大象传媒

From team meetings and academic collaborations to public consultations and workplace discussions, much of our professional and civic life happens in groups. And yet, few of us are ever taught how to navigate them well.

This course is designed for graduate students who want to build their skills鈥攁nd confidence鈥攁s facilitators, communicators and collaborators in group settings. Whether you鈥檙e leading a research lab, managing a community initiative, serving as a TA, facilitating a public engagement session or participating in high-stakes workplace conversations, this course gives you both the theory and practice to lead with clarity, compassion and purpose.

This highly participatory, practice-based course is rooted in a strengths-based approach, where you鈥檒l build on your existing skills and experiences to develop your own facilitation practice. You鈥檒l also contribute to building a classroom community that prioritizes curiosity, experimentation and mutual care.

Here鈥檚 what to expect on a weekly basis:

• Live demonstrations of facilitation techniques and dialogue structures
• Hands-on skill labs to build core competencies like asking generative questions, listening, tracking group dynamics and synthesizing group input
• Engagement with wider voices in the field through readings, videos, podcasts and guest perspectives
• Arts-based and embodied practices that invite you to explore facilitation through movement, visual mapping, storytelling and creative expression
• Reflective practices that encourage you to connect your learning to other parts of your life
• Specific feedback designed to build trust, deepen insight and support your unique facilitation style

Your work in this course culminates in a student-designed and student-led public dialogue鈥攁 real-world event that brings people together for a facilitated conversation on a timely and meaningful topic.

You and your classmates will collaboratively design every aspect of the dialogue:

• Create a facilitation plan and flow that aligns with your goals
• Design participatory methods that engage people thoughtfully and equitably
• Manage event logistics like invitations and advertising
• Facilitate the dialogue with participants
• Harvest the conversation through creative documentation
• Reflect on your own learning and facilitation practice through post-event feedback and analysis

This isn鈥檛 a simulation鈥攊t's the real thing. The public dialogue is your chance to showcase your skills, bring people together around a shared purpose, and experience the excitement (and challenge!) of facilitating in a live setting.