Series Overview

The LegacyWorks Group Community of Practice is a space for developing the core competencies needed to show up in service of collaborative, community-driven change initiatives. The Inclusive and Effective Group Facilitation series presents a structured framework for designing and leading collaborative sessions that maximize group potential. Participants will move from foundational design principles to advanced intervention strategies, focusing on both the technical and interpersonal aspects of effective facilitation.

Learning Objectives

Through a blend of theory and hands-on practice, participants will learn to:

Design for Impact: Move from simple agendas to inclusive gatherings that foster deep engagement and psychological safety, whether in-person or virtual.
Navigate Group Dynamics: Analyze interactions in real-time, identifying how to unlock stuck energy and shift from friction to flow.
Scaffold Exploration & Decisionmaking: Lead groups through the critical stages of divergent, emergent, and convergent thinking to explore possibilities and reach decisions with genuine buy-in.
Deepen Presence: Refine your active listening and synthesis skills to help groups discern common ground and synthesize complex ideas into actionable outcomes.

Series Structure

2026-27 Structure

This series is made up of three 2.5 hour live sessions, offered monthly, May-July 2026, and three web-based modules, available on this website during and after the series.

Series Schedule

2026-27 Schedule

Date	Series	Primary Instructor
May 7, 2026	1. Facilitation Tools & Practices	Carrie Kappel
June 4, 2026	2. Facilitating Access, Inclusion, and Belonging	Carrie Kappel
July 9, 2026	3. Supporting Clear and Effective Group Decision Making	Carrie Kappel

Series Policies

Attendance

We hope you will prioritize attendance of all classes in this series, but if you need to miss, please email the series instructor as early as possible. This will help us to share resources and plan for a smaller in-class community while you are out. Our hope is that you want to be present, but we totally understand that you have many demands on your time and sometimes life happens!

Please keep in mind that your presence in and contributions to class are important both to your understanding of the material and the creation and maintenance of our community of practice.

Usability, Accessibility, and Design

We are committed to creating a community of practice that is inclusive in its design. If you encounter barriers, please let the instructors know immediately so that we can determine if there is a design adjustment that can be made or if an accommodation might be needed to overcome the limitations of the design. We are always happy to consider creative solutions as long as they do not compromise the intent of the learning activity. We welcome feedback that will assist us in improving the usability and experience for all participants.