Facilitation Master Class Series
ONLINE, LIVEA facilitator’s reputation and renown is based on their capacity to facilitate truly transformative change.
But transformative group work is not easy. It takes practise, precision, and a deep understanding of group dynamics.
In this collection of online Facilitation Master Classes, we’ve identified five of the key issues that often trouble facilitators and developed the corresponding competencies that enable truly transformative group work.
Each class introduces Process Oriented methods to address a specific problem faced by facilitators, giving you new insights into the deeper nature of the problem and new skills with which to respond, increasing your capacity to facilitate transformational group work.
A mix of theory, interactive discussion, case studies and practice, each class builds upon content from the previous topic to create the 5-part series.
Join us and learn how to:
Trainer Beck Ronkson walks you through four of the classes in the below video
Master Your Inner Compass
Transform your internal experience from a source of self-doubt into a powerful tool, learning to use your own reactions to track group dynamics, respond to difficult behaviours and interpersonal friction with confidence, skill and care.
Focus Where it Matters
Learn to diagnose both visible and hidden group dynamics, identify the roles and forces at play, and choose interventions that depersonalise conflict and move the group toward meaningful change.
Work the Learning Edge
Develop the skill to discern where a group is in its learning process and keep it on the edge of real growth so you facilitate transformative change rather than shallow, short-term solutions.
Lead from Your Strengths
Unpack the complex power dynamics of the facilitation role, discover what you uniquely bring, and learn to use your rank, style, and presence in ways that benefit your groups and sustain you over time.
Online on Zoom
*In person presence required - recordings not providedModule 1:
Facilitator's Inner Work
Facilitators get challenged in almost every group they work in. Subtle (and not so subtle) leadership attacks and criticism can knock you out of the facilitation role and trigger internal feelings of inadequacy and incompetence that can make it near impossible to do your work well. But what if your internal feelings were a compass rather than a burden?
In this class, learn Inner Work techniques to use your own internal experience as data to track the group, stay-in-the-game and respond to attacks in productive and transformative ways.
Module 2: Understanding Role Dynamics in Groups
Groups often involve both visible and invisible dynamics formed through the intersection of competing forces such as context and personal and collective history. This class considers these dynamics through the framework of ‘roles’, parts or perspectives - those that we know and can see and those that whilst hidden are highly influential.
In this class, learn how to diagnose the different roles present to understand and predict dynamics, depersonalise issues to create safety and inform your choices of intervention to best serve the direction of the group’s growth.
Module 3:
Working at the Learning Edge
When facilitators fail to work with groups on their learning edge, transformative change just isn’t possible.
Groups get bored and come up with short-term, shallow solutions that don’t stick, and facilitators feel dissatisfied and get burnt out.
This class will help you discern the structure of any groups’ learning process and how to keep the group on its learning edge so that you can facilitate truly transformative change.
Module 4:
Power, Rank and Privilege in the Facilitator Role
The facilitation role is characterised by complex, intersecting high and low-rank positions. When we are not aware of these positions – the different ways we have more and less power than people in the groups we work with – we are vulnerable to misusing our power and becoming a tyrant, victim, or rescuer to the group.
This class will help you unpack the different rank characteristics of the facilitator role and how to use these to benefit your groups, and your own wellbeing and sustainability.
Module 5:
Negotiating Agreement
Transformative group work relies upon agreements that groups make together. Agreements about the nature of the issues, the directions of change, and strategies needed to achieve that change are all key stages in the life of groups.
Unfortunately, the social pressure of groupthink, combined with time and resource pressures (on both the participants and the facilitators) often means that people make agreements they don’t fully agree with.
In this class, learn how to see the no in the yes to facilitate deeply congruent and sustainable agreement in groups.
WHO'S ALREADY ATTENDED?
The Facilitation Masterclass Series has already been delivered to hundreds of facilitators as both public and in-house training. Participants come from a range of facilitation contexts, in leadership, local councils, social change, volunteer and activist spaces, education, training and health sectors, solo consultants providing high-level facilitation and consultation services, to organisations across a wide range of sectors including...
Training Details
THE LEARNING TOOLS
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- 5 x Live 3hr sessions
- PDF copies of all 5 powerpoint handouts
- Original reading content for 3 modules + Bonus Power, Rank & Privilege mini course
- 5 self-paced takeaway exercises
- 5 x Live 3hr sessions
To maximise experiential learning each cohort is capped at 18 participants.
DATES AND TIMES
5 x 3hr online sessions.
Dates will be announced later in 2026 - join the waitlist below to be notified when positions are open.
WHERE
Online on Zoom. The link will be emailed to you ahead of course commencement, along with other pre-training information.
Attending the sessions on a computer will be best (as opposed to a mobile device).
Please ensure you have a private space for the duration of the workshop if possible.
It's also best if you can have your video on for the workshop if your bandwidth allows for it.
FEES
Standard rate: $1,320
Concession: $990
For participants joining from regions with significantly different economies, please contact us at for a fair trade rate.
CANCELLATIONS
Professional Development points
This course meets the requirements for Category A, Continuing Professional Development points with PACFA.
If you are a member of another professional association, please check the eligibility requirements as PD frameworks differ widely.
"I learnt a lot! The examples were powerful; tools useful and the content moves well between principles, examples and tools"
"Expertly facilitated, group held well, good content, well chunked information"
“Practical tools I literally walk out the door with and can use immediately. Directly relevant to my work”
Join the Waitlist for 2027 Facilitation Masterclass Series
Facilitation Masterclass 2027 Waitlist
THE TRAINERS
Dr Jane Martin
Jane has over twenty years experience as a facilitator in the public, private and not for profit sectors, including the NSW State Public Service, the non-government sector and the Australian Federal Public Service.
Jane was the facilitator and one of the architects of the Lost Conversations Group, co-authoring the book Lost Conversations: Finding New Ways for Black and White Australians to Lead Together, and has continued her passion for this work as an Associate of Collaboration for Impact where she is a facilitator specializing in Deep Collaboration between First Nation Peoples and Other Australians.
She has delivered facilitation training for the Aurora Indigenous Training Initiatives and the Melbourne Indigenous Leadership Group sponsored by the Atlantic Fellows For Social Equity Program.
Jane’s qualifications include a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, a Bachelor of Social Work, a Graduate Diploma in Education and a Diploma of Traditional Chinese Medicine. She is an Accredited Coach (with the International Coaching Federation), Process Work Diplomate, accredited Deep Democracy facilitator, member of the International Association of Process Oriented Psychology, and a founding member of ANZPOP.
Beck Ronkson
Beck is a Facilitator, Coach, Psychotherapist and Consultant with a background in Theatre and Community Cultural Development. She has worked in the social change space for the past 25 years, with seven years in the mental health and homelessness sectors.
She regularly facilitates collaborations of multiple stakeholders, including Local Area Health services, Community Housing providers, Corporate organisations, large and small NGOs, often in the areas of housing, mental health and community self-determination. She is an Associate with Collaboration for Impact, and was a former Artistic Director of Milk Crate Theatre, facilitating group programs for Mission Australia, St Vincent De Paul, Salvation Army, Wesley Mission, Richmond PRA (now Flourish), in Juvenile Justice, CALD & Indigenous communities, and in many schools. In 2010, Beck was listed in the Sydney Magazine’s (Fairfax Media) 100 most influential people for her work within the homeless community of Sydney.
Beck’s qualifications include, Bachelor of Arts (Theatre) Honours; Organisational Coach (Global Coaching Institute); Diploma of Process Oriented Psychology (ANZPOP). She is a member of the International Association of Process Oriented Psychology (IAPOP), and Alumna Sydney Leadership.
ANZPOP acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands we live and work on, the Aboriginal Australian, and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and the Maori First Nations peoples. We pay respect to their elders across time. We give thanks for the Indigenous knowledge that has informed the Process Work approach. We honour the courage, resilience, and spirit of First Nations peoples to counter the ongoing impacts of colonisation on their culture, well-being, and sovereignty.
