online facilitation training
building connection and community on zoom
march 2024
“It’s a full package condensed into just five sessions and gives a taster of theory, practice, peer group wisdom and group development… It was fab.”
What is the course?
Our online facilitation training course is designed for anyone looking to start or deepen their experience of leading groups online to bring about enhanced wellbeing and catalyse positive change. The course combines theory and practice, and fosters a supportive learning environment that will enhance your confidence and nurture your personal and professional growth. As one participant on our Online Facilitation Course 2020 said “the feedback around my own facilitation was really encouraging and helped energise me toward trying it out more publicly.”
WHY ONLINE?
Many of us spend a lot more time meeting online these days. And we have all experienced how after some online gatherings we can feel inspired and connected; and after others we can feel drained and exhausted. The way these are facilitated has a big impact on the outcome. On completing this course, you will feel equipped and empowered to be creative in the way you facilitate online - whatever forums that may be - making people feel better and creating positive change. There is a particular focus on how to create powerful experiences for people virtually so that they connect more deeply to themselves, others and the bigger picture. As one participant on an online Change in Nature programme said, this provided “a great opportunity to really slow down instead of just go go go, which is what my life has been like for the last month.”
“The highlight was walking into my lounge after every session and proudly declaring to my husband that this is the best course… Life changing.”
who is it for?
This training programme is for anyone looking to harness the potential of technology to enhance wellbeing and create positive change in people’s lives. It’s aimed for a wide variety of professional backgrounds with the aim of supporing you to find creative ways of applying the learning to your work and personal lives. As one participant in our Online Facilitation Course 2020 said, “Some of the others already had live facilitation experience and wanted to migrate those skills to online sessions, but I wanted to start from scratch with facilitation. Oddly enough - and brilliantly - the course supported both needs.”
what will you come away with?
Tools, techniques, knowledge, skills, support and the confidence to make a difference. With an emphasis on experiential learning and practice, you will gain experience of online facilitation and be supported by a trusted community of fellow learners and doers. You might apply what you have learned to meetings you are already hosting or create new ways for groups to connect so that you can make a meaningful and impactuful contribution to people’s lives. As one trainee from our Natue Facilitation Training 2019 put it:“This learning journey has given me immediate permission to hold space for others, with a felt sense that I have a community that appreciates and validates me at my side. It has also allowed me to see myself more clearly in relationship to a community, and to understand my role within it – in terms of my unique gifts and attributes, and how I wish to offer these qualities to the world.”
“I gained the confidence to get started, have a go and begin to offer facilitated sessions… I was delighted to find myself thinking, ‘I can do this!’”
“A brilliant course which teaches you how to build safe and open spaces online... It’s guided me towards what I really want to be doing in life - and I’m grateful for that.”
“The space and the people were a real gift in these weird world circumstances of the pandemic and we discovered some truly surprising and inspiring ways to connect strangers and nature through zoom – who knew!?”
“It’s incredible how much can be covered and the human connections that can be made in such a short time and across a screen in a way that is heart-felt, real and super important.”
course Objectives
In addition to any personal learning objectives, you will develop:
Online facilitation and communication skills
Comfort with designing the flow of meetings and/or online programmes
A varied toolkit of practices to build connection
Deep listening skills and techniques
Your personal connection with nature and the bigger picture
The confidence to keep growing as a facilitator through practice, support and feedback
the PROGRAMME
The programme is hosted online (via zoom). There are 5 sessions on weekday evenings over 2.5 weeks. These are on the following 2024 dates (7-9pm):
Monday 18th March
Wednesday 20th March
Monday 25th March
Wednesday 27th March
Wednesday 3rd April
There will be invitations in between the sessions to develop your learning and/or prepare your own material to facilitate. There is also voluntary reading (facilitation theory).
“A fun and inspired journey delivered in a delightfully creative way.”
“Openning, heartwarming, rewarding.”
“You built and held the online space with a lot of grace - so hard to do so well!”
our IMPACT
We were really pleased with the impact of our 2019 Nature Facilitation Course. This is why…
100% of participants gained in confidence to lead groups
100% of participants significantly developed their facilitation skills
100% of participants learned new models they felt comfortable to apply in practice
100% of participants found more clarity about what they wanted to offer others
100% of participants felt they had built a strong supportive community
100% of participants deepened their own connection to nature
88% of participants experienced a significant improvement in their personal wellbeing
“This course is unlike any other zoom call you’ll go on. Its restoring, energising, practical, connecting and full of really easy ways to implement tools and techniques.”
“A wonderful safe space in which to explore, experiment and develop your facilitation skills.”
book now
There are only twelve places available, so early booking is recommended to secure your place! You are very welcome to book a low income place if you feel this applies to you (we leave this entirely for your discression). And if these rates are unaffordable, do get in touch and we can explore offering a bursary place at a price that works for you.
“It’s a course about facilitation but I felt it’s more about putting yourself out there… A great experience.”
who we are
Change in Nature is a social enterprise that runs leadership and personal development programmes in the expansiveness of nature, with full focus and no tech interruptions. We have developed a powerful process to help people reconnect with purpose, build strong personal connections, and significantly enhance their motivation and vitality. Over 400 individuals from a wide range of well known institutions have benefitted from our professional programmes:
about change in nature and the course facilitator
Change in Nature was created by two senior sustainability professionals who after many years of working to influence business and policy in Westminster, went on personal journeys in nature to renew their sense of purpose and drive. They set up Change in Nature to help people and organisations deeply connect with the change they would like to see in the world and be fully resourced to make a meaningful contribution in this pivotal time. Over 1000 people have participated in their programmes.
Andy Raingold, co-founder
Andy is a coach, speaker, facilitator and environmentalist who inspires transformative change with nature. He has been guiding immersive nature experiences and personal development programmes since founding Change in Nature in 2015. His work includes leading programmes on developing facilitation and leadership skills, enhancing creativity, crafting new stories for social change and supporting progressive businesses and organisations to “think differently”. He has worked and studied with wisdom keepers and elders from different traditions; as well as supporting and learning from a number of marginalised communities around the world (including Syrian refugees in Greece and San Bushmen in Namibia). He has written for the Guardian and been interviewed on BBC Newsnight, The Sunday Times, BBC Radio 4, The Independent and Guardian Environment Podcast.
“I appreciated your relaxed, laid back attitude, coupled with presence, clarity, enthusiasm and your obvious joy of giving and doing this work.”