solve our complex issues.

What Inspires Me in Facilitation Work

The MAGIC.

It’s that moment, that spark, when someone opens themselves up to a new learning or perspective. It’s tangible. If you’re lucky, you can witness it in the moment. A dial inside them has moved a bit. It’s a shedding and deconstruction of old ideas and an emerging of new thinking and understanding.

“I never thought about it that way” is one of the phrases I love to hear. It’s the antidote to sameness and the cure for “well we’ve always done things this way”.

Since learning the ToP facilitation methods, I have practiced various tools with my clients, in the workplace, and even in daily life. I am often caught by surprise at the magic of facilitation and how it can truly transform conversations, decisions, and relationships.

I continually seek to create that magic – in all ways – and am excited to see where this journey takes me next.

Toby Michaud

Toby Michaud,a consulting associate of ICA Associates, offers a diverse background and experience as a biologist, project manager and people leader that makes her a flexible and innovative facilitator. She empowers individuals and teams to make better decisions and inspires leaders to create shifts in thinking.

Toby brings empathy, curiosity, and humour as she guides the creation of safe and respectful spaces for collaboration, discussion and decision-making. She believes that creativity and innovation flourish when people feel comfortable to share their experiences and perspectives. She taps into her decades of real-world practical experience leading people and complex projects to help others be successful and navigate in the new world of work. Throughout her career Toby has worked with all levels of government organizations, Crown corporations, academia, and private companies.