Jan Keck - Experience Designer, Trainer, Facilitator

"Break" the ice without making people cringe! This is the main theme for my upcoming course and book.

Next week, we're kicking off a live cohort where I'll share how to build engagement, connections and trust in your meetings, workshops and trainings, which means that this FRIDAY, Sep 15 will be the last day to join us!

Let's move away from awkward, pointless and boring iceBREAKERS and MELT the ice instead.

Are you joining us?
https://www.jankeck.com/icemelterscourse

We've all been victims of icebreakers gone wrong. 🧊💔

Activities that are meant to be fun and bonding, but instead, feel forced, awkward, and are just moving way too fast for our introverted friends.

Too often, the ice is "broken" without consent from the participants, leaving them feeling uncomfortable rather than connected.

Imagine if icebreakers could be more than just silly games but actually serve as meaningful tools to 'melt the ice' and create genuine connections.

I am so friggen excited about a new, exclusive workshop I am hosting for my subscribers in 2 weeks!!

Through this workshop, they'll learn how to get buy-in even from the toughest crowds, from classrooms to “boredrooms” and leave with strategies to build engagement, trust and connections gradually.

The best part?

It's free! ❌💵🥳

And you can join by simply subscribing to my list with the link in the comments.

32 trainers, facilitators, L&D professionals, product managers, and team leaders have already signed up for my upcoming HYBRID MOMENTS MASTERCLASS where I'll share the secret of how to design a hybrid gathering without making participants feel forgotten and invisible.

Here are a couple of reasons why they got their ticket 🙌

If you haven't gotten yours, click here: https://www.jankeck.com/product/hybrid-moments/

You don't always feel that you have a choice when a client tells you: "Oh and by the way, we have a few participants zooming in on your in-person meeting"!

But I will always argue that unless you have a room that is set up for a hybrid experience (and you get additional resources to design your meeting), I would avoid it at all costs.

I believe it's worse when you have to spend half of the time fixing tech issues than making the meeting all remote (or all in-person).

Does this resonate?

What should you do when a participant gets difficult?

That's the question I asked with tongue in cheek at my workshop yesterday during the first 5 minutes while we were waiting for everyone to log in.

I gave my participants the challenge to come up with 100 ideas in 5 minutes based on the activity from Meg Bolger's Facilitator Cards and it was super fun to see serious suggestions and completely ridiculous ones pop up in our Mentimeter poll.

We only got to 19, so I am curious:
What other ideas do you have to add to the list?

This is one of my favourite to build instant connections before a meeting because it allows participants to go deeper without being scary.

If I asked you to share your big goals for the year or what you value the most, it can be a bit overwhelming. But when I show an image grid and ask you which image most REPRESENTS your values or goals, it's so much easier.

For a lot of people this will open the door for deeper sharing in Breakout Groups afterwards and helps spark connections easily.

We played this activity during one of my last "Fire Starter Sessions" where you get to EXPERIENCE a few connection activities and then debrief in a supportive group of facilitators, trainers and community builders.

Join us for the next event on July 12th: https://www.jankeck.com/product/fire-starter-sessions/

Or connect with me to learn more about the virtual engagement tools I recommend during my Virtual Facilitator cohorts.

I get questions about how I am sharing my slides and how I am adding animated effects to my Zoom calls every single day.

So I am extremely excited to be one of the epic humans who will be leading a workshop during this event.

If you're new to Ecamm Live or already a long time member of the ecamm fam, there will be lots to learn.

I will definitely be checking out some of the other sessions myself!

Presented by Ecamm, The Zoom Workshop, is a 5-day training series focused on helping you level up your Zoom meetings, webinars, events, and presentations.
From June 1 - 3, we're hosting YouTube Live sessions hosted by some incredible experts on a range of topics.

June 4 - 5 will be our practice days in Zoom so you can test out what you learned, ask questions, and take action.

Come join me for my session: No More Boring Meetings! How to Create the Ultimate Zoom Experience
Thursday, 02 June, 16:00 - 18:00 (CEST)

There's nothing worse than sitting through yet another boring Zoom meeting 😴 So let's all agree to not host any, okay?

In this session, I will show you how you can build engagement and excitement into your Zoom meetings, webinars, and workshops using Ecamm Live.

Let's all have a lot more fun on Zoom.

Register below to get reminders and access to the FREE practice sessions.
👉 https://ecamm.tv/Zoom

Heads up: Ecamm is a Mac-only software

Oh and if you're interested in joining a small group VIP session with me to practice your skills and perfect your ecamm + Zoom setup, I am thinking of making a few spots available for $99USD after the event.
If there is enough interest I'll put something together that might even include a mini course based on the Ecamm for Beginners Workshops I have been running

I am looking for 47 people who want to learn about how to use new Zoom features and other virtual engagement tools to create more INCLUSIVE, ENGAGING and MEANINGFUL experiences...

There are 1,953 people currently subscribed to my YouTube channel and I can't wait to reach my next milestone - are you going to be number 2,000?

If you're new here, I recommend checking out my recent video about the best Zoom Features to beat Zoom Fatigue for virtual presenters or join me for my next livestream this Friday about the new Zoom Whiteboard!! (links in the comments)

our audience deserves more than boring slides!

What worked 2 years ago is not cutting it anymore. Today, you need to make sure to keep your presentations fresh and exciting if you
want to make sure that people rave about you.

In this session for the Present to Succeed Conference 2022, I shared some of Zoom’s newest features (that you might have missed) that will help make your presentations more exciting and engaging.

Check out the recording of my talk that took me weeks to rehearse and pull off live

Zoom Secrets for Virtual Speakers #zoommeetings Your audience deserves more than boring slides. What worked 2 years ago is not cutting itanymore. Today, you need to make sure to keep your presentations fre...

Have you tried the "ADVANCED" Zoom polls yet?

Since the original Zoom polls didn't allow for a lot of customization I think most people didn't even realize what now is possible.

Before you could create:

✅ Single Choice
✅ Multiple Choice

And with the Advanced Polls you can now also create:

✅ Rank Order
✅ Matching
✅ Fill in the Blank

And the best part?

You can turn any poll into a quiz 🎉🏆🥳
And even upload images!!

Stay tuned for a video tutorial on my YouTube channel soon: https://www.youtube.com/mrjankeck

As I am preparing to speak at the Present to Succeed Conference I came across a feature that has been around for over a year, yet most people have no idea it exists.

This morning I put it to the test: https://youtu.be/PzYdyDO9dm4

Slides as Virtual Background on Zoom (⚠️CAUTION!) #zoomtutorial For over a year Zoom had this pretty cool feature where you can put yourself ON TOP of your slides, but why haven't more people used it? In this video, I'll ...

Which group do you belong to?

If you’re #5, then I don’t think we’ll get along…

If you’re #1-4, then we would love to have you part of the 7th Virtual Facilitator Training cohort.

If you are leading group-based learning experiences and want to increase your confidence in leading engaging, transformational and memorable virtual sessions, then click the link in my bio and apply today.

Registration closes on March 22, 2022.

I believe the best investment is in yourself, your growth, and your skills.

When you invest in training, you're investing in your future.

By becoming more skilled and knowledgeable, you can increase your chances of success in any field.

So here is my question:

Would you exchange $1,250 for the following?

Delivering virtual experiences that are actually more engaging than in person 🎉

Making your business offerings a standout with your greatness and unique abilities 📰

Getting rave testimonials from your participants that lead to more word-of-mouth work opportunities 🏆

The confidence to run breakout rooms, polls, and highly engaging activities without worrying if it will work 🪄

The opportunity for a new income stream and access to a larger, global audience 🌎

The ability to work from anywhere and being able to spend more time with family and friends 🤸

If you answered yes, then I would love to see you in my next VFT cohort that starts next week.

PS: Early Bird Deadline is today

I am thinking of running my next workshop in March, where I show you how to “warm up” your your participants with unique activities that spark deep connections in less than 10 minutes.

Because to be honest, “breaking” the ice sounds way too jarring and painful!

It’s gonna be $37, wanna come?

Reflections at the end of 2021 ✨

I spent the last few days reflecting on all the lessons from the last year and how I want to grow in 2022.

One of the biggest intentions will be on LESS.

👉 Less time scrolling on social media (especially before breakfast)

👉 Less projects that I do by myself (and grow a small + mighty team instead)

👉 Less launches and trainings, but increase the quality (I am only running 2x Virtual Facilitator Trainings this year, but will redesign the experience to build a strong community of epic humans)

👉 Less goals to accomplish. I am only working on 3-4 big projects this year to make sure I can give it my proper attention.

Stay tuned to hear me sharing more about Cohort-Based Experiences and Connection Activities after our move.

Before I am leaving to Germany, I am going to try a crazy experiment...

4 years ago I launched my business and the first deck of
cards.

Check out my stories today where I share how I am celebrating and how YOU can be a part of this 🙂

The first 2 mystery packages are already gone...

The first reviews are in...

Here is what I do, after every single workshop, training or experience I facilitate, so I can make sure to improve:

1. Do a self-assessment and check in with myself to see what worked well and I should keep and what can be improved next time. I look at things like timing, instructions for activities, the results of the debriefs to collect the best ideas.

2. I ask my participants for feedback because often I have blind spots after teaching the same content for so many times.

3. Before I run the same workshop again I refresh myself with the comments, to make sure I implement it all.

After this 5th cohort of my Virtual Facilitator Training (and 4x custom trainings for organizations), it's nearly perfect...

Well, the first to reviews are giving it a score of 10 out of 10, so let's see what the rest will say 😄

The next cohort (last one of the year) starts in November

Jan Keck - Experience Designer, Trainer, Facilitator updated their business hours.

If you're hesitant launching a workshop, program or experience and want some support, accountability and the strategy I used to turn my free workshop into a $10,000 program, then you wanna join me next Friday.

DM me for the details, so you can finally overcome all of these blocks in less than 2 hours.

If you create magical moments for people that leave them transformed and with a greater sense of belonging, then you want to join us.

We're about to go live for the Elevate Compassion Summit. Super excited to be facilitating some activities and making sure it's a meaningful experience for the 600+ attendees from 42 countries.

Guess what the tennis ball is for?

Our language of online connections (my TEDx Talk is now on TED.com)!! 🙌

What perfect timing!

I was about to release a new blog post with additional tips about how we can be more present with others on Zoom.
If you have been following my work - help me share this far and wide 🙏

Watch my talk, leave a comment, and get more tips about virtual connection here: https://www.jankeck.com/tedx-talk/
https://www.jankeck.com/tedx-talk/

How can you turn people from passive observers into highly engaged participants within the first 20 mins of your Zoom workshops?

That is the one question I will be focusing on on my next training on April 19th.

I think this might be one of my best workshops yet!

My goal is for it to be so actionable that it will transform your next Zoom meeting - 100% guaranteed!

I am sharing my "powerful opening" template with questions, activities and step-by-step instructions in this workshop.

You'll also get my "inclusive debrief framework" so you never again ask a question.... and then just crickets 🦗🦗🦗

Early Bird is expiring this Friday:
www.jankeck.com/events

This is gonna be different...

❌ This is the opposite of a typical webinar: interactive, no fluff, all value.

✅ If you stay for the whole workshop you will leave with RESULTS. I built in the time to learn and execute right away

Wearing your "sales" hats and happy dances are optional - but encouraged!

If you wanna know how to Get Paid to Design Your Next Workshop , then join us on Tuesday.

Imagine what you could do if you were clear on WHERE your audience is and HOW to serve them best, BEFORE you create events, workshops and experiences that they won't sign up for.

This work shop is perfect for you, if...

😕 you are not getting a lot or any signups for your workshops.

💨 you are attracting a lot of people that only want free workshops and once you ask them to pay, they disappear.

🤹‍♂️ you're offering so many different workshops for different people that you can't seem to build momentum.

😓 you've been stuck, not offering any virtual workshops because you don't think anyone is interested in what you are offering.

Are you in?

Over the last few weeks my cards have been shipped to 🇨🇦🇺🇸🇦🇪🇬🇧🇰🇼🇻🇳🇲🇽

Can you guess all the countries?