A live four-week training experience

Learn to Guide Conversations That Matter

A practical, interactive course to help you lead with greater clarity, ask better questions, navigate group dynamics, and create conversations people genuinely want to be part of.

Led live by expert facilitator Peggi Cooney

Peggi Cooney
DatesSeptember 7, 14, 21 & 28, 2026
Time5:00–6:30 PM Pacific
FormatLive on Zoom + Replays
EnrollmentLimited to 15 Participants

Why facilitation matters

Meetings don’t have to feel long, awkward, or draining.

They can feel purposeful, human, and worth showing up for.

Whether you lead a team meeting, facilitate a support group, coach clients, teach a class, serve in ministry, or navigate important conversations with family and friends, facilitation is one of the most valuable leadership skills you can develop.

Help people feel heard and included
Keep conversations focused without becoming rigid
Create clarity when emotions or opinions run high
Guide people toward shared understanding and action

Ever sit through meetings that go nowhere?

Most meetings struggle because the process has not been intentionally designed.

  • People talk at each other instead of listening.
  • One or two voices dominate the conversation.
  • Silence feels uncomfortable, so it gets filled too quickly.
  • The leader feels responsible for having every answer.

Great facilitation changes everything.

Who this course is for

For anyone who brings people together

You do not need to be an experienced facilitator. You only need a desire to guide conversations with more skill, confidence, and care.

Coaches & Consultants

Lead clients toward their own insights and next steps.

Managers & Team Leaders

Create focused meetings with better participation.

Helping Professionals

Hold steady space during complex conversations.

Educators & Trainers

Design learning environments that invite engagement.

Recovery Leaders

Guide without fixing, advising, or rescuing.

Ministry Leaders

Support honest, respectful discussion.

Community Leaders

Build consensus and shared ownership.

Everyday Communicators

Use these skills at home, work, and in relationships.

“The weekly accountability and practicing together made all the difference. I learned just as much from the other participants as I did from the teaching.”

What makes this course different

This isn’t a lecture. It’s a workshop.

You will learn, practice, reflect, receive feedback, and leave every session with practical tools you can use immediately.

Week 1

The Foundations of Great Facilitation

  • What facilitation is—and what it is not
  • Leading versus facilitating
  • Brave spaces instead of simply “safe” spaces
  • Holding space without fixing or rescuing
  • Group agreements that support participation
  • Characteristics of effective facilitators
Week 2

Asking Questions That Move Conversations Forward

The best facilitators do not have all the answers. They know how to ask the right questions.

Solution-Focused Question Categories

Move people away from problem-saturated thinking and toward resilience, possibility, and action.

Coping
Exception
Scaling
Position
Preferred Future
  • The Three Questions Framework
  • Emotion-naming reflections
  • Stanier’s Seven Questions
  • Avoiding the advice trap
Week 3

The Facilitator’s Toolbox

  • Creating a clear purpose, topic, and agenda
  • Preparing with structure while remaining flexible
  • Using the Parking Lot to protect focus and dignity
  • Navigating dominant and quiet voices
  • Responding to blame, denial, minimizing, and resistance
  • Using self-awareness, humility, and neutrality
Week 4

Integration, Practice & What Happens Next

  • Charting for visibility and shared meaning
  • Facilitating effectively on Zoom
  • Designing engagement instead of assuming it
  • Responding to real facilitation scenarios
  • Designing a short, purposeful meeting
  • Creating your personal facilitation plan

“Learning to facilitate instead of perform completely changed my confidence. I immediately began using these skills, and they transformed the way I lead groups.”

What you’ll walk away with

Practical skills you can use for years

Greater ConfidenceFacilitate without feeling responsible for performing or having every answer.
Better QuestionsHelp people think more deeply and move forward.
Stronger Group DynamicsRespond skillfully when participation is uneven or difficult.
Repeatable StructureCreate meetings with a clear beginning, middle, end, and next step.
Deeper ListeningReflect what you hear so people feel understood.
Virtual SkillsUse Zoom tools and intentional engagement well.
Real-World PracticeApply learning through scenarios and feedback.
Your Personal PlanKnow where and how you will keep practicing.

Meet your instructor

Peggi Cooney

Peggi brings deep expertise, real-world experience, and heart to the art of facilitation.

Her approach comes from decades of listening, learning, and sitting with people in conversations that can feel complex, emotional, or difficult to navigate. She is known for creating spaces where people feel respected, heard, challenged, and empowered to think for themselves.

  • Author of This Side of Alcohol
  • Chief Connections Officer, ZPE Connect
  • Master’s Degree in Social Work
  • 26 years in Child Welfare and Adult Protective Services
  • 10+ years with UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education
  • Recipient of the 2018 Outstanding Instructor Award
  • Winner of the 2024 National People’s Choice Award
  • Co-author of Landing on Your North Star

Course details

Join us live in September 2026

Enrollment is intentionally limited so participants have meaningful opportunities to connect, practice, and receive feedback.

DatesMondays: September 7, 14, 21 & 28, 2026
Time5:00–6:30 PM PST
7:00–8:30 PM CST
8:00–9:30 PM EST
FormatLive on Zoom
Replays provided
Class SizeLimited to 15 participants
Investment$295
IncludedPractice, handouts, resources, and replays

“This wasn’t just a class about meetings—it was a course about people. I left with greater confidence, a practical facilitation toolbox, and a new perspective on creating conversations where everyone feels heard and valued.”

Ready to begin?

Become the facilitator people remember

Whether you lead meetings, coach clients, teach, serve your community, or simply want to create better conversations, this course will give you practical skills you can use for years.

Reserve Your Spot Today
The Art of Facilitation • Live training with Peggi Cooney • Zero Proof Experiences