Advanced Facilitative Leadership workshop announced for June 2025
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EmailAdvanced Facilitative Leadership helps increase confidence and competence in facilitating and managing situations when conflict arises.
Imagine you have been asked to facilitate an important team meeting. You have done all you can to prepare—seating chart, flip charts, markers, projector, snacks, etc.—and everyone is ready to get started. Then, out of the blue, something goes wrong. A staff member says something that upsets others. Another person wonders out loud why you are doing the facilitating. Tension begins to fill the room, and you start to feel angry and anxious. What can you do?
Finding ways to avoid drifting into fight-flight-freeze modes is an important first step in managing a group’s work and leading toward positive, productive outcomes. You might begin by asking yourself the following questions:
- How am I ‘reading into’ the group members’ intentions?
- How do I know when I am starting to feel unsafe in a meeting space? What are those physical and emotional signals?
- What am I seeing in others?
Embracing that anxiety and approaching the situation with curiosity is an important step toward keeping the group engaged as you navigate through the emerging conflict.
Have you been involved in meetings or other group activities such as these that are characterized by overt or underlying conflict? Would you like to increase your confidence and competence in facilitating and managing such conflict-prone situations? Michigan State University Extension is offering its Advanced Facilitative Leadership: Navigating Your Way through Conflict workshop in 2025. This four-day event will offer opportunities to work on understanding yourself in high-heat situations, managing your emotions in the moment, and helping others work toward shared goals and greater understanding among group members.
The workshop does rely on participants having some experience working with groups. If it was a while ago, or just recently when you last worked with groups or teams, here is a chance to work on managing high-heat situations while continuing to practice your facilitative leadership skills!
The Advanced Facilitative Leadership: Navigating Your Way through Conflict workshop will be held on June 24-27, 2025, at the Michigan Farm Bureau headquarters in Lansing, MI. The registration price of $900 includes breakfasts and lunches, along with educational materials. Seats are limited, so sign up today! Registration is currently available on the Advanced Facilitative Leadership website.
