Transformational Facilitation

If you have ever been part of a good leadership development program or top teams session, you know the “buzz” of engagement it can create; the transformative effect it can have on participants; and the genuine connections it can foster. Groups have their own energetic imprint, their own identity. When held by a skilled facilitator, a group experience can be enlightening, stimulating, and even healing. The group will accelerate the growth and development of all the individuals within it far beyond what any of them could have achieved individually. It is a special experience.

I believe in facilitating groups with humility, clarity, and warmth. As a facilitator and teacher, I am there to set the guardrails and ignite the spark. If you trust it, the group will do the rest.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Maya Angelou

What I facilitate

I facilitate leadership development programs and team development offsites. I routinely design content and deliver workshops on the following topics (often in partnership with my talented colleagues):

• Personal leadership (developing a personal leadership vision, exploring strengths and values, and building confidence)
• Conscious leadership (becoming aware of one’s internal landscape and automatic reactions, and cultivating the ability to respond consciously and deliberately to a situation)
• Relational intelligence (e.g. influencing without authority; building skill for handling difficult conversations and conflict)
• Managing energy for sustainable performance
• For top teams: building trust and psychological safety; exploring individual working styles; and establishing norms for effective collaboration.

I deliver content and facilitate workshops both face-to-face and online.

When designing top team workshops and leadership development programs, close collaboration with the program sponsor is essential. Understanding their needs and culture means we can customize the design and the language so that the program best fits the organization and the participants.

I lead with curiosity. I gather data to understand the context and the impact. And I design dynamic, experiential programs, with a mixture of both analytical and creative methods to facilitate learning. I am particularly passionate about incorporating follow-up support systems and setting the participants up to develop micro-habits so that they can easily take the learning back to work.

About My Facilitation Style

Here is how I would describe my facilitation style:

• Collaborative. I love being part of a team, with the other facilitators and/or the internal program sponsors. I believe the whole program “sits” in the net woven by and in-between the facilitators: if this net is rich, caring, and respectful, it creates an environment of psychological safety in which participants can be vulnerable and open, two essential pre-requisites for learning and growth.
• Curious. Being curious means noticing when I get defensive and choosing to inquire rather than explain. It also means keeping an open mind and reveling at new possibilities.
• Clear. I believe clarity is an underrated component of facilitation. When facilitators are precise in instructions and teachings, it creates safety guardrails within which the participants can freely explore and play, without worrying about the process or content.
• Warm, light, and grounded. This is me bringing my full self to the workshop room. I will always be vulnerable and authentic.
• Participant-led. Facilitating is not about me; it all starts and ends with the participants. They have been my greatest teachers. It is an honor for me to create that space where people can learn from each other, and, through specific interventions, facilitate individual growth.

From Clients

I have facilitated workshops for clients in North America, United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia, for groups ranging from 5 people to 150 people, of the same cultural background or highly diverse and international.

Here’s what clients say about my training and facilitation:

“She could engage really well with the audience, and she was very insightful, with plenty of examples to illustrate the concepts we were learning.”

“Raluca provided a non-judgmental safe space.”

“Clearly cares so much about the participants and loves what she does. She is very clear, articulate, funny, and allows us to get to know her as well. She is always very well prepared and in command of the situation. I was very impressed with the way she commanded our attention and participation with a tremendous balance of listening and effective presentation.”

“She was very committed to the success of the program and an all-round exceptional facilitator and role player.”