Aalto University Summer School courses
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Summer School Teacher Interview: ‘Teams can work smarter, not just harder’
Xiaoqi Feng and Antti Surma-aho teach the summer course Facilitation Skills by Aalto University Summer School this July. They explain why facilitation is an essential skill for everyone, regardless of role or industry.
Xiaoqi Feng is a researcher and educator specializing in facilitation, communication and collaboration. She is completing her PhD, studying what makes people effective facilitators and collaborators. As a former research fellow at Harvard University, she explored peer learning and the balance between guiding discussions and stepping back to let meaningful interactions unfold. She has worked with students, teachers, and professionals to support course design, foster reflective thinking, and manage team dynamics.
Antti Surma-aho began his studies in mechanical engineering but was drawn to the human side of the problem-solving. Now a strategy consultant and customer researcher at Deloitte, he works on diverse projects for a range of companies. His expertise spans both the theory and practice of facilitation — from understanding how people perceive others in conversations to navigating the emotional dynamics of corporate strategy.
What does facilitation mean in today’s working life?
Antti: Facilitation is the act of supporting group processes. It can be done in any role: a hired facilitator, a manager wanting to encourage self-directedness, a teacher wanting to make students active, an engineer or software developer trying to work out the details of a concept with colleagues... The basics of facilitation, like active listening and a purposeful agenda, are helpful in all kinds of professional interactions.
Xiaoqi: To me, facilitation is the secret ingredient to making teamwork actually work. It’s about understanding people, creating a space where everyone feels heard, and helping groups communicate and collaborate effectively. As Antti mentioned, no matter your role—engineer, consultant, manager, teacher, researcher, or facilitator—strong facilitation skills help teams work smarter, not just harder.
What inspired you to create this summer course on facilitation skills, and why do you think it's an essential skill for professionals today?
Xiaoqi: We designed this course because we believe anyone can become a great facilitator. Facilitation isn’t just about running workshops—it’s a blend of leadership, communication, collaboration, public speaking, and empathy. It’s about knowing when to lead, when to step back, and how to create environments where people can do their best work.
Antti: Teamwork is prominent but often lackluster. Knowledge workers today use 25-50% of their working time on collaboration. And yet, there are indications that feelings of teamwork productivity, satisfaction, and ability to meaningfully contribute are on the decline. While we believe that a diverse group of people can be more than the sum of its parts, we also believe that doesn’t happen on its own.
What are some of the key skills and techniques students will learn in this course, and how can they apply them in real-world settings?
We will introduce about one method per day in the course, selecting techniques we recommend, as well as those recognized as reputable within our field, including:
- Complex facilitation by Cynefin’s Dave Snowden
- Idealogue by Grape People’s Pepe Nummi
- I like I wish by Aalto University’s Satu Rekonen
- Dynamic facilitation
- Think-pair-share (simple but good!)
Xiaoqi highlights that what’s really exciting is applying techniques in different contexts. For example: Complex facilitation is great for tackling tricky problems and leading high-stakes discussions. Idealogue is perfect for stimulating creativity and generating new ideas in a group. I like, I wish is a simple yet powerful way to give constructive feedback. These techniques aren’t just theoretical—they’re designed for real-world challenges.
Who do you think should apply to this summer course?
Antti: This course is useful for anyone who thinks they’ll do group work in the future. So, pretty much everyone interested in the human side of work.
Xiaoqi: Our course is especially perfect for:
- Teamwork skeptics: If you’ve ever thought, “This meeting could have been an email” —this course will help you turn teamwork into something that actually works.
- Discussion navigators: If group conversations go in circles or get dominated by a few voices, you’ll learn how to steer discussions so everyone contributes meaningfully.
- Introverts who don’t want to be “that” loud leader: Great facilitators aren’t always the most talkative. This course will provide a safe space for you to lead in your own way.
It’s designed for people across industries—business, research, consulting, engineering, and education—who want to not only gain insights from others but also learn how to facilitate learning, creativity, and collaboration.
The application period for Facilitation Skills is open until 31 May 2025.
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