How to Lead Engaging Meetings

The what, why and how of creating engaging meetings in-person and online where everyone participates in helpful ways

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Over 1,200 organizations learned how to run engaging meetings from Barbara MacKay and North Star Facilitators.

Have you ever led a meeting where:

  • You don't get answers when you ask a question?
  • One or two people do all the talking and no one else gets a chance to contribute?
  • You lose people's attention to distracting technology?
  • You feel like you have to do it all on your own, because no one else is stepping up?
If so, you're not alone. In fact, most people running meetings today struggle to get people participating—because no one ever taught them the skills it takes to lead engaging meetings.

The good news? Meetings don't have to be stressful or exhausting.

To get everyone actively engaged—so everyone is contributing their best ideas and working well together as a team—you need to learn how to:

  • Ask great questions
  • Lead activities that work for participants with different thinking and learning styles
  • Structure your meetings to create irresistible opportunities for engagement

PDUs: Leadership - 2

With just a few simple meeting techniques, you can transform those plodding, dull meetings into energizing events your team wants to attend.

This course will teach you the crucial meeting leadership skills you need to lead consistently engaging meetings. Please note all the techniques that we cover here for in-person meetings can also be used in some adapted way in online or virtual meetings. We’ve just added a handout in each section that helps you lead engaging virtual meetings.

Whether you're a brand new team leader, or you're working with a new team that you're having trouble engaging, or even if you've been leading meetings for years and you're looking to upgrade your approach, taking this course will give you the practical skills and confidence you need to run more engaging, successful meetings.


"I'm a newbie to leading engaging meetings and I wanted some resources to get started. This course delivered!

I now have great new ideas, confidence in my ability to use them, and I'm actually excited to plan meetings that will be more fun for my team!"

-- Elena Mierau, Spokane Regional Health District

Your Instructor


Barbara J. MacKay
Barbara J. MacKay

Certified Professional Facilitator and Assessor, IAF Hall of Fame Inductee
Barbara's been facilitating since 1981. She founded North Star Facilitators in 1995 and has since led thousands of facilitated meetings, conferences, and workshops all over the world.

Today, Barbara focuses on ensuring that the world has increasing numbers of competent, collaborative leaders. Her approach to teaching is to honor the incredible intelligence of every person. Her core facilitation methodology is the Technology of Participation (ToP) infused with principles of neuroscience, Non Violent Communication, cross cultural diversity and inclusion perspectives, and graphic facilitation.


Course Curriculum


  Why care about leading engaging in-person and online meetings?
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  How do you achieve 5-Star engaging meetings?
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  Verbal Techniques: Encourage Talking
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  Visual Techniques: Stimulate Effective Thinking
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  Social Techniques: Foster Connections
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  Physical Techniques: Ensure Energy Flows
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  Sensory Techniques: Inspire Creative Contributions
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  Now, how do I pull this all this together into a meeting?
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  What Comes Next
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Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.

Enroll today!