Facilitation Lab
Facilitation Lab Austin
Practice Playground
With Douglas Ferguson and Erin Warner
In Partnership With ReUp Education
July 24, 2025
5pm - 7pm CDT
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 Austin, 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.
Scenario: A rapidly growing startup is looking to develop its next generation of leaders to guide the team through scaling challenges.
Hoped-for Outcomes:
Enhanced leadership skills focused on managing high-growth teams. Strategies for effective decision-making in fast-paced environments. Personal development plans for emerging leaders.
Participants: 15 high-potential employees identified for leadership roles. Needs include leadership skill development and mentorship opportunities.
Length of Workshop: 3-day retreat.
Type of Workshop: In-person, offsite location to encourage bonding and focused development.
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.
At Facilitation Lab Austin, 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.
Activity of the Month: Workshop Design
Scenario: A rapidly growing startup is looking to develop its next generation of leaders to guide the team through scaling challenges.
Hoped-for Outcomes:
Participants: 15 high-potential employees identified for leadership roles. Needs include leadership skill development and mentorship opportunities.
Length of Workshop: 3-day retreat.
Type of Workshop: In-person, offsite location to encourage bonding and focused development.
————————————
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.
July 24, 2025
5pm - 7pm CDT
Interested in a private cohort for your team?
Let us know
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About Facilitation Lab Austin
Facilitation Lab Austin is a monthly in-person meetup for changemakers, collaborative leaders, and facilitators across Austin. 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, Douglas and Erin cultivate a space for experimentation and collaborative leadership development, with a focus on people-powered organizational change.
Facilitation Lab Austin 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
Douglas Ferguson
Douglas Ferguson is an entrepreneur, educator, and human-centered technologist. He is the founder and president of Voltage Control, a facilitation academy that develops leaders through certifications, workshops, and organizational coaching focused on facilitation mastery, innovation, and play. He has helped transform leaders, innovators, and creatives from Nike, U.S. SOCOM, Google, the Air Force, Gap, Tesla, MSU, Church & Dwight, Apple, Adobe, Dropbox, Fidelity, Vrbo, Liberty Mutual, Humana, and SAIC. Douglas is a thought leader and author of four books: Magical Meetings, Beyond the Prototype, How to Remix Anything, and Start Within.
Erin Warner
Erin Warner is a facilitator leveraging the compelling synergy between her professional expertise in law, culture, fitness, and wellness. These unique ingredients merge into a facilitation approach that supports a spectrum of outcomes including camaraderie and unity (that are the basis of strong teams and strong communities), inviting exploration and growth (which stimulate innovation) and the rigor of decision-making and action (which are needed to execute on a vision).
In Partnership With
ReUp Education
Higher education wasn’t designed for working adults. That keeps many adult learners from gaining new skills, locking them out of better paying jobs, and effectively hold state economies hostage—without the skilled workforce they need to thrive. At ReUp, that’s our invitation. We’re here for the first-gens and the single parents, the career starters and the career-changers, the millions who dream of building a better future. With ReUp, that future starts now.
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.
