Creativity, consensus building and exploring new ways of working

I am a professional facilitator, trainer and consultant who support organisations, groups and individuals to have better quality projects, events, workshops and meetings, helping them to  develop and build sustainable, vibrant, successful partnerships, institutions and communities.

Creativity, consensus building and exploring new ways of working are at the heart of my facilitation work and I believe are central to helping great ideas grow and flourish.

I work with organisations, charities, NGO’s and companies in Scotland, Wales, UK and internationally both face to face and online.

What I offer

As a professional facilitator, trainer and consultant, I can support you and your group, team, organisation in several ways. Each client and organisation is unique and has its own history and culture. From the very start of our relationship, I will work closely with you to establish the outcomes you want. My aim is to provide support, guidance and if necessary, challenge issues so that the outcomes are workable and sustainable.

Upcoming events, training and workshops – open to all

ToP (ICA:UK) Group Facilitation Methods training 2024 - 2025 Online and in-person courses

Learn two extremely powerful techniques for structuring effective conversations and building group consensus in this very popular and globally acclaimed course. Gain skills in facilitating and leading participative and engaging meetings, events and workshops.

Designed for those new to facilitation and for those more experienced facilitators who wish to learn new group working techniques.

Online and in-person options available, range of dates

Cost: £345 – £795 (early bird offer available)

Read more: → 

Meeting Innovators Surgery

Join me online for an hour of networking, problem solving, and exchange in our monthly Meeting Innovators “Surgery”

Cost: FREE

Read more: → 

Facilitation

 As an experienced independent facilitator, I am regularly brought in to facilitate workshops and events where the issues are complex, where there may be differing or conflicting views, challenging team dynamics, where consensus is required on critical decisions or simply where there is a wish for the voices in the group to be heard. My presence allows the chair, leader or organiser the welcome freedom to contribute fully to discussions. I am comfortable facilitating both online and face to face sessions both large and small.

Facilitation can seem a bit of a mystery, sometimes even a bit intimidating! I help create a safe space, creating trust, allowing all voices to be heard that can reveal the elephant in the room and help the group see the issue, scenario or problem with a fresh perspective.

Together we can clearly identify the issue and move towards action.

Types of workshops I offer

I am commonly called to facilitate workshops, events and conferences including:

  • Team building days
  • Strategic Planning sessions
  • Stakeholder engagement events
  • Public consultation events
  • Visioning sessions
  • Action planning
  • Service user consultations and focus groups
  • Meetings of all types
My toolbox

As a facilitator I ensure that the methodologies I use which include ICA:UK’s ToP Focused Conversation and Consensus Workshops, Open Space Technology and a range of Liberating Structure tools, are appropriate for your group and will result in clear and successful outcomes.

Externally facilitated sessions can help:
  • Move people forward
  • Get action not just words
  • Improve engagement
  • Increase group energy
  • Develop group understanding and skills
  • Have quicker and more focused meetings and events
  • Allow you to be part of the meeting rather than the chair or organiser

“Megan, a really excellent job of facilitating what could have been a rather challenging session. Such rich conversations which helped us to come up with what is now a workable plan, awesome!”

Facilitated planning session

County Council, UK

“Thank you for assisting us in this process. We really appreciated your input and help in guiding us through the day and the challenges you gave us in helping understand where we are and where we need to be.”

Facilitated Strategic Planning Day

Wales Safer Communities Network

Training

I have been a trainer for over 30 years both independently and with a range of organisations. 

As a qualified teacher, my approach is flexible and participative and is tailored to suit each individual organisation whilst ensuring top quality delivery.

In the past few years I have moved much of my training online making use of many excellent online tools such as Mural, Miro, Padlet and Mentimeter. 

Training courses include the following, but I am happy to tailor to the specific needs of your group. All are available face to face or online.

  • Online facilitation skills
  • Facilitation tools
  • Decision making tools
  • Five tools to help your meetings go better
  • Training the online trainer
  • Facilitating Virtual Events
  • Group facilitation skills – including ©ICA:UK’s ToP Focused Conversation and Consensus Workshop methods 
  • Introduction to the merger process
  • Bespoke options available

Courses can be of variable length with additional on-line support

“A supremely useful training session” 

Introduction to Facilitation

Participant, ARC - Amphibian and Reptile Charity

“Megan was very knowledgeable and her calming presence and clear explanations made the material so much easier to understand and digest” 

Group Facilitation Methods training (ToP)

Participant, Dialogue Centre, Aberystwyth University

“This week I took a course studying methods of facilitation and it was brilliant. It was amazing to be able to learn and practice a variety of different techniques and to gain confidence in faciliation ahead of my upcoming PhD workshops.

Thank you for leading such great sessions and to all of the other participants for making it such an enjoyable week..”

Group Facilitation Methods ICA:UK online course

Course participant, Scotland, July 2024

Delighted to have taken part in FACILITATION training. Thank you for sharing your knowledge on the consensus workshop method and allowing all us eager participants to have real practice sessions.”

Group Facilitation Methods ICA:UK online course

Course participant, France, July 2024

“To co-trainers Megan Evans and Dawn Williams, excellently done to both of you. I never came out of days-long intense training – wanting more. Thank you!

Group Facilitation Methods ICA:UK online course

Course participant, Ethiopia , July 2024

Upcoming Public Training Courses – open to all

ToP (ICA:UK) Group Facilitation Methods training Online and in-person courses 2024 Open Programme

Learn two extremely powerful techniques for structuring effective conversations and building group consensus in this very popular and globally acclaimed course. Gain skills in facilitating and leading participative and engaging meetings, events and workshops.

Designed for those new to facilitation and for those more experienced facilitators who wish to learn new group working techniques.

Online and in-person options available, range of dates

Cost: £345 – £795 (early bird offer available)

Read more: → 

New training offerings

I have 6 new courses and workshops that can be delivered as-is or tailored to your needs. Learn more and download the flyers below.

Introduction to online facilitation

A half- or full-day course to help people new to facilitation to build their skills.

Preparing to facilitate a session

A two hour workshop on what to consider before you actually get in the room.

Facilitation - the Focused Conversation Method

1 or 2 day workshop that teaches the ToP Focused Conversation method, a powerful structured facilitation process helping a group journey through a conversation together.

Introduction to Peer Mentoring

A four hour introduction to Peer Mentoring to enable teams to effectively work together

Better Online Meetings

Learn how to make online meetings and events more effective, engaging and productive

Facilitating a Consensus Workshop

Learn how to faciltate the ToP Consensus Workshop and help groups achieve consensus in this one/two day course.

Consulting and mentoring

I offer a range of consultancy and mentoring support within the field of organisational development including:

  • Mentoring of key staff, volunteers and board members
  • Change management
  • Charity merger
  • Short term project management
  • Community engagement
  • Coaching organisational facilitators
  • Other organisational support

“Megan helped me so much to help me take a step back, reassess work priorities and clarify the organisations goals to help me take forward the organisations vision of the future. She helped me to take time out to reflect on the situation with her thoughtful and calm approach, thank you Megan” Mentee 

Organisational consultancy

Charity Director, Wales

“I had the pleasure of being mentored by Megan, I was at a career crossroads and really couldn’t see the wood for the trees. With her empathetic nature and understand manner, she successfully coached me through some tough sessions of realisation. Megan was able to identify and highlight qualities which I didn’t know I had and working on these gave me the confidence I needed to move on.” Coachee

Workplace mentoring

Mentee, Edinburgh

Megan Evans

I am a facilitator, trainer, coach and consultant with over 30 years’ experience of helping charities, groups, teams, organisations and networks improve their group working, delivery and organisational performance. I use solutions focus approaches to bring people together, drawing on their skills, knowledge and enthusiasm to help move groups forward and bring about lasting change.

I’m passionate about helping organisations succeed, becoming more efficient and sustainable, making a make a real difference to their clients and communities. My passion and commitment comes from working as a teacher and community worker in many amazing and diverse communities in Scotland, Wales, the UK and internationally. Later on in my career I worked strategically with public and voluntary sector umbrella organisations to help imbed lasting change.

I became a freelance consultant in 2014 and am a lead trainer for ICA:UK delivering their internationally renowned ToP Group Facilitation Methods course to participants from across the globe. I am a certified virtual facilitator and mentor. I am also a member of Consultants for Good and the International Association of Facilitators, and host monthly Meeting Innovators and IAF Meetups  which bring meeting organisers, workshop planners and facilitators together both face to face and virtually to share knowledge, skills and good practice.

You might like to know my passions are nature and the natural environment, I love baking bread, watching Roller Derby and visiting the wilds of Scotland. Previous enjoyable experiences include working as a zookeeper, researching wildlife in Nepal and supporting various international youth camps where most recently I was part of the central food logistics team catering for literally vast numbers of young people!

For further information on my career and qualifications please visit me on LinkedIn.

A network of experts

If a project needs expertise or additional resources, I can draw on a number of skilled associates, each of whom have a range of specialisms that add and complement my own skill set.

Who I help

I work with organisations, public sector teams, universities, charities, voluntary groups, businesses across the UK and beyond in particular those working with in the areas of sustainability, community development, the natural environment and community justice sector.

Recently I have worked with a number of agencies looking at consulting on and improving understanding of the impact of climate change plus supporting NGO’s to focus on increasing member participation in the new online environment.

Below are some of the clients I’ve worked with in the past:

Professional facilitation in Wales - Repair Cafe Wales
Meeting Innovators - monthly online meetup to facilitate better meetings Scotland, Wales, Europe and global
Professional facilitation in Wales - Repair Cafe Wales

Would you like to know more?

Let’s set up a free, no obligation consultation and find out if I can help you.

Contact me at 07921 586796 or megan-evans@live.co.uk, or use the contact form below to send me a message via my website.

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