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Facilitating Creative Sessions

A comprehensive course that prepares you to lead effective group sessions in creative processes by teaching them essential facilitation skills. This course, designed for designers and professionals, combines theory, practical exercises, and feedback to improve facilitation techniques and soft skills.

A course with SDN Acc. Master Julia Alberga

What you'll learn

MODULE 1

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Facilitation Basics

MODULE 2

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Building the session

MODULE 3

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Roles and Soft Skills

MODULE 4

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Evaluating and Learning

Course Information

Language:

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English

Course level:

Basic/Intermediate

Location: Zoom

Platform details will be shared with course registrants prior to course

What to expect? 

In this online course, "Facilitating Creative Sessions," you will learn the fundamental abilities and information required to successfully guide group sessions in the creative process. You will develop critical soft skills and obtain a thorough understanding of facilitation techniques through a combination of theoretical ideas, hands-on activities, and helpful feedback.

 

We will examine the crucial function and significance of facilitation in creative sessions during the first section of the course. A wide variety of facilitation techniques will be covered, and you'll learn when and how to use each one throughout the design process. Engaging group activities will provide you plenty of chances to put these strategies into practice and get helpful criticism from your peers.

 

The second phase of the course will be devoted to developing the essential soft skills required for effective facilitation. You will gain knowledge of practical methods for handling difficult participants and navigating group dynamics. You will have the chance to build canvases and hone your facilitating approach by participating in practical exercises. You will also lead small group workshops, giving you the chance to get insightful comments from other participants.

 

The course will conclude with a thorough feedback and evaluation session where you can reflect on your progress and learn more about issues like post-session direction and facilitating in various settings.

Course Learning Objectives

  • Learn about of the role and significance of facilitation in creative sessions

  • Gain insights of a variety of facilitation techniques and understand their application throughout the design process

  • Develop essential soft skills for effective facilitation, such as managing difficult participants and navigating group dynamics

  • Acquire practical experience through hands-on exercises and group activities

  • Learn how to create canvases and develop timetables for mini workshops

  • Lean about the importance of over preparedness and under structure in facilitation

4 reasons why you should join the Facilitating Creative Sessions course!

Build a Strong Foundation in Creative Facilitation

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Facilitation is a skill that enables groups to achieve better outcomes and solve complex challenges collaboratively. This course covers the role and significance of facilitation in creative sessions, helping you develop a foundational understanding of how to lead impactful workshops.

 

You’ll learn how to harness facilitation to foster creativity, keep sessions focused, and ensure that participants remain engaged and inspired.

3. Develop Soft Skills to Manage Group Dynamics

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Managing group dynamics is a crucial aspect of facilitation, and this course places a strong emphasis on developing the soft skills needed to handle challenges effectively. You’ll learn strategies to manage difficult participants, encourage quieter voices, and foster a positive environment for collaboration.

 

By mastering these skills, you’ll create sessions that are inclusive and productive, enabling every participant to contribute meaningfully.

Learn and Practice Effective Facilitation Techniques

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Through hands-on exercises and group activities, you’ll explore a range of facilitation techniques and understand when to apply each one throughout the design process. From brainstorming to decision-making, you’ll gain practical experience with tools that make collaborative work more productive and enjoyable.

 

These techniques will allow you to tailor your approach to different groups, objectives, and stages in the creative process.

Create Engaging, Well-Structured Workshops

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In addition to facilitation techniques, you’ll gain skills to design and structure workshops that align with specific goals. This includes creating canvases, setting timelines, and learning the concept of “over-preparedness and under-structure,” which ensures flexibility within a planned framework.

 

By the end of the course, you’ll be equipped to design sessions that are adaptable yet purposeful, keeping participants engaged while meeting your session objectives.

Meet the trainer

Julia Alberga is working as an UX consultant and researcher in Amsterdam, where she founded Alberga Consultancy in 2017 and Radical Research in 2021. Before she started her own company, she worked as a service designer and researcher at the Rabobank for three years, gaining knowledge on inhouse service design and how to implement improved processes over time. She deepened her education in UX and service design and learned why stakeholders management and co-creation with the user ánd the team is so important in order to really make a change. 

After being the service design lead for the business sector of the Rabobank and doing major usability research on the newly developed homepage in 2015, she started facilitating Design Sprints for the Rabobank saw the potential of this method and the difference it made to accelerate with your teammember and, more importantly, to look through the eyes of the user. She was hooked on facilitating ánd on co-creating and realised she wanted to make a greater impact, by using this experience within different work fields. She therefore started freelancing in 2017, carrying out over 40 Design Sprints to this date, to help companies understand their customers and creating a service that revolves around them. 

Julia Transparent

Julia Alberga (she/her)
Service Design Consultant SDN-accredited Master

DATES AND TIMES

1. Live Meeting: November 04, 2025 | 15:00 - 17:30 CET

2. Live Meeting: November 18, 2025 | 15:00 - 17:30 CEST

3. Live Meeting: December 02, 2025 | 15:00 - 17:30 CEST

4. Live Meeting: December 09, 2025 | 15:00 - 17:30 CEST

 

Convert this to your time zone

Course fees and registration

Includes:

Full Participation in all four modules and on-demand content plus access to recording

Interaction with course participants and trainer

All course content, supplemental learning material

Course completion certificate

  • YouTube

SDN Members

€450 Early Bird (February 18, 2025)

€550 Normal price

Non-SDN Members

€500 Early Bird (February 18, 2025)

€600 Normal price

TESTIMONIALS

" I wanted more confidence when facilitating creative workshops. To have some structure to hold on to and to know how to make choices between different methods. This course brought me insights that helped me to feel better when preparing a creative session. And now I just have to practice some more! "

" Facilitating Creative Sessions "
Course Participant, January - March 2024

Get notified about future editions
of this course

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Who is this course for?

 

"Facilitating Creative Sessions" is intended for professionals running in-house workshops and designers looking to improve their facilitation abilities. After finishing this course, you'll be prepared to lead stimulating creative workshops that encourage teamwork and promote innovation in your industry.

Financial Inclusion

 

We as the SDN support financial inclusion as part of our DEI mission (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), based on the world bank clusters. So, if you think you are eligible – please contact us at academy@service-design-network.org

High income

Full training fee

Upper middle

income

Receive 25% discount

on the training fee

Lower middle

income

Receive 50% discount

on the training fee

Low income

Receive 75% discount

on the training fee

Frequently asked questions

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