Are you looking to level up your facilitation skills and guide groups with more confidence and effectiveness? Whether you're just starting out or you're a seasoned facilitator looking to upskill, this comprehensive guide will lead you to the best facilitation training courses out there.

From hands-on masterclasses to comprehensive certification programs, these courses cover a wide range of topics, tailored for all levels of experience and various learning styles. Let’s discover the perfect facilitation course that’ll help accelerate your professional journey!

Why attend facilitation training courses?

Attending a facilitation training course can help you unlock new techniques, enhance your group management skills, and consistently deliver better outcomes in your sessions.

But how do you choose the right course for your unique needs?

Choosing the right course for you

Choosing a facilitation training course is an investment in your career. You should consider your personal goals, current skills, budget, the format of training (online or in-person), and whether you prefer a certified course.

Top facilitation courses and trainings to check out

We’ve divided the courses that offer top-tier facilitation training into cohort-based courses, self-paced learning, and masterclasses. Check them out below!

Cohort-based courses

1. Facilitating Workshops Course by The Fountain Institute

This is a practical and interactive course that equips participants with the essential skills to design and facilitate engaging workshops. Participants learn how to plan workshop agendas, create interactive exercises, facilitate group discussions, and manage participant dynamics.

You’ll start by building your facilitator’s mindset, then learn all about how to design workshops from scratch, choose the most effective workshop activities, and practice applying a range of different workshop methods and facilitation techniques.

• Best for: Product & service designers, design leaders, and design consultants & strategists who want to learn facilitation by doing and be part of an active community of design facilitators.
• Format: Live online sessions with practical assignments. Course includes feedback calls, coaching calls, and access to any future updates to the course content.
• Duration: Roughly 3 weeks.
• Price: $995 USD for Essentials, $1,295 USD for Premium

2. Breakthrough Facilitation Course by Gwyn Wansbrough

This is a 5-week course that’s built to help you design and lead engaging online sessions. It uses a blend of foundational facilitation toolkits and a hands-on approach where learning sticks because you apply it to your own projects. It covers new facilitation techniques, handling challenging situations, and fostering transformation.

You'll get to design and lead your very own live session, applying the techniques and tools you learn each week to a capstone project of your choosing.

• Best for: Remote team leaders, course creators, coaches and consultants looking to design and lead engaging sessions.
• Format: Fully-online. Comes with live sessions, learning videos on core facilitation concepts, pre-and post-course assessment, and an online community.
• Duration: 5 weeks
• Price: $1,495 USD for Essentials, $1,795 USD for Premium. Can be paid in installments.

3. Facilitator Certification by Voltage Control

This comprehensive 3-month course is designed to equip participants with vital facilitation skills aligned with the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) competencies and provide them with ample opportunities to practice. Participants will also be part of a community they can spar with and get feedback from to improve their facilitation craft.

Participants learn how to design and deliver engaging workshops, facilitate effective group discussions, and lead participants through the design thinking process. The course also covers techniques for capturing and synthesizing insights.

• Best for: Executives, team leaders, agile practitioners and consultants who want to foster collaboration across teams and projects.
• Format: Fully-online. Combines self-paced online learning and live virtual sessions, and culminates in a capstone project.
• Duration: 12 weeks
• Price: $5,000 USD

4. Leading Groups Course by Mischief Makers

This course is designed for people who want to learn how to confidently lead any group, anywhere. The course focuses on creating engaging, inclusive, and interactive workshops and events, whether they be online, in-person or hybrid.

Participants learn tools, techniques and strategies on how to design and lead dynamic group sessions, navigate challenging group dynamics, and facilitate effective collaboration. The course also covers techniques for creative problem-solving and decision-making.

• Best for: Anyone who leads groups and wants skills to make them work more collaboratively.
• Format: Can be fully-online or done in-person if you’re based in Amsterdam. Consists of 1 live session weekly, 1 coaching call, and a group workshop challenge. 3-4 hours weekly is the suggested time investment.
• Duration: 8 weeks
• Price: €1,875 EUR for freelancers, €2,800 EUR for company employees

5. Human-Centered Design Facilitator Program by LUMA

This certification course equips participants with the knowledge and skills to facilitate innovation and solve complex problems using design thinking. Through cohort-based training, you'll learn how to shape and run exceptional design thinking sessions, applying the LUMA System and a variety of facilitation techniques.

This comprehensive program covers user interviews, ideation sessions, prototyping, and collaborative design workshops, all rooted in the principles of human-centered design.

• Best for: Facilitators looking to take their skills to the next level and be experts in delivering design thinking sessions within orgs (It’s required to have completed the Practitioner Certification Program first!)
• Format: Fully-online with 12 people per cohort. Blend of live sessions, practice facilitation, and coaching.
• Duration: Roughly 13 weeks
• Price: $2,900 USD

6. Virtual Facilitator Training by Jan Keck

This training is specifically designed for people who are passionate about group dynamics, but find it hard to keep participants engaged online. You’ll learn how to master the art of making large events feel intimate and transformative, and how to create unique experiences that help you stand out.

This course will help you navigate the practicalities that come with running an online session—from screen sharing and managing the chat, to creating breakout rooms and maintaining your focus. The ultimate aim is to help you ditch the 'tech headache' and enjoy facilitating again.

• Best for: Facilitators who want to run better virtual sessions.
• Format: Blend of live virtual sessions, group coaching, and supplementary self-paced online learning.
• Duration: Approximately 4 weeks
• Price: Contact Jan Keck for details

7. Facilitator Masterclass by Facilitator School

This course provides a comprehensive facilitation foundations, and covers everything from the basics to advanced techniques. The course is designed for managers and team leads who are looking to level up their digital facilitation skills. Participants learn how to design and lead impactful meetings and workshops, manage group dynamics, and foster collaborative decision-making.

The course combines interactive virtual sessions, group activities, peer support in the community, and hands-on exercises to reinforce learning. It also builds up to a capstone project where learners conduct an online workshop in their own working environment.

• Best for: Beginners who want to facilitate better sessions at work.
• Format: Fully-online with a combination of on-demand videos and live hands-on classes.
• Duration: 6 weeks
• Price: €1,250 EUR

Self-paced courses

8. Workshopper Master Facilitation Course by AJ&Smart

The course is about empowering you to design and facilitate any workshop. It offers an expansive curriculum, broken down into 7 parts where you'll get a clear understanding of what sets workshops apart from traditional meetings.

You’ll learn about the anatomy of a workshop, the 6 laws of master-level facilitation, and the art of workshop design. It also offers guidance on how to market and sell your workshops to clients. This course is flexible and does not require you to follow a linear learning path.

• Best for: Aspiring facilitators who are planning to start a career in facilitation
• Format: On-demand video lessons, with access to the private community and weekly coaching calls.
• Duration: Varies based on the individual, but 3 months on average.
• Price: €6,000 EUR

9. Workshop Facilitation via LinkedIn Learning

This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of workshop facilitation. It covers key facilitation skills and techniques for leading successful workshops.

Participants learn how to plan and structure workshops, engage participants, and manage group dynamics. The course also covers strategies for handling challenging situations during workshops.

• Best for: Beginners in facilitation and those with a LinkedIn Learning subscription
• Format: Online self-paced learning.
• Duration: Approximately 4 weeks.
• Price: Included with LinkedIn Learning subscription ($29.99/month)

10. Facilitation Skills: Learn The Secrets of Facilitation via Udemy

Led by professional trainer and facilitator Arminda Dumpierrez, this 1.5-hour video course on Udemy provides a theoretical introduction to the fundamentals of facilitation. It's a theory-only course, so it's best suited to those seeking an overview of facilitation rather than an in-depth, practical training.

It focuses on teaching what facilitation is and why it's important. You'll understand how to structure productive meetings and encourage input from the whole group, as well as a four-step process for better decision-making. While it won't equip you with a comprehensive facilitator skillset, it will give you a solid base to pave the way for further training.

• Best for: Beginners who want to understand what facilitation is
• Format: Online self-paced learning.
• Duration: Approximately 1.5 hours
• Price: $14.99 USD

Masterclasses and intensive trainings

11. Facilitative Leadership Course by Hyper Island

This is a short, in-person course that teaches you the skills and tools to lead teams. Designed by the world-famous Hyper Island, you’ll learn how to apply facilitation into leadership — specifically, how to design and build effective working environments, manage group dynamics better, and strategies to build high-performing teams. They help people get the competence and confidence to build their own unique toolkit to drive change and foster a culture of innovation.

The course blends theory and practice, combining interactive workshops, case studies, and group discussions. Participants engage in hands-on activities to apply facilitation and leadership concepts.

• Best for: Those in management positions looking to integrate facilitation techniques into their leadership style.
• Format: In-person (various locations)
• Duration: 3 days
• Price: $2,635 USD

12. Designing & Facilitating Learning Spaces by KAOSPILOT

KAOSPILOT's program is an intensive journey into experiential learning and teaching. It's all about honing the art of facilitation, curating engaging learning processes, and creating safe, vibrant learning spaces.

It’s designed as a two-part course. The first part of the program is an introductory three-day masterclass that seeks to inspire and facilitate creativity, engagement, innovation, and risk-taking in learning design.

The second part of the program is a four-day masterclass aimed at mastering the art & craft of facilitating and designing learning spaces. It's an advanced exploration of the Learning Arch design process, intending to transform participants into Master Archers of learning journeys.

• Best for: Third-level educators, program directors, trainers and edu-preneurs.
• Format: In-person in Aarhus, Denmark.
• Duration: 7 days
• Price: €3,150 for Part 1 and 2 combo (could be taken separately)

13. Online Facilitation Masterclass by The Conversation Factory

This is an intensive masterclass for experienced facilitators looking to deepen their skills in designing meaningful conversations. Participants learn how to design and facilitate transformative conversations in various contexts.

The course covers techniques for creating psychological safety, deep listening, and asking powerful questions. Participants gain skills in facilitating dialogues, conflict resolution, and collective decision-making.

• Best for: Experienced facilitators looking to deepen their expertise in navigating conversations.
• Format: Cohort-based, fully-online with live sessions, video learning and peer coaching.
• Duration: Approximately 12 weeks
• Price: $2,497 USD

14. The Effective Facilitator, Virtual Edition by Leadership Strategies

This is Leadership Strategies' flagship facilitation training course. It covers a broad range of facilitation skills, where you’ll learn how to motivate a group, build consensus, manage dysfunction, maintain focus, generate ownership, and inspire action.

• Best for: Managers and executives who want to understand how to motivate and manage groups better.
• Format: In-person or virtual.
• Duration: 4 days
• Price: $2,895 USD

15. Online Facilitation Lab by Training for Change

This a comprehensive program that focuses on developing facilitation skills for social change work. The course covers a range of facilitation techniques, including participatory decision-making and conflict resolution.

Participants learn how to facilitate effective meetings and workshops, build inclusive and equitable spaces, and address power dynamics within groups. The course also covers strategies for facilitating difficult conversations.

• Best for: Changemakers passionate about social justice and want to develop facilitation skills for working with diverse groups
• Format: Live workshops on different facilitation topics
• Duration: Varies based on the workshop
• Price: Unique pay-what-is-fair fee structure

FAQs about taking facilitation courses

What is facilitation training?

‍Facilitation training is a type of professional education focused on improving skills related to leading meetings, workshops, discussions, and other group activities. This training often covers topics like effective communication, conflict resolution, group dynamics, and techniques to promote engagement and collaboration.

Who should take facilitation training?‍

Facilitation training can benefit anyone who frequently leads group activities - including project managers, team leaders, educators, trainers, and of course, professional facilitators. Even individuals who simply want to improve their communication and leadership skills can benefit from facilitation training.

What skills can I expect to learn from facilitation training?

‍Facilitation training typically covers a wide range of skills. These may include techniques for effective communication, strategies for resolving conflict, understanding group dynamics, promoting collaboration, and techniques for guiding groups toward achieving their goals.

How long does facilitation training usually take?‍

The duration of facilitation training can vary greatly depending on the course. Some courses are designed to be completed in a few weeks, while others may take several months. The pace often depends on the complexity of the course material and the learning format, whether self-paced or guided!

Can I take facilitation training online?‍

Yes, many facilitation training courses are available online, making them accessible and convenient for learners around the world. Some courses are entirely self-paced, while others might include scheduled live sessions or a mix of both.

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