Live cohort course
Master the Craft of Group Facilitation
Facilitating groups is a craft anybody can learn. This is a live, online course for rising and established leaders who need to carry a group through complex and fraught dynamics and still reach its purpose.
The short version
Stuck meetings, hijacked planning, retreats aimed at the wrong issue
You'll practice proven facilitation skills in a lab-like setting, with 1:1 coaching from us and a cohort of peers who bring their own live problems into the room.
- Format
- Live and online, cohort-based
- Sessions
- 4 sessions, 3 hours each
- Schedule
- Back-to-back Saturday and Sunday, two weekends running
- Homework
- About 1 hr/week, optional, tied to a real facilitation challenge
- Next cohort
- Feb 27 – Mar 7, 2027
- Price
- $1,200 USD
- Group discount
- Teams of two or more save 20% in the same cohort
Syllabus
Four modules across two weekends
Two modules the first weekend, two the second. Each one ends with a plan you can use on Monday.
Module 1
Core Skills & Focused Strategy
Get to the roots of a group's challenge instead of its symptoms, and build a strategy the group will actually follow you into.
Module 2
Purposeful Planning
Sequence the issues, set an agenda with intent, and navigate high-stakes decisions without collapsing them.
Module 3
Breakthrough Moments
Generate movement in a stuck room: surface divergence, and make decision rights explicit.
Module 4
Group Belonging
Put difference and conflict to work, release unhealthy dynamics, and handle the colleague everyone dreads.
Who it's for
Built for people who lead groups
- Civil society leaders who want to master the craft of group facilitation and level up their organization.
- Operators and product managers who are tired of the people-and-process stuff getting in the way of outcomes.
- Managers of cross-functional teams and partner-facing leaders who want proven tools to move a group toward its purpose.
What's included
Everything in the $1,200
- Four live, interactive sessions with Kate and Charley
- 1:1 coaching with the instructors
- Capstone materials built around a live facilitation challenge from your own work
- Access to a peer community of 100+ leaders
- Recordings and lifetime access to course content
- Certificate of completion
Reimbursed through your professional development budget
Many employers cover this course under a learning or professional development allowance. We make the paperwork easy: every enrollment comes with an itemized receipt, a certificate of completion, and a one-page expense justification you can drop straight into your expense system. Need a modified invoice or a vendor form? Email Charley and we'll send it over.
Alumni reviews
What participants say
Each cohort runs small enough for real 1:1 coaching, and graduates join a peer community of 100+ leaders. These are notes from a few who finished the full course.
“"Master the Craft of Group Facilitation" offered more than I expected! I enrolled in the course to gain some tricks and tips to improve meeting facilitation, but I came away with skills around active listening, framing / reframing, agenda seting, and how to manage challenging personalities. What was most useful to me were the modules on how to move "stuck" meetings forward. Charley and Kate make listening and reframing look easy, even though it has taken them years of practice. I also learned a lot from the other participants who came from all different fields, and had both challenges and solutions to share from their real life. Highly recommend this course, especially to anyone in a leadership role who wants to make better use of the gatherings of their staff and teams.”
AshleyConsultant, Ashley Wolfington LLC“Kate and Charley are brilliant facilitators and teachers. They practice what they teach and model the skills the participants are learning. I will use these takeaways and resources right away and for a long time!”
ArielleFounder and Principal, Wingspan Strategy and Coaching“Excellent course, deftly facilitated. Space is created to learn and apply / practice the techniques using the real world examples shared with your class mates in the break out sessions. Look forward to weaving these new tools to execute more effective meetings and getting team mates to navigate project roadblocks and getting meetings unstuck.”
MarlonOfficer, Pew Charitable TrustsQuestions
Before you enroll
- What if I can't make a live session?
- Most of the learning happens live, in exercises and breakout groups. But every session is recorded, so you can catch up before the next one.
- I work full-time. What's the real time commitment?
- Four sessions, three hours each. Homework in between is optional: 30 minutes gets you the essentials, and there's more if you want to go deeper.
- Can my company pay for it, or reimburse me?
- Yes to both. Enrollment comes with an itemized receipt, a one-page expense justification, and a certificate of completion — everything your employer's expense or learning system usually asks for. Teams of two or more save 20% in the same cohort.
- I have a different question.
- Email Charley at charley.c.johnson@gmail.com. We like a good question.
Not ready for a cohort?
The Facilitators' Workshop is our free community of practice — one live session a month on a specific framework or tool. Join and you'll also hear when the next cohort opens.