The Chinese proverb says it this way: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”

The key to transformation is self-awareness. A transformational leader helps participants bring attention to hidden assumptions, which are often part of our default stories or identities, such as the lost child or hard-hearted person. We do this through the safe witnessing of habitual thinking and judgments.

Learning endures longer when a leader guides learners to take time to focus on what’s rewarding and meaningful about an experience. When the leader directs awareness to how growth feels in the body, participants can consciously absorb and savor the experience. By letting it really sink in, the learning is internalized and becomes a part of the

Mind-body experiences are an invitation to go on a journey of exploration and self-inquiry. The value of experience is that it is engaging. It lets people find answers for themselves, have a stake in what they create, and then share their discoveries with others.

In the end, what we all need is in every one of us. When you strip it all away, insight and empathy are already on board guiding us. We already have everything we need. By simply acting out of our true nature, we nudge ourselves along the path we are already on.

As Teilhard de Chardin said, “We need to have more specialists in spirit who will lead people into self-discovery.” Offering workshops is a powerful way to do this.

In a transformational workshop, the participants come to perceive themselves, each other, and their world differently. The goal of coming together is to create the conditions for these perceptions to shift through insight and empathy, both in the individual and in the group.

In designing your workshops, you’re co-creating the conditions for self-discovery in a supportive community using liberating practices. You’re offering a safe space for individuals like Melanie to practice becoming choosers and deciders, and to realize that they have freedom in how to relate to themselves, others, and the world.

As a workshop leader, how you teach is more valuable than what you teach. It’s not about charisma. It’s about being clear, consistent, appreciative, encouraging, caring, and optimistic. Real power comes from warmth, presence, and the ability to self-regulate and respond more naturally to whatever comes up in your group.