Email: belinda@belindacoghlan.com.au | Phone: 0414 642 921
Perth-based Group and Workshop Facilitation
WHAT
is Group and Workshop Facilitation?
Group and workshop facilitation is structured, participatory process design for any group that needs to think, decide or align together — a workshop, a focus group, a community consultation, a thinktank — not just strategic planning.
Done badly, it's a session where a few voices dominate and everyone else quietly checks out. Done well, it's a structured process built for genuine participation, where the outcome is the group's own thinking, not mine handed back to them.
As a Technology of Participation (ToP) accredited facilitator, certified by the Institute of Cultural Affairs, I design each session around who's in the room and what decision they need to reach — not a one-size-fits-all workshop template.
WHO
needs Group and Workshop Facilitation?
Almost every group reaches a point where a structured, neutral facilitator is what gets a room from talking in circles to a genuine, owned outcome.
Why? Because the groups I work with are usually facing one or more of the same pressures.
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Groups who need genuine input from people with very different priorities or levels of power
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Organisations running community consultations that need to be more than a box-ticking exercise
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Leadership teams wanting a thinktank or priority-setting session that produces a real outcome
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Anyone who's sat through a workshop that produced a document, not a decision
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Groups where a few voices dominate and others hold back
Whatever's brought you here, if you need a room full of different views to leave with one shared outcome, I'm here when you need me.
HOW
does Group and Workshop Facilitation work?
I design and run the session using Technology of Participation (ToP) facilitation methods, grounded in the ToP Consensus Workshop and ORID Conversation methodology, which moves a group through four deliberate phases:
I also draw on a broader toolkit beyond ToP, including Force Field Analysis, World Café, Open Space Technology and Gallery Walks. For in person and remote workshops, we use online collaborative platforms - Zoom, Teams, Mentimeter, Whiteboard and Mira, depending on what the room and the outcome need.
Our plethora of skills can add value to facilitating highly participatory and consensus building workshops for:
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Operational planning
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Priority planning
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Focus groups
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Community consultations
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Thinktanks
WHERE
to apply Group and Workshop Facilitation?
Wherever a group needs to think, decide or align together, that's where group and workshop facilitation earns its place — a room full of good people doesn't automatically produce a good outcome without a structured process behind it.
Good facilitation starts with genuine participation, then builds outward: input from people who might otherwise never be heard in the room; a session structured around a real decision, not just a discussion; alignment reached in the room, not fought over afterwards; and an outcome the group actually owns.
Group and workshop facilitation connects naturally to my other work — it's the toolkit behind my Strategic Planning engagements specifically, and it often surfaces the leadership and culture shifts that Organisational Development addresses. Where a room doesn't yet feel safe enough for people to speak up, this pairs naturally with my Human Skills Training and Psychological Safety Training work too.
WHY
choose me?
I'm a Technology of Participation (ToP) accredited facilitator, certified by the Institute of Cultural Affairs, with a track record leading facilitated learning programs across government and industry, including as Lead Facilitator on a major national program.
ToP methods are intentionally designed to heal power imbalances, enable shared power, and provide a structured process that distils high-quality outcomes while sustaining trust and commitment to what's agreed — not just consultation theatre.
As a People and Culture specialist, certified in the S.A.F.E.T.Y.™ psychological safety model and founder of the Psychological Safety Systems Blueprint, I bring oversight of organisational and operational dynamics into every session I facilitate — not just process design in isolation.
What clients say
"Belinda Coghlan was Lead Facilitator with the Farm Business Resilience Program run by Curtin University, which successfully developed and delivered critical parts of the Pilot of Drought Reform Measures for the Australian and Western Australian governments. Belinda effectively stepped into leading the delivery teams and facilitated the learning program to achieve very good strategic plans for farmers across WA. We were able to use her extensive knowledge in change management, strategic planning and workshop design to make continual improvements to the program. I would highly recommend Belinda for her comprehensive skills in delivering facilitated learning programs."
John Noonan, Farm Business Resilience Director, Curtin University
Frequently Asked Questions
What's ToP facilitation?
Technology of Participation (ToP) a structured facilitation methodology built to maximise genuine group participation, critical thinking and ownership of the outcome, not just consultation theatre.
Do you facilitate small groups as well as large workshops?
The magic number for a facilitated workshop is about 16 and focus group is about 6-8. I have a team of top-notch facilitators who can facilitate multi-stakeholder events.
How do you deal with dominating people in the room?
I'm upfront about respectful, psychologically safe behaviours in the room to set the tone, and my methods ensure everyone gets the chance to speak. Depending on the situation, that might mean individual brainstorming or responses to Mentimeter, more pair or small group work. Otherwise, a private conversation may be needed to understand what’s driving the person’s reactions, to work with it instead of against it. Participants may also be asked to rate how safe they felt speaking up in the workshop.
Can you run this across multiple stakeholder groups?
Yes - depending on scope, this can include head office, local or regional groups needing to align on shared direction. Participants may include subject matter experts or thought leaders in the field.
What do we walk away with?
A decision, priority actions or outcome the group built and owns, summarised in a document.