Thoughtful Facilitation: Developing the craft and capacity of facilitators, trainers, and group leaders.

Who is this for

If you work with groups and care about doing it well, welcome

Whether you're experienced at working with groups, just starting out, or an "accidental facilitator" who's ended up leading sessions without really planning to - this is for you.

The people drawn to this work tend to be thoughtful, growth-oriented and kind, reflective about their practice, and care about what they do, the people they support, and making the world a little better.

Whether you're facilitating people-focused topics like leadership or mental health, or something more technical like Excel or system processes, if you bring emotional intelligence to your work and genuinely want to keep improving your practice and the outcomes for your groups, you’ll find value here.

This work is particularly relevant if you:

• Have a role or business that relies on running group sessions

• Lead or manage teams of trainers/facilitators and want to develop their practice

• Run coaching or leadership programmes and are moving from 1:1 work into group delivery

• Work for organisations where facilitating psychological safety is part of your brief

• Burn out or lose confidence after difficult sessions and need reflective support

• Work in HR, wellbeing support, or leadership and regularly facilitate group spaces

• Deliver training on wellbeing, mental health, or other emotionally challenging topics

• Run your own training business and want to strengthen your practice & find a supportive community

If this sounds like your work, click here to get in touch and we can explore what support would be most useful.

What you and your groups gain from this work

After working together, people find they can:

• Run sessions that are clearer, better paced and more engaging

• Enable better outcomes and feedback from meetings, sessions and workshops

• Increase honest participation and clearer decisions in the groups they lead

• Build confidence and stay steadier when sessions don't go to plan

• Facilitate with more creativity and ease

• Look after their own wellbeing and enjoy the work more sustainably

• Connect with others who understand this type of work

• Read what's happening in the room more clearly and respond with better judgement

• Build ongoing reflective practice and skills development that meets CPD requirements

• Develop their team’s skills, cohesion and creativity

  “The benefits of our session are already being felt!”

  - Senior Workplace Trainer, January 2026

  (Read more feedback below)

What is Thoughtful Facilitation

For over 16 years I've been working with groups in various forms, and supporting teachers, trainers and facilitators (both new and highly experienced) to develop their practice… and learning alongside them, as we explore what helps them get better at what they do, recognise their existing strengths, and feel better while doing it. What's become clear is that there's more to this work than techniques and frameworks.

Most of us have to learn what to do through trial and error, often without support. Thoughtful Facilitation aims to change that.

Thoughtful Facilitation develops both the craft and capacity facilitators need in live group settings. That means practical skills - reading the room, managing dynamics, questioning well, improvising when things don't go to plan - alongside the inner steadiness to stay grounded when sessions get complex, emotional, or unpredictable.

It's built on the idea that effective facilitation requires both technical capability and psychological capacity. Most facilitator training focuses on structure and delivery, but stops short of developing the judgement, presence, and reflective practice that help facilitators grow and stay effective over time.

This is practical development work - teaching, co-learning, practice, reflection, and space to make sense of what actually happens in group facilitation.

Want to know more about my background and approach to this work? [Read more on Substack → click here]

How this works:

Group Modules

Structured sessions on specific facilitation challenges, delivered to small groups. These modules combine teaching, reflection, and peer learning. Topics include: upskilling your online delivery, navigating conflict, group agreements, questioning skills, facilitator wellbeing, and managing psychological safety in groups.

Modules can be delivered as one-offs or combined into a development programme for teams.

Format: 90-minute to full-day sessions for groups of 4-15 people
Investment: Contact for pricing based on group size and requirements

Explore modules & group sessions - Click here

Reflective Practice Groups

Ongoing spaces for facilitators to bring their challenges, reflect together, and learn from each other's experiences. These aren't training sessions - they're facilitated reflective practice where the group's wisdom and experience are the primary resource.

Format: Monthly 90-minute sessions
Investment: Details coming soon

Enquire about reflective practice sessions - Click here

Individual & Pair Sessions

One-to-one or pair coaching and reflection sessions, focused on your specific challenges as a facilitator. These sessions are bespoke - we work on what you're actually grappling with, whether that's specific skills, handling difficult group dynamics, positioning yourself with new audiences, or building confidence in your facilitation.

Sessions can be standalone or part of an ongoing approach where we address different aspects of your development over time.

Format: 90-minute sessions, online
Investment: Introductory rate through March 2026: From £195 per session (individual), £395 per session (pairs)

Enquire about 1:1 sessions - Click here

Organisational Development

For organisations with teams of facilitators or trainers, I offer bespoke development work. This is based on your requirements and can include topics like: facilitator key skills, leading inclusive sessions, resilience for trainers leading emotionally challenging topics, upskilling in online delivery, creating psychologically safe learning environments, building reflective practice cultures, or whatever elements you and your team are working on.

This might include train-the-trainer sessions, community development for facilitator teams, or ongoing consultancy on facilitator development.

Format: Bespoke to organisational needs
Investment: From £500 per half-day session

Enquire about support for your organisation - Click here

Interested? Get in touch to discuss what would work best for you or your organisation

What people are saying…

“I really loved Tom’s approach and style. He’s direct, challenging, and refreshingly free of any nonsense, which immediately put the focus where it needed to be. What stood out most was how well he adapted the session to suit me, the way I think, and the way I learn, rather than delivering something generic. He quickly honed in on the most relevant areas for where I am right now, making the session practical, thought-provoking, and genuinely valuable.”

- Owner of award-winning online networking business who facilitates group sessions and trains others to do this

“I’ve really appreciated being part of Tom’s pilot sessions. There are very few spaces available to explore advanced facilitation practice in this kind of depth, and it’s been a real privilege to work with someone with Tom’s experience. Having the opportunity to ask questions about areas I wanted to refine, and to be introduced to perspectives and approaches that were new to me, has been invaluable. I’m very much looking forward to continuing the work together.”

- HR Leadership Specialist Coach and Podcast Host

“Loved how the session felt bespoke to us and was really impressed with how safe it felt. The balance of chat/theory/info was great, it never felt overwhelming and left me wanting to continue learning.  The benefits of our session are already being felt! For example, if delegates have a lot on their plates, being able to identify when this sparks wobble moments and deal with those in a much better way”

- Senior Workplace Wellbeing Trainer

“I found it most useful to have a safe space to explore and go a bit deeper into things that we don't normally have time to do, it was a lovely safe reflections space. I love the 'naming of wobble moments,' and been thinking about it since... your pace and tone and delivery were great.”

- Training Team Lead