FACILITATION TRAINING
Run better meetings. Lead better conversations. Get better outcomes.
This training programme helps busy teams to claim back time through impactful meetings and workshops.
Too many meetings that could have been emails?
You didn’t take this job so you could spend all day in meetings that go nowhere.
But here we are: back-to-back sessions, talking in circles, running out of time - and still walking away without clear decisions or actions.
And when it’s your turn to lead, you find yourself stressing about how to hear from everybody, keep things to time, and deal with disagreement.
It's totally natural, especially when you've been handed a standard agenda template to follow.
How it works
The Facilitation Foundations training programme will help you and your team to run engaging workshops and meetings - without all the usual stress.
1. Quick chat
A 15-minute phone chat to confirm if this is what you need.
2. Pre-Programme Setup
I'll send you everything you need to get people prepared and in the room.
3. Programme Delivery
The workshops will be engaging and tailored 100% to your team's unique needs.
4. Implementation Support
Resources, tools, and even an optional debrief to ensure the learning sticks.
What’s included (and why it matters)
The Foundation option includes:
- Facilitation Preferences Diagnostic
A quick multi-choice quiz that highlights each team member’s strengths and stretch areas. -
Pre-Workshop Emails
Short, sharp nudges that warm up your team before the live session. -
One Day Workshop
This ain't no lecture. Expect interaction, insightful models, and stories that make it all stick. The time will fly by. -
Printed Workbook
This includes all the tools, frameworks, and prompts so the learning doesn’t fade with the flipchart markers. -
Manager Debrief Call
A 30-minute follow-up to reflect on impact and discuss what’s next.
The Full option adds:
-
Pre-Workshop Survey
Further refines the workshop design to your exact needs. -
Second Workshop – The Tough Stuff
We dive deep into conflict, disagreement, and navigating difficult conversations. A Copy of My Book (Leading Questions, due late 2025)
This gives you lasting access to the key frameworks and stories that underpin our work, and a reference you can return to any time.
The Investment
Ultimately, this programme is about reclaiming time every week for higher-impact work.
It's also about ensuring you get better outcomes in the long-term by having bigger conversations in the short-term.
|
Option |
Description |
Fee (NZD) |
|---|---|---|
|
Foundations |
Great for teams who need a quick circuit-breaker. |
$600 per person |
|
Full |
Suits teams who are running challenging workshops with frequent conflict. |
$900 per person |
Want a taster? One-hour and half-day sessions available from $2,500 per team.
Note: All prices exclude GST, travel & venue costs. 50% deposit to confirm.
What makes me different?
There are a number of reasons why my clients choose me. These include:
- I wrote the book. My book Leading Questions (coming late 2025) supports the training programme.
- You deal with me. From your enquiry to your final conversation, you only deal with me.
- I use my own IP. No one else is licensed to deliver my stuff.
- Works in any room. I've worked in many different leadership roles: in big government departments, plucky non-profits and business too.
- I'm real and authentic. People enjoy the lightness I bring to heavy issues - keeping it human rather than hiding behind jargon.
Some Frequently Asked Questions
Simply put: yes. Every session is designed for your context and your people's needs.
The ideal size is 8–25, but I can adapt to your numbers.
Yes, although I find that in-person gives us better energy and engagement. Some clients elect to add an online follow-up group implementation session and these work well.
Perfect. I design sessions to meet people where they’re at and offer different options within the workshops.
The impact for past clients
Nicole Schlichting, Senior Comms Advisor, Sustainable Business Council NZ
“I often find after workshops/training, it's easy to slowly revert back to old habits, but it's been three months now and I still find myself actively utilising the learnings from our course with Paul.
If you're looking to develop similar skills, you won't be disappointed if you work with Paul!”
Calvin Buttimore, Manager, Sport Bay of Plenty
“There's been a huge amount of impact for me personally and I’m really keen to refine my skillset and lift my standards from here.
I have continued to receive more feedback from the rest of the group too thanking me for organising and saying it was hugely valuable!”
Aoife Broad, Ministry for the Environment
"Paul led a Facilitation Foundations workshop for our team. Within the first 5 minutes of the session, our Manager says to me: 'we're in good hands here.'
Paul's training style is fun, personable, and puts people first. We left the day with not only a better understanding of facilitation, but a better understanding of our colleagues - and the ways we like to work.
I found Paul on Google. I didn't know much about him, other than the fact that in comparison to other training providers I talked with, Paul seemed to really know his stuff, be kind and onto it.
Thankfully, Paul's training was all these things and much more! If you need facilitation services or want to learn the ropes - Paul is your guy. I hope to be in touch with him again in the future."
Joey Yovich, Sport Northland
"I am pleased to provide a strong recommendation for Paul McGregor for his exceptional Facilitation Foundations workshop for the sports sector here in Northland.
Throughout the workshop, Paul demonstrated a deep understanding of facilitation principles and techniques, effectively engaging all of us and creating an interactive learning environment. His clear communication style and ability to articulate complex concepts in a simplified manner were much appreciated!
His passion for the subject matter was evident, as he conveyed enthusiasm and energy throughout the session, keeping participants actively engaged and eager to participate. He not only presented the content but also actively facilitated discussions, practicing what he preached.
I have no hesitation in recommending him for any similar roles in the future. He is a consummate professional who adds significant value."
Dr Emma McGuirk, Anthropologist
"Thank you for the online Leading by Facilitation workshop this morning Paul, it was enjoyable and refreshing. I think you had just the right amount of content for 60 minutes. It didn't feel rushed, and we all came away with some meaningful new frameworks and tools.
I also wanted to say your podcast series is thought-provoking, fun to listen to, and very rich in education and upskilling. It's such a valuable resource for so many people."
Faye Johnson, GROW
"It's been a pleasure to work with you over the last few years on the workshops we've co-facilitated through Grow on Virtual Facilitation and Engagement.
We've had consistent feedback that attendees appreciate your natural, welcoming, inclusive style and your positive energy, as well as the very practical guides and tips on managing online meetings to increase engagement. We've had participants from a broad range of organisations and roles, and one of your strengths is how you make things relevant for both corporate and community settings.
Keep up the great work you are doing!"
Stephanie Jones, Leadership Development Centre
I attended Paul's Leading by Facilitation Taster Session and took so much away from it in just 60 minutes. Recently I felt empowered to ask questions I wouldn't have previously, like "What's our purpose?" and "Who is this serving?" That helped us to reduce one weekly meeting to a 15-minute session every fortnight now.
I shared the invite with my network because your work is so needed right now Paul! In this environment of people burning out trying to do more with less, we need clarity and purpose with our meetings, to save time and effort. A great session and one that anyone would benefit from. Thanks Paul for creating this session."
Mark Saxton, Speech Language Therapist, Ministry of Education
“The workshops were really well presented, organised, friendly atmosphere & a great space to learn new skills!”
Patrick Lyon-Gifford, Manager, Auckland Council
“We have a joke around the office that maybe Paul has a recording device hidden here somewhere. He's so in tune with the challenges we face and seems to know what we need before we do.
We've just finished the Facilitating Collaborative Partnerships training and I have just heard lots of positive feedback from everyone involved. It really spoke to where people are at right now.
Personally, I really appreciated the way Paul positively challenged me. I thought a lot about his response around not making things too easy (despite the etymology of the kupu 'facilitation'!). I think I can fall into that sometimes as a people pleaser!
Paul also practices what he preaches – his facilitation always feels safe and gentle – offering up ideas to ruminate on, not giving one way things should be. Paul also role models cultural competency really well.”
Jessie Creedmore, Developing Buller Incorporated
I attended Paul's leadership development workshop the day before the West Coast Tourism Summit where we explored how to better meetings and 1:1 coaching conversations with less stress and more impact. The value he delivered far exceeded the cost of the workshop. I'm really keen to bring Paul back so we can keep upskilling West Coast leadership.
Daniel Jephson, Supervisor, Department of Conservation
“I've been to lots of training workshops on facilitation and things like that, and your workshop was the best of all of them.
The way you facilitated, the different resources, the activities, the stories – yeah it was just such a valuable two days.”
Lesley McIntosh, Innovation Manager Active Recreation, Sport Tasman
“I didn’t have any concerns before the workshops because I had seen Paul in action and liked his style.
The ease of communication both before and during the event was awesome.
Paul rocked. THANK YOU!”
James Lamb, Head of Business and Economy, Hutt City Council
"We brought Paul in to help us level up our facilitation skills and he nailed it.
We host a lot of group sessions - big and small - and some of them can be complex. Working across a huge range of colleagues and people throughout our city, it’s fair to say things can get off track, sometimes tensions can rise, and clarity can slip away.
Our team and broader council group all came in with different levels of experience and different needs, and Paul met everyone where they were. Paul brought energy, calm, and an impressive ability to read the room and adjust on the fly. Something we reflected on during the sessions and could use immediately.
What really landed with us was how practical it was. We walked away with tools we could use the next day, tailored to the kinds of conversations we actually have.
If facilitation matters to your team, talk to Paul."
Dhaya Haran, Programme Manager, Auckland Council
“Recently, I attended a three-hour facilitation training session led by Paul. At first, I was skeptical about what I could possibly learn in just three hours, but Paul’s engaging approach made all the difference.
Thanks to his expertise, I now have a much clearer understanding of facilitation, especially around deliberative democracy, and the critical role it plays in creating meaningful dialogue.
One of my key takeaways was the importance of engaging participants in different formats: working individually, in pairs for more intimate discussions, in small groups of three or four for theming, and then bringing everyone together for collective framing.
I’m excited to apply these techniques as we take our youth engagement platform, Buzzly, into schools and community groups.
I highly recommend Paul's sessions to anyone keen to learn new engagement skills or explore fresh approaches to facilitation. Whether you're someone who doesn’t get enough opportunities to engage or you’re too busy with the day-to-day to stop and learn new techniques, Paul’s training can help take your skills to the next level.”
Wendy Filip, Citizen Engagement Manager, Auckland Council
“A small group of engagement practitioners were lucky enough to spend half a day with Paul who took us through some tips and tricks for facilitation.
As our journey into deliberative engagement continues, the advice he provided (and so expertly demonstrated at the same time!) is going to be invaluable.
We are looking forward to putting it into practise at our upcoming participatory forums in the next few weeks.”
Ready to rid your work of crummy meetings and workshops?
If you and your team is ready to change how you lead meetings and workshops - with less stress, less wasted time, and more impact - let's talk.
Email me at paul@paulmcgregor.co.nz to see whether this is the right fit or not.