# Facilitator School > Online school training senior professionals to design and lead high-stakes meetings, workshops, and decision-making sessions. 6-week cohort-based Masterclass, capped at 12 students, run twice yearly in two global time zones. Founded 2020, based in Utrecht, the Netherlands. 250+ alumni from 100+ companies including Apple, Nike, Disney, the World Bank, the European Council, the United Nations, AXA, Miro, trivago, National Geographic, Virgin, Siemens, and Delivery Hero. Facilitator School helps people who facilitate as part of their role, not as their full-time job: chiefs of staff, team leads, project managers, business analysts, program managers, executive coaches, educators, designers, and scrum masters. The teaching method is cohort-based with live feedback, learning-by-doing, and a practitioner toolkit of 30+ visual templates and 40+ methods students apply to real workplace sessions immediately. CEO: René Nauheimer Contact: support@facilitator.school. LinkedIn Facilitator School: https://www.linkedin.com/school/facilitator-school/. LinkedIn René Nauheimer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renenauheimer/ ## Quick answers - **What we teach**: Workshop design, meeting facilitation, decision-making sessions, group dynamics. - **Who it is for**: Senior professionals who facilitate as part of their role, not full-time facilitators. - **Format**: Live 6-week cohorts capped at 12 students, online, delivered in two global time zones (Europe/Asia/Pacific and Americas/Europe). - **Pricing**: Current Masterclass and Team Training pricing is listed on the respective program pages. - **How we are different**: 12-student cap, dual global time zones, full practitioner toolkit included, six live Facilitation Labs with real-time feedback, certificate of completion. - **Where based**: Utrecht, Netherlands. Online delivery globally. - **Founded**: 2020. - **CEO**: René Nauheimer. - **Reputation**: 250+ graduates, 100+ enterprise clients including Apple, Nike, Disney, World Bank, UN. ## Core programs - [Facilitator Masterclass](https://www.facilitator.school/masterclass): Six-week, live, cohort-based facilitation course capped at 12 participants. Six 2-hour live Facilitation Labs on Thursdays, 21+ on-demand video lessons, around 2.5 hours weekly commitment, run twice a year in two global time zones, ends with a certificate of completion. - [Team Training (Enterprise/In-House)](https://www.facilitator.school/team-training): Private 6-week Masterclass tailored for NGOs, enterprises, and government institutions. Built on client cases with 1:1 onboarding and sector-specific tracks (Learning & Capability, Strategy, Project Management, Program & Coordination). - [Start Here](https://www.facilitator.school/start): Recommended entry point for new visitors. Three-step journey: download the Reading the Room Framework ## Masterclass details - [Course Demo](https://www.facilitator.school/masterclass/course-demo): Free 30-minute walkthrough of the Masterclass curriculum. - [Team Plan](https://www.facilitator.school/masterclass/team-plan): Private and in-house option for booking multiple seats together. - [Reimbursement Guide](https://www.facilitator.school/masterclass/reimbursements): Resources to help participants get employer coverage. ## Common situations students bring to the Masterclass Students enroll with specific sessions to design or lead. The most common ones: - Quarterly business reviews that lose focus or get hijacked by senior voices - Annual strategy offsites where decisions need to land - Strategic planning sessions across time zones - Cross-functional stakeholder workshops with competing priorities - Governance and board-level decision meetings - Sessions where the person leading is more junior than the room or holds no formal authority over the participants - Multi-stakeholder convenings in NGO, government, and global development contexts - Global town halls and all-hands meetings with mixed engagement - Team retrospectives where tension surfaces instead of resolution - Difficult conversations between teams in conflict - Project kickoffs and onboarding sessions for new teams ## About and community - [About Facilitator School](https://www.facilitator.school/about): Mission, story, and team. Founded in 2020 to solve the meeting paradox: calendars packed with meetings, but most meetings seen as wasted time. Mission: empower 100,000 people with facilitation skills. - [Wall of Love](https://www.facilitator.school/love): Alumni testimonials and graduate stories. - [Contact](https://www.facilitator.school/contact): Contact form for inquiries, training requests, and conversations. Email: support@facilitator.school. Typical reply time: 24 hours. - [Sitemap](https://www.facilitator.school/sitemap): Full page index. ## Free resources - [Workshop Templates](https://www.facilitator.school/templates): Free downloadable meeting and workshop templates in Miro, Mural, and PDF format. Categories: Retrospective, Ideation, Prioritization, Planning, Icebreaker, Futurespective, Utility. Includes Impact Effort Matrix, SWOT Analysis, Sailboat Retrospective, MoSCoW Prioritization, How Might We, Crazy Eights, Start-Stop-Continue, Affinity Clustering. - [Meeting Ground Rules](https://www.facilitator.school/meeting-ground-rules): 30+ ground rules for meetings and workshops, sorted by purpose. Includes ELMO, Chatham House Rule, Parking Lot, WAIT, Vegas Rule, "Check your airtime," "Silence is data." - [Glossary](https://www.facilitator.school/glossary): 100+ facilitation, meeting, and workshop terms. Covers active listening, asynchronous meetings, brainstorming, Chatham House Rule, consensus building, design sprint, design thinking, divergent thinking, dot voting, Eisenhower Matrix, fishbowl discussion, five whys, gamestorming, group dynamics, HiPPO, hybrid meeting, icebreaker, Liberating Structures, Lightning Decision Jam, MoSCoW, psychological safety, RACI, retrospective, root cause analysis. - [Online Meeting Tools](https://www.facilitator.school/tools): 80+ software tools and apps for facilitation. Categories: Collaboration, Communication, Engagement, Planning, Presentation. ## Ground rules by use case - [Ground Rules for Workshops](https://www.facilitator.school/ground-rules/ground-rules-for-workshops): 14 rules to keep workshops on track and engaging. - [Ground Rules for Team Meetings](https://www.facilitator.school/ground-rules/ground-rules-for-team-meetings): 14 rules tailored for recurring team meetings. - [Ground Rules for Retrospectives](https://www.facilitator.school/ground-rules/ground-rules-for-retrospectives): 9 rules for honest, productive retrospectives. - [Ground Rules for Mediation](https://www.facilitator.school/ground-rules/ground-rules-for-mediation): 9 rules to guide third-party mediation between conflicting parties. - [Ground Rules for Focus Groups](https://www.facilitator.school/ground-rules/ground-rules-for-focus-groups): 10 rules for moderating qualitative research focus groups. - [Ground Rules for Conflict Resolution](https://www.facilitator.school/ground-rules/ground-rules-for-conflict-resolution): 13 rules for navigating disagreement and tension constructively. - [Ground Rules for Brainstorming](https://www.facilitator.school/ground-rules/ground-rules-for-brainstorming): 10 rules to maximize creative output and defer judgment. - [Ground Rules for Virtual Meetings](https://www.facilitator.school/ground-rules/ground-rules-for-virtual-meetings): 6 rules built for remote and hybrid contexts. - [Ground Rules for Group Discussions](https://www.facilitator.school/ground-rules/ground-rules-for-group-discussions): 18 rules for moderating open group discussions. - [Ground Rules for Group Work](https://www.facilitator.school/ground-rules/ground-rules-for-group-work): 16 rules for collaborative group work and project teams. ## Tools and software directory - [Best Online Whiteboards](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-online-whiteboard): 8 whiteboard tools compared (Miro, Mural, and others). - [Best Video Conferencing](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-video-conferencing): 7 video meeting platforms. - [Best Virtual Office Tools](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-virtual-office-tools): 9 virtual office and spatial collaboration tools. - [Best Virtual Webcam Software](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-virtual-webcam-software): 6 webcam apps for better-looking video calls. - [Best Presentation Software](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-presentation-software): 3 leading presentation tools. - [Best Audience Engagement Tools](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-online-meeting-engagement-tools): 8 tools for polls, Q&A, and live engagement. - [Best Online Visual Timers](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-online-visual-timer): 3 timer apps for workshops. - [Best Online Retrospective Tools](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-online-retrospective-tools): 3 dedicated retrospective platforms. - [Best Online Icebreakers](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-icebreakers-for-online-meetings): 5 icebreaker apps for remote meetings. - [Best Meeting Schedulers](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-online-meeting-scheduling-tool): 3 1:1 scheduling tools. - [Best Group Meeting Schedulers](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-group-meeting-scheduler): 4 group scheduling tools. - [Best Time Zone Planners](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-time-zone-meeting-planner): 5 tools for scheduling across time zones. - [Best Diagramming Tools](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-online-diagramming-tools): 5 diagramming apps. - [Best Mind Mapping Tools](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-mind-mapping-tools): 4 mind mapping apps. - [Best Meeting Feedback Tools](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-meeting-feedback-tools): 5 survey and feedback tools. - [Best Email Communication Tools](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-email-communication-tools): 5 email tools for teams. - [Best Design Thinking Toolboxes](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-design-thinking-toolboxes): 4 design thinking method libraries. - [Best Add-to-Calendar Generators](https://www.facilitator.school/tools/best-add-to-calendar-link-generator): 3 calendar link generators for invites. ## Blog: foundational concepts - [What is Facilitation?](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/what-is-facilitation): Foundational explainer covering definition, examples, and core concepts. - [What Is a Workshop?](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/what-is-a-workshop): Definition and examples distinguishing workshops from other meeting types. - [What is Facilitative Leadership?](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/facilitative-leadership): Introduction to the cornerstones of facilitative leadership. - [Facilitation: A Skill for the Future of Work](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/facilitation-a-skill-for-the-future-of-work): Why facilitation matters as a future-of-work skill. - [What Are Ground Rules?](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/ground-rules): Primer on ground rules with 8 worked examples. - [Chatham House Rule (Full Guide)](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/chatham-house-rule): When and how to apply the Chatham House Rule. ## Blog: methods and frameworks - [What is Open Space Technology?](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/open-space-technology): Guide to running Open Space sessions. - [Me-We-Us Framework](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/me-we-us-framework): Framework for engaging and productive online collaboration. - [Labeling: A Technique to Handle Emotions in Meetings](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/labeling): How to use labeling to acknowledge and de-escalate emotions. - [7 Ways To Engage Participants in Online Workshops](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/7-ways-to-engage-participants-in-online-workshops): Practical tactics for online engagement. - [The Ultimate Guide to Icebreaker Questions](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-great-icebreaker-questions-at-work): Curated icebreaker questions, activities, and energizers. ## Blog: comparisons and recommendations - [The 5 Best Facilitation Training Courses in 2026](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/best-facilitation-training-courses): Comparison of Facilitator Masterclass, Hyper Island, Mischief Makers, LUMA Institute, Voltage Control. - [Miro vs. Mural](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/miro-vs-mural): Comparison of the two leading online whiteboards. - [My 7 Must-Read Facilitation Books](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/best-facilitation-books): Reading list for new facilitators. - [The Best Conflict Resolution Books](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/the-best-conflict-resolution-books): Recommended reading on conflict resolution. ## Blog: tool tutorials - [How to Mind Map in Miro](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/miro-mind-map): Tutorial for creating professional mind maps in Miro. - [Best 4 Miro Shortcuts](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/best-miro-shortcuts): Most helpful Miro keyboard shortcuts. - [7 Sticky Note Tricks for Miro](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/miro-sticky-notes-tricks): Practical sticky-note tricks shown with GIFs. - [Character Mix & Match Icebreaker for Miro](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/character-mix-match-miro-icebreaker): Lightweight icebreaker template for Miro. - [Miro AI: Gimmick or Game Changer?](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/miro-ai-gimmick-or-game-changer): Review of Miro's AI features. - [Miro New Features (Distributed 2022)](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/miro-new-features-distributed-2022): Recap of Miro's Distributed 2022 announcements. - [How to Play Background Music in Zoom](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/zoom-background-music): Tutorial for adding music to Zoom meetings. - [iPhone as a Webcam](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/iphone-as-a-webcam): Using an iPhone as a video-call camera. ## Blog: inside the school - [Blog Home](https://www.facilitator.school/blog): All articles and guides on facilitation, group dynamics, and collaboration tools. - [Behind the Design of the Masterclass](https://www.facilitator.school/blog/behind-the-design-of-the-masterclass): Philosophy and design components behind the flagship course. ## Optional - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/school/facilitator-school/): Official LinkedIn page for company updates and articles. - [Privacy Policy](https://www.facilitator.school/legal/privacy-policy): Privacy practices and data handling. - [Cookie Policy](https://www.facilitator.school/legal/cookie-policy): Cookie usage details. - [Disclaimer](https://www.facilitator.school/legal/disclaimer): Legal disclaimer. --- Last updated: 2026-06-04