š“249. Calm Is Contagious: Crisis Comms Secrets for Facilitators feat. Mel Loy (Weekend Rewind)


Today I riff with Brisbane dynamo Melanie āMelā Loyāfounder of Hey Mel Comms & Training, co-owner of a gym, President of IABC Queensland, and host of Less Chatter, More Matter. We bounce across crisis comms, workshop design, and group fitnessāaka how to stay calm when everything goes sideways, and how to bring āMel 2.0ā energy to a room. We also dig into running international workshops (Malaysia! Canada!), tailoring for culture, sketch-noting live instead of relying on slides, and simple ways to manage your state before you facilitate.
Why this episode matters
If youāve ever walked into a room where the techās failing, the room bookingās wrong, or the energy is flatāthis oneās for you. Mel shows how crisis-comms discipline + group-fitness presence = facilitation superpowers. Youāll leave with practical tools for staying calm, lifting the room, and designing sessions people actually remember.
In this episode we cover
- Calm under pressure: how crisis communication maps directly to workshop curveballs
- Energy math: why participants do ~80% of your energyāand how to turn up to 120% without feeling fake
- Mel 2.0: switching on your āSasha Fierceā facilitator persona (and why service > self kills nerves)
- Culture + context: lessons from delivering in Kuala Lumpur and prepping for a Canadian comms audience
- Move the room: getting people standing, stretching, and thinkingāyes, even on Zoom
- Low-tech, high-engagement: using live sketch-noting, flipcharts, and light-bulb captures instead of heavy slide decks
- State management: pre-session routines, time-blocking, and the run-sheet āsecurity blanketā
- Reframing nerves: turn adrenaline into excitement (faster than ācalm downā)
- Keep learning + show your work: why tooting your own horn is part of the job
My takeaways
- Crisis skills arenāt just for media unitsātheyāre everyday facilitator tools: stay calm, decide fast, keep people safe, keep moving.
- Your presence is a performance in service of the group. When I make it about them, my nerves melt.
- Iām borrowing Melās ālight-bulb moments boardā at breaksāinstant retention + artefacts participants share.
- Movement matters. A 60-second stretch can rescue a 60-minute slump.
- Nerves ā problem. Theyāre fuelāpoint them at excitement.
Practical plays you can steal
- Open with a gratitude check-in (1 sentence each) to prime a positive tone.
- Build a run sheet with: Activity ⢠Key points ⢠Learning method (video/quiz/discussion). Print it.
- Plan a post-lunch pattern interrupt (5-minute quiz, walk-and-talk, stretch).
- Replace a slide with a live sketch that grows as participants contribute. Photograph/airdrop at the end.
- When culture shifts, audit idioms & jokes, keep examples universal, and localise references.
- On show day: eat (no hangry facilitation), glance your playlist/flow, and be ready to pivot.
Light-bulb lines
- āPeople will only ever do ~80% of your energyāso bring 120%.ā
- āYouāre not saving babiesāsolve whatās solvable and keep the room safe.ā
- āDonāt squash adrenaline; re-aim it.ā
- āMake it about service, not self.ā
About Mel
Mel Loy builds communication capability through coaching, workshops, and creative thinking. Sheās the President of IABC Queensland, co-owns a gym, and hosts Less Chatter, More Matter. Find her on LinkedIn: Mel Loy and Instagram: @hey.mel.comms (search those handles to connect).
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