Eric Girard, a senior facilitator at Reverb, is passionate about learning and making a difference. He joined Reverb’s facilitation team this year (2022) and brings a unique perspective and enthusiasm for leadership development.
Eric has been facilitating workshops since college and has been a facilitator for over 30 years. His background is in organizational and intercultural communication with an emphasis in training and development. We sat down with Eric to chat about his journey in facilitation, his recommendations for workshop attendees, and his go-to hype song.
The following conversation with Eric has been edited for length and clarity.
People often say that you can tell a lot about the job or industry someone will end up in based on how they acted as a kid. Is this true for you?
Absolutely. I was always hamming it up in school, and I loved being in front of people. I was super active in Boy Scouts, worked at a local summer camp, and taught kids how to canoe, swim, etc., I loved seeing the light bulbs pop over their heads. Even when kids would get frustrated, I would remind them that “It’s not going to hurt you if you don’t get this, you can always come back and try again.” This ‘take a chance’ and ‘try it out’ attitude definitely carries into my facilitation style today.
What is the most fulfilling part of your job?
I enjoy seeing the light bulbs pop. There is immediate gratification when someone in the room “gets” the idea we’re talking about and can apply it. In the longer term, I want to make a difference in people’s lives, which makes a difference in the lives of those around them. This changes organizations, which ultimately makes a difference in the universe.
Talk about a ‘REVERBeration!’
What is one of the most frustrating parts of your role, or maybe a misconception when it comes to facilitation?
The “one and done” mentality, and the push to make learning events shorter and shorter. In order to embed new knowledge, skills, and attitudes, you’ve got to have time to practice it in a lab-like setting (like a workshop), as well as on the job. I also get frustrated by clients that don’t understand what it takes to get true behavior change. It takes time and space to try out new behaviors and embed those behaviors and attitudes.
Leaders’ willingness to adapt and flex to their employee’s styles is indicative of how much participants will get out of sessions. When possible, I believe that having executive leaders in the room speaks volumes to their commitment to supporting their employees and making changes themselves.
What are three ways that attendees can get the most out of your workshops?
- Show up fully – Set aside distractions and focus on the event.
- Participate fully – Jump in and ask questions, participate in breakouts.
- Apply what you learn right away back on the job, and share what you learned with your cohort and your team – Lots of folks are very busy and are already carving time out of schedules to take the class and it’s easy to go back into what we’ve always done – I encourage people to make an effort to practice those new behaviors.
What are some ways learners can stay accountable?
I would suggest accountability coffee dates, or simply say out loud what you learned and what you’re taking away from the class. Make a commitment to at least one other person to talk about it again.
Which Reverb value resonates the most with you?
Kindness. I think today more than ever, genuine kindness – real empathy – is needed to help people contribute fully and produce their best work.
Any particular reason why you chose kindness?
We need people who are kind and empathetic in a world that is falling down around us – in our spheres of influence can we be kind and empathetic? There’s a difference between being “nice” and “kind” – Being nice is more surface level, it’s lip service. Whereas kindness goes a level deeper where you’re at least showing sympathy for the other person.
The intersection of true empathy and leadership development is what’s necessary these days to get the most out of teams. For example, as a manager, it’s important to ask, “Can I give feedback or correct a way that is still sensitive to other things my direct report may have going on behind the scenes?”
Can empathy be learned?
If someone is sufficiently motivated they can learn. If you want to, you can.
Rapid fire questions
- What is your go-to coffee order?
- Medium Pike Place with cream and two Splendas
- You’re having a bad day – What’s your go-to hype song?
- These days it would be Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love”
- How would you describe your facilitation style in three words?
- High-energy, fun, applicable.
- If you could work remotely from anywhere in the world, and price, time zones, and wifi connection aren’t a problem, where would we find you?
- Hawaii, specifically Maui or Kauai, or someplace tropical with great scuba diving opportunities.
- What’s on your bookshelf right now?
- A lot – and that’s just the books I keep – my favorite author these days is Bill Bryson. I think I’ve read everything he’s written. He’s funny and smart, and makes me think. I admire that and would love to meet him. I also love John Grisham. I have two bookshelves that are dedicated to outdoor stuff, camping, mountain biking, scuba diving, etc.
To work with Eric or any of our other incredible facilitators, or to see if a workshop or workshop series could be inspiring and useful for your company, reach out to our Practice Director, Emily Senff: emily@reverbpeople.com to start the conversation. We can’t wait to meet you where you are.
