Transforming Meetings
Learn practical tools to run meetings that build trust, support quality thinking and lead to clearer, more productive outcomes.
This course is for people who run, lead or contribute to meetings of any kind, including team meetings, project forums, workshops and executive discussions.
Course overview
Meetings are one of the most common practices in modern work, yet many are unproductive, rushed or dominated by only a few voices. Transforming Meetings™ introduces the Thinking Environment, a framework developed by social scientist Nancy Kline that supports people to think clearly, contribute fully and work together with purpose. This one day workshop explores the Ten Components and key Building Blocks of the Thinking Environment and shows how to apply them to agenda design, participation, and facilitation whether in person or online. The course is designed for anyone who runs or contributes to meetings and wants to create a more inclusive, focused and productive experience. Participants leave with practical tools they can apply straight away.
What you'll learn
- Understand the Ten Components of the Thinking Environment and how they shape quality thinking.
- Structure an agenda that supports participation, time management and clear outcomes.
- Facilitate meetings that create psychological safety and make space for all voices.
- Strengthen active listening skills to support deeper thinking in a busy, interrupted world.
- Create meeting experiences that increase engagement and lift the quality of discussion and results.
Course modules
Module 1: Introduction to the Thinking Environment
Explore the Ten Components and Building Blocks and understand how they contribute to better thinking and collaboration.
Module 2: Designing an outcomes focused agenda
Learn how to prepare agendas that enable equal participation, maintain an outcomes focus and support effective use of time.
Module 3: Running Transforming Meetings
Apply the Building Blocks of the Thinking Environment to facilitate conversations that create safety, clarity and productive dialogue.
Module 4: Listening in an interrupted world
Practise active listening techniques that deepen engagement and improve the quality of thinking in groups.
Module 5: Creating engaging meeting experiences
Bring the components together to design meetings where people leave feeling valued, energised and clear about next steps.
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