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This workshop is designed for Learning & Development professionals who facilitate experiential or participatory learning and want to more effectively engage groups that arrive hesitant, skeptical, or resistant. Crossed arms, eye rolls, and quiet withdrawal are often less about unwillingness and more about unclear expectations, perceived exposure, or unexamined assumptions about what participation is supposed to look like. Drawing from challenge-course facilitation and real-world team-building programs, Janie shares examples and stories from the field that illustrate how choice operates in practice—and how intentionally designed invitations can support comfort, engagement, and readiness. The session explores the concept of “comfort zones” and offers practical approaches for designing experiences that invite participation without pressure or manipulation.
At the end of this session, learners will be able to:
1. Identify and understand facilitation techniques that foster choice, inclusion, and curiosity-driven participation by reflecting on
how language, activity structure, and environment shape natural engagement and willingness to step outside comfort zones.
2. Leverage Experiential Activities for Learning: Participants will experience and practice playful, interactive activities that promote
connection, and inclusion, and together explore how to translate these methods into professional development settings.
Meet the Speaker:
Janie Jeffries, MA, TRS, CCM (she/her/ally) is a Lead Facilitator of the Stowe Heights Challenge Course, a program of Community Youth Concepts (CYC) in Des Moines, Iowa. With a Master’s in Therapeutic Recreation and over 20 years of experience in Experiential Education and facilitation, Janie brings deep expertise in designing programs that foster meaningful connection and engagement. Her work is grounded in the belief that intentional, experience-based learning builds bridges—to ourselves, to one another, and to the environments we navigate. Inspired by mentors who nurtured curiosity and compassion, Janie designs learning experiences that are authentic, inclusive, and rooted in human behavior, decision-making, and growth.
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