Facilitation Lab
Facilitation Lab Raleigh Durham
Practice Playground
With Jordan Bowman , Shannon Varcoe, and Annie Hodges Grace
In Partnership With Miro
May 15, 2025
6pm - 8pm EDT
Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, this is your safe playground to push boundaries, explore new methods, and level up your facilitation skills!
At Facilitation Lab Raleigh Durham, facilitators and collaborative leaders come together to experiment, refine, and grow through real-time practice and role-play – because we believe that learning by doing is the best way to develop our facilitation muscle!
We use a tried and tested role play format called Practice Playground, which is a dynamic, hands-on process to help us sharpen our skills in a low-stakes and interactive way.
This is a rare chance to practice in a truly safe and supportive environment, where we can test new techniques, experiment, take risks, and get valuable, constructive feedback from peers.
Make the most of your session
Come prepared to role-play and facilitate a new facilitation method or something you’ve been working on. We’ve found attendees who step up benefit the most because they receive tailored feedback, and leave with real growth and confidence.
PARKING: There is parking available in front of the building, street parking and the lot to the left of the building. There is also a parking deck in the new Platform apartments across the street.
At Facilitation Lab Raleigh Durham, facilitators and collaborative leaders come together to experiment, refine, and grow through real-time practice and role-play – because we believe that learning by doing is the best way to develop our facilitation muscle!
We use a tried and tested role play format called Practice Playground, which is a dynamic, hands-on process to help us sharpen our skills in a low-stakes and interactive way.
This is a rare chance to practice in a truly safe and supportive environment, where we can test new techniques, experiment, take risks, and get valuable, constructive feedback from peers.
Make the most of your session
Come prepared to role-play and facilitate a new facilitation method or something you’ve been working on. We’ve found attendees who step up benefit the most because they receive tailored feedback, and leave with real growth and confidence.
PARKING: There is parking available in front of the building, street parking and the lot to the left of the building. There is also a parking deck in the new Platform apartments across the street.
May 15, 2025
6pm - 8pm EDT
Interested in a private cohort for your team?
Let us know
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About Facilitation Lab Raleigh Durham
Facilitation Lab Raleigh-Durham is a monthly in-person meetup for changemakers, collaborative leaders, and facilitators across Raleigh-Durham. Our purpose is to foster learning by doing in a psychologically safe environment, building a strong and supportive community of peers across the region.
As Regional Leads, Jordan, Shannon, and Annie cultivate a space for experimentation and collaborative leadership development, with a focus on people-powered organizational change.
Facilitation Lab Raleigh-Durham is a global network of regions, including other virtual meetups organized by continent and in-person meetups organized by cities. See the region list for a full list of all active meetups.
You can also join us in the Facilitation Lab Community Hub to stay connected with the facilitation community and get reminders of all upcoming events.
Agenda
Opener
An attendee will lead us through an engaging opener
Practice & Role Play
Attendees take turns role-playing as facilitators and participants as we practices different methods
Debrief
After some quiet reflection we’ll debrief the role-play and key learnings
Closer
An attendee will lead us through a purposeful closer
Who Should Attend
Experienced & New Facilitators
Who want to level up their facilitation skills and enhance their ability to effectively engage participants
Chiefs of Staff
Who want to align initiatives across departments and ensure strategic projects are implemented successfully
Product & Project Managers
Who want to steer stakeholders to the best outcomes and learn best practices in stakeholder management
Teachers & Trainers
Who want to design the most impactful learning and create engaging learning experiences
Key Takeaways
Gain hands-on experience with a spectrum of facilitation techniques, from classic to cutting-edge.
Receive immediate, constructive feedback in a nurturing environment to refine your facilitation skills.
Explore the depths of your existing facilitation knowledge and boost your confidence through low-stakes practice sessions.
Realize the potential to learn from anyone, appreciating the value of diverse experiences and perspectives.
Featured Facilitators
Jordan Bowman
Jordan Bowman is the Executive Director of Journeymen, a mentoring organization that cultivates independence, resilience, and emotional maturity in teenage boys. As a community builder, Jordan designs and facilitates experiences that inspire people to connect and collaborate. Through games and creative frameworks, he engages groups in unlocking their collective wisdom together.
Shannon Varcoe
Shannon Varcoe is Co-Founder of The Team Together, where she specializes in creating engaging, hands-on experiences that help teams connect and work better together. With a background in toy and game design, engineering, and program development, Shannon brings a unique perspective to facilitation, blending structure with play. She is passionate about designing activities and tools that make collaboration more dynamic, inclusive, and effective, empowering teams to navigate challenges while enjoying their time together. Shannon is also known for her beautiful slide decks and custom designed MURAL and Miro boards.
Annie Hodges Grace
Annie Hodges Grace is Co-Founder of The Team Together, where she designs thoughtful, human-centered experiences that help teams feel connected and inspired. With a Master’s in Organizational Development & Leadership, Annie has a real magic for reading the energy of a group and creating spaces where trust and collaboration come naturally. She loves supporting teams in uncovering what conversations they need to have and how they can keep growing long after the session ends.
In Partnership With
Miro
Miro is an online workspace for innovation that is visually reminiscent to whiteboards we have in meeting rooms. All the tools are located on the left side of the screen. And it allows you to add various content from texts to images, create maps and diagrams, and work with visual templates together with a team.
What People are Saying
"The community’s warmth and generosity in tending to me and the issue made me feel cared for and supported. Beyond the suggestions, which were immediately useful, the culture of the community makes leaning into that growth edge easier, and more delightful."
Katrina Mitchell
Senior Technical Advisor, JHPiego
“I just wanted to say thanks for the great session last night. Your feedback and suggestions were fantastic. I left very energized!"
Dan Corbin
Instructor at Pragmatic Institute
Photo Disclaimer
Please note that photographs, video & audio recordings will be taken throughout this event. These will be used by Voltage Control for marketing and publicity in our publications, on our website and in social media, or in any third party publication. Please contact our events manager if you have any concerns or if you wish to be exempted from this activity.
