🧰10 Facilitation & Experience Design Toolkits I Can't Live Without

Never run out of ideas for your next live session

Source: Dan Cristian, Unsplash

Have you ever come up blank when looking for the perfect activity?

You need some ideas for a quick icebreaker but you don't know where to look or who to ask? I know that feeling. That's why a few years ago I started collecting toolkits.

I discovered that there are hundreds of toolkits out there.

I've spent hours pouring through warm-ups, activities, prompt questions, and closings. But very quickly I felt like I was trying to sip water from a firehose. I was drowning in options.

I now have my go-to toolkits.

They are expertly curated by seasoned facilitators. Dedicated people who have spent countless hours collecting, creating, and sharing tools.

In these toolkits, you will find ideas that help spark creativity, build community, and boost innovation. And they make working and learning in groups more fun.

I've used them to come up with activities for my course Breakthrough Facilitation and when I am looking for some creative inspiration.

You'll see that many of the tools focus on leading live online sessions. But you'll also find lots of ideas for in-person and hybrid sessions.

Here is the list of 10 toolkits that I can't live without👇

1/ ⚙️IDEO’s Creative Tips + Tools.

Practical resources for bringing creativity into your life and putting it to work. Perfect for sparking innovation and creative thinking.

Check out 👉 6 Ways to Kick Off Creative Meetings

2/ 🔧Session Lab Library of Facilitation Techniques.

A bank of 900 facilitation activities and methods that boost engagement, productivity, and participation. Ideal for virtual meetings and teams.

Check out 👉 Fortunate Me

3/ ⛏️Hyper Island Toolbox.

100 activities that cover energizers, innovation, leadership, team-building, well-being, and diversity-equity-inclusion-and belonging. You’ll find something for any kind of group here.

Check out 👉 I Like, I Wish, I Wonder​

4/ 🪛Liberating Structures Methods Menu​

A menu of 33 methods that tap the collective intelligence and wisdom of groups. If you don't know Liberating Structures it's worth getting to know their game-changing work.

Check out 👉 1-2-4-All

5/ 🔩Mischief Makers Facilipedia

A curation of facilitation techniques and activities to support teamwork and create better-aligned and more effective teams.

Check out 👉 Counting Game ​

6/ 🧮Shadow Playground Games & Activities

A brand new toolkit curated by seasoned facilitator Ez Bridgman. It helps organizations and individuals connect to their playful vitality in their most important and challenging moments.

Check out 👉 Turn your camera off if...

7/ 🔨Changemakers x Change Virtual Toolkit.

A compilation of resources for virtual sessions to help you create social impact. Brilliant for social entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers.

Check out 👉 Check-in Questions​

8/ 🛠️Collective Impact Methods Kit ​

Over 450 tools expertly curated by networks facilitator Brendon Johnson. Brendon has sifted through 40+ toolkits and meticulously tagged and rated each one. This is the toolkit of all toolkits!

Check out 👉 Group Agreements for Networks​

Toolkits worth paying for:

9/ 🗜️Toolsi by Nadia Chaney​

An on-demand online facilitation suite for intermediate to advanced facilitators. Toolsi is the creation of Nadia Chaney, one of my mentors and one of the best facilitators I know. For a monthly subscription, you can access the toolkit, courses, workbooks, and more.

10/ ✂️Play on Purpose ​

A collection of tools from expert facilitator Jenny Sauer-Klien that leverage connection & engagement to create interactive events. For a one-time payment, you can access activities with video demonstrations and facilitator tips.

What are your go-to toolkits?

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Hi, I’m Gwyn.👋 I am a Facilitator and Experience Designer based in Barcelona, Spain. I’m on a mission to help you design & lead engaging live online sessions that get better results for your groups. I run a 5-week live online cohort-based course called Breakthrough Facilitation. I write a weekly newsletter called The Quest with actionable insights and tips for leading live online sessions. And I offer 1:1 coaching and custom training programs. Visit www.gwynwansbrough.com to learn more.

Subscribe to The Quest 👉 here.