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Saturday - 14:50 to 15:50 Room: Innovate Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 50+

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Saturday - 14:50 to 15:50 Room: Innovate Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 50+

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To develop facilitators’ practical coaching skills through a facilitated group experience, enabling them to use and replicate simple coaching-based processes in their own work with leadership teams, community groups, and other facilitated settings.

What shifts when facilitators adopt a coaching stance? This highly participative workshop explores how coaching skills can increase ownership, deepen group thinking, and reduce unhelpful rescuing. Through live exercises and reflection, participants will experience practical approaches they can immediately apply in leadership, community, and organisational facilitation settings.

James Tomlinson is a leadership coach, facilitator and consultant with almost 25 years in education as a teacher and senior leader. He spent three years in India as a Vice Principal, broadening his perspective on leadership in context. For the past nine years he has worked across organisations on leadership development, change and the design of large-scale events. He creates practical spaces where people take ownership and turn insight into action.

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This is your chance to experience what so many are talking about LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®. If you’ve never explored this method before, this workshop offers a hands-on opportunity to connect mind and hand, unlocking new ways of thinking and communicating. Through structured play, you’ll delve into creativity, problem-solving, and self-reflection in a way that’s both purposeful and engaging. Step into a space where play meets purpose, and discover the depth and clarity it can bring to your work.

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Saturday - 13:10 to 14:10: Room: Innovate Room Location: 3rd Floor Capacity: 50+ Session title: Lego®️ Serious Play ®️  Host: AT/PK

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Saturday - 13:10 to 14:10: Room: Innovate Room Location: 3rd Floor Capacity: 50+ Session title: Lego®️ Serious Play ®️  Host: AT/PK

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About the Facilitators

Angel is a designer, facilitator and mentor specialising in collaborative methods including LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and design sprints.

She creates inclusive spaces where diverse voices are heard, helping teams make better decisions and work more cohesively, with clients ranging from start-ups to global organisations.

Alongside her client work, Angel writes and publishes independently. She founded Spoon and Mug, a publication exploring the food industry, and runs her own blog covering facilitation, design and entrepreneurship.

Paul Kelly is a facilitator, educator, and team coach whose career has been shaped by a deep belief in the power of experiential learning. Drawing inspiration from Plato’s insight: “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation”.

Paul integrates hands-on, minds-on approaches to unlock creativity, collaboration, and meaningful dialogue. He has spent years guiding teams and organisations towards deeper engagement, connection, and change.

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Saturday - 14:50 – 15:50 - Room:  Explore 2nd  Floor - Capacity: 50

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Saturday - 14:50 – 15:50 - Room:  Explore 2nd  Floor - Capacity: 50

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Subject to change (Hopefully not)

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SessionLab is a session design and facilitation platform used by practitioners around the world. It helps facilitators plan, structure and collaborate on workshops with ease, supporting the design of engaging and impactful sessions.

We’re especially excited that James and Polina from SessionLab will be hosting a workshop centred around their State of Facilitation report, a place where we can discuss where our profession is heading, what it means for the spaces we create, the groups we support, and the impact we aim to shape.

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Subject to change (Hopefully not)

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Does your brain feel like you have 63 tabs open? Do you struggle to prioritise your workload? This session is for you. I help you identify your goals and show you how to align your weekly priorities so that you achieve them. We will look at how to embrace your energy levels to keep you focused and excited about what’s on your to‑do list.

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Saturday - 11:20 to 12:20 Room: Innovate Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 50+

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Saturday - 11:20 to 12:20 Room: Innovate Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 50+

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Hayley is someone who will inspire you to take action without it feeling overwhelming. Hayley works with teams, managers and individual business owners to help support them to be more productive, create habits that work and make it all feel a bit easier. Hayley offers group training and one‑to‑one coaching. She is author of How to Fix Meetings, is learning to ice skate and loves purple, walking her dog Arthur and getting deeply engrossed in a good novel.

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This session focuses on facilitation research, a field with a limited academic literature base. Our community produces strong practitioner writing that could enrich scholarship with added methodology. Having just completed a PhD, I researched facilitator roles in strategic planning and can share the study design and methods. I’d like to exchange ideas with facilitators who are integrating research and writing into practice (or interested), and possibly form an open‑access research group.

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Saturday - 13:10 to 14:10 Room: Develop Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 25

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Saturday - 13:10 to 14:10 Room: Develop Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 25

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Gillian Martin Mehers, PhD, is a Certified Professional Facilitator – Master level (with IAF), a practitioner academic, and Adjunct Professor at Webster University – Geneva Campus (Switzerland). A recent PhD (2024) helped add theory and methodology to her international facilitation practice, as well as an interest in academic writing. The field of process facilitation in academic literature is under‑researched, creating an opportunity to help build the literature base together.

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Conferences are brilliant but they can fry your brain a bit. This session will offer a little mini‑break of sensory nature connection (using found objects, there isn’t a secret forest in the venue). We’ll explore how nature can help calm the nervous system, promote wellbeing, and inspire fresh thinking. We’ll also play with some nature‑inspired tools for reflection, idea generation and planning, and hopefully you’ll leave with some ideas to use in your life, your work, or both.

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Saturday - 09:40–10:40 Room: Innovate Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 50+

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Saturday - 09:40–10:40 Room: Innovate Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 50+

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Helen is a facilitator and forest bathing guide with over twenty years’ experience in community engagement, participatory arts and leadership in the UK and internationally. A desire to spend more time staring at trees than screens inspired her to study forest bathing, and she increasingly weaves mindful nature connection into her facilitation practice, drawing on the natural environment as an active part of the process rather than just a backdrop.

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Friday - 15:40–16:40 Room: Innovate Room Location: 3rd Floor Capacity: 50+

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Friday - 15:40–16:40 Room: Innovate Room Location: 3rd Floor Capacity: 50+

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Alex Spencer is a Continuous Improvement Lean specialist and facilitator who helps groups think clearly and make meaningful progress. She brings a structured, practical methodology to her work, supporting teams to cut through noise, surface what matters and move from discussion to action. Her approach is grounded, human and shaped by years of leading improvement across complex environments.

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Thinking about starting a podcast but don't where to start? This interactive session will help you clarify your purpose, shape a format that fits your strengths, and identify the simplest way to get started. Through structured discussion and peer learning, you’ll explore tools, launch decisions and common pitfalls. You’ll leave with a clear concept and a realistic next step to move from idea to action.

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Friday - 11:55–12:55 Room: Innovate Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity 50+

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Friday - 11:55–12:55 Room: Innovate Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity 50+

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Sherry Bevan is a team performance coach who works with leaders and teams navigating transition, change and growth. She helps people think clearly, align around purpose and move into action. Alongside her consulting work, Sherry has launched and run four podcasts, giving her practical, real-world insight into turning ideas into momentum and getting podcasts and projects off the ground.

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To enable participants to use simple, non-tech visual techniques to plan and design whole facilitation sessions, making the session visible at a glance so they can deliver confidently, stay oriented, and flex with ease.

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Friday - 14:00–15:00 Room: Innovate Room Location: 3rd Floor Capacity: 50+

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Friday - 14:00–15:00 Room: Innovate Room Location: 3rd Floor Capacity: 50+

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Dr Penny Pullan is a Certified Professional Facilitator - Master with decades of expertise facilitating projects and change. Penny has been teaching facilitators, trainers and consultants how to use graphics for years, sharing the methods she uses which help to bring clarity, structure, and engagement to their sessions, not to mention lots of fun!

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In this interactive session, participants will explore how facilitation can support more values-
aligned and environmentally conscious living. Using an ORID-based dialogue structure, we will move from personal reflection to shared meaning and practical implications. Expect guided dialogue, small-group exchange, and facilitation insights you can apply to create inclusive, purposeful conversations in your own contexts.

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Friday - 10:15–11:15 Room: Innovate Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 35

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Friday - 10:15–11:15 Room: Innovate Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 35

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Chizu Matsushita is an IAF CPF and Professional Certified Coach (ICF) with 25 years’ experience in the international humanitarian sector, including the UN. She specialises in participatory community assessment and development, and in facilitating dialogue across cultures to create inclusive spaces where diverse voices are heard. Through her Dialogue Salons and work with multicultural teams, she fosters reflective processes and values-aligned leadership.

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Great facilitation doesn’t happen by chance: it is shaped with intention and care. In this interactive session, participants will experience how design choices in space, structure, pacing and group flow influence engagement and clarity. By making the architecture of facilitation visible, the workshop offers practical insight into how attention to detail can transform dialogue into focused decisions and tangible outcomes.

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Friday - 10:15–11:15 Room: Develop Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 25

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Friday - 10:15–11:15 Room: Develop Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 25

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Lucrezia Ponzano is a Collaboration Strategist and Facilitator working internationally across sectors. For over a decade, she has designed and guided innovative collaborative processes for cultural networks, companies and organisations. Grounded in intention and attentive to emergence, she blends precision with care, holding both detail and direction to create spaces that are structured, human and deeply focused.

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Saturday - 14:50 to 15:50 Room: Escape Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 50+

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Saturday - 14:50 to 15:50 Room: Escape Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 50+

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Join us to connect with facilitators across England and Wales, where we will share the impact of regional meet-ups, explore ideas for future themes and invite people to support or even host local and online facilitation communities.

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Friday - 11:55–12:55 Room: Develop Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 25 

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Friday - 11:55–12:55 Room: Develop Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 25 

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Alan is a group facilitator with 24 years of experience in designing participatory processes and events, mostly for the public and charitable sectors. Alan’s work is deeply rooted in the values and methods of the Technology of Participation approach to facilitation, and he also offers training in ToP group facilitation through ICA:uk. Since immigrating in 2005, Alan has lived in Manchester with his family, where he plays the ukulele and volunteers for various frisbee-based community projects.

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Would you know how to adapt your delivery if a participant was using a sign language interpreter?
Or how the presence of a wheelchair user might impact a workshop?
During this event we will explore together how facilitation methods and workshop design might be adapted to take account of the needs of people with different physical and sensory impairments. I will share what I have learned about this and some guidance on good practice.

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Saturday - 09:40–10:40 Room: Develop Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity 25

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Saturday - 09:40–10:40 Room: Develop Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity 25

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Through a career in charities, I have many years’ experience of working with disabled people’s organisations and managing staff teams and organising events for people with a range of different impairments. I learned to creatively adapt how I worked to ensure accessibility and inclusion. I now work as a freelance charity consultant and facilitator.

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This highly practical, interactive session explores what psychological safety really is, why it matters when people come together, and how those who hold space can actively create it. Designed for leaders, managers, facilitators, educators, and anyone responsible for group dynamics, dialogue, or decision-making.

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Friday - 10:15–11:15 Room: Escape Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 50+

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Friday - 10:15–11:15 Room: Escape Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 50+

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Paul V. Kelly (PK) is an educator, facilitator and time designer. With a background in Further and Higher Education, he creates psychologically safe spaces where people think, collaborate and lead with clarity. As part of leadership and conference teams, he designs purposeful experiences that respect people’s energy and attention. PK’s work centres on one belief: time together should matter, and when designed well, it transforms people and organisations.

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Join us for a fun and thought‑provoking introduction to the ‘why’ behind Appreciative Inquiry (AI) — not just as a facilitation technique but as a lens through which to look at life. Together we will delve into the 10 foundational principles, untangle their meanings and experiment with creative ways to bring them to life for each other. Expect light movement‑based activities, case studies and an opportunity for reflection. You can also find out more about upcoming AI training days.

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Saturday -  14:50 to 15:50 Room: Bond Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 25

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Saturday -  14:50 to 15:50 Room: Bond Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 25

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Ann & Rosie work with charities and public sector organisations. Rosie specialises in co‑producing large community‑led initiatives. Ann specialises in working with teams and individuals. They both use Appreciative Inquiry to help organisations, groups and communities think creatively, build momentum, and achieve shared goals. Since 2025 they have been collaborating to build an appreciative inquiry community of practice and offer training to fellow strength‑based facilitators.

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To create a shared inquiry into how facilitators show up, and how we sustain presence, courage and self-connection while holding space for groups navigating complexity, change and uncertainty. Facilitation asks us to hold space in moments of complexity, change and uncertainty. This interactive session explores how we show up and stay present while doing so. Drawing on Everyday Warriorship, we’ll share stories, practices and reflections to strengthen courage, groundedness and self-connection …..preparing the facilitator, not just the facilitation.

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Friday - 15:40–16:40 Room: Develop Room Location: 3rd Floor Capacity: 25

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Friday - 15:40–16:40 Room: Develop Room Location: 3rd Floor Capacity: 25

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Olayinka is a facilitator, transitions coach and founder of New Chapter. She works at the intersection of leadership, culture and change, holding people and systems through transition with presence and integrity. She is the creator of Everyday Warriorship, a living inquiry into courage, grounded practice and how we show up for what matters without leaving ourselves behind.

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Overview

#Facilitate2026 is an opportunity for facilitators to gather, share, learn and develop our skills and practice. We’re in a new venue in central Birmingham, as with more than 130 facilitators attending in 2025, we have outgrown the one we have used for the last 3 years.

Everything you need to know is explained below, including the conference details, ticketing information, how to submit a workshop session proposal and how to join the incredible team of volunteers that make this wonderful event possible.

About this event

Facilitation happens in meetings, workshops, conferences, and events, in addition it happens in youth work, community engagement and schools.

As facilitators we are always supporting others to grow and change. This conference is a space for your own development. A chance to meet others you can learn from, look at different tools and techniques to improve your skills, and to grow your business.

Everyone interested in facilitation is welcome, whether you are brand new to this work or have been doing it for years, whether you work in-house or externally and whether you facilitate some or all of the time.

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What to expect in 2026

Over the two days, you’ll find hands-on workshops, short talks, and loads of opportunities to meet and chat with other people. There’s always plenty of colourful stationery, to play with and the much-loved raffle.

This year, we’re mixing things up with the introduction of an optional evening meal at the venue.  We will be running a fun night of activities or if you prefer you can just relax and get to know everyone a little better after a busy day of workshops.

We want to create a space to get curious, explore, question, challenge, and most importantly learn and develop.

Currently we are shaping up the agenda with all our workshop hosts and speakers

The theme this year is Designing Space, Time and Collaboration - Shaping Impact

Registrations, fees & discounts

We will have a number of ticket pricing options available:

Early bird tickets for 2 days and 1 day tickets, 2 day, 1 day, and Corporate tickets*

ALL tickets include lunch and tea/coffee/refreshments and snacks

*Corporate Tickets.:

We aim to keep this conference accessible to the widest range of facilitators possible and so we offer tickets to those working for SMEs, charities and the self employed at low rates. The corporate rate is designed for participants employed by larger organisations that are funding their attendance.

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New options this year:

Optional Friday evening event. This time we are swapping our usual arrangement of organising many restaurant bookings to a more unified experience,  we are bringing a more together feel by having an optional evening sit down meal at the venue as part of an evening event. (Ticket sold separately)

Optional Pre-booked accommodation We have secured a number of discounted rooms (through the venue) at a nearby hotel accommodation just 2 mins walk from the venue. These rooms are bookable directly when you purchase your ticket, but are only available up to 1st March 2026. Click Here to view the hotel , not to book it as we will do that for you). The rooms are studio apartments.

Other hotels at a range of prices are available close to the venue, bookable directly at the usual online websites.

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IAF Members discount:

If you are an IAF member you can get 20% discount on any standard ticket PLUS an additional 15% on an early bird ticket. You have been emailed a promo code to be applied at checkout. If you haven’t received it email conference@iaf-ew.co.uk.

If you interested in joining the IAF, details can be found here iaf-members.org/site/join before you book (and then get your claim your discount!)

Financial Support: For those experiencing financial difficulty at this time we are offering a pay what you can approach. Please note there are a very limited number of pay what you can places, so please only use this option if you are unable to cover the full cost of the ticket price. If you are unsure please contact us at conference@iaf-ew.co.uk.

If you are able to pay full price for your ticket you can also make a donation at the time of purchase, to support those less able to do so.

Tickets must be purchased by Wednesday 8th April 2026 to confirm numbers and make final payment to the venue.

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Amendments and cancellations:

If you cancel your registration before midnight on 16th March, we will provide you with a full refund, less fees incurred.

Cancellations after this time will not be refunded, but you may transfer your ticket to another named person by informing us of their details OR we may be able to defer your ticket to the 2027 conference. Please contact conference@iaf-ew.co.uk

Please note that we also reserve the right to cancel with no less than 8 days’ notice, without liability for any consequential or indirect loss. In this case, we will let you know by email and refund all tickets in full, less any associated fees.

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Book with confidence! Cancellation policy 

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Book with confidence! Cancellation policy 

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Buy Tickets – #Facilitate2026 Conference: Designing Space, Time and Collaboration - Shaping Impact – The Studio, 7 Cannon Street, Birmingham

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#Facilitate2026 Conference: Designing Space, Time and Collaboration - Shaping Impact – The Studio, 7 Cannon Street, Birmingham, Fri 17 Apr 2026 - Sat 18 Apr 2026 - Overview
#Facilitate2026 is an opportunity for facilitators to gather, share, learn and develop our skills and practice. We’re in a new venue in central Birmingham, as with more than 130 facilitators attending in 2025, we have outgrown the one we h…

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To support facilitators to confidently apply anti-racist practice in real facilitation settings through interactive case studies, shared reflection, and practical tools for navigating challenging group dynamics.

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Friday - 15:40–16:40 Room: Escape Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 50+

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Friday - 15:40–16:40 Room: Escape Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 50+

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This will be an active, participatory session using real case studies from facilitation practice. Together we will explore how racism, bias, and power dynamics can show up in group spaces and how facilitators can respond with clarity and confidence.

You will leave with practical language, approaches, and confidence to navigate difficult moments in facilitation. The session will help you move from awareness to action, strengthening your ability to create truly racially equitable spaces in the rooms you hold and use your power by bringing balance to unequal situations.

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Every facilitator must have a concern about the future, “How will the world be changed by AI?”, “Facilitators will be replaced by AI?”, “Human will be no longer communicating?” If you want to know the answer, ask someone from the future.In this workshop, we(presenters) come from the future, 30 years from now(2056). And we’ll give you a chance to re-write the future from now(2026) with the help of AI who knows the history of 30 years you don’t know yet. What future would you like to shape?

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Saturday - 13:10 to 14:10 Room: Escape Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 50+

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Saturday - 13:10 to 14:10 Room: Escape Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 50+

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Hideyuki Yoshioka is an innovative and outstanding facilitator who’s working across the world. Hideyuki has facilitated more than a thousand of meetings including a plenty of cross cultural group sessions in his professional career of 23 years. Hideyuki has also conducted many original workshops in IAF Asia conference, IAF conference of Americas, IAF conference England and Wales before. He always offers very unique way of facilitation like “Theatrical facilitation”, drama style facilitation.

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Much of what makes facilitation impactful isn’t always visible to other people, whether that’s clients, managers or colleagues..  In this interactive session, we’ll explore practical ways to communicate those elements clearly and show their value. You’ll leave with new ideas for how to explain what you do and why it matters.

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Saturday - 09:40–10:40 Room: Escape Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 50+

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Saturday - 09:40–10:40 Room: Escape Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 50+

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Rosemary Forest and Megan Evans are facilitators and consultants who support organisations to collaborate, learn and create meaningful change. Together, they bring experience working with civil society organisations, public bodies and communities in the UK and internationally, and have delivered training with ICA: UK. Their work combines participatory, inclusive approaches with a focus on helping groups navigate complexity, build shared understanding and achieve practical outcomes.

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Facilitators often feel pressure to perform, compare themselves to others, or worry about getting it “right”. This practical session helps you shift attention away from self-judgement and back to what your group truly needs. Through reflection, discussion and simple tools you can use immediately, you’ll explore how to stay present, manage self-doubt, and show up with more calm, clarity and purpose in the moment.

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Friday - 10:15–11:15 Room: Bond Room Location: 4th Floor Capacity: 25

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Friday - 10:15–11:15 Room: Bond Room Location: 4th Floor Capacity: 25

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Natalie Savery is a facilitator, learning professional and Director of Leaderful Action, with over 20 years’ experience designing and delivering learning across public, private and third sector organisations. She supports leaders, managers and facilitators to build confidence, capability and impact. Natalie is known for her warm, practical approach and for creating inclusive spaces where people can think clearly, contribute openly and leave with meaningful outcomes.

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Discover a highly participatory and appreciative approach in this introduction to Ripple Effect Mapping. Experience how to capture the intended and unintended impact of projects and activity that engages stakeholders, supports reflection and meaningful outcomes across diverse groups and contexts.

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Friday - 14:00–15:00  Room: Develop Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 25

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Friday - 14:00–15:00  Room: Develop Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 25

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The value and impact of facilitation is widely felt but rarely made visible. Grounded in SessionLab's 2026 State of Facilitation Report, this session explores why storytelling is one of the most powerful tools facilitators have for demonstrating impact and how you might apply it in your work.

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Friday - 14:00–15:00  Room: Escape Room Location: 4th Floor Capacity: 50+

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Friday - 14:00–15:00  Room: Escape Room Location: 4th Floor Capacity: 50+

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State of Facilitation - Hosted by SessionLab

James Smart is Head of Content at SessionLab, a platform for designing and managing facilitation. He’s also a creative facilitator who has led workshops and designed eLearning experiences for places including the University of East Anglia and the National Centre for Writing in the UK. He especially enjoys working with young people, bringing creativity and deep listening into internal facilitation, and empowering others in their creative practice.

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Are you looking for ways to make your trainings or workshops as memorable and impactful as possible? In this session, you’ll find out about simple but effective tools you can use to make a training session magic and ensure that what you’re sharing with people stays with them afterwards. The tools are designed to be easy to afford and implement. Using supplies you can find in your local stationary or craft store, you’ll be able to start applying them in your own facilitation practice tomorrow. 

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Friday - 11:55–12:55 Room: Escape Room Location: 4th Floor  - Capacity: 50+

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Friday - 11:55–12:55 Room: Escape Room Location: 4th Floor  - Capacity: 50+

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Khadija is Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Training Lead at Newcastle University, where she designs and delivers varied training sessions internally and to external organisations. Since 2018, Khadija has worked across a range of roles and organisations trying and testing different training methods. She has provided training in diverse settings, from community centres in Brixton, to Executive Board committees in Higher Education. Her ambition is to make each session memorable and meaningful.

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Creative design for virtual sessions: deliver meaningful interaction every 7 minutes, maximise participant engagement, authentically maintain everyone’s energy (and yours!) and make online workshops more memorable

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Friday - 14:00–15:00 Room: Bond Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 25

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Friday - 14:00–15:00 Room: Bond Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 25

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Lisa (they/them) is a Strategic Facilitator who combines facilitation best practice with deep experience of operations, governance, and leadership, to make collaboration a repeatable success driver. They guide teams to meet their objectives and can guide for a wide range of topics and content: complex software engineering // DEI & Belonging // ideation. They are shaping the bigger picture of how organisations use facilitation to innovate, include, and deliver, calling this: Facilitation Activism

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Friday - 11:55–12:55 Room: Bond Room Location: 4th Floor -  Capacity: 25

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Friday - 11:55–12:55 Room: Bond Room Location: 4th Floor -  Capacity: 25

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Charmaine started her facilitator journey in Singapore in student leadership camps, developing foundations in group engagement and youth development. She then went on to design and deliver workshops in different contexts, from training students on public speaking and failure, to confidence building for hill tribe communities in Thailand.

Lately, she’s dabbled in workshop design methodologies, including LEGO® Serious Play®, and currently works with care leavers from asylum seeking backgrounds.

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For participants to share their experiences of which facilitation tools work in different scenarios.  Come and share your favourite facilitation tools and get some new ideas to add to your facilitation toolkit. Bring your current facilitation challenges and come away with different perspectives. A session experimenting with playful techniques to help shake us all out of our default settings. 

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Friday - 15:40–16:40 Room: Bond Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 25

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Friday - 15:40–16:40 Room: Bond Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 25

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Bronwen Smith-Thomas has 25 years experience in the charity and community sector, facilitating strategy workshops, coalition meetings and training sessions. Enjoys experimenting with new facilitation tools and techniques to support inclusive and effective conversations.

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Do you want to experience a facilitation approach that invites participants to acknowledge the spectrum of their feelings and have useful conversations to enable the progress they hope for? We will use two transformative frameworks, from Emotional Culture and Solutions Focused practice, that invite groups and teams to be emotionally agile, shift perspectives and notice new possibilities. This workshop takes a future‑oriented, not a therapeutic, approach to explore how language creates change.

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Saturday - 13:10 to 14:10 Room: Bond Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 25

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Saturday - 13:10 to 14:10 Room: Bond Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 25

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Sonali helps leaders and teams to generate change through better conversations at work. She delivers culture programmes, coaching and Action Learning Sets, and public and in‑house certification courses. Sonali uses evidence‑informed approaches including the Emotional Culture Deck and frameworks for team culture, leadership development, stakeholder engagement and change strategy. She is a Solutions Focused practitioner, and her facilitation style is informal, future‑focused and appreciative.

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The Death of Curiosity is a provocative, interactive workshop exploring a systematic way to examine ideas and information. Move beyond surface understanding to think critically, challenge assumptions, and consider new perspectives. Framed by a light murder mystery, the session may leave you wondering whether you’ve ever been truly curious at all.

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Saturday - 09:40–10:40   Room: Bond Room  Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 16

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Saturday - 09:40–10:40   Room: Bond Room  Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 16

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I’m a designer in tech and a facilitator who uses workshops to help people think together and uncover what’s really going on beneath the surface. I’m fascinated by the questions we ask—and the ones we avoid. I created this workshop to help people strengthen curiosity and ask better questions in everyday life.

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Saturday - 11:20 to 12:20 Room: Develop Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 25

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Saturday - 11:20 to 12:20 Room: Develop Room Location: 3rd Floor - Capacity: 25

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Alin Sneha is an international online facilitator, trainer, and HR consultant who helps teams connect, collaborate and achieve real results. She has facilitated over 500 workshops and worked with people from more than 40 cultures. She combines practical business experience with clear, structured design to run focused, effective sessions. Her expertise includes facilitation, problem‑solving workshops, team alignment and organisational development.

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To help facilitators sustain energy, focus, and presence across facilitation days by using intentional fuelling and strategic snacking as part of their professional practice. 

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Saturday - 11:20 to 12:20 Room: Escape Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 50+

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Saturday - 11:20 to 12:20 Room: Escape Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 50+

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Cathrine Baungaard is an ANutr nutritionist who designs and facilitates programmes that bring people and organisations together to build just, healthy, and sustainable food systems. She specialises in participatory approaches, adaptive project management, and creating inclusive spaces for collaboration. Outside work, she's a documentary lover, craft enthusiast, outdoors explorer, and keen experimenter in the kitchen - always adding a spicy twist.

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This game encourages future‑oriented thinking. It is a reflection tool designed to initiate meaningful and balanced conversations about the future of communities and collaborative actions for a better future. It aims to develop future‑thinking skills such as imagination, empathy, critical thinking and strategic thinking.

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Saturday - 11:20 to 12:20: Room: Bond Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 25

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Saturday - 11:20 to 12:20: Room: Bond Room Location: 4th Floor - Capacity: 25

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Shalaka is passionate about people, processes and the planet. She is an HR and OD professional with over 30 years of experience in corporates, academia and consulting. She is a Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF) with the International Association of Facilitators (IAF), has served as Co‑Chair of the India Chapter, and is currently on IAF’s Global Board as the Director of Conferences and Global Events. She is also a certified Flow Game Host, Certified Mapstell Personal Guide, and an empanelled facilitator with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV). She enjoys travelling, interacting with people from different cultures and trying different cuisines.

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Please introduce yourself and share as little or as much as you would like. The idea of this board is to get to know the community before, during and after the conference. Please keep the word count below 250.

https://padlet.com/IAFFacilitate2026/who-are-we-gzquzkpqc85hlnck

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Inky Shop UK is a part of Inky Thinking, a team of visual facilitators who help organisations bring clarity, collaboration and creativity to their conversations. As the UK partner for Neuland, they also provide ethical and sustainable visual facilitation tools trusted by practitioners around the world.

InkyShop UK will be joining us at the conference and contributing to the experience across the weekend.

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ICA:UK works to enable people and communities to bring about positive change and to influence constructively the decisions that affect their lives. ICA trains people in its proven Technology of Participation facilitation methods and designs effective approaches to personal, organisational and social transformation.

Their support means we have opened applications for a number of subsidised community tickets, for anyone facing barriers to attending this year's conference.

Apply by 27th March via this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdkWhcjR_WI80Xx3qFrfahvsM3WHk4HoeLwZeyfSfzst57sQA/viewform

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The IAF England & Wales (IAF E&W) chapter launched a podcast titled Facilitation Stories in 2019. This podcast features interviews with professional facilitators, often discussing their personal experiences, values, and approaches to facilitation within the context of the International Association of Facilitators

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Listen to Facilitation Stories on Spotify. Facilitation: the art of enabling a group of people to achieve a common goal. IAF England Wales brings you a show by facilitators, for facilitators and anyone interested in using facilitation for change. We'll share guest stories, experiences and methods.

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Facilitation: the art of enabling a group of people to achieve a common goal. IAF England Wales brings you a show by facilitators, for facilitators and anyone interested in using facilitation for change. We’ll share guest stories, experiences and methods. Plus, we’ll bring you up to date on what’s happening at our Meetups.

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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Facilitate 2026 Conference

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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Facilitate 2026 Conference

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We want everyone to feel welcome and included at the conference and so we’ve put together a few things to consider if you are attending a session or giving a session.

Our conference principles:

Diversity – this principle seeks to ensure the conference reflects the differences between people in the IAF community including in terms of race, ethnicity, faith, gender and sexuality, disability (seen and unseen), neurodivergence, socio-economic status and age. Catering for varying dietary needs is also critical here.

Equity – this principle aims to ensure that those groups most historically marginalised are treated fairly and their personal needs considered and accommodated. This also includes spaces being trauma informed.

Inclusion – this principle is about creating an environment where everyone attending feels respected, valued and can contribute fully.

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We have created a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion charter for the conference and we'd love your feedback on it. We also hope to gather feedback on your experiences of DEI during the conference so we can keep evolving this aspect.

Community charter for Facilitate 2026 - Our collective commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

As we come together for the IAF England and Wales conference 2026, we are committed to making the space an accessible and welcoming one for everyone in the community and implementing principles of diversity, equity and inclusion.

During the conference, we encourage each other to:

Be present - valuing the space set up and practicing active listening when others are speaking. Giving space if we notice that we are talking more than others.

Be inclusive of everyone regardless of, but not limited to gender, age, race, (dis)ability, sexuality, class, ethnicity, education, religion. Being mindful of our own privileges and being each other’s ally.

Disagree respectfully - being curious and open when different perspectives are shared.

Speak from our own experiences – being mindful not to speak on behalf of a whole group or make assumptions about the experience of others.

Be compassionate towards ourselves and others if we are invited to give or receive feedback or advice.

Remember no one knows everything, together we know a lot - the conference is a space of being alongside each other to learn.

Have fun - balancing reflection and having fun together

If something is not right for you during the conference, please reach out to one of the conference team or someone you know and trust for support. The team will aim to support you but we acknowledge we are all learning together.

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For those leading sessions – a few DEI considerations:

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For those leading sessions – a few DEI considerations:

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If you are providing written materials (handouts, PPTs), to be inclusive for attendees with  neurodivergence and others with different learning styles and needs, consider the following:

Ø  Making the text an easily readable size

Ø  Using plain English

Ø  Using short sentences (25 words or less)/paragraphs

Ø  Using everyday words that are jargon free

Ø  Adding captions on any video content, relevant imagery

Ø  Spell out acronyms in full

Ø  Consider the speed and pace of sessions and how you speak

Ø  Vary formats – consider both written and verbal formats

Ø  Explain what is on slides not just show them

Ø  Ensure presentation screens are visible and clear from all angles

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Inclusive Language (Reference Oxfam’s Inclusive Language Guide)

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Inclusive Language (Reference Oxfam’s Inclusive Language Guide)

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Use of language is important to ensure everyone in a space feels welcome. Here are some tips of words to use and some to avoid:

Ø  Disability – suggest using the words disabled person or disabled people and not the disabled or the handicapped, wheelchair-bound, crippled

Why? This is in line with the social model of disability. This was developed by disabled people and recognises that it is barriers in society, of environment, attitude and organisation, that disable people and lead to prejudice and discrimination, rather than the impairment or condition itself.

Ø  Neurodivergence – suggest using the words Person who is Neurodivergent, Neuroatypical

Why? This term recognizes that brains do not all function in the same way. It includes autistic people, people with ADHD, and people with dyslexia. It avoids negative stereotypes and can be used to highlight the different strengths neurodiversity offers.

Ø  Gender - Trans, transgender, transgender people rather than transgendered or transexual

Ø  Pronouns – suggest asking a persons preferred pronoun rather than assuming this. This should be on the name tags but if unsure, ask.

Ø  Race – Black or Black person rather than black. People of Colour and Person of Colour (POC) rather than BAME, BME, mixed race and coloured

Why? Black should be capitalized. Previously, other ethnic identities have been recognized with capital letters, e.g. Indigenous, Asian American, but ‘Black’ has not been, even though it is an identity in its own right

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Book - Making Workshops Work (Penny Pullan) 

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Book - Making Workshops Work (Penny Pullan) 

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1h Facilitation Coaching Session by Rebecca Courtney 

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1h Facilitation Coaching Session by Rebecca Courtney 

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Facilitation Coaching Session (Julia Slay) 

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Facilitation Coaching Session (Julia Slay) 

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A choice of:

- Facilitating Strategy (one day course in person or online)

- Facilitation Fundamentals (one day, in person)

- Facilitation Masterclass (one day, in person)

- Virtual Facilitation Skills (half day, online)

- Facilitation 101 Autumn Cohort  Training and Practice group (online)

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Facilitation Coaching Session (Julia Slay) 

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Facilitation Coaching Session (Julia Slay) 

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A choice of:

- Facilitating Strategy (one day course in person or online)

- Facilitation Fundamentals (one day, in person)

- Facilitation Masterclass (one day, in person)

- Virtual Facilitation Skills (half day, online)

- Facilitation 101 Autumn Cohort  Training and Practice group (online)

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Please comment below with your full name that you used to completed your food choice so that your food will be delivered to the right seat.

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Please comment below with your full name that you used to completed your food choice so that your food will be delivered to the right seat.

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Please comment below with your full name that you used to completed your food choice so that your food will be delivered to the right seat.

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Please comment below with your full name that you used to completed your food choice so that your food will be delivered to the right seat.

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Please comment below with your full name that you used to completed your food choice so that your food will be delivered to the right seat.

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Please comment below with your full name that you used to completed your food choice so that your food will be delivered to the right seat.

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Please comment below with your full name that you used to completed your food choice so that your food will be delivered to the right seat.

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Please comment below with your full name that you used to completed your food choice so that your food will be delivered to the right seat.

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Please comment below with your full name that you used to completed your food choice so that your food will be delivered to the right seat.

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Please comment below with your full name that you used to completed your food choice so that your food will be delivered to the right seat.

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50% Public ToP Facilitation Training Courses (Martin Gilbraith) 

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50% Public ToP Facilitation Training Courses (Martin Gilbraith) 

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Martin Gilbraith ToP facilitation training

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50% Public ToP Facilitation Training Courses (Martin Gilbraith) 

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50% Public ToP Facilitation Training Courses (Martin Gilbraith) 

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50% Public ToP Facilitation Training Courses (Martin Gilbraith) 

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50% Public ToP Facilitation Training Courses (Martin Gilbraith) 

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Liberating Structures Design Cards (Megan Evans) 

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Liberating Structures Design Cards (Megan Evans) 

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LSP Online Coaching Session with Windows Exploration Pack (Anat Shabi) 

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LSP Online Coaching Session with Windows Exploration Pack (Anat Shabi) 

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Anat Shabi Coaching with a twist - FREE voucher

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LSP Online Coaching Session with Windows Exploration Pack (Anat Shabi) 

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LSP Online Coaching Session with Windows Exploration Pack (Anat Shabi) 

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2 x 1 Hour Coaching and Mentoring Sessions (Tom Hoyland) 

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2 x 1 Hour Coaching and Mentoring Sessions (Tom Hoyland) 

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Appreciative Inquiry Training for Strength Based Facilitator (Ann Nkune & Rosie Cripps)

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Appreciative Inquiry Training for Strength Based Facilitator (Ann Nkune & Rosie Cripps)

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Multi-faith - Connect Room - 4th - Floor

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Multi-faith - Connect Room - 4th - Floor

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Would you like to be featured on the Podcast?

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Would you like to be featured on the Podcast?

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Please complete the form

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This is also an invitation to a Brave Space

Together we will create brave space

Because there is no such thing as a “safe space”

We exist in the real world

We all carry scars and we have all caused wounds.

In this space

We seek to turn down the volume of the outside world.

We amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere,

We call each other to more truth and love

We have the right to start somewhere and continue to grow.

We have the responsibility to examine what we think we know.

We will not be perfect.

It will not always be what we wish it to be

But

It will be our brave space together,

And We will work on it side by side.

(by Micky Scottbey Jones-
inspired by a poem by Beth Strano)

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1h Embodiment Coaching Session on Teams (Amanda Topps) 

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1h Embodiment Coaching Session on Teams (Amanda Topps) 

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Book - Holding Spaces, Shaping Futures, Facilitation in the Indian Context (Shalaka Gundi) 

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Book - Holding Spaces, Shaping Futures, Facilitation in the Indian Context (Shalaka Gundi) 

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Book - Holding Spaces, Shaping Futures, Facilitation in the Indian Context (Shalaka Gundi) 

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Book - Holding Spaces, Shaping Futures, Facilitation in the Indian Context (Shalaka Gundi) 

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Book - Empowering Professional Facilitators : The Potential of Digital Collaboration for IAF Core Competencies (Paul Nunesdea) 

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Book - Empowering Professional Facilitators : The Potential of Digital Collaboration for IAF Core Competencies (Paul Nunesdea) 

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Book - Empowering Professional Facilitators : The Potential of Digital Collaboration for IAF Core Competencies (Paul Nunesdea) 

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Book - Empowering Professional Facilitators : The Potential of Digital Collaboration for IAF Core Competencies (Paul Nunesdea) 

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Book - Empowering Professional Facilitators : The Potential of Digital Collaboration for IAF Core Competencies (Paul Nunesdea) 

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Book - Empowering Professional Facilitators : The Potential of Digital Collaboration for IAF Core Competencies (Paul Nunesdea) 

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Book - Empowering Professional Facilitators : The Potential of Digital Collaboration for IAF Core Competencies (Paul Nunesdea) 

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Book - Empowering Professional Facilitators : The Potential of Digital Collaboration for IAF Core Competencies (Paul Nunesdea) 

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Book - Empowering Professional Facilitators : The Potential of Digital Collaboration for IAF Core Competencies (Paul Nunesdea) 

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Book - Empowering Professional Facilitators : The Potential of Digital Collaboration for IAF Core Competencies (Paul Nunesdea) 

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Drop in comments if you are going to places around the city - if you want to gather together and dine elsewhere

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Choosing your sessions

You pick sessions on the day

Ticket boxes open each morning for the first two sessions.

More tickets are released at lunchtime for the afternoon sessions. Each ticket has a short feedback section for the session host. These are returned back at the ticketing stations.

Room sizes Two rooms hold around 25 people. Other rooms hold around 40 to 50.

The ticket system keeps group sizes balanced and helps hosts know how many people to expect.

Running late? Ask a fellow attendee to grab a ticket for you. Find contact details in the bio section.

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Choosing your sessions

You pick sessions on the day

Ticket boxes open each morning for the first two sessions.

More tickets are released at lunchtime for the afternoon sessions. Each ticket has a short feedback section for the session host. These are returned back at the ticketing stations.

Room sizes Two rooms hold around 25 people. Other rooms hold around 40 to 50.

The ticket system keeps group sizes balanced and helps hosts know how many people to expect.

Running late? Ask a fellow attendee to grab a ticket for you. Find contact details in the bio section.

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This video is people telling their facilitation stories in 30 seconds and the value of IAF community and conferences.

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International Association of Facilitators (IAF)

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Becoming a Facilitator: How We Came to Facilitation and the IAF

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Who we are and what we dos as IAF

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International Association of Facilitators (IAF)

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The International Association of Facilitators: Who We Are & What We Do

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Good Leaders in Turbulent Times (Martin Farrell) - Book 

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Good Leaders in Turbulent Times (Martin Farrell) - Book 