MAKING SEL ENGAGING & EFFECTIVE

Teachers often struggle to engage young people in meaningful conversations about wellbeing content, relationships, respect and leadership. Information-heavy approaches leave young people feeling lectured at.

This program equips educators to shift from delivering content on whiteboards to facilitating experiences that explore real behaviour and spark honest dialogue - building the deeper understanding and genuine relationships of support and accountability that actually change behaviour.

Content

• Transformative learning frameworks for deeper learning and tangible behaviour change;

• Facilitation mindset and psychological safety;

• Facilitating connection and trust with groups of young people;

• Facilitation toolbox – activities that spark conversations;

• Debriefing on purpose – Catalytic questions that turn experiences into insight;

• A framework for safety in sensitive conversations;

• Using resistance and disengagement to build trust;

• Essential interpersonal skills;

• Designing transformative learning experiences;

• Embedding SEL into classrooms, daily interactions, wellbeing programs, outdoor and co-curricular experiences.

Outcomes

Participants gain:

• ‍Confidence in quickly building engagement, trust and connection between students;

• A clear framework for making honest conversations safe;

• Strategies to pivot when conversations feel unsafe, or uninteresting;

• Confidence dealing with resistance, conflict and disengagement;

• Expanded toolkits of activities to make classes and conversations fresh and interesting and to spark creative thinking;

• A simple method for immediately generating catalytic questions to draw out groups’ wisdom;

• A clear framework for designing engaging, safe, transformative conversations and programs. 

Organisations see:

• Invested and engaged teaching teams with greater passion and confidence to design and facilitate effective SEL programs;

• Innovative new programs and invigorated existing programs, designed by and for your unique community;

• Better conversations embedded throughout daily school life;

• Greater engagement from students, strengthened relationships and peer accountability;

• Tangible changes in young people’s behaviour and wellbeing.

Format

A series of 12 experiential workshops delivered over 3 full days, spread over a 4-12 week period, or a shortened 2 day version. The program is ideally delivered in person, however, it can be delivered to groups online.

Each workshop explores participants' real facilitation challenges and learning a toolbox of tricks you'll use immediately in classrooms, immersive camps, wellbeing programs and all across your school.

Engaging, impactful programs designed specifically for your community – your students, your staff and your parents. Programs created to fit your unique timetable, location, needs, values and objectives to align with and enhance your existing classroom, co-curricular, outdoor, sport and camp experiences.

I support schools to create innovative wellbeing, student leadership, rites of passage, and all kinds of SEL programs – whether you need brand new programs or reinvigorated existing programs.

Outcomes

• More confident teachers;

• More engaged students;

• Greater parent engagement;

• More practical, embodied social and emotional learning that gives students a deeper understanding of your content;

• Strengthened student relationships and peer accountability;

• Tangible changes in young people’s wellbeing and behaviour.

Formats

• A series of group program design coaching sessions that empower your team to collaboratively co-create programs while tapping into my wealth of content ideas; or

• A group of your staff attend my ‘Better Conversations’ training, empowering them with a clear framework to design and facilitate engaging SEL experiences. This process can be supported by group program design coaching; or

• I can design bespoke programs for your school to fit your format, needs and objectives.

Bespoke Workshops

I design and facilitate workshops tailored to your specific needs including any combination of the Better Conversations and/or Leading Together program content.

I can also design an experience to build shared understanding around culture, values, leadership, communication, facilitation skills, wellbeing or healthy masculinity.

Format and outcomes to suit your timetable, needs and budget.

Keynote options

Staff presentations are an opportunity to give your entire team a common vocabulary and some practical skills to put this approach to work immediately in classroom and extracurricular activities. I also deliver parent talks to inspire parents and care-givers to lead “Better Conversations” with their young people at home.

'Thriving Together' - An inspiring exploration of our human needs for connection and four simple steps for conversations that build stronger, richer, more connected communities

'Healthy Masculinities at Work' - Based on 10 years leading Good Blokes Co, this creates a shared understanding of how culture shapes boy's wellbeing and behaviour, with practical steps for more productive conversations.

The foundation of a thriving wellbeing culture is a collaborative team of emotionally professional leaders who know how to care for themselves and their colleagues. This collaborative learning experience explores a social and emotional intelligence toolbox that enables educators to role model key wellbeing concepts such as gratitude, empathy and resilience in their interactions with peers, parents and students.

It equips educational leaders or entire teams with a deeper understanding of our neurological needs for connection, emotional support and common purpose at work. It offers a clear framework of practical tools to navigate difficult conversations and build genuinely collaborative cultures where people feel connected, valued, and supported to sustain their important work.

Content

• Psychological safety and the anatomy of belonging;

• Emotional professionalism – understanding and communicating emotions at work;

• Collaborative leadership – more than just democratic or delegative leadership – a mindset that builds collaborative teams;

• Four steps for better 1:1s;

• The FERVA coaching model for empowering others;

• Cultural intelligence, holistic diversity and practical inclusion;

• Empathy maps for calling people in instead of calling people out;

• Accountability for sustainable change.

Outcomes

Participants gain:

• Confidence navigating difficult conversations with colleagues, parents and students;

• Practical coaching skills for empowering colleagues and students;

• Improved collaborative leadership capacity for strengthening teams;

• Deeper understanding of key wellbeing topics;

• Strengthened personal practice for effective self care and for purposeful work;

• Tools for supporting colleagues effectively.

Organisations see:

• Improved staff wellbeing through greater connection to purpose, stronger team connection, and effective self care;

• Improved teaching through greater collaboration in teaching practice;

• Greater engagement and shared accountability in wellbeing, inclusion and culture initiatives; and

• Improved attraction, development and retention of talent.

Format

A series of 8 experiential workshops for leadership groups or whole teams. Delivered over 2 full days or across 8 weeks. Ideally delivered in person, however online group learning is available.

Each experiential workshop connects theory to your team's real challenges, building shared language and practical capacity for building an emotionally professional teaching team.