Masterful Facilitation Institute

About Us

2011-07-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

We build your meeting facilitation competencies and boost your confidence so you can design and facilitate focused and effective meetings - every time, for every purpose.

"I would 100% recommend this program. If you want to learn or hone a process for facilitation from the experts - this is it!" -- LC

"You will leave with ready to go, hands-on, practical methods for facilitating! The course exceeded my expectations. I am going back to my workplace with confidence in my newly acquired skills. -- KM

Empowering - Engaging - Energizing Programs! - discover why our approach consistently earns rave participant reviews! Contact us for in-house delivery. Scroll right for upcoming programs, to join our LinkedIn network, and read participant testimonials; below for course descriptions, and further below for links to facilitation resources. Learn more... about us.... privacy policy.

The Confident Facilitator: Essential Skills for Great Meetings

2011-07-22T19:55:00.001-07:00

Research indicates that as much as 50% of time spent in meetings is often unproductive, lacking focused outcomes or respectful interactions.

Whether you or your staff facilitates meetings at work, in the community, or in multi-stakeholder settings, solid facilitation skills are the antidote to wasted meetings.

Benefits: The Confident Facilitator is a two-day hands-on program that is guaranteed to give you a practical foundation in how to facilitate more positive and effective meetings - in short, Great Meetings, or your money back!

For more information and how to register.....

You will walk away with techniques, insights, skills, tools, and experiential learning to ensure you know how to achieve enhanced performance and ensure more productive group results back at the office from knowing how to facilitate Great Meetings. All this, plus you’ll also take with you a terrific reference binder to assist all your future facilitations!

Once you (or your staff) have completed The Confident Facilitator, participants will say, “We attended a focused and productive meeting that started and ended on time. People came prepared for the agenda. We were skilfully facilitated through questions and respectful processes that resulted in clear, creative and relevant outcomes that all had contributed, understood and accepted. This is how all meetings should go!"

What You Will Learn:

Understand the characteristics and components of Great Meetings
Distinguish facilitator and meeting roles, including how these differs from a 'chair' role
Apply a detailed framework of the phases for facilitating a meeting from start to end
Gain a comprehensive checklist of steps to planning and preparing for a meeting
Practice essential skills that facilitators continuously attend to during a meeting
Facilitate basic meeting outcomes with five very useful process tools and methods
Apply helpful techniques and methods to keep a group on track, and to address dynamics.
Practice closing with clarity and participant commitment

Who Should Attend: If you lead meetings in any setting, whether at work or in your community, solid facilitation skills are critical for obtaining successful outcomes. This program will be of interest to any meeting leader seeking to improve the quality and output of their meetings, including managers, supervisors, team and project leaders, change and quality improvement agents, various professional and technical experts, internal / external consultants, and trainers.

Register: Register Securely Online-Confident

When: February 27-28, 2012, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.

Super Early Bird Registration: September 13, 2011 - January 7, 2012
Early Bird Registration: January 8, 2012 - January 22, 2012

Where: Vancouver, BC at the Granville Island Hotel.

Cost: Includes handouts, materials, light breakfast, refreshment breaks. Social Profit: $995 CDN; General: $1,265 CDN, plus applicable taxes. (Review Early Bird savings.)

Accommodation Choices: See possible hotels.

Program Information: Brenda Chaddock: 604-929-4290

Download Course Outline: PDF Brochure

TESTIMONIALS: What past participants have said:

"An extremely useful course, well designed and full of practical information. The highly interactive format made learning easy, and facilitation could be practiced in a safe, comfortable environment." KKT

"I would 100% recommend this program. If you want to learn or hone a process for facilitation from the experts - this is it!" LC

"I would wholeheartedly recommend this course! I knew nothing of facilitation and the art form at all coming in. Brenda and Myriam are caring, compassionate and brilliant teachers who make you feel confident while providing a secure and safe learning environment." LC

"A suberb introduction to the art and science of facilitation - suitable for those new to the practice, and also to those with years of experience who want to enrich their understanding." LB

"Participants receive a great understanding of what facilitation is and lots of opportunities for hands on experience. I am walking out excited about my next opportunity to facilitate and try out my new skills.' TL

"A very practical course, with a solid 'go-to' reference book for applying facilitation techniques in a variety of settings....work or community setting." GG

"A great introduction to facilitation theory, balanced with skill improvement for experienced facilitators looking to expand their skills.' AO

"A fantastically well organized course that provides essential skills and tools for all types of organizational uses. I love how all participants with different skill and knowledge levels walked away enriched!" JH

"This course will get you started on the journey and add to your facilitation confidence and competence!" NH

"I learned and saw many techniques in action, plus I can now refer to a wealth of references to acquire further details. Sharing this experience with others was also invaluable!" CO

Return to Top

The Agile Facilitator: Advanced Group/Problem-Solving Skills

2011-07-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

Is this you? You already know how to prepare and facilitate short, productive and focused meetings. What you're keen to do now is expand your current skills to facilitate meetings of longer duration, with diverse participants to achieve more involved and complex outcomes.

In this empowering class, you will acquire practical insights and step-by-step processes to design and facilitate meetings that build common ground understanding around issues and problems, help align participants around a shared vision, as well as generate and narrow options for decision-making. You will also gain useful strategies to address meeting dysfunction and conflict. And you will take away another terrific resource binder, organized according to support your facilitation of each of the five steps in the meeting framework.

For more information and how to register.....
Building on the foundational skills of The Confident Facilitator: Essential Skills for Great Meetings (prerequisite), the two-day Agile Facilitator course is designed to help you take the next step in building your facilitation confidence and skill. This course will enable you to facilitate bigger issues and problems, in longer meetings, with more complex, and potentially conflicted situations.

At the end of this course, you will be able to custom-design meetings for problem-solving, issue resolution, and action planning meetings to build common ground and group consensus. You will have a deeper understanding of how to prevent dysfunction and dynamics before the meeting begins, by adopting techniques and designs that promote communication and collaboration, and support effective decision-making.

After your next facilitation, people may say, “There were a lot of different perspectives and issues to consider and balance, and you were effective in helping us remain focused, while discovering the common ground to move forward. Though things did get intense once in a while, you held a respectful and safe space, so that mutual understanding and good outcomes could occur.”

What You Will Learn:

A five-step meeting framework for issue resolution, problem solving, action planning, project planning and simple process improvement
Ability to custom-design and facilitate group processes to create mutual understanding, consensus, and alignment in achieving the above meeting purposes.
Specific process tools to help groups analyze issues and generate solutions
Practice longer facilitations with other more experienced peers and receive helpful coaching to enhance your effectiveness and skill
Proven intervention techniques for addressing dysfunction and preventative strategies for group dynamics.
Note: A 2-hour virtual class refresher of Essential Skills is included prior to the two-day course.

Who Should Attend: Meeting leaders who want to continue improving the quality and output of their meetings, including managers, supervisors, department and team leaders, project managers, internal consultants, and business analysts, various professional and technical experts, change and quality improvement agents.

Register: Register Securely Online-Agile

When:

Feb. 29 & March 1, 2012, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Pacific
Refresher (Virtual Class): February 9th, 8:30-10:30 am, Pacific

Super Early Bird Registration: September 13, 2011 - January 8, 2012
Early Bird Registration : January 9 - 23, 2012

Where: Vancouver, BC at the Granville Island Hotel.

Cost: Includes handouts, materials, light breakfast, refreshment breaks. Social Profit: $1095 CDN; General: $1,465 CDN, plus applicable taxes. (Review Early Bird savings.)
Accommodation Choices: See possible hotels.
Program Information: Brenda Chaddock: 604-929-4290
Download Course Outline: PDF Brochure

TESTIMONIALS: What past participants have said of our past programs:

"An excellent foundation and overview of facilitation concepts, tools and practices, with an invaluable reference manual. This course gave me the knowledge, skills and best practices that I can immediately put into practice." PS

"This course provided in-depth facilitation training including real-time practices to test your skills. The course binder included has proven to be a critical resource as I move forward with my own facilitation practice. Myriam and Brenda are fabulous instructors and facilitators. I highly recommend the Masterful Facilitation Institute to others. LH

"After your program, I facilitated two sessions with our department...and thanks to your guidance and the reference materials you gave us at the course (the binder is wonderful!) the sessions were a great success!" RB

"A very practical course, with a solid 'go-to' reference book for applying facilitation techniques in a variety of settings....work or community setting." GG

"A fantastically well organized course that provides essential skills and tools for all types of organizational uses. I love how all participants with different skill and knowledge levels walked away enriched!" JH

"This course will get you started on the journey and add to your facilitation confidence and competence!" NH

"I learned and saw many techniques in action, plus I can now refer to a wealth of references to acquire further details. Sharing this experience with others was also invaluable!" CO

Return to Top

The Virtual Facilitator: Leading Interactive TeleCalls and Webinars

2009-11-18T15:45:00.000-08:00

THE VIRTUAL FACILITATOR is an eLearning / TeleClass program on how to get great results from virtual meetings, whether TeleCalls or Webinars, through effective design, facilitation of engaging process, and right use of technology. This series of three 1.5 hour interactive teleclasses on consecutive weeks offers a practical foundation in the secrets to facilitating Great Virtual Meetings.

For more information and how to register.....

Great Virtual Meetings = Right Technology + Solid Preparation + Interactive Process.

Download PDF brochure: for details.

Benefits: You will explore the challenges of, and possibilities for, meeting in virtual space, and learn how to achieve greater meeting involvement through sharing information, idea generation and appropriate engagement. You will acquire tools for keeping group focus, for creating interesting and worthwhile meetings, and for ensuring each participant feels they are contributing. You will gain keys and tips for designing and facilitating great meetings, including how to create an effective virtual agenda; encourage interaction; stay in control while encouraging participation; pick the right virtual space; and record meeting outputs.

Who Should Attend: This learning program is for team/project leaders, managers, and instructors - anyone interested in enhancing their overall skill and competency in designing and facilitating engaging virtual meetings, without also having to become a ‘technical wizard’.

Program Leaders: Brenda Chaddock and Myriam Laberge

Cost: Social Profit: $525 CDN; General: $675 CDN (includes Gov't); plus applicable taxes.

Register Securely Online -Virtual

When: March 28, April 4 and 11, 2012 (Online, 8:00 am - 9:30 am, Pacific)

(Calculate timing for your exact time zone; taking into account standard/daylight savings time changes).

Where: Virtual Teleconference and Webinar Learning Program (access coordinates provided upon paid registration)

Group Size: For optimal learning, the maximum is 16 participants. With greater demand, additional program times will be offered.

TESTIMONIAL

"Outstanding experience – well organized, well executed, and great value! We learned how to plan and manage for successful virtual interactions with groups from under 10 to over 100; sampled virtual tools and techniques; and received a virtual library of support material. Throughout the sessions, Brenda, Myriam, and Blair modeled excellent facilitation and the teamwork that makes virtual interactions engaging." -- MH

"The Virtual Facilitator was a wonderful source of practical information. The entire workshop was conducted virtually via teleconferencing and webinar format, thus giving participants an opportunity to experience the skilful and seamless modelling of facilitation techniques, as well being able to experience some of the technological tools available. Myriam and Brenda are highly skilled facilitators, and it was a real treat to experience their co-facilitation of this workshop. Their warm, welcoming and engaging manner provided a safe and open learning environment and stimulated some very insightful discussions among the participants. And they also demonstrated how to promptly address any technical glitches. What I found invaluable about the workshop was that we actually got hands-on experience using several of the virtual tools. The best practices and processes were very practical, and the materials clear, concise and comprehensive. I gleaned many practical tips that I have already applied back at my workplace. Highly recommended!" -- PS

"There is an abundance of technology available to support virtual meetings, and a good deal of training on how to use that technology. What there isn’t are training opportunities on the facilitation aspect of virtual meetings…. The Virtual Facilitator fills that gap beautifully. This course helped me understand how to design and facilitate a virtual meeting (by phone or web) and provide a meaningful and engaging collaborative experience for all participants, despite the fact that they weren’t sitting around a table together. This course will help ensure that fiscal restraint around travel doesn’t result in the end of collaboration… the theory was relevant, comprehensive and easy to apply, and I learned many tips and tricks that I could implement immediately to significantly improve my web meetings and conference calls. After this class I can make sure that just because my participants are invisible to me and to each other, that they don’t feel invisible. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who facilitates in a virtual environment.” -- RP

Return to Top

The Engaging Facilitator: Conversation Methods for Collaboration & Wise Action

2009-11-18T15:42:00.000-08:00

When mutual understanding, partnership and/or collaborative action are the desired outcomes of a meeting involving multiple views, knowing how to design and facilitate an appropriate flow of meaningful conversations is essential.

The Engaging Facilitator is a learning intensive on how to facilitate conversational methods in communities and organizations for more cooperative and sustainable results. The program begins with the philosophy and values underlying a more co-creative engagement approach in multi-stakeholder situations, and then focuses on the “how-to’s” of various methods, including when and how to apply the approaches for better outcomes. Theory and practice are combined around proven participatory methods (e.g., World Café, Open Space, Dialogue, Deliberative Dialogue, Appreciative Inquiry) for breakthrough thinking, decision-making and collaborative action.

For more information and how to register.....

Download full pdf brochure.)

Benefits: You will take away powerful frameworks, design concepts, facilitation methods and process tools to help diverse participants make informed and wise contributions. This program goes beyond the essential skills for guiding groups (from The Confident Facilitator above), and adds further value in its focus on the keys to successful engagement when working across boundaries and diverse partial views: Right Convening + Engaging Design + Skillful Facilitation = Great Meeting Outcomes!

Right Convening: Scope and design for the full engagement cycle from the decision to convene through key design and facilitation questions when the goal is to achieve collective learning and build common ground.
Engaging Design: Appropriately blend different conversational methods to achieve mutual understanding; reframe conflict; generate and evaluate possible solutions that bridge diverse system needs.
Skillful Facilitation: Anticipate the ways that partial views play out in diverse groups; encourage productive conversations; foster a systems view; and facilitate the whole system for collaboration and wise action.

Download detailed PDF. (Read testimonials of past participants at right and scroll further below.)

Who Should Attend: If the meetings and sessions you lead involve cross-functional teams, multi-stakeholder groups, and various partners and organizations - this program is for you. Those who should attend include public involvement practitioners, change agents, team/project/program leaders, managers and executives.

Interested? Add Your Name To Waiting List

When: June 25-27, 2012; 8:30 am to 5:00 pm

Where: The Granville Island Hotel, Vancouver, BC

Cost: $1,495 CDN - social profit; $1,895 CDN - general, plus applicable taxes. Review Early Bird Savings. Costs include program handbook, materials, and refreshment breaks.

Program Facilitators: Myriam Laberge: 604-943-9133 and Brenda Chaddock: 604-929-4290.

Accommodation Choices: See possible hotels.

TESTIMONIALS: What Past Participants Said

What a splendid program you provided us on all levels - informative, engaging, interesting, useful, and of course, FUN! You created a warm and hospitable ambience that made it easy for everyone to engage and learn." AO

"Take this course! It will enable and empower you to take on challenges and find solutions in large and small groups, while avoiding conflict and derailment. Great tools to use whatever you need to accomplish with others. Very rich in providing lots of new ideas directly applicable to my job." RV

"Myriam and Brenda embody and breathe the essence of dialogue and deliberation into the course. Although I was familiar with many of these methods, I am taking away many new insights such as Partial Views, how to blend methods, and the priceless understanding of the 'essence' of each of these methods! KH

" A very good overview of some methods to use in the meetings that appear too 'scary' because issues are complex or the behaviours of participants are a serious concern because of their diversity (e.g., not like me)." SV

"I would definitely recommend this course. Having very little previous experience, it provided me with a good balanced overview of techniques that I can see myself using throughout my career (and personal life!)" KH

"The course was well structured and custom tailored to meet our needs! I gained insights into different methods used to engage and facilitate stakeholders at a meeting. I am taking away new ways to approach a problem involving group dynamics and how to set up a meaningful engagement process." RS

Return to Top

The Inspired Facilitator: Achieving Mastery in Engaging Organizations and Communities

2009-11-18T15:39:00.000-08:00

Masterful facilitation is an ongoing dance of skill, presence, and inspiration. Outwardly your role is to help participants through the agenda in accordance with the purpose, principles and other articulated norms for working together. Inwardly, you are attending to what is actually emerging, willing to stand ‘in creative tension’ and change the design in a moment, to best serve the group.

The Inspired Facilitator is a deep dive into the principles, theories, practices, and processes for understanding, designing, and facilitating complex group dynamics and multi-stakeholder situations.

For more information and how to register.....

Download detailed pdf.

Benefits: With learned and experienced colleagues, you will co-create a learning agenda to explore and share the heights and depths of facilitation engagements. Using different theoretical frameworks as useful constructs, together you will dialogue, analyze, experiment and practice how to transform (and as needed, rescue) design and facilitation situations, nurture the emergence of group creativity and wisdom, while yourself remaining centered, authentic and present.

Who Should Attend: This program is for advanced practitioners and leaders (internal/external consultants, change agents, trainers, team/project leaders, managers and executives) who are looking to hone their skills in addressing complex facilitation projects and challenging conversations. Prior facilitation experience is required and/or completion of The Confident Facilitator program. (Read testimonials below.)

Registration Information:

Program Facilitators: Myriam Laberge: 604-943-9133 and Brenda Chaddock: 604-929-4290.

When: November 14-16, 2012

Where: Granville Island Hotel

Cost: Social Profit: $1,495 CDN; General: $1,895 CDN, plus applicable taxes (Early Bird and team savings!) Costs include program handbook, materials, and refreshment breaks.

Interested? Add Your Name To Our Waiting List

Accommodation Choices: Special room rate available at Granville Island Hotel. Also see nearby accommodations close to Granville Island.

TESTIMONIALS: What Past Participants Said

"This course is a great blend of practical tools and useful theoretical foundations with a focus on being a reflective practitioner - I would absolutely recommend it!" -JC

"A very confirming course for the experienced practitioner, a fabulous opportunity to connect with other professionals in the field and to explore the deeper questions of our practices in a supportive learning space." - PH

"You were both outstanding models and generous mentors in this learning community of facilitators, and I am taking away so much more than I expected including dialogue, new constructs, and tools on large systems work! - NH

“I’m at the point in my career where I have high expectations for learning as I too often pay for and attend courses where I come away with nothing new. This course has given me new learnings (e.g., partial and systems views, dialogue, ladder of inference, engaging the whole, storytelling) and experiences that I will chew on for some time.” -LG

"For a practitioner working alone, being given this rare opportunity to dive deeply with colleagues into what it takes to do this work was akin to giving water to someone stuck in a desert. As facilitators, you were incredibly skilful at creating and holding the space for this group of experienced practitioners to really ‘show up’, engage each other, share resources and knowledge, learn new techniques, and be compassionate about the struggles we all have." - LH

"This course was so much more than I initially expected, with the ability to interact with other seasoned professionals about the stuff that doesn't usually get included in the handbooks, but is really the key to success." - BK

"I would like to say what a very great gift this was to be offered three days of reflection and space to share the passion of facilitation in this program! Myriam and Brenda did a really great job of holding the gracious space that we (the participants) needed to raise our level of facilitation service." - EB

Return to Top

The Artful Visual Facilitator: Bringing Meeting Results to Life with Graphics

2009-11-18T15:36:00.000-08:00

THE ARTFUL FACILITATOR is a fun, easy, hands-on introductory program on using basic visuals, graphics and images in your facilitation. In this highly interactive two-day course led by graphic recorder Avril Orloff, you will learn the basics of graphic language and its potential to enhance your facilitation effectiveness. Designed to build confidence in incorporating graphics and visuals into the meetings you facilitate, the session is chockful of opportunities to put your knowledge into practice.

"Avril offers the budding graphic facilitator just the right blend of challenge and fun to walk away able to enhance meeting results right away." -- ML

For more information and how to register.....

(Download PDF brochure.)

Benefits: You will walk away with an understanding of the core principles of visual thinking and acquire basic techniques for drawing simple shapes, icons and people, including the effective use of colour and graphic metaphors. You will know how to translate abstract concepts into concrete images and will walk away with your own inventory of ready-made graphic icons (see Visual Dictionary from recent session). You will acquire a dashboard of standard formats for a variety of facilitation processes, and create impactful posters and charts for standard meeting visuals like Agendas, Norms, and Group Instructions. You'll also be able to capture "live" meeting results such as lists, brainstorming, action plans, and other facilitation processes in more memorable ways, with powerful titles and meaningful conceptual images. Finally, you will put it all together to create templates for several different meeting outcomes. (View video on the new research: Improving Meetings Through Visualization.)

Who Should Attend: This program is for any group facilitator interested in enhancing their overall skill and effectiveness by developing a repertoire of useful images, icons, lettering conventions, visual metaphors and much more! Anyone wishing to learn the essentials of graphic recording is also welcome to attend.

Register: Register Securely Online-Artful

When: Rescheduled to January 17 & 18, 2012 -

THIS COURSE IS FULL. Email us if you'd like to add your name to the waiting list for the next offering of this course.

Time: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Daily

Where: The Granville Island Hotel, Vancouver, BC, Note: Participant limit of 16.

Program Leader: Contact Avril Orloff: (604) 876-8418 or a.orloff@shaw.ca.

Cost: Includes handouts, materials, light breakfast, refreshment breaks. Social Profit: $995 CDN; General: $1,265 CDN, plus applicable taxes. (Review Early Bird savings.)

Accommodation Choices: See possible hotels

TESTIMONIALS:

"Loved Avril's style - the course was fun, informative and skill-building, and very realistic!"

"I truly enjoyed Avril’s approach and dedication to ensuring participants gained knowledge and practice in adding visuals and graphics to their facilitation. Well done!" -- LCH

"The graphic jam was a blast! I really liked the balance of drawing time with other exercises. Found the lettering tips to be good foundational pieces, and how to visually organize information." --AU

Return to Top