Facilitation 101 Spring Cohort: Live Training and Practice Group
A blended course: learn at your own pace, practise in a supportive group.
Content includes:
📚 13 high impact modules
📺 5+ hours of video tutorials
💡 20+ learning activities
🖥️ 4 live group workshops
✅ 4 methods cheatsheets
📋 6 sample session plans
🎥 Filmed facilitated sessions
💬 Interview with an expert
❓ Q&A on common queries
✨ Exclusive resource pack
🎓 Certificate of completion
Led by expert facilitator Julia Slay, this is our most in-depth training yet. It includes everything in our self-paced course, plus four live online training sessions and one virtual peer group meet-up.
This blended approach combines the flexibility of self-led learning with the accountability and connection of live workshops.
Through 13 high impact modules, you’ll learn skills, techniques and tools to confidently lead high impact meetings, workshops and events. Then join us each week for practice, Q&As and peer learning, starting on Monday 2 March.
You’ll get professional tips, proven strategies and practical resources you can try out together and put into action straight away.
Book your place now – we can’t wait to welcome you to the course.
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“It’s been an incredibly valuable self-paced course, which goes beyond theory and leaves you with practical techniques... it covers such a wide scope.”
Who is this course for?
This new, blended Facilitation 101 training is ideal for people who:
want practical support and accountability while learning
value opportunities for feedback and live practice
prefer the flexibility of a self-paced format combined with group connection.
You will keep lifetime access to all course materials, including any future updates and new resources.
What happens in the live sessions?
The four group training sessions are designed to help you experience live facilitation, connect with peers, share questions and learn by doing. You’ll also have one online peer group meet-up.
The sessions link directly to eight core modules in the self-paced course, helping you put theory into practice. You’ll be able to:
✅ practice facilitation methods in real time
✨ explore key facilitation challenges raised in the course
💬 ask questions and get feedback on your own practice
🎯 learn to apply tools and methods to your own real-world contexts
🤝 connect with other learners and share experiences.
Course dates and details
Join us live each week in March 2026. If there’s a date you can’t make, don’t worry – we’ll share recordings afterwards too.
You’ll need to set aside an hour each week to prepare for the session.
Week 1: Monday 2 March (5.30 – 7.30pm GMT)
Starting strong: laying the foundations and workshop design
We’ll work through how you can create the conditions for great group work, both in the run-up to a meeting or event, and in the opening moments.
Week 2: Monday 9 March (5.30 – 7.30pm GMT)
Asking better questions: participation and group conversation
You’ll learn practical models for open questioning, techniques for handling dominant voices, and ways to increase engagement in every session you run – both online and in person.
Week 3: Monday 16 March (5.30 – 7.30pm GMT)
Generating ideas, and facilitating reflection and learning for groups
We’ll explore how to help groups think creatively together to develop ideas and options. You’ll learn how to respond to common challenges and design workshops that deliver impact.
We’ll also look at how to create reflection and learning opportunities for groups, and experience two of Julia’s go-to methods.
Week 4: Monday 23 March (5.30 – 7.30pm GMT)
Peer group meet-up – no training scheduled.
Week 5: Monday 30 March (5.30 – 7.30pm GMT)
Facilitating online and closing well
You’ll practise adapting methods for online delivery, managing digital tools with confidence, and designing strong endings that reinforce learning.
What do the 13 modules cover?
The modules will take you through the core skills every facilitator needs, and then to go deeper into some of the main challenges and activities that facilitators are most likely to be doing.
The course is designed so you can learn in a way that suits you. We’ll focus on eight of the 13 modules in our group workshops, and you’ll need to complete the relevant modules in your own time before each of these live sessions.
Each module includes:
videos that share the same insights and models we use in our live courses
one or more learning activities to help you apply the learning to your context
self-reflection questions to help you think about your role as a facilitator
course slides you can download, outlining the key info, questions and activities.
extra resources, such as session plans, workshop templates, checklists, cheatsheets and links to useful reading, videos and podcasts.
An outline of each module is below, just click for more info.
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How you can create the conditions for great group work, both in the run-up to a meeting or event, and in the opening moments. We’ll cover:
your role as a facilitator
the essential ingredients for a successful session
how to create inclusive, welcoming environments
opening and leading the first part of a workshop.
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The key factors to consider when designing group events. You’ll get a winning framework for workshop design, a checklist of crucial components and tips on timings. We’ll cover:
questions to think about when designing a session
the main choices you’ll need to make
a structure for developing strong workshop plans.
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How to listen deeply to a group, and frame clear and incisive questions. You’ll learn how to ask open questions and avoid moments of silence and confusion. We’ll cover:
the difference between open and closed questions
how to frame powerful open questions
how to use silence well when facilitating groups.
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How to reflect back what a group is saying so that they can hear the thread of their own dialogue. You’ll learn two simple methods to help groups stay on track. We’ll cover:
why reflecting and summarising is a key facilitation skill
what not to do and what the common pitfalls are
two methods to reflect well and summarise simply
being aware of ‘the power of the pen’.
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How to overcome distractions, understand barriers to participation and bake engagement into the design of your events and workshops. We’ll cover:
how to design for engagement
how to engage people in a range of different ways
tools to engage quieter people in a group
how to deal with dominant or louder voices.
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How to identify barriers to access, proactively prevent exclusion, ask the right questions and make thoughtful design choices that foster inclusivity. We’ll cover:
a facilitator’s role in creating inclusive events
the impact of gathering information in advance
small changes to enhance accessibility in every session
what questions you can ask to improve accessiblity
being aware of biases, stereotypes, and microaggressions
an accessibility checklist you can implement immediately.
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How to help groups think creatively together to develop ideas and options. You’ll learn how to respond to common challenges and design workshops that deliver impact. We’ll cover:
what groups need to engage in divergent thinking
how facilitators can support creative exploration
3 activities you can use to help a group generate ideas.
how to confidently overcome challenges.
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How to support group or peer learning, both online and in person. You’ll learn methods and activities to help groups tap into their collective wisdom. We’ll cover:
methods to support communities of practice
facilitating groups focused on peer learning and exchange
extra skills to help enhance a group’s learning experience.
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How to address challenges that come up when facilitating decision-making within groups, and build your confidence to help groups navigate different types of decisions. We’ll cover:
the process of decision-making, and the role of a facilitator
difficulties and challenges that can emerge
what you can do when these challenges arise
3 approaches to help groups make decisions.
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How to ‘land the learnings’ from a session, help groups to think about how to apply new insights, and how to close the learning cycle. We’ll cover:
the difference between reflecting on process and content
‘launch, explore, land’ as a framework for workshop design
Kolb’s ‘learning cycle’ and why it’s important for facilitation
6 methods to support group learning and reflection
how to adapt this process for different group sizes and time limits.
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A deep dive into what changes when you facilitate sessions online, what unique challenges present themselves, and how you can navigate these with confidence. We’ll cover:
maintaining engagement with groups online
navigating tech – what to use and when
tips and practical tools you can apply immediately.
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How to adjust things on the go if your session plan needs to change, so you can work with agility and flexibility to meet the objectives of the workshop. We’ll cover:
how to feel confidence facilitating groups when your plan isn’t working out
two methods to use when you need to change plans part-way through a session.
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How to close a meeting, workshop or event well, spaciously and with real intent. You’ll learn to design endings that create real moments of impact for a group. We’ll cover:
what’s important when closing a meeting, event or workshop
how to run engaging activities that close events with a bang
3 different techniques, depending on how much time you have left.
Who created the course?
I’m Julia Slay, a freelance consultant and facilitator, and founder of Facilitation 101.
Since setting up Facilitation 101, I’ve trained hundreds of people around the world in facilitation skills - online and in person - across every sector.
We know what works, and how to create engaging and enjoyable learning experiences. We’ve figured out the secret to how to quickly build your skills and confidence, and we share the most useful tools for you to take away and apply in your work.
During 15 years as a facilitator, trainer and coach, I’ve led over a thousand workshops, ranging from away days and team development sessions, to multi-day strategy retreats and international convenings.
I love what I do. I’ve learnt from some of the best facilitators around, and I maintain my own skills by regularly taking part in training to deepen my practice. I can’t wait to share this course with you.
See my LinkedIn profile for more info and follow me for facilitation tips, updates and reflections.
What do people say about our courses?
This online course is brand new, so we haven’t gathered any reviews yet. Here’s what people say about our other courses and taster sessions…
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